It looks good, but something doesn't feel quite right.
Second, this won't be a neutral review (as it should be if done by professionals, but wtf, I'm just a regular gamer :P)
I quit Aion some months ago and since then I've been in this hangover state waiting for an exceptional MMO to come out. After reading many omg-this-game-is-amazing topics about DCUO beta I decided to give it a try.
I regreted this decision.
I can't say the game is bad per se, but as far as MMO goes, this one is just way too out of track. It's really not what an MMO fan is expecting. On the other hand I guess it was never meant to be this way.
First things first (why it fails as an MMO)
• Level cap - 30 (can be achieved in the first week)
• You don't have mouse freedom (everything feels like a generic ACTION game for the console where you play with a gamepad)
This means you need to rely on your keyboard/mouse or gamepad to do EVERYTHING:
Example: "oh, thats a sweet looking character, let me examine you" "oh, what the hell?" "press enter, press f1 (pc version) to enter social menu, select the group member or anyone close by, select info" "ah, there it is!" You could also press ESC and pop up the menu and do the same but it doesn't change a thing. Everything regarding the community looks way complicated and messy to do. There is no actual interaction with player/environment (unless of course you're destroying things). In Aion for instance, you click on any character and a menu is open with a bunch of options (trade, duel, chat, invite to group, invite to alliance, invite to legion, etc). It's easy, intuitive and it adds to the overall "I can make a stand in this world" feeling an MMO should have.
• Chat window is confusing and the lack of mouse only makes things worse (this is directly related to the next point).
NOTHING is ever explained to you in game. You only get some basic info on how to attack. The rest is non-existent, e.g. how to create a clan with buddies, how to invite people for your group, which quests require a group
Menu feels claustrophic and looks like a place where everything that couldn't be on the HUD (yes, this is an action game) is there just for the sake of it.
• Quests are generic and they don't make you feel a super-hero at all: "go there, kill 15 of those guys to save the city." "ok you saved the city!" 2 seconds later the place is crawling with mobs all over again. (this is a typical MMO flaw but still a flaw :P)
• Looting system is both awkward and useful: you loot by tapping control (this is a nice thing) but then when you're in a group and you find something, a pop box appears and says something like "you have loot waiting to be bla bla". Then you have to press a button (L in the pc version) for a BIG ASS menu to appear that covers up ALL your screen (many times while you're fighting) and either choose Roll, need or discard or whatever. How can roll for loot be a problem in a game? Nothing is simpler than "you found loot: roll, pass," Nothing else.
Now talking to other major aspect of the game: The PVP:
The PVP in this game is brutal. Not in the good sense of the word. It really is! You either win massively (when you have friends nearby) or you just get koed in 2 seconds by a bunch of gankers (or even 1 if he hits all the stuns). The action is too fast for you to even make a move. There goes the whole "super-hero" thing. PvP seemed unbalanced with all the class customization in my opinion. Of course, this could be caused by my choice of class but I either was winning or losing the exact same way: button smashing. I realized soon that it was all about the buttons. Now, if you see someone saying it's not button smashing, then give it a try and see how it works. Also, the custom class should be more restricted to not allow majorly underpowered character to walk around. This is just my suggestion :P
Also forget about the physics thing in DCUO, all it counts it's a pro connection and how fast you can hit the buttons (and also, the equip and level). There isn't any strategy involved. At all. What you need to do is press TAB for lock on and click everything you have. You'll win and you'll lose. Eventually there will be pro players with pro gear and with every combo mastered, but that's a thing for action games, not mmo's. Traditional MMO's gives you many skills that are meant to be used in certain situations depending on the context of the battle. You have some time to plan, think a strategy, etc. Then you win or lose, but at least you can look back and say "I could've done this differently. Next time I'll be better". In DCUO PVP is like "wtf just happened" It happens to fast for strategies once you're in it. As far as MMO goes, the skills are important. Namely there would be skills for every situation. In DCUO you can use a maximum of 6. Enough said. Still regarding this aspect of the game, I couldn't find an useful description o the skills. I had to use them before-hand in order to know exactly how they work. This is a major flaw for an MMO game: no skill description. All you get is a summary when you acquire and that's it.
The PVP server was designed so you could run all over and always fighting. Well, this was taken to an extreme. If you're playing on a PVP server be prepared to be ganked as soon as you hit the streets. No chance there.
Of course, Im a naturally pvper and I love it. Although I'm used to Lineage 2 pvp system. You could get killed as a level 1 by a level 80, but there would be consequences to the high level. Anyways, in DCUO that doesn't happen. That also seemed a bit unbalanced. Everyone seems to have a long range stun skill which pretty much renders long range weapons useless. Consider yourself warned. Melee characters seemed a bit overpowered (but I won't go into detail there, mainly due to my lack of commitment to the game).
The only time I really had fun was on Legends arena....(everyone was still playing the same avatar) where you take the roll of an hero (first avatar is Robin on the hero side) or a villain depending on the choice you made at the beginning of the game. In the legends pvp arena, level doesn't matter and everyone gets access to all 6 skills (again, wow). It's the most enjoyable thing in the game since it's the only way you'll be in a fair fight and your skills will be tested for real. This part of the game I really liked (although the reward ain't much of a thing).
• Graphics are awesome. Everything looks great. Voice action and production value as well. It's an awesome game to look at (unreal engine at its finest!). Actually, it's a great action game! It does everything right in that aspect. But the essential MMO things that normal MMO fans would expect to be there and work are all poorly made. Even the guild system felt awkward (how can you fail on something that simple?).
• The thing I like about MMO's is the feeling of progression level after level, equipment after equipment. In games like L2, WoW, GW, Aion, you know you'll be stronger by the time you hit the next level or when you get a new weapon and you get the awesome feeling of "now I'll show them!" to the guys who pk'ed last week. In DCUO this doesn't happen so often. You can be easily killed by a character of any level if you don't watch out. I get it that this might not be a bad thing, but I'm talking about things MMO fans expect out of a game. And significant level progression is one of them. Level and equipment play a role in the outcome of a battle, but not that much (good thing for some, bad thing for others). Personally, if I play an MMO I don't like to be killed by a guy 20 levels below me :P
• However, the thing I struggled the most was really how the game just throws you in to the like you're supposed to know everything before-hand:
I had to try several commands from my past mmo experiences to see what was working or not: "/invite" for making a group or "/group" "/shout" "/say"There is absolutely no info about that in the beginning of the game. Yeah, you can always press ESC and click "help" but the only thing it says is "go to DC WEBSITE" which isn't very specific about things. I guess things like that are pretty normal in the mmo world, but it could be done in a better way.
Also, you can't customize the U.I. (moving bars around, checking your buffs, status effects, nothing).
Only two cities to be explored and too many fanboys going around.
To be noted if I get hate about this: DCUO should be faced and considered as an ACTION game. A good one (with some minor tweaks to be made). But be aware, if you're a MMO player like myself, stay away from it. It's almost a new-genre that won't appeal at all to the traditional mmo player.
If it was an action game I'd give it a 8 in 10. Graphics, story, voice-actor, music, production, battles that remembered me of God of War, etc.
Although as an MMO input, I have to put it down to 5 in 10. It just fails in the basic things an MMO should have.
I think most MMO players will understand. Play DCUO, it's a great game. But don't expect a good MMO experience out of it. Go for it with an Action game in mind and maybe you can get past all the flaws. As for myself, I'm aching for an MMO (maybe Rift in a month, who knows) so I couldn't enjoy the good aspects of the DCUO as much as I should.
So 5 for being a good action game but a poorly made MMO.
It's my opinion and I understand who will love the game. I just regret my €44 =P
For all action game addicts, it's worth a try!
As a sidenote...if you see 10 out 10 reviews, don't believe them. Those are just fanboys trying to bring the score up :p
Also, if you go with the "oh, there'll be monthly updates to the game" talk...well, the game was in development for 5 years. You'd figure they would fix those "minor" issues fanboys say they don't matter. The game feels unfinished (and it is). It's up to you to decide if you want to pay for the game and then pay $15 per month.
With other titles like Star Wars The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2 or even Rift in the making that look very promising, DCUO is a very forgettable experience.