I had a chance to see DC Universe Online today and I have to say, it’s sharp. You won’t be Superman, the Batman or any of the big guns but you will fight at their side or go toe-to-toe in the new Universe. They showed some concept art and locations in the game which are all being designed by Jim Lee and DC is taking a very active role in the project including a large backstory to explain why thousands of superheroes suddenly appeared in the first place.

When asked about the groups and factions in the game Shawn Lord, Lead Content Designer  said the JLA is in, the JSA might be but the Legion of Doom is 100% as well. When I asked about being invited to join the JLA or the other factions he did the shoulder-shrugging, big-grin bearing "I don’t know" move that is usually indicative of a secret they’re bursting to tell. So maybe one day you can finally live out that dream of being in the Justice League of America, making time with Wonder Woman and hanging out with Batman. I wonder if Zan and Jana are going to be there because the Hall of Justice will be as it was shown in both concept art and in a rendered model. 

Depending on if you’re good or bad in the game (you can be either) the storylines will unfold in different ways. If you come around the corner and Superman is fighting Lex you’ll see the ’knock out’ icon for Supes if you’re a villain but on Lex if you’re a hero. All the DC personalities that will be in the game are going to be builtin based on stories (think quests) but we all have seen the big three I named in addition to the Joker, Flash and Green Lantern along with others like Shazam, Sinestro and maybe the Riddler who wasn’t shown but one of the designers had a big green ? on his shirt...

The environment is not totally destructible but it is deformable to a degree and buildings will show damage and such from the superpowered battles. They will then auto-repair themselves over a period of  time so you can damage it all again later.

They’re doing dual development on the PC and PS3 and right now Shawn said that cross-platform play looks possible but if something changes between the games it could separate them. So not 100% on that yet. they are 100% on the 4 buttons = 4 abilities however that doesn’t mean you can only have 4 super powers but you can only ’equip’ 4 at a time to keep the interface light and fast on the PS3. 

Over time you can gain more powers or increase the effects of ones you already have. Some stories will require a set of powers so you might fail something and have to go and switch up your powers to succeed. It gives an interesting tactics and strategic spin to the game. 

The gameplay video they showed looks really cool and the battles and environments are huge. Considering I ditched an Activision meeting because of a schedule change I can seriously say I am glad I stuck around to see this.So read up on the last 60 years of DC Comics and maybe you’ll be finished when the game is ready.