DC Universe Online Message Board older than one year ago

While PlayStation Plus didn't make a particularly strong debut, it's hard to argue with the value of its newly announced offerings. In addition to earning free access to Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, PlayStation Plus members can expect an even more lucrative bonus: an invite into the beta of the long-awaited DC Universe Online. While specific timing hasn't been mentioned, the offer will extend to "all" Plus subscribers, instead of the "select" members chosen in previous betas.

The update for December 21st will also include a free trial of Borderlands and discounts on Neo Geo software. Sony is certainly making the $50 asking price of Plus seem much more palpable.

Dust off your capes, subscribers.

#gamecakes Kotaku has a proud history of showcasing the artistic intersection of video games and cakes, so it's no surprise who our favorite contestant is "Cake Boss: Next Great Baker." Meet Brian Stevens, senior artist at Sony Online Entertainment. More »

Not in the beta? Don't sweat it, you can play with us.

#pc I want to be perfectly blunt with the team behind DC Universe Online, no allusions, so I tell them right off the bat: I haven't really liked a massively multiplayer online game since Ultima Online's late 90s alpha. More »

#clips Back in grade school my friends tried to convince me that Batman was cooler than Superman. While they were probably right, Gotham City is no Metropolis. More »

Honestly, guys, we're shocked. What kind of message does fighting send to budding caped crusaders and aspiring hoodlums in DC Universe Online's Gotham City locale? There are certain protocols of etiquette one must adhere to when engaging in crime-fighting or heistery and, today, we're sad to say we're disappointed in you both.

As penance, we're going to display your embarrassing encounter for all to see in our gallery below. Let it be a lesson moving forward: from here on out, let's dance out our problems, okay guys?

As one of the few MMOs headed for consoles, DC Universe Online presents the challenge of satisfying both long-term PC MMO fans and lifelong console players experiencing the genre for the first time. Developer Sony Online Entertainment also has to feature the DC pantheon of heroes and villains, while simultaneously making room in the DC Universe for millions of new heroes and villains -- and it has to let people build their own unique mixture of powers without sacrificing game balance or allowing everyone to be Superman.

Of course, judging from history (hello, True Fantasy Live Online) just releasing an MMO on consoles is enough of a challenge. SOE Creative Director Chris Cao told Joystiq that this was one of the major reasons for the recent delay of DCUO from this month into early 2011. "An MMO is already a complex thing to launch," he said, "let alone on two platforms, with two kinds of audiences, and so we've been running closed beta and internal beta for a long time, most of this year." As the team found more to work on through these betas, they asked for, and received, permission to delay the game.

In the right hands, Fear can be a weapon.

Sure, you could get your superheroic missions from timeless characters in DC Universe Online through boring text discussions -- but it seems Sony Online Entertainment is doing its darndest to fill the game with real human voices. Authentic voices too: For instance, Arleen Sorkin will reprise her role of Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series, while super prolific voice actor Corey Burton will provide the pipes for Brainiac.

Dwight Schultz, of The A-Team and Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, will add another notch to his voiceover belt by speaking for The Flash. Rounding out the list of actors is Wil Wheaton, who recently voiced the Blue Beetle in Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- though, this time around, he'll be doing vox for Robin, who is sometimes called Boy Wonder, but never to his face.

More hallmark voice talent added for highly anticipated action MMO.

Some witches have uncommon beauty that belies their more beastly nature.

#screens The latest raft of screens for the superhero MMO from Sony Online Entertainment depicts beatdowns in the Bat Cave, the Metropolis Subway, and the Temple of Isis. Enjoy! More »

#clips Future Lex Luthor's ridiculous plan to seed humanity with super powers to avert a coming apocalypse culminates in this character creation trailer for DC Universe Online. More »

An MMO nerd and a comic dork played for a day. Here's what they think...

I know that a lot of you are bummed that we have to delay DC Universe Online to 2011, but we think it’s really gonna pay off. With the delay and expanding beta, it will give us a chance to test and scale our servers and take feedback from the players so we can deliver a killer experience when the servers go live.

In the meantime, just in time for the New York Comic Con, here’s a new sizzle trailer for DC Universe Online! This one’s got it all: Heroes, Villains, Icons, combat, the whole shebang!

Also, the official DC Universe Online Facebook page will be showcasing a live stream of the DCUO panel discussion at 6:30 pm Eastern Time featuring legendary artist Jim Lee, DC Universe Online Game Director Chris Cao and DCUO Art Director Mark Anderson. Don’t miss it!

#delayofgame Not even the combined powers of all of DC's super heroes could keep Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online from being pushed back to early 2011, but new beta testing details cast light to the game's blackest night. More »

Sony Online Entertainment announced a delay of DC Universe Online, from its announced November 2 release date until "early 2011." Or, in comic book terms, SOE rebooted the universe, creating a reality where the game was always going to be released in early 2011. "As the game heads into external beta testing, this extra time will allow us to address community feedback in a meaningful way," SOE president John Smedley said. "When we get deeper into external beta, we'll be able to share more information regarding the new launch date."

There's sort of good news if you still want to spend your November (or at least part of it) playing DCUO. If you've already pre-ordered, or if you do so before November 15, you'll be "assured access to the beta by November 30 (North America only)." If you miss that deadline, you'll get access a week before launch, and you'll get to take part in the "Battle of the Legends" event at the end of beta, along with the other people who will have had months to get way, way better than you.

The good news? There's a PS3 collector's edition now.

#sonyonlineentertainment It's like you can't go five feet in DC Universe Online's Gotham City or Metropolis without seeing superheroes and super villains duking it out. I bet property values are way down. More »

Bringing new meaning to the term "power suit..."

#sonyonlineentertainment As a balding man, I object to the notion that a person with a hairless skull needs a giant suit of green and purple power armor to be a productive member of superhuman society in DC Universe Online. More »

These new DC Universe Online shots feature all types of POWs, BLAMs and SMACKs as the fight spills across ... the universe. Unfortunately, there's just one giant ice ball.

#monkeybusiness Batman's archenemy is a homicidal lunatic, Superman has a megalomaniac hell-bent on world domination, and the Flash? The Flash has a hyper-intelligent gorilla. Check out Gorilla Grodd and the monkey fun bunch in these latest screens from DC Universe Online. More »

#gallery It wouldn't be the DC Universe, online or offline, without Princess Diana of Themyscira, and while she isn't sporting the late-80's short jacket look she has in the comics, she's still looking great for a woman in her late 60's. More »

Listen, we're sure whatever custom superhero you're planning on creating within DC Universe Online is going be a precious and unique snowflake -- but you know who else is great? Batman and all his friends. You can check out their exploits, both heroic and villainous, in the gallery below.

#screens Of six new screens pumped out by DC Universe Online, not much suprise that four involve Batman or characters from his continuity. That's because preordering the MMO lets you play as the Caped Crusader in a 2-on-2 arena battle. More »

#gamescom2010 In this new trailer from Gamescom, SOE lets you be a savior or destroyer of the DC Universe. More »

Just in time for gamescom in Cologne, here’s a new trailer for SOE’s upcoming PS3 action MMO, DC Universe Online. This trailer reveals some of the over-the-top combat, as well as the powers and movement sets that players can choose from in making themselves the next great legend in the DC Universe — either as its savior or its destroyer.

DC Universe Online is scheduled to launch November 2 for the PlayStation 3. To preorder the game and get some killer in-game items, click the pre-order link at www.dcuniverseonline.com.

Some IGN comic nerds daydream about what they're going to do in Superman's backyard.