DC Universe OnlineSony Online Entertainment
Available Now - £34.99 (PC) & £39.99 (PS3)
Review by Blake Harmer
Get this in the E14 Store for just £26.99 (PC) and £34.99 (PS3)
With all the superheroes and villains destroyed whilst fighting each other, Brainiac and his robots attack and take over the world. Realising his mistake in killing Superman et al., Lex Luther travels back in time to warn everyone and unleashes a device that transforms a large amount of the population into superhumans and tasks the DC heroes and villains with training them up in an attempt to stop Brainiac when he does invade.
Excuses to have lots of superheroes flying around the world aside, this MMORPG decides to go down the more action-based route, and surprisingly, it works to some extent. In terms of traditional RPG fare, there is a very deep character creation tool to be enjoyed here, with a wide arrange of weapons, powers, costumes and accessories. You also get to enjoy an in-depth levelling up system that lets you customise the majority of your stats via Diablo style skill trees which allow you to choose the areas that your character improves in. The world (as can be expected in most MMORPGs) is vast, with plenty to do and is filled with players for you to team up with on PvE servers or smack into oblivion on PvP servers. There are plenty of missions available with later levels allowing you to mount raids with iconic DC heroes...or villains, depending on what side you have taken.
The game does suffer with downsides on the PC though. The most noticeable is that while the combat is nice and meaty, the controls on keyboard are quite fiddly and can be frustrating when in larger battles. It is here that you think the combat mostly caters towards PS3 owners, where a controller would be much more suited to the game and its general feel. Also, you don't really know what your hero or villain’s true potential is when working in a group until it is too late. You could choose one power thinking it to be damaging only to find out you’ve chosen the healer. Finally, I found the super speed and acrobatic abilities pale to the flight ability in terms of traversing the game’s huge map, making the other choices rather redundant. You can reach anywhere via flight, much faster.
The Emotionally Fourteen Games Rating
Graphics: Fairly decent for a MMORPG. Tthere are also some nice effects when the superpowers go off. The opening cutscene to the game is also a brilliant nerdgasm for DC fans.
Sound/Music: Some good voice acting (yes Mark Hamill does The Joker) and meaty sound effects as you punch and zap your enemies.
Gameplay: An enjoyable multiplayer experience hampered by fiddly controls and a lack of signposting when creating your character initially. However, overlook this and you have an in-depth RPG with plenty to do and plenty more when the updates and patches start kicking in.
Lasting Appeal: Huge, as with all MMOs, but unless you are a devout DC fan, there isn’t a lot here to better the likes of other great MMOs out there.
Summary: An enjoyable, more action based MMORPG that delivers a good superhero experience and enough fan service to keep DC lovers happy for ages. Whether hardcore gamers will cope with the games stronger flaws, and whether updates and patches will improve this game though remains to be seen. 7/10
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE DEAD WON'T STAY DEAD?
Ahead of the hotly anticipated finale of the nightmarish Scream franchise, Wes Craven – twisted genius behind the gory rampage of A Nightmare on Elm Street – invites us to witness his latest terrifying offering that promises to make the skin crawl and the heart race. Get ready to be plunged into a terrifying, paranoid frenzy.My Soul to Take promises to be a terrifying tale of the Riverton Ripper, who legend has it, swore he would return to murder the seven children born on the night he died. Now, sixteen years later, people are disappearing again. Has the psychopath come back to take his revenge? Did he survive the night he was left for dead? Or has he been reincarnated as one of the seven teens?
Only one has the power to save their souls. Only one of the seven has the answer, but if they hope to save their friends they must face an evil that won't rest.
My Soul to Take is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Monday 4th April.
Get this in the E14 Store for £9.99 (DVD) & £12.59 (Blu-ray)
BLADES OF BLOOD GIVEAWAY
In a time of chaos, four remarkable individuals begin an epic quest through history: a swordsman dreaming of a world of equality for all, a leading rebel forces, an illegitimate son from a powerful noble family, and a concubine with a broken heart.
These individuals each take on the dark and suppressive world and struggle to break away from the constraints imprisoning them.Blades of Blood opens a new chapter in the legacy of historical epic movies.
Thanks to our friends at Metrodome, we've got three copies of Blades of Blood on DVD to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Thursday 3rd March, making sure to put "Blades of Blood" as the subject. The first three entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a free copy!
Don't forget to put "Blades of Blood" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.
Get this in the E14 Store for £11.99
Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.
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