Metropolis, one of the key cities in DC Universe Online, has a reputation for being the shiny, bright antithesis of Gotham City's dark and dungy environment. However, don't let preconceptions fool you -- Metropolis has its seedier side, especially with the cheerfully-named "Suicide Slums."
In a video posted over at Shacknews, DCUO Game Director Chris Cao takes us on a brief tour through the Suicide Slums, pointing out how this isn't a place you'd want to casually visit. It's an "iffy-dodgy place" according to Cao, home to both criminal and superhero elements that revel in urban decay. Think downtown Detroit on a good day, perhaps, or the industrial quarters of SimCity.
The slums are also home to the Steelworks, where John Henry Irons, aka Steel (famously played by Shaq in the motion picture), wages a daily battle to clean up the neighborhood. Travelers to Suicide Slums can check out another Metropolis landmark, the famous Ace-O-Clubs bar run by Bibbo Bibbowski. For the full travelogue, head over to Shacknews and get a gritty eyeful.
Reader Comments (6)
Posted: Jun 10th 2010 3:37PM Pingles said
Every time I see a city screenshot of this or Champions they really strike me as identical to City of Heroes.
Perhaps there's just not much that can be done to stray away from that style for a superhero game but it sure is striking.
Perhaps there's just not much that can be done to stray away from that style for a superhero game but it sure is striking.
Posted: Jun 10th 2010 11:06PM (Unverified) said
I agree. That map reminded me a lot of Kings Row in CoH.
Reply
Posted: Jun 10th 2010 5:17PM Triskelion said
I played this game a few years ago; but back then it was called City of Heroes.
Let me predict the future -
1 - DCUO launches
2 - SOE boasts about their launch numbers
3 - Player pop is pissed because the launched product is missing key features
4 - SOE promises to add monthly content moving forward
5 - After the first free month 80% of the player base does not renew
6 - 8 months later SOE does first, of many, server mergers
7 - Two years later SOE pulls the plug claiming that the players were too difficult to please and that the game did not fail the players, the players failed the game, and never gave SOE a chance.
Let me predict the future -
1 - DCUO launches
2 - SOE boasts about their launch numbers
3 - Player pop is pissed because the launched product is missing key features
4 - SOE promises to add monthly content moving forward
5 - After the first free month 80% of the player base does not renew
6 - 8 months later SOE does first, of many, server mergers
7 - Two years later SOE pulls the plug claiming that the players were too difficult to please and that the game did not fail the players, the players failed the game, and never gave SOE a chance.
Posted: Jun 10th 2010 10:04PM (Unverified) said
I agree. I am a fan of SOE's games potential, but not a fan of the way they handle that potential.
Reply
Posted: Jun 11th 2010 1:35AM (Unverified) said
I think if this is a living, breathing, persistent world where players can immerse themselves in the DC Universe it'll do well. If it's another one of these strung together instanced pieces of nonsense it'll fail.
Posted: Jun 11th 2010 8:58AM Snichy said
The fact that this is also being released for consoles gets the alarm bells ringing for me. From the few gameplay videos I have seen it looks more like an action console game also made for PC not the other way round. I like my MMOs immersive, persistent and intelligent, not dumbed down. Theres no reason a superhero MMO cant be serious, and theres no rule to say the superhero genre has to be all action and no substance (just look at the Watchmen book/movie).
However I'm not jumping to any conclusions and hope that it has the right mix of "traditional" MMO gameplay and combat/action :)
However I'm not jumping to any conclusions and hope that it has the right mix of "traditional" MMO gameplay and combat/action :)







