dc-universe-online posts

Sony Online Entertainment, known primarily for its MMO game titles, could be in the middle of a huge restructuring. Kotaku is reporting via unnamed sources that the company has shut down three of its five development studios based in Seattle, Tuscon and Denver. In addition the rumors claims the company has also laid off significant numbers of team members at its two remaining studios, San Diego and Austin. Kotaku claims in its article that the layoffs total nearly a third of Sony Online's employees.

The Tuscon offices are the the home to the team behind the fantasy collectible online card game PoxNora while the Denver team worked on several other collectible online games. The shutdown of the Seattle offices, if true, is perhaps the most significant since it was the studio in charge of developing the long awaited super-spy themed MMO The Agency which was first announced nearly four years ago.

Big Download has emailed Sony Online's PR reps for comment.

Every villain needs a place to bunk down for the night, and this trailer for DC Universe Online shows off one of these spots. A supervillain lair with a nightclub facade, it appears to be the safe spot for many underworld baddies, with the prominent Two-Face making a cameo appearance. beyond that, it's characteristic of any MMO hub zone: mail, vendors, questgivers, and queues for instancing and PvP. Nothing particularly special, except perhaps in the lore.

Download DC Universe Online 'Villain Safehouse'' Trailer
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Given all of the in-game footage we've seen of DC Universe Online, the developers are certainly welcome to throw in a cinematic trailer. They've done just that, and the result is this highly-polished cinematic detailing the events leading to lux Luthor's arrival in the past. With a futuristic Batman, menacing robots, a new (and quickly dispatched!) hero, and Lux Luthor's treachery, it hits the sweet spot for DC Comics lovers out there. The visuals are also quite excellent, especially all the particle effects and fluid movements.

Check out all DC Universe Online downloads

If you have bought DC Universe Online and like the recently launched super hero MMO you might want to check out this little tidbit. Publisher Sony Online has announced that beginning on February 8 both new and current players can switch over to a new three month online pricing plan for $29.99. That's a 25 percent savings over the normal price of $41.99 for the three month plan.

What's the catch? Players of the game can only sign on for the new pricing plan for a limited time. Players who bought the game will have to switch over to the discount three month plan before their included 30 day free subscription runs out or by March 1 (whichever comes first) or they will have to wait until their current pricing plan ends to get the $29.99 fee. The good news is that the rate will stay for as long as you subscribe to DC Universe Online.

DC Universe Online has been live for less than a month but as promised developer Sony Online is prepping for the super hero MMO's first major content. According to the Associated Press, players of the game will be able to check out a story line later this month that features Batman's feline foe/friend/lover Catwoman where she will be trying to rob some artifacts at the Gotham City Museam. Catwoman will also be added as a character to the game's arena style PvP.

The game will also add a new raid that centered around Batman's Batcave for higher level players and in a Valentine's Day event players will have to deal with the love goddess Aphrodite. In a related note today comic book stores get the first issue of the 26 issue bi-weekly mini-series DC Universe Online Legends. The first issue has also been released via DC Comic's downloadable service with a special cover which you can see after the jump:

Magicka pretty much came out of nowhere this past week to land on top of Steam's top 10 best selling PC games (based on revenue). The action-RPG from developer Arrowhead Game Studios and publisher Paradox Interactive sold over 30,000 copies in just its first 24 hours and remains on top despite issues with bugs in the game.

Second place this week went to Electronic Arts' new survival horror sequel Dead Space 2. Another small download-only game, Uber Entertainment's multiplayer shooter Monday Night Combat, is in third place this week. The full top 10 list is as follows:

1. Magicka - Arrowhead Game Studios/Paradox Interactive
2. Dead Space 2 - Visceral Games/Electronic Arts
3 Monday Night Combat - Uber Entertainment
4. DC Universe Online - Sony Online Entertainment
5. The Sims 3 Ultimate Bundle - Electronic Arts
6. Breach - Atomic Games
7. Call of Duty Black Ops - Treyarch/Activision
8. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - DICE/EA
9. Penny Arcade Adventures Combo Pack - Hothead Games
10. Dead Space - Visceral Games/EA

The two latest trailers for the now-released DC Universe Online are interesting. While they appear at first to be complete opposites, that is, in fact, how they are connected. The first, above, is a brief rundown of the tutorial zone through the eyes of a new player. He (or she) must flee Brainiac's ship with the aid of The Oracle, and rendezvous with Superman along the way. The second, after the cut, covers the endgame dungeons and raids, including the wrapping up of the Brainiac plotline in the Batcave. If you're curious how your game will look at the start and at its conclusion, these two trailers will show you!

Download HD DC Universe Online 'Brainiac Tutorial' Trailer
Download HD DC Universe Online 'Endgame Alertzones and Raids' Trailer
Check out all DC Universe Online downloads

Sony Online's super hero MMO DC Universe Online is apparently selling lots of copies in a single bound. The game was the number one best selling game on Steam's weekly PC game sales list for the second week in a row. This feat was echoed by Sony Online CEO John Smedley today on his Twitter page. Without offering specific numbers Smedley also said DC Universe Online was Sony Online's fastest selling game ever. Indeed he reports that there have been shortages of the game in retail stores but those stores "should have more inventory in Monday."

The full Steam top 10 sales list for the past week is as follows:

1. DC Universe Online - Sony Online
2. Call of Duty Black Ops - Treyarch/Activision
3. Dead Space 2 - Electronic Arts
4. Dead Space - Electronic Arts
5. Dragon Age 2 - BioWare/EA
6. Dungeons - Kalypso Media
7. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - DICE/EA
8. Civilization V - Firaxis Games/2K Games
9. Counter-Strike Source - Valve
10. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution - Relic/THQ

Update: Smedley posted up another "tweet" saying that the PS3 version is slightly outselling the PC version with a ratio of 52 percent (PS3) to 48 percent (PC).

If you are familiar at all with super hero comic books of the last few decades, you know the name Marv Wolfman. He has written a ton of comic books, mostly at Marvel and DC Comics, and created or co-created a number of well known characters such as Marvel's vampire hunter Blade (the star of three feature films and a short lived TV series) and the DC Comics team The New Teen Titans (later adapted into a long running Cartoon Network animated series). His biggest achievement is perhaps DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths 12 issue mini-series in 1985 that redefined the comic book publisher's entire line up of titles and still affects the DC Universe even today.

Along with Geoff Johns, Wolfman worked on the recently launched MMO DC Universe Online as a writer. He's also the co-writer of the upcoming bi-weekly series DC Universe Online Legends which is based on the MMO's version of the DC Universe. Big Download was able to ask Wolfman some questions about his work on the game and other topics.

Sony Online's newest subscription-based MMO DC Universe Online has gotten a good start in terms of sales. The game made the top spot this past week on Steam's top 10 best selling PC games from its download service. In second place was the pre-order for BioWare's upcoming RPG Dragon Age 2. Call of Duty Black Ops went down to the number 3 position this week.

The full list is as follows:

1. DC Universe Online - Sony Online
2. Dragon Age 2 - BioWare/EA
3. Call of Duty Black Ops - Treyarch/Activision
4. The Chronicles of Riddick Assault on Dark Athena - Starbreeze Studios/Atari
5. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - DICE/EA
6. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution - Relic/THQ
7. Civilization V - Firaxis Games/2K Games
8. Counter-Strike Source - Valve
9. Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam - DICE/EA
10. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve