As far as a solo game, once you reach 30 you have no choice but to group to progress. This game wont die as fast as people think. Its not for everyone thats for sure, but theres a lot more to the game then people think.
Only problem is the game dosnt really explain itself properly to show you all it has to offer.
“In short, while I’m still anxious to try my hand at the end-game content”
Mr Murphey, the game has only been out a week, why are you anxious to try end game content? Is this the future of MMO’s, players expecting to reach end game by the end of their first week? This sort of mentality was what I had with my friends when we were teeenagers playing solo games, I think we are all a bit older now.
“It should come as no shocker that leveling to the cap is an easy task in DCUO.”
Its does actually, we have been told many times that 90% of MMO content is pre-end game, I really doubt the end game will be that good you will want to get there so soon.
I dunno, guess I'm just kinda chuckling at the sudden about-face. DCUO has gone from "2 thumbs up, run out and buy it NOW!", to "Oh, this game is kind of shallow and is not very well designed" (paraphrasing).
That's terrible paraphrasing. Never get into this line of work. Some Concerns, a whopping three, in an article where I speak of how I can't stop playing the game and find it the most fun I've had in an MMO in years, does not an about face make.
Comprehension, my dear Watson, is not just what you want to read.
Well, you state:
"In short, while I’m still anxious to try my hand at the end-game content, I’ve done and seen a lot of what DCUO has to offer in the first week."
You then mention the three concerns as Chat, Social Function, and Power Descriptions.
Of course .. content, chat, UI, and power descriptions were the exact negatives you listed in your launch preview.
So basically, nothing has changed what-so-ever from your launch preview to this "some concerns" piece ... other than you having a bit more apprehensive tone. DCUO went from "2 thumbs up" in your preview .. to "DCUO: Some Concerns" ... all in 20 hrs of gameplay. When in fact these were the same issues you experienced in beta, why the need to write this new piece which is basically the same article with a more neutral tone.
Yes, you close the article out by stating you enjoy the game as you did in your preview. And hey, it's your article and that's your opinion .. which is fine. Maybe I am mis-reading or interpreting wrong, but your tone definately sounds different in the two articles (which are almost the exact same article) to me.
Nice to see that issues that some in the community had brought up are being given their due.
For myself DCUO would have been a great f2p game. Release the client for 24.99 and then charge 15-20 for the adventure packs. Supposedly going to put those out monthly. What this will do is give the players far more flexibility and would make SOE hold true to their word. Plus this could be a way of guaranteeing the quality of the packs, if they are crap then folks will skip on it. Hell if the new and improved SOE are half as good as some folks here think they are it wouldn't be a problem
. . . I think DCUO would be a FANTASTIC single player game with mulitplayer PVP and NO SUBSCRIPTION.
I would agree completely, if SOE doesn't come out with monthly content updates like I've heard they proposed to do. The thought of monthly content updates, sort of like a comic book, to extend the stories and such, is a great idea and can really extend the life of the game, for me at least.
+1 here.
In fact if they lumped 3 to 6 months content together and made a reasonable (small) charge that would be acceptable too. "Here is some content, pay me" would be more palatable then "Pay me and I promise to deliver content"...especially with Sony's rep.
Thats it in a nutshell...it really is a single player game so the $15 bucks a month is a killer to me. This game needs to be f2p.
Thats it in a nutshell..its a single player game ..period. the chat and the classes are completley based an single player period. This game is NOT worth a $15 month sub.
Thats it in a nutshell..its a single player game ..period. the chat and the classes are completley based an single player period. This game is NOT worth a $15 month sub.
This comment is so wrong it hurts, its a single player game if you want it to be, for about a week. Once you are 30 which dosnt take that long, you will no longer progress solo.
. . . I think DCUO would be a FANTASTIC single player game with mulitplayer PVP and NO SUBSCRIPTION.
I would agree completely, if SOE doesn't come out with monthly content updates like I've heard they proposed to do. The thought of monthly content updates, sort of like a comic book, to extend the stories and such, is a great idea and can really extend the life of the game, for me at least.
+1 here.
In fact if they lumped 3 to 6 months content together and made a reasonable (small) charge that would be acceptable too. "Here is some content, pay me" would be more palatable then "Pay me and I promise to deliver content"...especially with Sony's rep.
Thats it in a nutshell...it really is a single player game so the $15 bucks a month is a killer to me. This game needs to be f2p.
their going to have to do something, early indications are that the sales are mostly ps3 version, and once those subs start coming up for renewal, then i can easily imagine those players will be moving on to other games, not that im expecting much difference from the pc players, but console players are not used to having to keep paying over and over again for a game they've already bought.. be interesting to see just how bad retention rates are really.. SOE's being very quiet on sales so im guessing that they have a few concerns about that too..
So basically, nothing has changed what-so-ever from your launch preview to this "some concerns" piece ... other than you having a bit more apprehensive tone. DCUO went from "2 thumbs up" in your preview .. to "DCUO: Some Concerns" ... all in 20 hrs of gameplay. When in fact these were the same issues you experienced in beta, why the need to write this new piece which is basically the same article with a more neutral tone.
What I'm learning, Angry, is that there's not a darned thing I could write that wouldn't draw some criticism. And that's okay. Question me if you must. I'm really just writing what I feel (on all topics across the board).
I felt the need to use my weekly column to get on a podium and talk about some things I don't like in DCUO. I've stated numerous times in previous previews that while I love the game it's not without its faults. And yet it seems this article listing a few specifics comes as a shock.
I suppose I should have saved it for the review, but lord knows how that would go over.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
To those that complains about the content and speed of leveling. Maybe do a reality check, almost every other MMO you can level to max or run out of content within a month of play. Hell i burned through Cataclysm starting at lvl 1 , before a month was done [excluding raid content of course] .
Champions Online have less content after a YEAR+ than DCUO have right now, so dunno what you people are smoking.
For $50 for the box + free month i'd say i am getting my money's worth. If it was a single player game which would be a typical 20 hour game [most single players games are less than 30 hours] no one would complain about that, yet they complain about this?
Ironiy is people moan about this game being "MMO LITE" , implying it's a standard multiplayer game , but then don't compare the pricing with what you would pay for a standard multiplayer game like COD ($60 and then constantly paying for mappacks , and having effectively less content )"
You are right. When I buy an MMO, I figure I will get my money's worth if I just play it for a month. After the first month, if I'm having fun, I don't mind paying the monthly fee. After all, you can quit anytime you stop having fun.
So basically, nothing has changed what-so-ever from your launch preview to this "some concerns" piece ... other than you having a bit more apprehensive tone. DCUO went from "2 thumbs up" in your preview .. to "DCUO: Some Concerns" ... all in 20 hrs of gameplay. When in fact these were the same issues you experienced in beta, why the need to write this new piece which is basically the same article with a more neutral tone.
What I'm learning, Angry, is that there's not a darned thing I could write that wouldn't draw some criticism. And that's okay. Question me if you must. I'm really just writing what I feel (on all topics across the board).
I felt the need to use my weekly column to get on a podium and talk about some things I don't like in DCUO. I've stated numerous times in previous previews that while I love the game it's not without its faults. And yet it seems this article listing a few specifics comes as a shock.
I suppose I should have saved it for the review, but lord knows how that would go over.
Much like the writer I am enjoying DC universe greatly, however the socialisation aspect of the game especially needs some very intensive and immediate work. SOE have hinted that along with economic stuff such as AH's this will be their first thing to work on.
The content that is in is enough for a launch MMO but there are a LOT of areas that they can improve on now that they have got the launch day stuff out of the way.
IF they do support the game, and they impliment the needed socialisation changes this is a great game and will have a lot of depth that it has yet to reveal, if they just release a few dungeons every 6 months or so wow style then it will likely die a death.
I have taken a gamble and purchased a life time sub, so I hope I am right
I am however still enjoying the game a great deal.
id they redesigne the chat it be nice like most mmoes there going to be bugs in it sure i do see this as a non sub at least for me that is i think it will do well as non sub great for consol players this is one of those games you jump in and out of and set it aside for a bit and play other games type of feeling "for me it is " yes it is fun will see how the coming months go knowing its SOE not going to exspact any thing from them that i all ready know how they do there biz and for players this is just to kill time have some fun till the main ones iam waitng for to come out so iam going to enjoy for what it is being a super hero for now till its time to say good bye : )
I am more interested in how you feel after your first month of play.
After 1 month, you should easily be 30 and have been 30 for a while. You have seen all there is to see and done all there is to do at least once if not multiple grinding times.
Now there is NOTHING to do but grind achievements and the end game content...which is primarily PVP.
Get to that point and tell me what you think of the game.
I think DCUO would be a FANTASTIC single player game with mulitplayer PVP and NO SUBSCRIPTION.
There is nothing there to justify a sub honestly. It's a really good F2P game.
I cannot justify paying more than box fee for what I saw in beta. A gamer will finish the content in the first week. There were people at level cap after the first couple of DAYS.
There is more then just pvp there are level 30 Instance that you can go in to with friends.
I would imagine the combos are different for each spec but for me clicking Lx2, R Hold and Lx3, R Hold seems poorly developed. The first throws a mêlée ranged range attack and the 2nd retasks your ranged weapon as a mêlée weapon. Not a permanent retask, just for a 'hit'. Of course Lx1, RHold is also a hit...a jumping hit that launches you toward the mob and then smacks them. The mouse clicking combos are annoying at best and frustrating at worst (fro me at least). I could understand having a progressively harder 'hit' as you move up the skill trees but the combos seem random. Throw points around and then decide on the 1-2-3 best to use. Ignore the rest.
I suppose the real personal assessment of the game for me was yesterday. No power for 3 hours on a day off. When power was back on, I decided to...fold laundry. Then I thought 'Wait... I can get into the game...' ('THE' game is whatever I am actively playing at any given moment.) A few seconds later I went back to folding laundry.
I am happy for the folks that found a home in DCUO but it is not for me.
I share these concerns, but like the writer I am still enjoying the game tremendously.....unlike the writer I am in no hurry to get to the endgame.
I have some confidence the chat system will improve, if for no other reason than they could simply copy what everyone else has been doing.
Content variety is my biggest concern, one shared by most if not all mmo's, and heres the thing - DCUO get right the bits that most other mmos seem to fail at, that sense of involvement and action, and fails at the more commonly succesful elements like the social interface - part of the reason is the synergy the title has with a gamepad/controller.... using two hands to hold a controller doesn't readily enable typing so its perhaps not surprising that while folks are busy actually playing the game the failings of the chat and social elements are less apparent than for those of us who are taking more time to experience the whole environment.
Yes there are some concerns and yes the game was released early, although in the actual scheme of things DCUO is probably less gulty of these sins than any other mmo of recent memory and the concerns that do remain are curiously the ones you imagine wil be easiest to address - simply because most others have.
As ever what we have is a lot of potential locked up in a game and no way fo knowing if this potential will ever be unlocked - time will tell I guess.
This might have already been mentioned, too lazy to read ALL the posts, but with regards to the current chat system I have only one solution to offer SOE, check out Phatansy Star Online, another cross platform (which by the way was also initially developed with console in mind) that has ZERO issues with their chat system.
Oh and I know this might be very MINOR compared to some of the real functional issues with the game but I feel it is equally important given the comic book nature, WHY THE HELL CAN'T WE CREATE AN IN-GAME BACK STORY FOR OUR HEROES/VILLIANS? I mean seriously, many of us go to great lengths to create our perfect toon based on a vision in our heads but without the ability for other know how this came about it doesn't feel very COMIC like now does it?
DCUO is multi-platform, not cross-platform. Just clarifying.
As far as a solo game, once you reach 30 you have no choice but to group to progress. This game wont die as fast as people think. Its not for everyone thats for sure, but theres a lot more to the game then people think.
Only problem is the game dosnt really explain itself properly to show you all it has to offer.
A question is, if people reach 30 before the end of month 1, or even month 2, will they bother to subscribe further?
People, like Bill, can stick their fingers in their ears and go "blahblahblah, I can't hear you" all they want but it doesn't make the lack of content problem go away. And parroting SOE's promise that there will be free monthly content updates rings hollow because, frankly, it is just such a HUGE promise that it needs to be seen to be believed.
The experienced mmo-buyer, particularly those who made it into beta, who don't also happen to be DC fanboys, look at this game and have to ask, "can I justify 50 dollars up front for this game knowing I may not subscribe after month 1 because I'm basically done with it?" Think about that for a moment -- $50 for disposable content that you won't be able to trade in. Still a better deal than going to the movies once per week for a month but....is this what we want to encourage developers to do?
Anyway, after month 1, if most of endgame is group dependent as someone mentioned, can you then justify subscribing if the tools in place to do this (chat/ui) are such a hassle?
Some people, like Bill, say it's a great game. That's fine, but dismissing the people who bring up the shallowness of the game, its single-player-centric design because we're looking at a bigger picture doesn't seem right. The resulting product appears to feed into an 'instant-gratification, flip-it-at gamestop after a month' mentality that many console gamers (not the collectors) have, but, in this case, they won't be able to flip the game. As another suggested, the Guild Wars model probably would have been a more appropriate way to go -- I could buy into that.
Played: Asheron's Call(still the best fantasy MMO!), EQ1, EQ2, Vanguard, DAoC, Horizons, City of Heroes/Villians, WoW (crap), LOTORO, D&D Online, Eve, Anarchy Online, and still playing SWG daily.
Well 10 days in to the game and i am already bored. Content is the same as when you are leveling up and super recycled. This game hasn't got enough depth and would see it more as a multiplayer game then a mmo.
The funny thing is still that no one is touching on all the various pre-order screw ups , from Target having zero product to ship on launch day to their PC pre-orders (zero) to the 'Play As Batman if you pre-order' everywhere, and in official interviews with people as high up as Mr Smedbucks himself, but then having no one but 2 retailers being able to provide it (and only one on launch day) There's still a bunch of people miffed about it all, and I am most miffed about it's complete lack of coverage by anyone....and SOE saying 'suck it' more or less to those affected.
All of the reviewers points are indeed valid. There is no chat system, the content actually get's repetitive quick quickly. Any world bossed that pop up just descend into 'hope you are in the right place at the right time' and everyone pounding on said boss because there's no way to communicate any plan. That and most folks don't understand how their roles or powers work so it would be pointless anyway. That will change over time, as people 'learn the game' but decipher the game would be a more apt term. The in game descriptions might as well say 'click here, stuff go kablooey' for every power they are that useless. The offcial game manual on SOE's site doesn't even explain how movement powers work really. I see everyone talking about zip lines with acrobatics, but I've yet to figure it out. I just pick flying for any toon (as does about 43% of everyone that plays does according to a poll I saw.)
The game is 'fun' but still feels like it's missing something. They put a ton of effort into presentation (the opening/trailer is hands down one of the best ever...we'd all love to see a feature movie at that level of quality), but left out the nutritional quality.
I am sure the next biggest chunk of content will be all Green Lantern related (due to the film coming out) and it's virtual lack of GL abilities etc. in game now. We'll see if SOE makes that a paid expansion or rolls it out as it's promised constant content upgrades.
Knowing SOE...
Played: Asheron's Call(still the best fantasy MMO!), EQ1, EQ2, Vanguard, DAoC, Horizons, City of Heroes/Villians, WoW (crap), LOTORO, D&D Online, Eve, Anarchy Online, and still playing SWG daily.
the longevity of this game depends solely on SOE's promised monthly updates. If they follow through AND the updates are good this game could go a long way. Granted its not for everyone, I see mmorpg fans on a daily basis bashing this game because they don't understand that it's not a mmorpg, its an action mmo, basically with an FPS with a good amount of depth. The endgame content is decent, I haven't done T2 raids yet but the T1 is fun & so are the alerts plus all the end game is far more challenging that anything you'll find in WoW these days. Really what makes this game is the pvp. You either love it or you hate it. I see people on my pvp server crying that they're tired of being ganked, apparently not understanding the definition of an open pvp server. Aside from those little girls the rest of the community seems to agree that the pvp is unrivaled.
Comments
As far as a solo game, once you reach 30 you have no choice but to group to progress. This game wont die as fast as people think. Its not for everyone thats for sure, but theres a lot more to the game then people think.
Only problem is the game dosnt really explain itself properly to show you all it has to offer.
“In short, while I’m still anxious to try my hand at the end-game content”
Mr Murphey, the game has only been out a week, why are you anxious to try end game content? Is this the future of MMO’s, players expecting to reach end game by the end of their first week? This sort of mentality was what I had with my friends when we were teeenagers playing solo games, I think we are all a bit older now.
“It should come as no shocker that leveling to the cap is an easy task in DCUO.”
Its does actually, we have been told many times that 90% of MMO content is pre-end game, I really doubt the end game will be that good you will want to get there so soon.
Well, you state:
"In short, while I’m still anxious to try my hand at the end-game content, I’ve done and seen a lot of what DCUO has to offer in the first week."
You then mention the three concerns as Chat, Social Function, and Power Descriptions.
Of course .. content, chat, UI, and power descriptions were the exact negatives you listed in your launch preview.
So basically, nothing has changed what-so-ever from your launch preview to this "some concerns" piece ... other than you having a bit more apprehensive tone. DCUO went from "2 thumbs up" in your preview .. to "DCUO: Some Concerns" ... all in 20 hrs of gameplay. When in fact these were the same issues you experienced in beta, why the need to write this new piece which is basically the same article with a more neutral tone.
Yes, you close the article out by stating you enjoy the game as you did in your preview. And hey, it's your article and that's your opinion .. which is fine. Maybe I am mis-reading or interpreting wrong, but your tone definately sounds different in the two articles (which are almost the exact same article) to me.
Nice to see that issues that some in the community had brought up are being given their due.
For myself DCUO would have been a great f2p game. Release the client for 24.99 and then charge 15-20 for the adventure packs. Supposedly going to put those out monthly. What this will do is give the players far more flexibility and would make SOE hold true to their word. Plus this could be a way of guaranteeing the quality of the packs, if they are crap then folks will skip on it. Hell if the new and improved SOE are half as good as some folks here think they are it wouldn't be a problem
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
Thats it in a nutshell..its a single player game ..period. the chat and the classes are completley based an single player period. This game is NOT worth a $15 month sub.
their going to have to do something, early indications are that the sales are mostly ps3 version, and once those subs start coming up for renewal, then i can easily imagine those players will be moving on to other games, not that im expecting much difference from the pc players, but console players are not used to having to keep paying over and over again for a game they've already bought.. be interesting to see just how bad retention rates are really.. SOE's being very quiet on sales so im guessing that they have a few concerns about that too..
What I'm learning, Angry, is that there's not a darned thing I could write that wouldn't draw some criticism. And that's okay. Question me if you must. I'm really just writing what I feel (on all topics across the board).
I felt the need to use my weekly column to get on a podium and talk about some things I don't like in DCUO. I've stated numerous times in previous previews that while I love the game it's not without its faults. And yet it seems this article listing a few specifics comes as a shock.
I suppose I should have saved it for the review, but lord knows how that would go over.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
My Review Manifesto
Follow me on Twitter if you dare.
I had 3 things that made me NOT! buy this game.
(1) The chat system is a pile of junk it needs to be fixed.
(2) The levling is too fast, and its really not an alt friendly game
(3) I just did not enjoy the combat system.
However the op covered the number one thing that made me dislike the game, the chat system.
Just wait.........The monthly content probably will be in the form of an online Trading Card Game
Much like the writer I am enjoying DC universe greatly, however the socialisation aspect of the game especially needs some very intensive and immediate work. SOE have hinted that along with economic stuff such as AH's this will be their first thing to work on.
The content that is in is enough for a launch MMO but there are a LOT of areas that they can improve on now that they have got the launch day stuff out of the way.
IF they do support the game, and they impliment the needed socialisation changes this is a great game and will have a lot of depth that it has yet to reveal, if they just release a few dungeons every 6 months or so wow style then it will likely die a death.
I have taken a gamble and purchased a life time sub, so I hope I am right
I am however still enjoying the game a great deal.
id they redesigne the chat it be nice like most mmoes there going to be bugs in it sure i do see this as a non sub at least for me that is i think it will do well as non sub great for consol players this is one of those games you jump in and out of and set it aside for a bit and play other games type of feeling "for me it is " yes it is fun will see how the coming months go knowing its SOE not going to exspact any thing from them that i all ready know how they do there biz and for players this is just to kill time have some fun till the main ones iam waitng for to come out so iam going to enjoy for what it is being a super hero for now till its time to say good bye : )
http://ksbscrapbook.com/
I would imagine the combos are different for each spec but for me clicking Lx2, R Hold and Lx3, R Hold seems poorly developed. The first throws a mêlée ranged range attack and the 2nd retasks your ranged weapon as a mêlée weapon. Not a permanent retask, just for a 'hit'. Of course Lx1, RHold is also a hit...a jumping hit that launches you toward the mob and then smacks them. The mouse clicking combos are annoying at best and frustrating at worst (fro me at least). I could understand having a progressively harder 'hit' as you move up the skill trees but the combos seem random. Throw points around and then decide on the 1-2-3 best to use. Ignore the rest.
I suppose the real personal assessment of the game for me was yesterday. No power for 3 hours on a day off. When power was back on, I decided to...fold laundry. Then I thought 'Wait... I can get into the game...' ('THE' game is whatever I am actively playing at any given moment.) A few seconds later I went back to folding laundry.
I am happy for the folks that found a home in DCUO but it is not for me.
Sees it did not take there is also level 30 instances that you can go into.
http://ksbscrapbook.com/
I share these concerns, but like the writer I am still enjoying the game tremendously.....unlike the writer I am in no hurry to get to the endgame.
I have some confidence the chat system will improve, if for no other reason than they could simply copy what everyone else has been doing.
Content variety is my biggest concern, one shared by most if not all mmo's, and heres the thing - DCUO get right the bits that most other mmos seem to fail at, that sense of involvement and action, and fails at the more commonly succesful elements like the social interface - part of the reason is the synergy the title has with a gamepad/controller.... using two hands to hold a controller doesn't readily enable typing so its perhaps not surprising that while folks are busy actually playing the game the failings of the chat and social elements are less apparent than for those of us who are taking more time to experience the whole environment.
Yes there are some concerns and yes the game was released early, although in the actual scheme of things DCUO is probably less gulty of these sins than any other mmo of recent memory and the concerns that do remain are curiously the ones you imagine wil be easiest to address - simply because most others have.
As ever what we have is a lot of potential locked up in a game and no way fo knowing if this potential will ever be unlocked - time will tell I guess.
DCUO is multi-platform, not cross-platform. Just clarifying.
A question is, if people reach 30 before the end of month 1, or even month 2, will they bother to subscribe further?
People, like Bill, can stick their fingers in their ears and go "blahblahblah, I can't hear you" all they want but it doesn't make the lack of content problem go away. And parroting SOE's promise that there will be free monthly content updates rings hollow because, frankly, it is just such a HUGE promise that it needs to be seen to be believed.
The experienced mmo-buyer, particularly those who made it into beta, who don't also happen to be DC fanboys, look at this game and have to ask, "can I justify 50 dollars up front for this game knowing I may not subscribe after month 1 because I'm basically done with it?" Think about that for a moment -- $50 for disposable content that you won't be able to trade in. Still a better deal than going to the movies once per week for a month but....is this what we want to encourage developers to do?
Anyway, after month 1, if most of endgame is group dependent as someone mentioned, can you then justify subscribing if the tools in place to do this (chat/ui) are such a hassle?
Some people, like Bill, say it's a great game. That's fine, but dismissing the people who bring up the shallowness of the game, its single-player-centric design because we're looking at a bigger picture doesn't seem right. The resulting product appears to feed into an 'instant-gratification, flip-it-at gamestop after a month' mentality that many console gamers (not the collectors) have, but, in this case, they won't be able to flip the game. As another suggested, the Guild Wars model probably would have been a more appropriate way to go -- I could buy into that.
Vote with with your wallet.
Edited for typos/grammar as I spot them ( ' :
Played: Asheron's Call(still the best fantasy MMO!), EQ1, EQ2, Vanguard, DAoC, Horizons, City of Heroes/Villians, WoW (crap), LOTORO, D&D Online, Eve, Anarchy Online, and still playing SWG daily.
Well 10 days in to the game and i am already bored. Content is the same as when you are leveling up and super recycled. This game hasn't got enough depth and would see it more as a multiplayer game then a mmo.
The funny thing is still that no one is touching on all the various pre-order screw ups , from Target having zero product to ship on launch day to their PC pre-orders (zero) to the 'Play As Batman if you pre-order' everywhere, and in official interviews with people as high up as Mr Smedbucks himself, but then having no one but 2 retailers being able to provide it (and only one on launch day) There's still a bunch of people miffed about it all, and I am most miffed about it's complete lack of coverage by anyone....and SOE saying 'suck it' more or less to those affected.
All of the reviewers points are indeed valid. There is no chat system, the content actually get's repetitive quick quickly. Any world bossed that pop up just descend into 'hope you are in the right place at the right time' and everyone pounding on said boss because there's no way to communicate any plan. That and most folks don't understand how their roles or powers work so it would be pointless anyway. That will change over time, as people 'learn the game' but decipher the game would be a more apt term. The in game descriptions might as well say 'click here, stuff go kablooey' for every power they are that useless. The offcial game manual on SOE's site doesn't even explain how movement powers work really. I see everyone talking about zip lines with acrobatics, but I've yet to figure it out. I just pick flying for any toon (as does about 43% of everyone that plays does according to a poll I saw.)
The game is 'fun' but still feels like it's missing something. They put a ton of effort into presentation (the opening/trailer is hands down one of the best ever...we'd all love to see a feature movie at that level of quality), but left out the nutritional quality.
I am sure the next biggest chunk of content will be all Green Lantern related (due to the film coming out) and it's virtual lack of GL abilities etc. in game now. We'll see if SOE makes that a paid expansion or rolls it out as it's promised constant content upgrades.
Knowing SOE...
Played: Asheron's Call(still the best fantasy MMO!), EQ1, EQ2, Vanguard, DAoC, Horizons, City of Heroes/Villians, WoW (crap), LOTORO, D&D Online, Eve, Anarchy Online, and still playing SWG daily.
the longevity of this game depends solely on SOE's promised monthly updates. If they follow through AND the updates are good this game could go a long way. Granted its not for everyone, I see mmorpg fans on a daily basis bashing this game because they don't understand that it's not a mmorpg, its an action mmo, basically with an FPS with a good amount of depth. The endgame content is decent, I haven't done T2 raids yet but the T1 is fun & so are the alerts plus all the end game is far more challenging that anything you'll find in WoW these days. Really what makes this game is the pvp. You either love it or you hate it. I see people on my pvp server crying that they're tired of being ganked, apparently not understanding the definition of an open pvp server. Aside from those little girls the rest of the community seems to agree that the pvp is unrivaled.