What’s Different For DC Universe Online on Nintendo Switch Versus PC/Console

Like most MMORPG ports from PC systems to console in the past, DC Universe Online hasn’t changed all that much. For the most part, the gameplay, the content, episodes, story and combat is the same. Ultimately, the content does not change for DCUO on the Nintendo Switch. The player experience is pretty much the most different however, due to players having to trade large PC monitors for the tiny Switch handheld screen. You can play it in docked mode of course, which blows the game up to 720p on TV or monitors. The biggest trade off would be in the community interaction features, which we’ll talk about later on. But for now, just know that to play DCUO on the Switch, you need a Nintendo account and cannot use any existing accounts. That means, Switch players only get to play with other Switch players. You’re basically starting from scratch.

Gameplay Basics

With DC Universe Online on the Switch, the basics are the same if you’ve ever played the PC version. Players get to create their own custom superhero to fight alongside well-known DC heroes and villains. You start off by picking costumes, movement styles, arcane powers and a weapon, before deciding which faction to join. The game’s two factions dictate your good or evil allegiance, with both primarily trying to achieve a goal in the DCUO. For story, the early chapters and quests revolve around Braniac’s invasion. Lex Luthor from the future releases Exobytes into the world, which turns civilians into superheros to combat the Braniac’s invasion in order to prevent a future world calamity. It’s a somewhat tropey and limp superhero origin story but it works. You also don’t get to fight alongside your favorite characters all that much. If you have Batman as your mentor for example, you’ll start in Gotham City and run some quests for him, coming up against known villains like Scarecrow and Bane, before moving on to something else.

Strengths: Performance and Gameplay

The area in which DC Universe Online shines are similar to the PC version. Firstly, the combat system holds up almost a decade later and is still fun. DCUO uses a combat action system, with limited skills on your hotbar that you can swap out at any time from your loadouts. Weapons and arcane skills have combos that you can execute, and while it takes sometime getting used to on the Nintendo Switch, it becomes a more enjoyable experience the more you play. Unfortunately, due to it being an MMORPG, you’ll spend quite a few hours in one gaming session, and the JoyCons are not ideal and comfortable. The Pro Controller for the Switch is probably the best way to play the game for long gaming sessions. The games performance and optimization are areas I didn’t think would do well, but I was glad to be proven wrong. DCUO runs excellent in both handheld and docked, with no stutters, no over heating and no disconnects. The loading times are somewhat varied, but the Switch handles the game perfectly fine. It’s a good sign too, to show other studios that older MMORPGs definitely can play well on the console.

Weaknesses: UI Interface and Community Features

While there are many positives of playing DCUO on the Nintendo Switch, the few negatives it has can make you feel like it’s better off just sticking with the PC version. The UI functionality is just poor overall. Players will need to hit the plus button to bring up a string of menus in the bottom of the screen and navigate them using the left and right bumper buttons. The issue here is the responsiveness of the UI. It’s inconsistent, taking longer to swap menu screens, plus the tooltips for items and gear don’t scale well. It’s also harder to read wall of texts – DCUO has them – on handheld mode, which is why many we’ll prefer playing it docked. The other oversight is with the community tools. There’s a chatbox that hardly anyone uses, because it’s a hassle to type using the virtual keyboard. Thankfully, DCUO on the Switch has canned responses to quickly select communication responses in-game. There’s also voice chat enabled for some reason, when the console doesn’t even have an in-built microphone. You’ll have to purchase a third party USB Switch mic or something in order to use it. This has definitely left the game-world feeling somewhat empty because again, it’s a hassle for anyone to proactive communicate.

The Bottom Line

Overall though, it’s still impressive that DC Universe Online is on the Switch console. It can take pride in being the first of the major AAA MMORPGs from the West to make it on there. The game definitely has its moments. From flying around the open world of Gotham seamlessly, to tackling waves of bandits on the streets or taking part in PvP and PvE dungeons, they all feel great on the Switch. The combat and gameplay holds up very well, and players will definitely appreciate the amount of content DC Universe Online offers. The free to play model is also generous somewhat. It lets you have two characters, but there are other areas that requires you to bypass a paywall. This includes the currency cap and of course, DLC content. What would make DCUO on the Switch better is the ability to cross-play with other platforms, and link existing accounts too. Daybreak has said that the former would be possible, although the latter could be a challenge.

The post DCUO 2019: Is DC Universe Online On Nintendo Switch Worth Playing? appeared first on Mmos World.

What’s Changed For DC Universe Online on Nintendo Switch

Like most MMORPG ports from PC systems to console in the past, DC Universe Online hasn’t changed all that much. For the most part, the gameplay, the content, episodes, story and combat is the same. Ultimately, the content does not change for DCUO on the Nintendo Switch. The player experience is pretty much the most different however, due to players having to trade large PC monitors for the tiny Switch handheld screen. You can play it in docked mode of course, which blows the game up to 720p on TV or monitors. The biggest trade off would be in the community interaction features, which we’ll talk about later on. But for now, just know that to play DCUO on the Switch, you need a Nintendo account and cannot use any existing accounts. That means, Switch players only get to play with other Switch players. You’re basically starting from scratch.

The Basics

With DC Universe Online on the Switch, the basics are the same if you’ve ever played the PC version. Players get to create their own custom superhero to fight alongside well-known DC heroes and villains. You start off by picking costumes, movement styles, arcane powers and a weapon, before deciding which faction to join. The game’s two factions dictate your good or evil allegiance, with both primarily trying to achieve a goal in the DCUO. For story, the early chapters and quests revolve around Braniac’s invasion. Lex Luthor from the future releases Exobytes into the world, which turns civillians into superheros to combat the Braniac’s invasion in order to prevent a future world calamity. It’s a somewhat tropey and limp superhero origin story but it works. You also don’t get to fight alongside your favorite characters all that much. If you have Batman as your mentor for example, you’ll start in Gotham City and run some quests for him, coming up against known villains like Scarecrow and Bane, before moving on to something else.

Strengths: Performance and Gameplay

The area in which DC Universe Online shines are similar to the PC version. Firstly, the combat system holds up almost a decade later and is still fun. DCUO uses a combat action system, with limited skills on your hotbar that you can swap out at any time from your loadouts. Weapons and arcane skills have combos that you can execute, and while it takes sometime getting used to on the Nintendo Switch, it becomes a more enjoyable experience the more you play. Unfortunately, due to it being an MMORPG, you’ll spend quite a few hours in one gaming session, and the JoyCons are not ideal and comfortable. The Pro Controller for the Switch is probably the best way to play the game for long gaming sessions. The games performance and optimization are areas I didn’t think would do well, but I was glad to be proven wrong. DCUO runs excellent in both handheld and docked, with no stutters, no over heating and no disconnects. The loading times are somewhat varied, but the Switch handles the game perfectly fine. It’s a good sign too, to show other studios that older MMORPGs definitely can play well on the console.

Weaknesses: UI Interface and Community Features

While there are many positives of playing DCUO on the Nintendo Switch, the few negatives it has can make you feel like it’s better off just sticking with the PC version. The UI functionality is just poor overall. Players will need to hit the plus button to bring up a string of menus in the bottom of the screen and navigate them using the left and right bumper buttons. The issue here is the responsiveness of the UI. It’s inconsistent, taking longer to swap menu screens, plus the tooltips for items and gear don’t scale well. It’s also harder to read wall of texts – DCUO has them – on handheld mode, which is why many we’ll prefer playing it docked. The other oversight is with the community tools. There’s a chatbox that hardly anyone uses, because it’s a hassle to type using the virtual keyboard. Thankfully, DCUO on the Switch has canned responses to quickly select communication responses in-game. There’s also voice chat enabled for some reason, when the console doesn’t even have an in-built microphone. You’ll have to purchase a third party USB Switch mic or something in order to use it. This has definitely left the game-world feeling somewhat empty because again, it’s a hassle for anyone to proactive communicate.

The Bottom Line

Overall though, it’s still impressive that DC Universe Online is on the Switch console. It can take pride in being the first of the major AAA MMORPGs from the West to make it on there. The game definitely has its moments. From flying around the open world of Gotham seamlessly, to tackling waves of bandits on the streets or taking part in PvP and PvE dungeons, they all feel great on the Switch. The combat and gameplay holds up very well, and players will definitely appreciate the amount of content DC Universe Online offers. The free to play model is also generous somewhat. It lets you have two characters, but there are other areas that requires you to bypass a paywall. This includes the currency cap and of course, DLC content. What would make DCUO on the Switch better is the ability to cross-play with other platforms, and link existing accounts too. Daybreak has said that the former would be possible, although the latter could be a challenge.

The post DC Universe Online 2019: Nintendo Switch Impressions appeared first on Mmos World.

DC Universe Online Nintendo Switch Launch (August 6)

Starting of the hype this month is DC Universe Online. This DC superhero MMORPG has been around for almost a decade. It has managed to prolong its longevity thanks to ports on the PlayStation and Xbox, but that’s not where their story ends. On August 6th, DCUO will be coming to the Nintendo Switch for the very first time. Not only will this make DC fans happy, but it also casts a wider net. This is especially true for first-timers who owns a Switch console and go browsing for a Western MMORPG to play that’s free, which isn’t a saturated genre on the Switch at the moment. DCUO packs good content too. From it’s in-depth superhero character creator, to its questing and group content, there’s tons to do in DCUO.

Legends of Aria Steam Launch (August 6)

If superheroes isn’t your thing, how about an old school sandbox MMORPG? Launching on the same date as DCUO is Legends of Aria. Inspired by classics like Ultima Online and EVE Online, Legends of Aria is a community focused MMORPG where every player matters. Everything from the market and economy, to the population of the server with player housing, comes down to player-driven actions and consequences. It will feel familiar to anyone who’s played games like Ultima, RuneScape and even the more modern Albion Online. It has a deep crafting system, in addition to a classless system. That means, your character can grow by learning over a hundred different skills and abilities by simply doing them. It’s a great concept and now that it’s finally coming to Steam, Legends of Aria might get more exposure that it definitely deserves.

Elder Scrolls Online: Scalebreaker DLC (August 12)

Zenimax Online Studios is keeping their promise about the Season of the Dragon. Elder Scrolls Online is embarking on a year-long cohesive story line that takes place through all four content updates in 2019. We’re way past the halfway mark with that, and on August 12th, the third installment arrives. The Scalebreaker DLC is a dungeon pack. Traditionally, ESO’s Dungeon DLCs contain a separate story that doesn’t tie in to the Chapter. This year is different of course, and since Dragons are involved, we are learning more about what’s been happening since the events of the Elsweyr Chapter. We also got a tease that Sai Sahan’s introduction will take place in this DLC, so all the more reason to check it out if you’ve been following the story. The DLC will be free to all ESO Plus members.

World of Warcraft Classic Launch (August 27)

There really isn’t much to say here except we can’t wait and we know we aren’t alone. WoW Classic has been in the much anticipated category since its announcement, and for good reason. Not only does it offer players yearning to return to the nostalgic vanilla period a gateway, but it also offers official support. That’s something most popular private vanilla servers can’t do. While it isn’t free, nostalgia always sell well especially in this genre. Just look at the amount of MMORPGs that have released classic or progression servers of the last couple of years. It’s also Blizzard’s biggest gamble yet, as it tries to reclaim its reputation from scores of players who haven’t been impressed by Battle for Azeroth. Will Classic be that savior?

Guild Wars 2: Next Living World Season Reveal (August 30)

Ending the month on a high is ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2. They will be at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on August 30th for one reason: to talk about the future. In the 45 minute presentation, we are expected to get big info drops on what’s next for the world of Tyria and Guild Wars 2. The one tease we have so far is that it involves the next Living World Season. The fifth season announcement should yield some exciting new information. But being a 45 minute presentation, surely there’s more? Many players are speculating that there may be more hints. This could be a new expansion tease, a new underwater Mount, and you feel anything new at this point would give players some hope that Guild Wars 2 is here for the long haul.

The post Top 5 Major MMORPG Launches and Updates In August 2019 appeared first on Mmos World.

DC Universe Online

It’s hard to navigate the waters currently with Marvel dominating the entertainment sphere, and for good reason. While Marvel doesn’t have a proper MMORPG anymore, rivals DC does. This past week, DC Universe Online has announced several key updates for Spring 2019 and the MMORPG will be shaking things up. Firstly, the Spring Event is back and Poison Ivy is once again causing trouble in Gotham City. Players participating in the events can earn unique spring themed outfits and wings. More importantly is game update 94, which brings an overhaul to the game’s early leveling for new and returning players. Questing objectives have been streamlined, while damage output from mobs also saw adjustments to give the game a cleaner look for everyone new to DCUO.

Pirates of the Burning Sea

Out from the depths of the deep blue sea, free to play MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea rises once again. If you haven’t heard about this game, it’s a theme park MMO that’s all about swashbuckling. You play as a pirate and get your own ship to take part in port wars PvP and go on quests in PvE. PotBS have been around for a long time, but the game has been stagnant for over five years. In 2018, news emerged that the MMORPG will get new owners and management, which should hopefully add some more life back into the game alongside new content. While neither of that is happening yet in 2019, the game has begun a marketing push to raise awareness about this MMORPG that somehow, still lives.

City of Heroes

Speaking of dead MMORPGs coming back to life, let’s not forget City of Heroes. This once beloved superhero MMORPG was of course, cruelly taken away from fans and players when NCSOFT decided to pull the plug many years ago. While talks of a revival and private servers were rife shortly after closure, nothing major happened until now. In late April 2019, a CoH rogue server went viral and public after major publications picked it up and ran the story. Legal threats caused the rogue server to shut down a couple of times, but as of right now it is up and stable, with players flocking to it to give their nostalgia the CoH craving it needs.

The Lord of the Rings Online

LOTRO players have much to be happy about recently, as the game is celebrating its 12th anniversary – but that’s not what the excitement is for. After many teases and false starts, developers Standing Stone Games have finally tested a working 64-bit client for the MMORPG recently and it works like a charm. Whenever it finally releases, LOTRO players will be able to use more memory and cores from their modern PCs to enjoy a smoother gameplay experience in highly dense areas like Minas Tirith and Mordor. This has been a long time coming, but that’s just the start. Players can expect Rohan housing and brand new content in the Vales of Anduin and Minas Morgul down the line.

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