reasons why DCU will fail:

the developer is SOE

The last I heard, Cryptic sold off the CoX franchise to NCSoft and are their own developer now.  Champions will be its own game and I'm sure Cryptic wants to take all the CoX players that they can.

As for DCU, the impression I get so far is that it plays like a coin-op arcade game closer to street fighter than an actual MMO.   Add in the 'velvet rope' approach and micro transactions to the game and I'm sure people will end up getting less content for a higher out of pocket cost than champions.

OP's right about one thing... CoX will be dead soon enough

Just like Daffid said I too believe Champions is going to try to bleed CoX of the remaining players as much as possible. It isn't their game anymore so they will not be competing against themselves. If champions is successful and taking many of the subscribers of CoX you will probably see sweeping changes to keep up with the competition and more then likely shut it down if it loses too much. NCsoft are shrewd businessmen and we know they do not hesistate to shut down a game that is costing them profits.

Originally posted by Daffid011

As for DCU, the impression I get so far is that it plays like a coin-op arcade game closer to street fighter than an actual MMO.   Add in the 'velvet rope' approach and micro transactions to the game and I'm sure people will end up getting less content for a higher out of pocket cost than champions.

time will tell

www.massively.com/2008/06/27/dc-universe-online-details-emerge/

all of the expected MMO features are listed: character leveling, PvP arenas, raids, shared environments as well as instanced zones.

Originally posted by Nadia

Originally posted by Daffid011

As for DCU, the impression I get so far is that it plays like a coin-op arcade game closer to street fighter than an actual MMO.   Add in the 'velvet rope' approach and micro transactions to the game and I'm sure people will end up getting less content for a higher out of pocket cost than champions.

time will tell

www.massively.com/2008/06/27/dc-universe-online-details-emerge/

all of the expected MMO features are listed: character leveling, PvP arenas, raids, shared environments as well as instanced zones.

 

My problem is that I do not want slightly upgraded multiplayer feature's, I want basic MMORPG feature's.
 

But then again these day's I just don't know what a MMORPG is anymore, as to me most current games are just muliplayer online quest games.

Originally posted by lazyredhead

reasons why DCU will fail:

the developer is SOE

Worse than that.. Chris Cao...

The one person that can make Smedley look like a genius.  This is of course only my opinion.

So unless he departed recently.. that's why I won't be playing.

Im just gonna get this game because I want to play a new mmo on a console and I like DC universe.  Last time I played a mmo on console was FF11 but that game is old now.  If it sucks oh well I been there done that with many mmos already.  But I do hope its going to be good.  Its simplicity, faster combat and interactive environment is whats appealing to me and of course the powers and customization.

Originally posted by Daffid011   

The last I heard, Cryptic sold off the CoX franchise to NCSoft and are their own developer now.  Champions will be its own game and I'm sure Cryptic wants to take all the CoX players that they can.

Infogrammes (under the Atari moniker) bought Cryptic, so Atari will be publishing ChampO.

And I'm sure that Cryptic want all of the CoH/V (and WoW, and LOTRO, and EVE, MapleStory etc) players they can possibly get.

What DCUO will be is too hard to tell right now. It's still an alpha build, a lot of things are still being worked and systems will change. So, the videos look good but I'm waiting to see what they actually launch with. The 'mobs worth no XP, only level through completing objectives' is one of those ideas that will turn off a lot of players, for instance.

eh, i honestly dont care who's making the game, whos writing it, any of that shit..i believe -all- mmo's deserve a fair chance. im just not sure what im going to get it on. PC or PS3, if i decide to get on anytime soon. same thing im doing with champions online, giving it a fair chance and seeing what one i like best. then playing it. no point in assuming things about a game thats not even in open beta yet

i agree with the fact that CoX will die at the hands of these 2 MMOs because with more advanced superhgero MMOs the pioneer which is CoX will not be able to compete IMO. But as for DCU being successful i think it is currently appealing to people who dont like the look of champions cel shaded looking graphics and like the idea of playing in the DC franchise. Champions on the other hand seems to have the better gameplay atm and is appealing to the CoX fans.

well, as an ex-COX player myself i find them both appeling in different ways. i dont like the fact the champions is limited to you being a super hero. where as DC universe lets you play a hero, or villian. where as..from what i hear, champions has better overall gameplay and better customization.

For me it will be successful because DC is already popular. There are millions of DC fans out there who would love to try the game.

Originally posted by Hunters14

For me it will be successful because DC is already popular. There are millions of DC fans out there who would love to try the game.

Star wars is popular also.

I'm not so sure about CoX dying. I mean there are still people playing UO and EQ1. It might be that CoX will maintain a core group of dedicated fans even with the release of newer superhero-genre games.

It will cetainly be interesting to see how Champions and DCU end up competing against each other, I think that will be a much more interesting battle since neither has a dedicate player base who have been in the game for years.

Actually from everything I have heard from folks who got to try it out, most being from ComicCon have said that the game is very well designed and very smoot. In fact I have heard them say the game was so well built that if they were to release it right then and there they would be willing to buy it that it is well worth the money.

Also this is not gone be like you're typical Sony game. Sony can't do whatever they want like they could with SWG. DC comic has a vested interest in the game. Part of the reason that  Jim Lee was brought in wasn't just to help them with art. He is there acting as the eyes and ears of DC comics. Nothing goes in to the game with out Jim Lee and DC comics approvel first.

Even after the game is released they have stated the DC writers will take a big part in creating content and story lines for DC Universe. So you will see story lines by the greats, guys like Frank Miller, Mark Waid, etc, etc. This is going to be something completely different and new compared to any other MMO ever created.

However nothing is set in stone, things have a way of changing for now though this is the postion that DC Universe is in. Till that changes the game looks to be the most promising MMO to be released next year. Fact is I will be buying a PS3 just to play this game.

Originally posted by lazyredhead

reasons why DCU will fail:

the developer is SOE

*Nods in agreement*

Originally posted by Daffid011

Originally posted by Hunters14

For me it will be successful because DC is already popular. There are millions of DC fans out there who would love to try the game.

 

Star wars is popular also.

Yeah well they arent making another "Uncle Owen does Disco in his spandax" RL sims game are they Richard? Ole Ralphie showed SOE what type of fan base a sandbox brings in eh? How Koster screwed that IP up, with all the money behind him no less, is beyond belief. Wish he would of saved his social experiment for his own game, and not used SOE/LA money to give us "Uncle Owen".

You can bet SOE will be staying away from that niche  Sim crowd this time. PvE with lots of contents sells. It is where the mass market is. Bonus if you can add in PvP without affecting PvE.
 

DCU will be a hit.

I believe Action Comics 1(1st Super Man) shipped in the mid 30s, and even though I will always prefer the Marvel franchise, DC has done very well for itself over the yrs.

With so much lore to go with established Heroes/Villians/Various NPCs/etc  for folks to interact with, it is gonna take a monumental effort on  SOEs part to screw this up. If they said they were making another sandbox, then  I might  question it.

As long as they stay away from the sandboxes, keep the greed to moderate levels, and give a game at least worthy of CoX then SOE will have a smash on their hands.

The Batman/Superman fans alone will see to this. Throw in Teen Titans/Swamp Thing/etc etc and you have a ton of potential new customers to hook into a MMO for their first time.

If Wow showed anything, it is that there are lots of people out there that are willing to play MMOs, that is as long as they dont cater to the extreme hard core, or the social misfits who wish to live their life online.

Umm... the same people that screwed up the release and management are the same people still in charge and did pretty much the same thing to everything they touch.  Raph in no way was responsible for swg releasing before it was ready.  That was an upper management call all the way. 

Based on soe history there is no reason to believe this game will be successful, but I think you are right.  It would take considerable effort to screw this one up.  Not that soe doesn't have the potential to do that.