E3 2008: ‘DC Universe Online’ Premieres

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the annual event where the videogame industry tries to outdo each other by dazzling the press with the best games coming down the pipe. After exciting the crowd with big exclusive titles like Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet, Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) President & CEO Jack Tretton brought out Jim Lee to talk about DC Universe Online.

All those years of comic convention showmanship paid off when Lee played off an earlier joke by Tretton that this was the stage where Jack Palance did his one-armed pushups at the Oscars — by doing a set himself before taking the microphone. (And thanks, Jim, for breaking the stereotype of the out-of-shape comic fan to a mass audience.)

Lee went on to discuss how his role as Creative Director for the project fulfilled his 12-year-old fantasies of comics and videogames.

"This is really a dream project for me," said Lee. "When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to become a doctor and follow in my father’s footsteps. Meanwhile, I wanted to read comic books, and even started my own comic book line. As far as my other obsession? I remain an avid gamer today. Hooked on MMOs and even started playing Everquest on launch day. I was the first Paladin to get Fire Avenger."

Pausing while the crowd of videogame journalists laughed, he added, "No, it sounded cool at the time!"

Explaining that DC Universe Online will allow PlayStation 3 and PC gamers to become actively involved in the DC Comics world, Lee asked the crowd to imagine being a hero or a villain alongside the likes of Superman, Batman, or the Joker.

Then he introduced the first footage of the game, which I’ve posted after the jump.

I have to say, it looks really impressive. They got lots of little things right, like Green Lantern making objects with his ring instead of the ray blast often seen in animation. The Microsoft guys are probably feeling like goats for having canceled Marvel Universe Online.