It seems to me that most of the MMOs in development in past years have been mostly clones of their competition. This is extremely frustrating when one of the requirements of your job is to play as many of these games as possible. One of the reasons I'm excited about Jumpgate Evolution is because it seems to break that stale mold that has flooded the genre with redundantly repetitive products. Fortunately, during our first demonstration and live gameplay session at New York Comic Con, I learned this to be true. What's more, it’s more enjoyable than I previously thought it would be.

Our meeting with the Jumpgate Evolution team started with a bang when we realized Scott Brown, the President of NetDevil, would be giving us our tour. One of the first things he said to draw us in was about the kind of game JGE is striving to be. "What we're working on is both a full PvP and PvE MMO. You can play whichever way you want. One of the things we're trying to do is to not make you decide that you only want to do PvP or PvE. There are different parts of the game that have different rulesets, but both of which are complete games," said Brown.

I’m here at the New York Comic Con with the rest of the Allakhazam crew and I am excited to report that I was able to get a first-hand look at open PvP in DC Universe Online, courtesy of Jens Andersen, the game’s creative director. As a huge comic book fan, I realize how much pressure DCUO is under to appeal to both hardcore DC Comics aficionados, as well as gamers who are only familiar with the names Superman and Batman. Well, I can personally say at this stage in the design process that PvP in DCUO will make every gamer feel like they’re locked in an epic battle between heroes and villains that actually follows comic book rules. For example, people with super powers are generally really hard to knock completely out of the fight.

Sony Online Entertainment’s DCUO booth was flooded with convention-goers throughout the first day who were eager to catch a glimpse of the game, and Jens was just as excited to show off open PvP in the heart of Metropolis. Before we get into the PvP action, it’s worth noting that Metropolis is huge. As our premade character soared into the sky and buildings vanished into the distance, Jens noted that we were looking at only 1/8 of the city. It really is massive to see, and the art direction of Jim Lee can really be seen in the architecture. And once more pedestrians are added and traffic begins to move through the streets, it will honestly feel like a living, breathing city.

When you're creating an MMORPG based on one of the most beloved comic book universes in the world, it pays to have someone highly familiar with its canon working on the title. That's why Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that legendary writer Marv Wolfman has been added to the DC Universe Online team to write story arcs, quests and in-game events. He joins artist Jim Lee and writer Geoff Johns on the project, forming a trio that any comic fan should instantly recognize.

Wolfman has been a staple at both Marvel and DC Comics since the late 1960s. He created Nova and Blade for Marvel in the '70s, as well as co-created the Black Cat. In the '80s, Wolfman returned to DC, which is where his career initially began, and penned the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths mini-series. He also launched the New Teen Titans and co-created Raven, Starfire and Cyborg with artist George Perez, as well as wrote for the recent Teen Titans animated series that lasted five seasons. Wolfman even created Tim Drake, the third Robin.

"As a gamer, this is a dream project in many ways," Wolfman said in a press release. "I get to create new stories in the DC Universe that will make this video game world a truly unique, unforgettable experience." Members of the Allakhazam team are currently at the New York Comic Con, and we'll be talking with Wolfman to hear more about his thoughts regarding DCUO. Stay tuned for the interview in the near future.

Keep reading after the jump for the full press release.

We're still here at Comic Con in New York but we got our hands on a trailer that was debuted during the Cryptic panel on Saturday. The video below, which gives the viewer a clear look at the endless possibilities, leaves little to be imagined. I'm looking forward to beta when I can finally create my own race that I plan to call "Zamdroid". Check out the first Character Customization video below and stay tuned for my in depth article from our meeting with Star Trek Online Executive Producer, Craig Zinkievich.