Sony Online Entertainment's, DC Universe Online (DCUO) is one of the most anticipated MMOs in development, due to both the intellectual property and the big names behind the title. Jim Lee is one of those names that has comic book fans quivering with anticipation. Recently, Togikagi and I had the opportunity to chat with Jim in person about DCUO. Special thanks go out to Jim for chatting with us when he was a tad under the weather. Check out the first part of our two part interview below and look out for the conclusion to the interview on Friday.

Tamat : Hey Jim, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us about DC Universe Online; not to mention the fact that you’ve taken the time to do so while you have the flu!

Jim Lee : Hey no problem, it’s my pleasure!

Togikagi : I just want to say that I’m a huge fan. My father owned a comic book store when I was growing up so this is a sincere honor.

Jim Lee : Awesome! I appreciate that.

Togikagi : You've worked on numerous comic books throughout the years, from your run at Marvel, to co-founding Image, to your current home with DC. Out of all the various comic worlds, what is it specifically about the DC Universe that lends itself so well to an MMORPG and, to sum it up, why are you so excited to show gamers the DC Universe?

Jim Lee : Wow. Well I think there are several things that make the DC Universe unique. I don't know if that makes for a better MMO experience per se. Obviously, the fact that it has an incredible 60 year history of continuity, incredible characters and stories definitely gives it enough depth so that it feels like a universe. You know? It's not made up by two people over the course of a year. There's more stuff than we could possibly fit into an MMO. So that the really great thing about the DC Universe is, I think, at its core it's a very optimistic universe. It's a very positive universe and I think from that standpoint it's very clear if you're a hero or a villain, what kind of conflicts you're going to have. There's something really cool about being a villain and fighting a comic hero like Super Man who really is an embodiment of all good -- and vice versa being a hero and fighting someone like Lex Luther.

Another real cool thing about the DC Universe is that it also has so many fictional cities and each of the cities that we've built so far are like characters in the game so you're really going to get some unique gameplay. It's not like you’re just going to be in New York or Los Angeles running around, blasting people. You're going to be in these iconic, super well known locations that are unique and only exist within the DC Universe.

Tamat : Alright. Since you're a gamer what are some of your favorite games, both online and offline? Also, how do you feel your tastes and gaming experiences have helped you design DCUO?

Jim Lee : As far as MMOs, I'm a huge fan of EverQuest, EverQuest II and World of Warcraft. I bought Age of Conan but I haven't loaded that up yet. I've also heard Warhammer is pretty good. I think it's just a matter of finding the time. The one thing that I've found about all the cool things I'm interested in, movies, comics, and video games; there's just not enough time in the day to experience all of those cool things. That said, I was way into Call of Duty 4 last year. I love that game! Just the immersion and realism, was intense. It definitely made me never want to enter armed combat in my lifetime. You know?

I like the MMO experience because I like playing against other people and, to me, it really mirrors a lot of the competition that you have in real life in terms of like, who's got the nicest car, who has the nicest duds, who's more powerful. It's just part of an MMO to group with other people and go on an adventure. It really does feel like you're experiencing something new and entering a fantasy world. So I think when you play DC Universe Online, you're really going to be able to nurture and fill that power fantasy of being a super hero or super villain.

Togikagi : You've been speaking a little bit about design with the cities and what not. I know you want to make sure that the cities in the game have their own atmosphere. I was wondering if you could go into a little more detail about how large these cities will be. I know Gotham’s huge, but what will it be like traveling in it within the game?  Are there any hints you can give us on some other areas that we might see besides Metropolis, Gotham City and the Bat cave?

Jim Lee : Right. Both cities are not yet finished at this point. But Metropolis is very well along and it's gigantic. It will definitely feel like a Metropolis. From day one, when we sat down, Jared Carr, Mat Broome and the Wild Storm  content team really tried to identify all the distinct aspects of both Metropolis and Gotham and how they differ from one another. In terms of architecture, you have Gotham which is more Gothic and broken -- and then you have Metropolis which is more art deco and modern. We’re even trying to do more flat top buildings like you would see in Chicago for Metropolis and more steeples and towers like you would see in Gotham like you would in New York. Even talking about changing the day and night cycles in the cities so there is more nighttime in Gotham, these are the kind of things we discussed. Now whether or not all of this will make it in the final release, I can't say at this point. We really wanted to go out of our way to say, "Look, if you're on a street corner in a city and you look down a street, you should be able to tell from looking down that street what city you're in". There are a lot of things you can do to reinforce that, and that is very important to us from day one.

Tamat : The DC Universe has been around for more than half a century now. How are you and your team whittling down what to focus on for the launch? Will you be focusing only on a specific continuity or time period when it comes to the game's design? Also, how are you balancing references for hardcore comics fans with keeping it accessible for new players?

Jim Lee : Wow, that's a gigantic three part question!

Tamat : Sorry!

Jim Lee : Well let me just say, in terms of the continuity, we’re really shooting for the ideal, platonic version of the DC Universe at launch. We’re not going to tie into the comic book per se right away, at the beginning. So Bruce Wayne is not Batman in the Comics, in the game he is. So 99% of the fans agree, 'that is the core of the DC Universe', or, 'that is what the DC Universe is all about' that's what we're going to have at launch. That said, as the game evolves, there is going to be an opportunity for us to tie into the DC continuity. So, if there is a Thanagarian invasion, and we know about it in advance, there is some cool stuff we can do where we have the event unfold in the comics and in the game at the same time. It’s going to involve a lot of coordination between people working on the game and, obviously, DC editorial. Luckily I have a job where I work at DC so I'm always in the loop on a bunch of different things, so we've already discussed a lot of different ways the game and the comic can work together. There's already a lot of synergy in terms of how we’re creating things for the game that will actually show up in the comics and vice versa, in terms of headquarters design, new character design, things like that. As far as what's going to be in the game at launch, it's more of a question of what were not going to put in. The list is huge in terms of characters that we have, secondary characters and even tertiary characters. We’re putting a lot of the DC Universe in mind and it will be a really cool treat for those casual comic book fans that have never seen a lot of these characters before, because of their limited exposure.

In terms of how we’re going to keep interesting the hardcore comic fan, I think that being able to see the secondary and tertiary type characters, maybe even some being able to get involved in things like the origin of say "The Metal Men", is something that a die hard comic book fan cannot pass up. There are so many characters that haven't been represented virtually or in the video game format that are going to be in DCUO. I believe that it's going to be an awesome experience if you’re a huge comic fan, and even if you're not a huge fan, you'll know some of these characters from the movies, TV and other shows. People are going to be dazzled by Metropolis and Gotham, with the wide variety of characters that you can encounter. I think it has something for everyone along the whole spectrum of casual to hardcore comic book fans, as well as the casual to hardcore gamer.

Togikagi : That sounds great! I love how you're talking about tying in what’s happening with the comics to that game. It makes it larger than an MMO when you think about it.

Jim Lee : Yeah! Because I worked at DC I was already into MMOs and I think the type of game lends itself to that kind of synergy. Actually the amount of lead time needed to prepare for big summer crossover type events between the DC Universe and print and to go back and hook things in game, take roughly around the same amount of time. There’re definitely opportunities to do that but in terms of trying to nail a certain point of DC continuity at launch, would be impossible to do. Instead we decided that it makes more sense to present the DC Universe that everyone knows and loves, and then maybe deviate from that as we evolve.

Togikagi : Something else we're all excited about is the prospect of creating our own characters to fight with or against Superman, Batman, etc. I know it's still early, but do you have any information you can share on character customization? How detailed can costumes be, things like that?

Jim Lee : We'll, we're just doing stuff like that now, so you're going to see that shortly. That's a huge part of the game, the experience of creating a Super Hero, creating a look that is unique and individual  is super important to maintaining that feeling of immersion. At the same time we really wanted to create costumes that felt like they could exist in the DC Universe and print. So, we definitely wanted to have a hand in the art direction as far as what costumes you can create. Right now, the first sixteen example costumes have a huge variety and they all look super badass. I think we'll have a real nice blend between things that looked like they stepped out of a fantasy game or a sci fi game; then other costumes looks more traditionally heroic. I think that's what most people are seeing in the comics. It's not just about having a logo on your chest, cape and underwear. Most modern costumes today look more Matrix inspired or from X-Men the movie. We're giving you the option of doing either or, you know, that whole spectrum. This will allow each of those kinds of characters, whether you go the more old fashion route or something more modern, to have them both look really kick ass. I think that having your costume being recognizably your character’s, while keeping room to upgrade it, in terms of improving some of features like specularity or adding a little more detail or a little more armor under the shoulders, that kind of stuff, so that when people see you they will recognize your character even though you look cooler now. It's a big part of the game, and there are going to be a ton of choices. An overwhelming amount of choices which I think is really cool.

Togikagi : Sounds great!

Tamat : It sounds like there might be more spandex at the Fan Faire preceding the launch of DCUO.

Jim Lee : Yeah.

Togikagi : *laughs*

Tamat : How will superpowers be balanced in both PvP and PvE? For example, what's keeping a player from creating a Superman-like character that’s impervious to almost everything?

Jim Lee : Well, even Superman has his weaknesses and even in comics we always grapple with the world’s most powerful characters. I don't think your going to be able to create a character that's impervious to everything. You're going to have a variety of powers but there’re definitely gameplay, balance issues that we're going to have to discover and hammer out in testing. The thing about creating different sets of powers is to keep it fun and exciting for the players. Balancing powers is extremely important and we've put a lot of thought into that.

Togikagi : That actually leads into my excitement about the PvP aspect of the game. In many ways, the PvP portion sounds a lot like it's more of an action game. I know we'll be able to interact with the environment by picking up cars, etc. Will we also be able to damage the environment? Will we be able to damage buildings? Will there be pedestrians on the street watching the fights? How is that going to work?

Jim Lee : I know that the intent was to have a lot of pedestrians and have them actually react to what they're seeing, by their expressions and their movement patterns. They're not all going to flock towards the action; they’re going to run away. In terms of the cities there will be damage states to walls; when you throw an object up against a wall you'll see damage to the structure and, over time, it will repair itself. We don't want cities that are always completely destroyed. But there will be a nice satisfying feeling when you throw a player or a car against a skyscraper and see the windows break or the bricks smash. The PvP, like you said, will have a very console aspect, core to what we want the game to be. We want it to be fast paced and really have an arcade like feel to it so that it's not just a static game. It shouldn't be because we're not fighting on a 2D battlefield, it's going to be 3D all the way. You'll have these cities with skyscrapers and rooftops and you'll have characters that can run up the side of buildings and characters that can fly, people hitting each other with beams and all sorts of projectile weapons. To me, it feels a bit like a dog fight, each time you jump into a battle. You have to continuously look over your shoulder. It’s a very intense kind of experience; which it should be, because Super Heroes, to me, are the ultimate fighters and these are near God-like type characters and it's not about wielding a magic sword or casting a spell. These are characters that would be revered as Gods in ancient times, and they would be seen as odysseys created by radiation or alien beings or whatever. It's also a challenge for the game because it’s not just swords and sorcery. You have to have powers and then characters like Batman that don't have powers and you have to make sure they can hold their own against these other characters with super powers.

Continue to Jim Lee's Universe, Part Two .

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
Allakhazam.com

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Darryl "Togikagi" Gangloff
Reporter
Allakhazam.com