"DC Universe Online is the first chance for a player to step into the universe and play a character as their own hero," says Chris Cao.  He's been working on DCUO for a couple years now, but Comic-Con is the first time they've brought it forth from their steaming laboratory to show it off.  "The coolest thing about the game is to have players in it.  Now everybody gets to see it and be there," says Chris.

Every good superhero has some useful powers (sorry, Aquaman), and DCUO players start off with several.  Pick your power type (what you are blasting with) - fire, ice, etc. - then your power source (from whence you are blasting) - eyes, a ring, a bow, etc. - and your movement type (how you arrive at those to be blasted) - super speed, flying, etc. - and you're well on to finishing your character.  You also get to choose how you became so super in the first place, whether that be magic, mutation, neat gadgets, etc., and whether you want to use your powers for good or for evil.  And of course, you get to play Barbie dress up.  Chris promises lots of costume options.

As you progress through the game, you'll collect neat trinkets... errrr... awesome power-boosting items to increase your butt-kickin' capacity.  You wear them, but, depending on how you want your costume to look, you can choose to make them visible or not.  Great touch, guys!  It's just so sad when superheroes run around in mismatched costumes.

So, other than being able to meet folks like Robin, the Huntress, Nightwing, and Batman, why should you consider switching from your current superhero MMO (Yes, that means you, City of Heroes)?  Well, if you're into fast-paced action and not really down with the whole auto-targeting, no-aiming-required style of CoH, then this game is for you.  It plays much more like a console-style action game.  They've also added physics to the mix - everything in the game, including the characters, are physics objects.  You can throw cars, catch cars, freeze people, throw them.  You can even break pieces off buildings and throw them at the good guys (or at the bad guys, if you're that kind of good guy).   

Another fun trick is the ability to switch between servers.  And they even have an in-game reason for it: "We have infinite earths," says Chris.  "You can jump to whatever earth you want to.  I can jump and play with you right away."