San Diego (CA) – You’ll soon be able to fight alongside Batman, Superman or even The Joker in an upcoming MMO based on the DC comics universe.  The aptly-named DC Universe Online is being developed by Sony Online Entertainment and will be available for both the PlayStation 3 and PCs.  Players will be able to step into the legendary universe and more than 60 years worth of comic book history as they create heroes and villains with customizable powers and appearances.  An early version of the game is currently being shown off at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego up until July 27th.

The physics-based game will have more than 150 DC comics characters including favorites like Wonder Woman, Flash, Lex Luthor and of course Superman and Batman.  Players who are especially good can eventually join the vaunted Justice League of America as the good guys or the evil Legion of Doom.  According to a Sony Online video interview with developers, the goal of the game isn’t just to play Superman (because there would then be thousands of Supermans and Batmans running around), but to fight alongside him.

DCUO will feature destructible environments that can also be used against other players.  We are talking about a universe with superheroes that can lift thousands of pounds, so it would make sense to be able to pick up bricks, cars and other things to hurl against your enemies.  In an interview with Kotaku, game developers said players will also spend some time in the game as the superhero’s alter ego – like Bruce Wayne for Batman or Clark Kent for Superman.  This would break up the daily “grind” of just being a superhero.

There’s no word on a release date or cost for DC Universe Online.  You can view some of the official videos and screenshots from Sony’s DCUO site here.

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