DC Universe Online: An Initial Report
Yes, I picked up DCUO and I've been poking at it for a few days. So far I've taken only a single character to level 9 and built two others waiting patiently in the Tutorial mission. Without further ado, here's my two cents about DCUO and how it compares to CoX so far. For the sake of honesty, I'll also state which of the two I prefer as I go along.
Longpost is long, so...LJCut for those who don't care.
LOADING
My computer is pretty fast (being less than a year old and operating at Ultra Mode specs), so when there's loading to be done, I notice it. Both games have aspects where loading is needed, no surprise there. But DCUO tends to dip into the "loading loads of loading" trope. There are times when loading is needed during character creation (WTF?). The loading times aren't long, but they're all over the place! I have to give the advantage (and my preference) to CoX here, because it spends a lot less time loading things than DCUO does.
THE OPENING
The cinematic at the beginning of the game is simply marvelous. The visuals are grand, the writing is decent, and the voice-acting is superb. Many of my favorite voice actors are returning to reprise their roles (Mark Hammil's voice as the Joker is still my favorite). The story behind the game is average, but it does its job of setting the scene well enough. Sony Online Entertainment was nice enough to let you mash the ESC button if you want to skip it. This is a good call, because its a fairly long movie and it plays EVERY TIME you start the game. The advantage (and my preference) goes here to DCUO, simply because CoX doesn't have anything like this.
CHARACTER CREATION
Being a veteran of CoX, I have high standards when it comes to character creation. The modeling and look of the characters and costume pieces in DCUO is very sleek and clean, far more so than in CoX. The models are far less blocky and much smoother, though after a while it feels like everything's made of shiny plastic.
Before you ask, yes you can model yourself after one of the iconic DC Heroes/Villains, but you CANNOT be a member of the Green Lantern Corps. This is reasonable, given what I know of DC lore. The Rings choose their bearers (to an extent). So even if future Lex Luthor snagged one and sent it back to the past and Joe Random picked it up the Ring, it'd tell him to piss off.
As you work through the various options, the system's kludginess may start to wear on you. The creator in CoX allows you to rapidly cycle between options in a given category and adjust colors as you go. DCUO's version is more cumbersome. There is a slider you can move up and down to see the various options, but doing this only displays the names of said pieces. However, you have to click on the piece to see what it looks like. The window only shows seven costume items at a time, so you have to switch back and forth between the slider and the clickable options. Worse, coloring options is a completely different section of the creator. You have to leave the costume options and go into the coloring options. If you then want to change a costume piece, you must go back out of the color section and back into the costume section. This bogs down the whole process unless you know going in what you want and where it is. Familiarity with the system will help address this problem.
That being said, we'll move onto the variety of options. Obviously its not a fair comparison to put the DCUO creator up against the current CoX one. CoX has been around for years, and has had hundreds of options added to it since its release. So we'll look at this in terms of what was available at release. DCUO allows capes from level 1 (something CoX couldn't when it was released). It also allows things like wings and even backpacks (something else CoX couldn't). CoX color options are given from a set pallet of specific colors, while DCUO allows sliders for basic color, hue and brightness (creating far more combinations). Like CoX, the DCUO costume options are many. The issue I have is that even in comparison to what CoX had at its release, the options in DCUO seems really limited. Even the options that are there seem vaguely similar to one another. To be fair, this is because DCUO uses loot and equipment, so many of the more interesting costume pieces are either drops or can be bought. But this means that said parts are NOT available at creation. This makes the DCUO costume creator seem embarrassingly limited.
For those that are worried that the inclusion of equippable items in the game (that boost your stats) will end up turning your Hero "Heir of Zen, martial arts aspirant" into "Captain Tacklebox, man of a 1000 Swags", don't. The system allows you to have the computer simply not draw those equipped items, keeping your costume intact.
What DCUO does allow is some additional personification of your characters. You select from a list of basic personality traits (Powerful, Serious, Comedic, Flirty, etc). This selection modifies how you walk or run, your stances, end even how some emotes are implemented (like dances). Its a nice touch that helps you differentiate yourself from others. Although the cynic in me figures that 90% of all female toons will get saddled with the 'Flirty' option.
Despite the innovations that DCUO has added, the system just doesn't feel as robust as the one in CoX, nor is it as user-friendly. Advantage (and my preference) goes to CoX.
WEAPONS, POWERS AND MOVEMENT
When creating a Hero in DCUO, you among two basic categories: Weapon and Powers. Weapon is the basic form of combat you'll use during your character's career. These are basic options like Bow, Brawling, Dual Pistols, Martial Arts, Staff, Hand Blasts and so on. Some choices favor melee or ranged, and some have a good smattering of both. These combat forms have trees of capabilities that you select from as you progress. Instead of showing up as individual powers, the skills gained here are access through button combinations on the mouse. The left mouse button activates the basic melee attack, and the right mouse button activates the basic ranged attack. Clicking the same button three times in success sets of a flurry of 3 attacks. Some powers are activated with a sequence of clicks (left then right), or by holding the button for a time then releasing it. Remembering these combinations is important, as you can't access them some other way.
Some of you are wondering: Hey, if I select Rifle as my Weapon choice, can I customize what Rifle I'm using in the costume creator? The answer is: no. However, you can change it through drops or from buying items, so customization is possible. Just bear in mind that if you buy that Zongo-Blaser mkXIV, you can't decide it looks like something else other than what its modeled as (you can elect to use the default rifle given at creation instead while keeping the other equipped).
Some of you may have also noted the Weapon of Hand Blasts. And yes, its what it sounds like: firing off blasts of energy from your hands or using glowing pom-poms of doom to beat your opponents into the ground. Can you customize that in the creator? Nope. Hope you like generic blue-ish energy, 'cause that's all there is.
Powers in DCUO come in six basic types: Gadgets, Mental, Fire, Ice, Nature and Sorcery. Each type has two ability trees in each, one designed for DPS (Damage per Second) Attack and the other for either Control, Defense or Healing. The problem is that this is more restrictive than one might surmise. If you want Control, you HAVE to take Gadgets or Mental. If you want Defense, you HAVE to take Fire or Ice. If you want Healing, you HAVE to take Nature or Sorcery. Now to be fair, this is only what's available at creation, and more will be coming in future releases.
Another aspect of the six Power types is the Rock-Paper-Scissors connection between them. Gadget and Mental are weak to Fire and Ice (Why?). Fire and Ice are weak to Nature and Sorcery (Why?!). Nature and Sorcery are weak to Gadget and Mental (WHY?!). This largely applies only in PvP situations, and doesn't come into PvE.
Powers are activated using the 1-6 keys on the keyboard, and as you can have more than 6 powers you will have to choose which ones you want hot-keyed to them. Keys 7 and 8 are set to consumable items (which you will also have to designate). Powers have a cool-down period (some larger than others). However, using powers either in combination or the same one in succession can trigger new powers or stat boosts (even healing).
Unlike CoX, Movement powers are given right at creation. These are Flight (self-explanatory), Acrobatics (long leaps and wall crawling) or Super-Speed (ran fast along floors, up and across ceilings). These also can be upgraded to give the player new powers in combat.
Once again, I have to give the advantage (and my preference) to CoX on this one. Despite the potential freedom the non-AT based system in DCUO is, its just too restrictive IMHO. Even if one looks at what CoX had at its release, there was more freedom to create what you wanted and do with it what you wanted. Heck, in DCUO if you want a character that uses lightning, guess what: you can't! At least not yet.
CONTROLS
The controls in DCUO aren't all that much different from what you'd expect. However, they are more closely associated with the controls from twitch games than from traditional MMOs. Turning and looking are handled with the mouse. Your character's targeting circle is locked in the middle of the screen, and the mouse is used to change your view to line up your reticule with any potential targets. Movement is handled with the W and A, S, D keys. W moves you forward and S moves you backwards. The A and D keys makes you sidestep left or right (respectively). The Shift key is used to block incoming attacks (and shake off effects like stuns), and using Shift with one of the movement buttons causes you to Dodge in that direction. If you want to lock onto a target, you set your reticule in place and hit Tab (use C to clear the lock). Activating your Movement power uses the F to toggle to power on, and hitting it again to toggle it off. If loot drops on the ground, hold the Ctrl button to bring it to you and collect it automatically. If you need to interact with a person or object, get close enough and hold down the E button for a bit. The E button can also be used to pick up objects (you can throw them with the right mouse button or smash them with the left mouse button).
Both CoX and DCUO allow you to customize your controls as you see fit (though the basic functionality of the commands cannot). But the advantage goes to DCUO because the basic system allow you to do more with the world around you than simply punching or blasting it. My preference is another matter. I prefer the more simplistic controls of CoX. The movement system in DCUO drives me nuts. It was clearly designed with the PS3 in mind (since its made by Sony, duh), and the PC version (using a keyboard) just doesn't work well for me. If I want to switch 'targets', every application I use (be it at home or at work) lets me do so with the Tab button. This instinct is thwarted in DCUO, where hitting the Tab key over and over again doesn't solve anything. If you don't have another target in your reticule when you hit Tab, it doesn't switch (or even turn off from the existing target). DCUO ends up turning into a mad, spastic race of my fingers and hands from mouse to keyboard as I'm trying to keep things under control and remember what does what. If you're a typist and you know precisely where all your keys are, you'll be much better off than those using the hunt-and-peck method (like me). You'll be better off still with a joystick (provided its got a similar button layout to the PS3 controller).
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
This contest will be dealt with along what's available now, as its not fair to compare the visuals of a game made 7 years ago with one released just this year. That being said, DCUO wins hands down. Despite the improvements made to CoX in the intervening years, the game is showing its age. Compared to DCUO, CoX looks blocky and simplistic. The design and visuals given in Praetoria give DCUO a good run for its money, but that's just one part of the game. Overall DCUO is the visually superior game.
The musical score of both games are decent, as are the sound effects. But DCUO wins here for one reason: voice acting. All the major NPCs in DCUO are not only given full voice acting, but their mouths move to match what they're saying (for the most part). Even minor NPCs found on the streets or faceless goons will have things to say. Its one thing to be flying across town and see a text bubble pop up on the side of the screen saying "eek". Its another to actually hear a scream from down a dark alley. Advantage (and my preference) goes to DCUO. I mean come on, Mark Hammil is reprising his role as the voice of the Joker, and you cannot tell me that was a bad call.
COMBAT
This one is difficult to give an advantage to, because the games are so different in style and will appeal to different preferences of gaming.
DCUO is a twitch game, meaning the action is fast and furious. The player is hammering on the mouse, cranking out attacks as fast as possible and dodging incoming fire. There is no to-hit business: either your target is in place when your attack gets there or its not. The only aspect of accuracy and defense that exist are in terms of how well you can land or avoid a critical strike. Your skill with the controls is just as important as what powers you wield and what gear you have on. If you like twitch games, DCUO is the one for you.
CoX is an MMO, meaning the action is more sedate. This doesn't necessarily translate into boring, but in comparison to DCUO it is slower. Despite the skill you may have with the controls, the random number generator gets the final say. This does lead to some weirdness like homing boulders and the like, though this is mitigated by other things like parrying a burst from a mini-gun with a SWORD. The speed at which one presses the buttons doesn't make powers activate or recharge any faster, nor does it necessarily give you an advantage if you do press them quickly (though it can in some ways).
What will settle this contest is PvP. When CoX was created, the mechanics were built on PvE and the PvP part was sandwiched on afterwards. This was a mistake. As a result, PvP in CoX has gone through a lot of revisions and doesn't really work all that well even now. While there is a dedicated PvP cadre in CoX, its not the lion's share of the population.
DCUO on the other hand was designed around PvP, and the PvE mechanics were added on afterwards. More importantly, outside of the Power type chosen, the basic combat functionality is the same for all characters. No matter what weapon type is chosen, all characters have a basic flurry of melee and ranged attacks to use. Capabilities past that can skew PvP performance, but the base level of equality is still there. As such, the potential for PvP in DCUO is far stronger, but its too early to tell if this will hold true into the future.
Even so, the superior PvP qualities of DCUO gives it the advantage here. My preference is another matter. Personally, I hate PvP, so that fact that CoX's is anemic at best is not an issue. In fact, I see it as an asset. There are too many instances (in CoX and other games) where I've seen PvP bring out some of the worst qualities in people. In games with bad PvP these people tend to leave the game and go elsewhere for what they deem a better PvP experience, taking those qualities that I find distasteful with them. Moreover, the combat system in DCUO had an unpleasant side effect for me: physical pain. After three hours of near non-stop mouse clicking, my hand hurt, my arm hurt, and my shoulder hurt. I was using muscles in ways and at intensities that my body did not like. If I were a young man I would just suck it up and keep playing, but I'm pushing 40 now. I can't do that anymore without repercussions. The spastic pace of DCUO is just not good for me, and frankly I don't like it. My preference goes to CoX.
PHAT LEWTS
As is to be expected with any MMO, there's money to be made, stuff to buy and loot to take from your enemies. But the two games have differing philosophies regarding these. In CoX, every enemy at least drops some cash when defeated (provided that mob would also grant some XP). Dropped loot is rarer, depending on the rarity of the loot in question versus the rank of the mob that was defeated. When something drops for you, you get it without further effort on your part. Its very simple and relatively uncomplicated until you start getting into crafting and the like. Improving your character comes in the form of enhancements that change the qualities of your powers, rather than doing something more overt (like boosting your strength or whatnot). There's no "equipment" in CoX, it all boils down to how you want to enhance your existing powers and by how much. That is not to say that what "equipment" there is is irrelevant. Managing your enhancements is just as important in CoX as is managing your equipment in any other MMO. However, this system makes it seem like its more about the powers you have, rather than the stuff you've got. This is a good thing for those characters whose concepts aren't about "all those wonderful toys", but not so outlandish that its an obstacle for those characters that do rely on equipment.
DCUO is not much different from other MMOs. Defeated enemies can drop cash, salvage, and even equipment, but they don't do so consistently. Some defeated foes will get you nothing but XP. Moreover, the drops scatter all over the ground around the mob, requiring you to gather them up. Its a simple matter to hold down the Ctrl button and they'll come right to you and be taken into your Inventory. However, the possibility of missing something that dropped with this system is still there. Part of improving yourself comes from getting better and better gear, in addition to gaining new powers. But its the gear that improves the powers, not the power itself getting any better. In this way, powers and equipment are equally important. However, as the game progresses into higher and higher levels it becomes more important to have the best equipment, and the powers themselves start to take the back seat. This can be a jarring disconnect for some people. After all, the potency of Superman's powers aren't based on the stuff he's wearing. But for other characters (like Blue Beetle) this system makes perfect sense.
Ultimately its up to the player to decide whether or not they care at all about this. However, because the DCUO system is more akin to what MMO players are used to (and a lot less nebulous than the CoX one), I'll give the advantage to DCUO. My preference goes the opposite way. The fact the CoX's system is more nebulous and open to interpretation is a good thing. This makes it up to me to decide what form all these improvements come in and how my character came to have them. I prefer this a lot more, as it satisfies my desire to express my own creativity. It feels like the CoX system makes it more about the character rather than the stuff they own, which I greatly prefer. Preference to CoX.
COMMUNICATION
Normally, this isn't something I consider in MMO games because its never been an issue. At least until now. The chat system in DCUO is SERIOUSLY BROKEN. I mean holy crap, is this thing broken! Its like someone shoved a car into a chipper shredder, dumped the bits into a box and labeled it "some assembly required" before re-selling it. There is no easy way to figure out if you're set to /say or /shout (WTF?!). If you want to talk, you have to click on the button that actually opens a text box for you to type in (or hit Enter to do the same thing). This text box otherwise does not appear on the screen! There's one default text box on the screen with two tabs on it: Local and Combat. The default is to local, which basically reads out everything that the players around you are saying. The combat tab reads out what's going on in terms of combat, but with the health bars and numbers flying over people's heads this is kind of unnecessary. What's bothersome is that if you want to switch tabs, you CANNOT use the mouse to do it! Trying to move the mouse only changes your point of view. You have to use the keyboard to switch tabs. Clearly this chat system was made for the PS3 and with VOX systems in mind, and the PC version was built around it. It got to the point where the chat system was so frustrating I quit using it. Advantage and my Preference to CoX, the DCUO version blows chunks (unless you spring for a VOX system).
SUMMARY
DCUO is newer, shinier, faster, far more action packed, and has decades of characters, stories and lore to draw from for its content. But I can't shake the feeling that in DCUO my creativity is being shoved into a closet and told to behave. More importantly, it hurts when I play for too long. CoX has had to create all its content, characters and lore from the ground up, and there simply isn't as much of it. Its an older game that's showing its age and operates at a more sedate pace. Frankly, this is more to my liking in terms of speed and being amiable to my creativity (and it doesn't cause me physical pain). What gaps there are in the world the devs have created, the players can fill in if they wish (until official cannon is established). While its true I can't create exactly what I want in CoX, I can get light-years closer than I can in DCUO. DCUO has the advantage in terms of what it offers, but my preference is still with CoX. Your mileage may (and will) vary.
LOADING ADVANTAGE: CoX
LOADING PREFERENCE: CoX
THE OPENING ADVANTAGE: DCUO
THE OPENING PREFERENCE: DCUO
CHARACTER CREATION ADVANTAGE: CoX
CHARACTER CREATION PREFERENCE: CoX
WEAPONS, POWERS and MOVEMENT ADVANTAGE: CoX
WEAPONS, POWERS and MOVEMENT PREFERENCE: CoX
CONTROL ADVANTAGE: DCUO
CONTROL PREFERENCE: CoX
GRAPHICS and SOUND ADVANTAGE: DCUO
GRAPHICS and SOUND PREFERENCE: DCUO
COMBAT ADVANTAGE: DCUO
COMBAT PREFERENCE: CoX
PHAT LEWTZ ADVANTAGE: DCUO
PHAT LEWTZ PREFERENCE: CoX
COMMUNICATION ADVANTAGE: CoX
COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE: CoX
FINAL ADVANTAGE: DCUO
FINAL PREFERENCE: CoX
Note: this entry will self-destruct as soon as I figure out how. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Completely Irrelevant Splendor and the Council for putting Things on top of other Things.
Longpost is long, so...LJCut for those who don't care.
LOADING
My computer is pretty fast (being less than a year old and operating at Ultra Mode specs), so when there's loading to be done, I notice it. Both games have aspects where loading is needed, no surprise there. But DCUO tends to dip into the "loading loads of loading" trope. There are times when loading is needed during character creation (WTF?). The loading times aren't long, but they're all over the place! I have to give the advantage (and my preference) to CoX here, because it spends a lot less time loading things than DCUO does.
THE OPENING
The cinematic at the beginning of the game is simply marvelous. The visuals are grand, the writing is decent, and the voice-acting is superb. Many of my favorite voice actors are returning to reprise their roles (Mark Hammil's voice as the Joker is still my favorite). The story behind the game is average, but it does its job of setting the scene well enough. Sony Online Entertainment was nice enough to let you mash the ESC button if you want to skip it. This is a good call, because its a fairly long movie and it plays EVERY TIME you start the game. The advantage (and my preference) goes here to DCUO, simply because CoX doesn't have anything like this.
CHARACTER CREATION
Being a veteran of CoX, I have high standards when it comes to character creation. The modeling and look of the characters and costume pieces in DCUO is very sleek and clean, far more so than in CoX. The models are far less blocky and much smoother, though after a while it feels like everything's made of shiny plastic.
Before you ask, yes you can model yourself after one of the iconic DC Heroes/Villains, but you CANNOT be a member of the Green Lantern Corps. This is reasonable, given what I know of DC lore. The Rings choose their bearers (to an extent). So even if future Lex Luthor snagged one and sent it back to the past and Joe Random picked it up the Ring, it'd tell him to piss off.
As you work through the various options, the system's kludginess may start to wear on you. The creator in CoX allows you to rapidly cycle between options in a given category and adjust colors as you go. DCUO's version is more cumbersome. There is a slider you can move up and down to see the various options, but doing this only displays the names of said pieces. However, you have to click on the piece to see what it looks like. The window only shows seven costume items at a time, so you have to switch back and forth between the slider and the clickable options. Worse, coloring options is a completely different section of the creator. You have to leave the costume options and go into the coloring options. If you then want to change a costume piece, you must go back out of the color section and back into the costume section. This bogs down the whole process unless you know going in what you want and where it is. Familiarity with the system will help address this problem.
That being said, we'll move onto the variety of options. Obviously its not a fair comparison to put the DCUO creator up against the current CoX one. CoX has been around for years, and has had hundreds of options added to it since its release. So we'll look at this in terms of what was available at release. DCUO allows capes from level 1 (something CoX couldn't when it was released). It also allows things like wings and even backpacks (something else CoX couldn't). CoX color options are given from a set pallet of specific colors, while DCUO allows sliders for basic color, hue and brightness (creating far more combinations). Like CoX, the DCUO costume options are many. The issue I have is that even in comparison to what CoX had at its release, the options in DCUO seems really limited. Even the options that are there seem vaguely similar to one another. To be fair, this is because DCUO uses loot and equipment, so many of the more interesting costume pieces are either drops or can be bought. But this means that said parts are NOT available at creation. This makes the DCUO costume creator seem embarrassingly limited.
For those that are worried that the inclusion of equippable items in the game (that boost your stats) will end up turning your Hero "Heir of Zen, martial arts aspirant" into "Captain Tacklebox, man of a 1000 Swags", don't. The system allows you to have the computer simply not draw those equipped items, keeping your costume intact.
What DCUO does allow is some additional personification of your characters. You select from a list of basic personality traits (Powerful, Serious, Comedic, Flirty, etc). This selection modifies how you walk or run, your stances, end even how some emotes are implemented (like dances). Its a nice touch that helps you differentiate yourself from others. Although the cynic in me figures that 90% of all female toons will get saddled with the 'Flirty' option.
Despite the innovations that DCUO has added, the system just doesn't feel as robust as the one in CoX, nor is it as user-friendly. Advantage (and my preference) goes to CoX.
WEAPONS, POWERS AND MOVEMENT
When creating a Hero in DCUO, you among two basic categories: Weapon and Powers. Weapon is the basic form of combat you'll use during your character's career. These are basic options like Bow, Brawling, Dual Pistols, Martial Arts, Staff, Hand Blasts and so on. Some choices favor melee or ranged, and some have a good smattering of both. These combat forms have trees of capabilities that you select from as you progress. Instead of showing up as individual powers, the skills gained here are access through button combinations on the mouse. The left mouse button activates the basic melee attack, and the right mouse button activates the basic ranged attack. Clicking the same button three times in success sets of a flurry of 3 attacks. Some powers are activated with a sequence of clicks (left then right), or by holding the button for a time then releasing it. Remembering these combinations is important, as you can't access them some other way.
Some of you are wondering: Hey, if I select Rifle as my Weapon choice, can I customize what Rifle I'm using in the costume creator? The answer is: no. However, you can change it through drops or from buying items, so customization is possible. Just bear in mind that if you buy that Zongo-Blaser mkXIV, you can't decide it looks like something else other than what its modeled as (you can elect to use the default rifle given at creation instead while keeping the other equipped).
Some of you may have also noted the Weapon of Hand Blasts. And yes, its what it sounds like: firing off blasts of energy from your hands or using glowing pom-poms of doom to beat your opponents into the ground. Can you customize that in the creator? Nope. Hope you like generic blue-ish energy, 'cause that's all there is.
Powers in DCUO come in six basic types: Gadgets, Mental, Fire, Ice, Nature and Sorcery. Each type has two ability trees in each, one designed for DPS (Damage per Second) Attack and the other for either Control, Defense or Healing. The problem is that this is more restrictive than one might surmise. If you want Control, you HAVE to take Gadgets or Mental. If you want Defense, you HAVE to take Fire or Ice. If you want Healing, you HAVE to take Nature or Sorcery. Now to be fair, this is only what's available at creation, and more will be coming in future releases.
Another aspect of the six Power types is the Rock-Paper-Scissors connection between them. Gadget and Mental are weak to Fire and Ice (Why?). Fire and Ice are weak to Nature and Sorcery (Why?!). Nature and Sorcery are weak to Gadget and Mental (WHY?!). This largely applies only in PvP situations, and doesn't come into PvE.
Powers are activated using the 1-6 keys on the keyboard, and as you can have more than 6 powers you will have to choose which ones you want hot-keyed to them. Keys 7 and 8 are set to consumable items (which you will also have to designate). Powers have a cool-down period (some larger than others). However, using powers either in combination or the same one in succession can trigger new powers or stat boosts (even healing).
Unlike CoX, Movement powers are given right at creation. These are Flight (self-explanatory), Acrobatics (long leaps and wall crawling) or Super-Speed (ran fast along floors, up and across ceilings). These also can be upgraded to give the player new powers in combat.
Once again, I have to give the advantage (and my preference) to CoX on this one. Despite the potential freedom the non-AT based system in DCUO is, its just too restrictive IMHO. Even if one looks at what CoX had at its release, there was more freedom to create what you wanted and do with it what you wanted. Heck, in DCUO if you want a character that uses lightning, guess what: you can't! At least not yet.
CONTROLS
The controls in DCUO aren't all that much different from what you'd expect. However, they are more closely associated with the controls from twitch games than from traditional MMOs. Turning and looking are handled with the mouse. Your character's targeting circle is locked in the middle of the screen, and the mouse is used to change your view to line up your reticule with any potential targets. Movement is handled with the W and A, S, D keys. W moves you forward and S moves you backwards. The A and D keys makes you sidestep left or right (respectively). The Shift key is used to block incoming attacks (and shake off effects like stuns), and using Shift with one of the movement buttons causes you to Dodge in that direction. If you want to lock onto a target, you set your reticule in place and hit Tab (use C to clear the lock). Activating your Movement power uses the F to toggle to power on, and hitting it again to toggle it off. If loot drops on the ground, hold the Ctrl button to bring it to you and collect it automatically. If you need to interact with a person or object, get close enough and hold down the E button for a bit. The E button can also be used to pick up objects (you can throw them with the right mouse button or smash them with the left mouse button).
Both CoX and DCUO allow you to customize your controls as you see fit (though the basic functionality of the commands cannot). But the advantage goes to DCUO because the basic system allow you to do more with the world around you than simply punching or blasting it. My preference is another matter. I prefer the more simplistic controls of CoX. The movement system in DCUO drives me nuts. It was clearly designed with the PS3 in mind (since its made by Sony, duh), and the PC version (using a keyboard) just doesn't work well for me. If I want to switch 'targets', every application I use (be it at home or at work) lets me do so with the Tab button. This instinct is thwarted in DCUO, where hitting the Tab key over and over again doesn't solve anything. If you don't have another target in your reticule when you hit Tab, it doesn't switch (or even turn off from the existing target). DCUO ends up turning into a mad, spastic race of my fingers and hands from mouse to keyboard as I'm trying to keep things under control and remember what does what. If you're a typist and you know precisely where all your keys are, you'll be much better off than those using the hunt-and-peck method (like me). You'll be better off still with a joystick (provided its got a similar button layout to the PS3 controller).
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
This contest will be dealt with along what's available now, as its not fair to compare the visuals of a game made 7 years ago with one released just this year. That being said, DCUO wins hands down. Despite the improvements made to CoX in the intervening years, the game is showing its age. Compared to DCUO, CoX looks blocky and simplistic. The design and visuals given in Praetoria give DCUO a good run for its money, but that's just one part of the game. Overall DCUO is the visually superior game.
The musical score of both games are decent, as are the sound effects. But DCUO wins here for one reason: voice acting. All the major NPCs in DCUO are not only given full voice acting, but their mouths move to match what they're saying (for the most part). Even minor NPCs found on the streets or faceless goons will have things to say. Its one thing to be flying across town and see a text bubble pop up on the side of the screen saying "eek". Its another to actually hear a scream from down a dark alley. Advantage (and my preference) goes to DCUO. I mean come on, Mark Hammil is reprising his role as the voice of the Joker, and you cannot tell me that was a bad call.
COMBAT
This one is difficult to give an advantage to, because the games are so different in style and will appeal to different preferences of gaming.
DCUO is a twitch game, meaning the action is fast and furious. The player is hammering on the mouse, cranking out attacks as fast as possible and dodging incoming fire. There is no to-hit business: either your target is in place when your attack gets there or its not. The only aspect of accuracy and defense that exist are in terms of how well you can land or avoid a critical strike. Your skill with the controls is just as important as what powers you wield and what gear you have on. If you like twitch games, DCUO is the one for you.
CoX is an MMO, meaning the action is more sedate. This doesn't necessarily translate into boring, but in comparison to DCUO it is slower. Despite the skill you may have with the controls, the random number generator gets the final say. This does lead to some weirdness like homing boulders and the like, though this is mitigated by other things like parrying a burst from a mini-gun with a SWORD. The speed at which one presses the buttons doesn't make powers activate or recharge any faster, nor does it necessarily give you an advantage if you do press them quickly (though it can in some ways).
What will settle this contest is PvP. When CoX was created, the mechanics were built on PvE and the PvP part was sandwiched on afterwards. This was a mistake. As a result, PvP in CoX has gone through a lot of revisions and doesn't really work all that well even now. While there is a dedicated PvP cadre in CoX, its not the lion's share of the population.
DCUO on the other hand was designed around PvP, and the PvE mechanics were added on afterwards. More importantly, outside of the Power type chosen, the basic combat functionality is the same for all characters. No matter what weapon type is chosen, all characters have a basic flurry of melee and ranged attacks to use. Capabilities past that can skew PvP performance, but the base level of equality is still there. As such, the potential for PvP in DCUO is far stronger, but its too early to tell if this will hold true into the future.
Even so, the superior PvP qualities of DCUO gives it the advantage here. My preference is another matter. Personally, I hate PvP, so that fact that CoX's is anemic at best is not an issue. In fact, I see it as an asset. There are too many instances (in CoX and other games) where I've seen PvP bring out some of the worst qualities in people. In games with bad PvP these people tend to leave the game and go elsewhere for what they deem a better PvP experience, taking those qualities that I find distasteful with them. Moreover, the combat system in DCUO had an unpleasant side effect for me: physical pain. After three hours of near non-stop mouse clicking, my hand hurt, my arm hurt, and my shoulder hurt. I was using muscles in ways and at intensities that my body did not like. If I were a young man I would just suck it up and keep playing, but I'm pushing 40 now. I can't do that anymore without repercussions. The spastic pace of DCUO is just not good for me, and frankly I don't like it. My preference goes to CoX.
PHAT LEWTS
As is to be expected with any MMO, there's money to be made, stuff to buy and loot to take from your enemies. But the two games have differing philosophies regarding these. In CoX, every enemy at least drops some cash when defeated (provided that mob would also grant some XP). Dropped loot is rarer, depending on the rarity of the loot in question versus the rank of the mob that was defeated. When something drops for you, you get it without further effort on your part. Its very simple and relatively uncomplicated until you start getting into crafting and the like. Improving your character comes in the form of enhancements that change the qualities of your powers, rather than doing something more overt (like boosting your strength or whatnot). There's no "equipment" in CoX, it all boils down to how you want to enhance your existing powers and by how much. That is not to say that what "equipment" there is is irrelevant. Managing your enhancements is just as important in CoX as is managing your equipment in any other MMO. However, this system makes it seem like its more about the powers you have, rather than the stuff you've got. This is a good thing for those characters whose concepts aren't about "all those wonderful toys", but not so outlandish that its an obstacle for those characters that do rely on equipment.
DCUO is not much different from other MMOs. Defeated enemies can drop cash, salvage, and even equipment, but they don't do so consistently. Some defeated foes will get you nothing but XP. Moreover, the drops scatter all over the ground around the mob, requiring you to gather them up. Its a simple matter to hold down the Ctrl button and they'll come right to you and be taken into your Inventory. However, the possibility of missing something that dropped with this system is still there. Part of improving yourself comes from getting better and better gear, in addition to gaining new powers. But its the gear that improves the powers, not the power itself getting any better. In this way, powers and equipment are equally important. However, as the game progresses into higher and higher levels it becomes more important to have the best equipment, and the powers themselves start to take the back seat. This can be a jarring disconnect for some people. After all, the potency of Superman's powers aren't based on the stuff he's wearing. But for other characters (like Blue Beetle) this system makes perfect sense.
Ultimately its up to the player to decide whether or not they care at all about this. However, because the DCUO system is more akin to what MMO players are used to (and a lot less nebulous than the CoX one), I'll give the advantage to DCUO. My preference goes the opposite way. The fact the CoX's system is more nebulous and open to interpretation is a good thing. This makes it up to me to decide what form all these improvements come in and how my character came to have them. I prefer this a lot more, as it satisfies my desire to express my own creativity. It feels like the CoX system makes it more about the character rather than the stuff they own, which I greatly prefer. Preference to CoX.
COMMUNICATION
Normally, this isn't something I consider in MMO games because its never been an issue. At least until now. The chat system in DCUO is SERIOUSLY BROKEN. I mean holy crap, is this thing broken! Its like someone shoved a car into a chipper shredder, dumped the bits into a box and labeled it "some assembly required" before re-selling it. There is no easy way to figure out if you're set to /say or /shout (WTF?!). If you want to talk, you have to click on the button that actually opens a text box for you to type in (or hit Enter to do the same thing). This text box otherwise does not appear on the screen! There's one default text box on the screen with two tabs on it: Local and Combat. The default is to local, which basically reads out everything that the players around you are saying. The combat tab reads out what's going on in terms of combat, but with the health bars and numbers flying over people's heads this is kind of unnecessary. What's bothersome is that if you want to switch tabs, you CANNOT use the mouse to do it! Trying to move the mouse only changes your point of view. You have to use the keyboard to switch tabs. Clearly this chat system was made for the PS3 and with VOX systems in mind, and the PC version was built around it. It got to the point where the chat system was so frustrating I quit using it. Advantage and my Preference to CoX, the DCUO version blows chunks (unless you spring for a VOX system).
SUMMARY
DCUO is newer, shinier, faster, far more action packed, and has decades of characters, stories and lore to draw from for its content. But I can't shake the feeling that in DCUO my creativity is being shoved into a closet and told to behave. More importantly, it hurts when I play for too long. CoX has had to create all its content, characters and lore from the ground up, and there simply isn't as much of it. Its an older game that's showing its age and operates at a more sedate pace. Frankly, this is more to my liking in terms of speed and being amiable to my creativity (and it doesn't cause me physical pain). What gaps there are in the world the devs have created, the players can fill in if they wish (until official cannon is established). While its true I can't create exactly what I want in CoX, I can get light-years closer than I can in DCUO. DCUO has the advantage in terms of what it offers, but my preference is still with CoX. Your mileage may (and will) vary.
LOADING ADVANTAGE: CoX
LOADING PREFERENCE: CoX
THE OPENING ADVANTAGE: DCUO
THE OPENING PREFERENCE: DCUO
CHARACTER CREATION ADVANTAGE: CoX
CHARACTER CREATION PREFERENCE: CoX
WEAPONS, POWERS and MOVEMENT ADVANTAGE: CoX
WEAPONS, POWERS and MOVEMENT PREFERENCE: CoX
CONTROL ADVANTAGE: DCUO
CONTROL PREFERENCE: CoX
GRAPHICS and SOUND ADVANTAGE: DCUO
GRAPHICS and SOUND PREFERENCE: DCUO
COMBAT ADVANTAGE: DCUO
COMBAT PREFERENCE: CoX
PHAT LEWTZ ADVANTAGE: DCUO
PHAT LEWTZ PREFERENCE: CoX
COMMUNICATION ADVANTAGE: CoX
COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE: CoX
FINAL ADVANTAGE: DCUO
FINAL PREFERENCE: CoX
Note: this entry will self-destruct as soon as I figure out how. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Completely Irrelevant Splendor and the Council for putting Things on top of other Things.