Batman Character Creator Game: DC Universe Review

DC Universe Online Let's You Create Your Own Batman

Bruce Wayne's alter ego is often given many nicknames: the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, the Bat, or even our personal favorite (and likely the least often heard) World's Greatest Detective. But regardless of how you call him, Batman is a very iconic and familiar looking figure for anyone who knows the basic concept of comic book heroes. Gotham's dark avenger is as famous as Superman and in many circumstances, more loved by fans. Maybe it is the fact that he is just a regular man in suit (who also happens to be incredibly rich, intelligent, and well versed in almost every form of combat), or that he is just so much more cool than the goody-two-shoes boy scout that Superman tends to be, Batman is a total fan favorite. So for those of you with an extra character slot for DCUO (or are just starting out) and would like to play the game while emulating Batman as best as possible, this is where you start.

Release Date:11th January 2011

Available on: PS4, PS3, Windows, PC Download

Critics Rating: 4.0/5

Future Batman in DC Universe Online

Batman & Joker Suits

Game Trailer

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Disclaimer: The Cowl

Before we even begin with the basic stuffs, here's the catch with DCUO's character creation system: there is simply no way to properly emulate Batman's iconic cowl. The issue comes from the lack of options to create the two pointy ears. The closest one can do is to put on an additional Huntress-style face mask with tips that extend well past the scalp; in various lighting conditions or in silhouettes, this look manages to pass, but once you view the character from the side, it is obvious that the signature "ears" are not in the right place (the mask, is after all, located on the face). We will get more into this later, but knowing this beforehand is important in terms of managing expectations.

Basics: Obvious Starter Choices

If you have already played DCUO and have had experienced character creation several times, then feel free to skip this part. Otherwise, if you are new to the game, pay attention because everything from here on out is crucial.

The typical DC superhero uses the "Striker Large" option for build (which is the size and shape of the body). If you like recreating hero characters, expect to be selecting that quite often. For costume template, skip the presets and go for "custom". Obviously, the morality is "hero", and the mentor will be "Batman". Now, as for the personality, this option determines how your character stands, poses, and just basically moves his arms and legs (since we are doing Batman, we are going with a male character). And the option that fits best here would be serious as it mimics many of the poses that Batman takes.

The power ability will have to be gadgets since Batman has no meta-human or alien abilities, but instead relies only on his gear, fists, and wits. In DCUO gameplay mechanics, gadgets are a controller-style ability that focuses on dealing with enemy mobs and using stealth in order to gain an advantage. It also works well with teammates as a support or damaging unit.

Movement determines how your character is able to travel fast and efficiently and obviously, Batman is an acrobat, leaping across buildings, and making use of grappling hooks. DCUO provides acrobats with glide and rocket-boost capabilities too. Note that despite how flight and speed behave in the comics, acrobatics is actually the fastest way to travel in DCUO (a speedster will only outrun you for the first few seconds).

Lastly, most folks would recommend Brawler as a good weapon choice for Batman, and that is actually fine since he actually uses his fists and feet a lot. However, players should also consider the martial arts weapon class (which uses hand-blade, katar type weapons) since it actually mimics the speed and flow of Batman's refined combat techniques. Dual wield is also an interesting option as well, particularly since it is reminiscent of Nightwing's dual-stick weapons. The thing to remember is that brawlers tend to use gauntlet and glove type weapons which may clash with your costume, though at the same time, Brawler attacks are pretty powerful. Regardless of which of these three options you choose, your basic foundation for Batman should be set.

Body: The Insides Count

Despite the full body costume that Batman dons, do spend a few seconds to pick out the Liverpool hair style for your male striker large. In fact, you could even do the whole cowl-less look (which Batman actually does when he is among people who already know his secret identity), especially if the lack of pointy-ears feels like a deal breaker for the cowled look.

For the eyes, those going for the cowl should set the color bar up to max brightness and set the hue to the white. This turns the them into blank white eyes -which will go well with the cowl. Otherwise, just leave the eyes be.

Gearing Up: Time for the Fun Part

The first thing players should choose for gear is the head and face options. For the head, pick out the V Devil since it has the most prominent shape of a scowl on the mask. The V Slimline also works well since it needs only a little bit of color adjustment. Some folks would recommend the Half Domino mask though that one actually goes better with a Batman Beyond style suit (and in that case, just do the Full Domino instead).

For the face, put on the Valiant mask which looks lot like a male version of Huntress' mask. This is done so that players can simulate having two pointy tips on their head -even if the position is not the same as Batman's cowl-ears. Do know that at this point, the colors look a little goofy -ignore it, dealing with the colors is easy and it is more efficient to do so once you have finished the whole costume. Some players could just opt to do without the Valiant and keep the cowl ear-free. For those who did chose the Liverpool hair as we suggested, they can also go completely cowl-less.

The emblem is the next item on our list, most folks would go with the Wings option as it does look like a bat -kinda. Actually, the wings are better looking for the Beyond outfit where the bat wings at pitched upward. The emblem that fits the more contemporary Batman logo would be the Ram since the head part looks like the main body of a bat while the curved horns look like wings. Currently, there is no way to emulate the logo with an oval surrounding it (like the one in the Michael Keaton versions).

As with most costume recreations, the Slimline series of costumes do well for Batman so the chest naturally gets this. The Reverse version of the Slimline is also okay; do try to avoid using the Highcollar which seems to get recommended by other players. The issue with the Highcollar is the large vertical lines on the chest that are going to be prominent.

For the back, go for the cape -specifically, scroll the selections all the way down to Tattered. Most folks would simply go for the classic cape but that has a straight edge on the bottom. The Tattered's frayed edges simulate the point ends of Batman's cape much better. Alternatively, those who are planning to do the Beyond outfit should do without any back gear at all.

Selecting Finned for the hands is a no-brainer as it is the only set of gloves that has the necessary points in the forearms, though for the feet, there are no finned options. Many players tend to go for the Tall Classic since it has that stereotype costume-feel, but we suggest using the Paramilitary option instead. The boots of Paramilitary look a lot like the ones in the Arkham Asylum and Year One stories.

The same idea applies to the utility belt. Simple Utility is an often selected choice by players, but the Paramilitary Belt comes closer to the innovative look that Frank Miller did (which later influenced how Batman's utility pouches was used by other comic artists). The basic difference is that Paramilitary's pouches are more pronounced. Depending on which one you go for, remember that the Simple Utility is better off in yellow while the Paramilitary should get a military brown shade once you reach the color editing part. The basic Techno belt is used for the Beyond outfit.

Lastly, put in the New Genesis option for legs. This is the only set of legs that has the underpants on the outside and has no complex designs (which, as many comic fans know, is a staple for many hero costumes). Once you have everything, you will be ready to start changing the color palette.

The Color of Night

Now that you have a very Batman-inspired hero, it is time to put in the right colors to match the caped crusader's. That said, you have to determine which version's color palette you will want to follow.

Those who grew up on the animated series will want to do a gray overall color for the body and legs while the cape, cowl, underpants, boots, and gloves are tinted in varying shades of blue -bright blue for the older 60's to 70's style batman, while the Bruce Timm look will have you at really dark blues to going with black.

Fans of the movies and Arkham Asylum should just go with coloring everything in black from head to toe (same rule for the Batman Beyond outfit). Though a good tip would be not going for pitch black -leave it one or two notches shy of absolute black and make it an extremely dark gray. This makes the costume look better with the in-game lighting. While everything follows a predominant shade of black, keep the body and leg tights colored a little lighter than everything else. For Beyond, the colors should be indistinguishable.

Coloring the emblem is a simple matter of making sure it slightly contrasts that of the actual costume. The Beyond's Wings should be bright red (which also applies to the techno belt's main buckle).

Remember that when changing the colors, you should first jump straight to the general color palette in order to do costume-wide changes (and ensure that you use the same shade of color for parts that should match). Once you finish that, you can individually edit the colors of a costume's parts.

Don't Lose Hope: Late Game Content

While your Batman inspired character certainly does not look exactly like Batman, there are several items that you can get in the game later on that will help complete the look. For one, the lack of a good cowl can be overcome by purchasing the Cowl-Model Batsuit Tachelm from Batgirl in the techwing or you can try the Vengeful Cowl of Adversarius instead. Those who have been lucky enough to have played prior to 2011 will also have received a Batman-Inspired Mask as a bonus item from the developers. There are also iconic battlesuits such as the Trigon and the Dark Specter which will make players look like armored versions of Batman. The thing to remember is that most of these content are late-game DLC related items so you will have to do a lot of grinding if you are just starting out in the game.