Green Lantern MMO

*Originally published on 9/14/09


I touched on this when I was talking about DC Universe Online, but the more I think about it, the more I think that a Green Lantern MMO would really work.

As I said in the aforementioned article, the backdrop could be the War of Lights/Blackest Night story that is currently being told in the current issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corp.

You would start off as a rookie in whatever corp you choose, running training simulations with other new players. The well known characters from the comics would be the NPC's, so you would be trained by Kilowog, and run into other lanterns like Guy Gardner, Sinestro or Atrocitus. After a certain number of simulations, you would be officially inducted into your respective corp.

With the rings being limited only by the wielder's imagination and willpower (or whatever emotion coincides with the corp they joined), there would be plenty of room for customizable attacks and special moves.

As for the emotion that fuels the ring, it could operate in a similar fashion to mana from World of Warcraft. You would also have to account for the charge on the ring, which would deplete after so much use and need to be recharged.

People praise the open "sandbox" style game play of such games like Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, or Fallout. Rightfully so, the games give you a wide area to explore and play through, leading to hours of game play. This would take that idea and push it to the tenth power. Instead of just one city, or even world, you would have a whole freakin' galaxy to explore.

Also a factor, would be the Black Lanterns. After you die, your character would essentially become a heart eating zombie. It makes death in the MMO a serious thing without robbing the player of the opportunity to play. Rather than simply resurrect and continue on like normal, a player's death would shift the balance of power ever so gradually. Each event would have an impact on the overall game as each side wrestles for control.

MMO's are huge moneymakers and are all the rage right now. People are wondering if you can play as a Green Lantern in DCUO. From what I've seen, I don't think you'll be able to, but I could be proven wrong. This game would give them the opportunity to play as one. Now that there is a whole spectrum of Corps to choose from, players would be able to choose any one of seven sides, with the ever looming threat of zombie lanterns always lurking in the background.

It would be an epic space opera that would rival, if not outright surpass, anything we've seen before. This could really be an amazing game that would blow players away and bring in sack loads of money for whoever decides to make it.

Thanks to Geoff Johns, Green Lantern has had a surge in popularity. There was a direct to video animated movie and the live action Green Lantern movie has finally started to gain steam. This would be a great way to build on that momentum and create another product for Green Lantern fans to enjoy.