Full disclosure: Sony Online Entertainment paid for my flight, room, and meals on this three-day trip to Austin, TX.

For the record, I typically abhor massively multiplayer online games. I don't have time to level grind for hours on end, and I certainly don't like the idea of relying on Internet acquaintances to help me through difficult boss battles. Add dizzyingly complex stat screens and loot classifications to the mix and I'm completely overwhelmed.

The MMO DC Universe Online had a lot to prove, then, when I first played it at E3 last June. It was next to impossible to judge it fairly through E3's chaotic din, but even then I had a feeling I'd like it. DCUO had a very weird and desperate feel about it, like it wanted to go in so many directions but was better off just heading in one. It wanted to be an action game, yet it wanted to incorporate loot, quests, and other standard MMO trappings.

I decided after I left that demo that I wouldn't write about it until I had a chance to play it again. The idea of training under iconic DC heroes and villains was very appealing, and unlike City of Heroes, the world was staggeringly large and immersive.

Last week, Sony Online Entertainment invited press from game and comic news outlets to Austin so we could attend their DC University. SOE provided meals, travel, and lodging for the three-day trip. This intensive preview session was exactly what I needed to break through my typical MMO barriers and chip away at just what SOE is doing with the titanic DC universe.

After booting up the game, I realized why DCUO showed so poorly at E3. I didn't feel connected to the jarringly randomized characters provided at the SOE booth, and I had no control over who my mentor was. The moment I crafted my dual-pistol-wielding, mental-powers-using acrobat named Charlotte V, everything fell into place. I was attached to this ghostly death machine and felt in tune with the entire process. 

Compared to most character creators, the DCUO interface seems limited. You choose a mentor (I chose the Joker for fangirlish reasons) and a basic personality. You have no control over the contours of their face, but is that really important when their costumes should describe who they are? I do wish the clothing options were a bit broader, as none of the items that supposedly fell into the same set actually went together. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to make Charlotte V's schoolgirl top match any of the available skirts and boots. The end combination was acceptable enough, until she moved...and I caught sight of her panties.

I jokingly mentioned this to PR, and they looked like they expected me to be outraged at the upskirt shots. I find it hilarious, honestly, but it would be nice if there was a less sexist option. Of course, it's my fault for putting her in a skirt in the first place....

Though the choices seem limited, the ones you make regarding your character's powers, mentor, and coloring combine to create a joyously powerful creature that you can't help but love. I found myself favoring the mental powers track since they pair so easily with my penchant for acrobatic move sets, but everyone had their own combination. One of the developers was very open about how the acrobats were just too fast and too hectic for her to use. She preferred the flyers. It doesn't seem like a significant difference, but in DC Universe Online, character development takes on an intensely personal feel. 

From the character creator alone, I knew this game had a boundless amount of promise. It made me want to grow as a player and tackle the 50-plus hours of content rolling out at DC Universe's launch. The only downside is that PC players will feel a bit alienated in this intensely action-oriented game. The whole world is a power trip, and such wish-fulfillment is fast and button mashy. While DCUO does support keyboards, even the developers used controllers on the PC version of the game. 

You'll want to as well. The complex combos are hand-breakingly complex on a keyboard. DCUO's combat should be fluid, not stodgy. That stodginess found in most hot key MMO setups is a real problem for me, anyway. Though I'm a long-running role-playing game fan, combat should not become boring and methodical. World of Warcraft feels that way to me and SOE knows that you want to feel in control of your character.

This is just part one of my DCUO coverage, but it's the most personally significant. I can honestly recommend that MMO and action-game fans give this game a shot, since it is nothing like you've ever played. If the hours and hours people pour into WoW terrifies you, yet you want to be part of a massive online community, this is your chance.