I have skipped all DC Universe Online information that's shown up in my RSS reader, but this first Qore segment gave me a satisfactory introduction. Veronica Belmont, the sprightly hostess of Qore, starts out with two reasonably pointed questions: what lessons has SOE learned from its checkered past and what is the proposed subscription model? SOE studio creative director, Chris Cao, mostly dodges these questions, but I appreciate that the Qore team bothered to ask.

When Belmont sits down with creative director, Jens Andersen, things get a bit more interesting. Anyone considering an MMO set in the DC Universe has to wonder just what the gameplay will be like, and Andersen explains what SOE has in mind. Apparently the player will create a superhero and then interact not as an apprentice or sidekick to DC superheroes but rather as an equal.

The game sounds as though it will contain an overarching story that reaches a climax involving several locations around the word. For group play, raids appear to be set pieces set around well-known landmarks in the DC world (like Lex Luthor's headquarters). Most interesting to me is the ability to play not as a hero or a villain, but as someone in between.

While the series of LEGO games has a strong following, LEGO Batman does not get its best showing on Qore. Jonathan Smith, head of production at TT Games, demonstrates a very short section of the game and explains that the game pulls together various threads from Batman's history.

I lost interest almost completely, although I did enjoy hearing Danny Elfman's unforgettable theme from the 1989 Batman movie. (Side note: Is that an Xbox 360 controller Smith is holding as he begins his demonstration of the game? Or simply a white Dual Shock 3? Amusing, at the very least.)

The Qore section on THQ's Baja: Edge of Control is worth seeing for the demonstration showing three PS3 systems networked and running the game on three HDTVs to provide a 180-degree wraparound view. If you've ever enjoyed racers at the arcade, you'll envy Belmont for the time she got to spend driving in the demonstration model THQ provided for her. Robb Rinard, chief designer on Baja, also describes two very interesting features of the game itself: 300 mile races that last three hours and the AI mode which can take over while a human driver takes a short break from the action.

I'm intrigued by these features in a detached way, but I'm not sure they'll really sell the game. Sure, hardcore racing sim fans might find them appealing, but how broad is the demographic that is willing or able to spend three hours driving across a virtual landscape? During the second segment Belmont checks out a real Baja racer and the game is not discussed. I would have preferred more information about the game, but I suppose people who love real automotive hardware will find it mildly interesting.

Audrey Cleo takes over for the NBA 09: The Inside segment. I have no great interest in sports games, and this segment did little to change that. The questions Cleo asks, as well as the answers provided by the NBA 09 team members, reveal that the focus has been on incremental improvements. Apparently NBA 08 included a single storyline which strung together various cut scenes and basketball games. This year, the graphics have improved, and -- get this -- there are three storylines! Perhaps this really is a revolution in sports games, but it comes across poorly in the Qore coverage.

The second episode of Qore was a decent improvement over the first, and I had hopes that we'd see things continue to improve. However, Episode 03 is right at or just below the quality of Episode 02. Sometimes a television series needs a few episodes to find its groove, and I'm willing to give Qore more time to find its place. However, if this is the quality I can expect throughout the rest of the first year, then I probably won't have interest in the second year.

The Qore team has a great host in Belmont, but her interviews need to be more substantial -- both in content and hopefully in length. When we see things like Baja running on three HDTVs, that's unique and interesting. When we hear -- as we did last month -- about the artistic choices made for Resistance 2 (architecture and palette), then we're getting a visually compelling experience. These are unique experiences and they can justify Qore's price. More like that, please.

Regular Qore subscribers will notice that this month's episode contains Death Orb 3000: The Final Encounter, with super weapon. Fun, especially if you fire your weapon at the same time as your opponent, but I'm ready for a new minigame.

Of course, the real reason many people will pick up this episode is the invitation into the Resistance 2 beta, currently expected in September. When you go to the download section of Qore, that option is currently disabled.

Finally, annual subscriptions are still getting a free download of Calling All Cars. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I suspect that most people who have purchased Qore are also hardcore PSN followers and already have Calling All Cars -- I know I do. In lieu of this freebie, I'd make a couple of suggestions: either give the subscriber a small credit to use at the PlayStation Store or offer a selection of approved games instead of just the one.