Review

Developed by:Midway Games Published by:Midway Games Genre(s):
  • Fighting
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • Sony
  • Cost:$59.99 ESRB Rating:TEEN Players:1-2 (2-8 Online) Release date:November 16, 2008 Reviewed on:XBox 360
    8.2

    Mortal Kombat VS. DC Universe

    I’ve been a MK fan for as long as I can remember. Over the years I believe I’ve played every Mortal Kombat game ever released; yes, that includes the horrible MK: Special Forces. With that being said, I’ve always felt that the 2D titles in the series faired much better than their 3D cousins. Although the 3D titles had better graphics, the fighting mechanics always seemed to let me down. This is why I had high hopes for Midway’s first next-gen MK as this gave them a chance to rework its structure. Well, I am pleased to say that the newest addition to the 3D roster is better than all its last-gen cousins. Throwing in the DC characters was the icing on the cake (or in this case, blood on bruised knuckles).

    MK fans rejoice, as Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe is surprisingly good. No longer does your experience have to suffer because of scripted combos (combinations of hits/moves a player does in quick succession). In the 3D MKs, certain moves that would seem to work against an opponent didn’t because they weren’t in the “script” of allowed animations. Lets say you’re playing as Scorpion and you’ve just juggled your opponent (bounced them into the air). You should be able to launch his spear and catch them in midair, pulling them back to you so you can continue your assault. If that weren’t a scripted maneuver, then the game wouldn’t let you do it. Midway first addressed this concern in Armageddon, allowing for more “air” combat and juggling. In MK VS DCU, players can perform any special move directly following a normal attack. This opens up the possibilities when it comes to battling, as animations for your moves can be changed to include more moves. Granted there are still combinations that are programmed to work, players have more freedom in their battle tactics.

    My only qualm had to do with the way players implemented their moves. Even though you have more freedom than before, you are still stuck “typing” them in. For those of you who don’t know what I mean, “typing” is when you’ve pressed all of the buttons required to perform a move, your character must act it out. In most fighting games, when you stop pressing the buttons your character stops onscreen as well. Here, you character seems to remember everything you’ve pressed and refuses to stop performing the moves even when it’s a good idea to do so. Because you have to enter your button combinations one right after the other in order for them chain together (like throwing your spear after punching someone in the face), if you miss with the first attack, you have to watch your character perform all the moves you entered while your opponent is setting up for a counter. I will say that most of the moves aren’t that long, so your character won’t be shadow boxing forever. However, this little window of misses does give your opponent enough time to put on the hurt.

    Midway has also done away with the create-a-finisher mechanic found in Armageddon. Fans will be pleased to know that, even with the DC characters present, unique fatalities have returned. In order for the DC guys to be present, Midway had to keep a T rating. That means no gore. In most cases, the fatalities are still pretty satisfying with only a few being lackluster (what happened with Kano?). Of course the DC heroes can’t kill people, so Midway gave them Brutatlities to use when the lights go dim. The Brutatlities, like the fatalities, had their share of good and bad. When it’s all said and done though, the finishing blows found in MK VS DCU are still fun to watch.

    Going back to the fighting mechanics, there are a few new additions that can really change the outcome of a match. One of these additions is called Freefall Kombat. This is when a character is knocked outside the ring and is falling to the ground below. Instead of a scripted animation of them falling, their opponent jumps out of the ring after them. During this freefall the character that dove after the other can continue hitting them on the way down. If he/she hits them long enough to build up a power bar, they can perform a powerful super move that heavily damages their opponent. If the falling character can counter an attack (by pressing the same attack button his/her opponent was pressing at the time) the tables will turn and the falling character will be the one attacking. If the power bar is full when this happens, then the new attacking player can perform the super move. It’s pretty exciting addition to the normal fighting that never really gets old. Another addition is the Klose Kombat (don’t you just love all the K’s). This is when a character grabs another and pulls them in close. The camera zooms in on the action as the “grabby” character wails on the other. In order to stop the move the “grabbed” character has to hit the same button as the attacker, successfully countering the move. This addition in particular is brutal due to the fact that the camera is so close it allows players to see bruises and cuts appear in real time.

    Another new mechanic is the revamped Test-Your-Might feature. On certain levels, players can knock their opponents into the side of a building, ram them through the side, and continue pushing them through walls until they are thrown out of the other side. When this happens, a meter appears on the top of the screen. Players can jam on the buttons to fill the bar that results in more damage done to their opponents. The opposing player can try to deplete the bar, in which case lower the amount of damage they receive.
    The last new mechanic is called Rage. This mechanic ties directly into the story linking MK and DC. Players have two small yellow bars located under their health bar. Performing successful attacks against the enemy will fill the bars. Once you fill a bar you are able to perform a combo breaker (a move that stops you from being attacked). If you have both bars filled, you can go into Rage mode. Signified by your character glowing bright yellow, once in this mode you are nearly unstoppable. Even though you take normal damage from attacks, you won’t react to them. Not only that, you can break through your opponents block (with enough hits). This means that you can tear into someone, turning a losing battle into victory.

    All of these elements are used to create exciting bouts between players. At the same time, none of them feel tacked on or cheap. The Freefalling and Klose Kombat features don’t overpower the normal fighting and aren’t used too frequently. You won’t feel like your playing a bad anime inspired fighting game where every five seconds there is a lengthy animation breaking up the gameplay. The Rage ability isn’t a daunting as it sounds because it’s on such a sort time limit when it’s activated. It wasn’t even a factor in a lot of my matches because of all the combo breakers being used.

    As it stands, Mortal Kombat Vs DCU is a good fighting game. Surprisingly you can use the D-pad on your 360 controllers with out using profanity out of frustration (you all know what I mean). The graphics are great, the fighting frantic, and the story is actually worth seeing (I promise it explains why Superman can be hurt). There are some hiccups when it comes to implementing moves, some of the finishers are lame, and online fighting could have been better (in terms of latency and design). Other than that, MK VS DC is defiantly worth picking up. Through in the fact that Midway is going to be adding new characters to be downloaded over Xbox Live, and you have a real winner on your hands.

    Gameplay:

    8

    Finally we have a good 3D MK fighter!

    Graphics:

    9

    No real complaints here.

    Sound:

    9

    The sound of the attacks really sells the fights.

    What's New:

    7

    A lot of the elements in MK VS DCU aren’t totally new. They have been changed for the better though.

    Replay Value:

    8

    The replay value will be even higher once new characters start rolling in.

    Final Score:

    8.2

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