Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008)

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

Platform: XBox 360//PS3

Developed by: Midway Amusement Games

Published by: Midway Games

Genre: Fighting

Players: Single player, multi-player, on-line multi-player

Released: 21st November 2008

Reviewed: Ken Mooney

Banana Rating: Three-Out-Of-Five Bananas

Mortal Kombat? Batman? Superman? Fighting? In a video game? What’s not to like?”

At this point, expect a slap across the face to calm yourself down: Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, the newest game in the Mortal Komabt franchise, may sound like one of the coolest video games ever, but in reality, it leaves a lot to be desired. The Mortal Kombat games have been somewhat lacking ever since moving into the third dimension, and MKvsDCU merely serves to highlight the flaws already apparent in the series while simultaneously removing a lot of the features that made these flaws bearable.

If you’re a comic-book fan, you’ll notice some similarities between the game’s premise and the Crisis On Infinite Earths/Infinite Crisis storylines. In the DC Universe, a battle between Darkseid and Superman coincides with Raiden fighting Shao Kahn in the MK universe: the two battles cause both villains to become Dark Kahn, the worlds merging, bringing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman face to face with Raiden, Sub Zero and Sonya Blade. The merging of the two worlds fills the heroes with Kombat Rage, causing them to fight each other, even as they try to work together to defeat Dark Kahn.

As with most next-gen fighting games, MKvsDCU” is divided into an arcade mode and a story mode, which splits into the MK side and the DC side. The reward for clearing story mode is unlocking either Darkseid (for the DC story) or Shao Kahn (for the MK story) but story mode itself is a plodding affair where you have to play for three-to-four matches as one character before switching to someone else. The fact that you can’t stay as the one character proves irritating, as just by the time you’ve gotten used to the moves and the feel, you’re forced to switch to someone else.

The characters themselves are fairly equally matched with a combination of Kombat Rage, magic and the simple fusion of worlds messing with people’s powers enough to weaken the more-powerful characters and enhance the weaker. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t all that equal, and there are big discrepancies in terms of weight and speed. Superman may be a particularly powerful opponent, but don’t be surprised if he leaves himself open for attack when a powerful move doesn’t land. Similarly, the ‘smaller’ characters (especially Sonya and Wonder Woman) have a distinct speed advantage that can get you on the wrong end of a drawn out combo.

Simple as it may be, the controls themselves in MKvsDCU feel quite clunky: gone are the days when a simple crouch counted as a block, and instead we’ve a variety of buttons that all do the same kind of thing. There are four attack buttons, but not a lot of variety in terms of their execution, with all characters having the usual high/low punch/kick combos of late. It proves disappointing when playing as the DC characters that should have more tricks hidden up their sleeves. The excessive blood and weapons from previous MK games have been lost here, replaced with the superheroes themselves and some impressive mid-fight modes, such a Klose Kombat (essentially a grab-and-pummel feature), aerial fighting and driving your opponent through a succession of buildings (all in much the same ways as you used to be able to uppercut opponents through the ceiling.) But none of it really works in the way it needs to make MKvsDCU the type of game you can replay on your own.

As with all fighting games, however, the game’s strengths come from multiplayer, whether it’s a friend who thinks that Batman really could beat Superman toe-to-toe or in an online match. However, approach on-line play with the fear and trepidation it deserves, as you’ll no doubt find yourself pitched against characters who’ve been perfecting their Scorpion/Sub-Zero skills for nearly 20 years.

Overall, MKvsDCU just feels a little bit too much of a compromise, a game where the DC characters don’t really feel like superheroes, and where the MK characters can’t quite bask in their bloodlust. That said, the game isn’t bad, but when compared with other  MK games, you’ll come away disappointed, and in relation to other superhero takes (such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, or even Batman Begins or Superman Returns) the game just doesn’t quite cut the mustard.

Verdict:

Playable and enjoyable enough, but never quite hits a level where it meets expectations, MKvsDCU is really one of those games you might be better off holding off ‘til it’s in the bargain bin.

Originally published on FrankTheMonkey.com