Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

[Andrew]

Despite my initial lukewarm reaction to the concept, I picked up MK vs DC Universe yesterday after checking out some previews and I have to say, I like it. It plays very similar to the MK games on the PS2 and earlier in terms of the high punch/low punch, high kick/low kick and special move combinations which is bad news for anyone who dislikes the simplicity of the series but it's something I've always enjoyed about Mortal Kombat so I'm glad they didn't tamper with it too much. They seem to have kept the useful things (like combo breakers), discarded the things you can do without (weapons, though some characters use weapons as part of their special moves) and added some cool new things (like the free fall kombat).

The DC influence isn't the downer I thought it would be. The fatalities, while not as bloody and violent as some of the ones we're accustomed to seeing, are still within the MK ballpark and probably about as far as DC was willing to go with them. That part of the game is a lot better than I thought it would be and it preserves the dark atmosphere of the game, which I realise comics do have but they have toned the gore down a bit. So far the story mode is pretty entertaining and I like that they kept the tournament in the game, with the option of playing against MK characters, DC characters or a mix of both.

If you're a fan of MK and aren't looking for a great deal of innovation - controls are basically the same kind of layout and the same kind of strategies come into play - it's a good game, with the DC characters far less intrusive than I thought they would be. Having said that, I would prefer if the next game stuck to the MK universe and found a way to continue or maybe even reboot/slightly retcon the storyline they've established. The crossover doesn't seem too bad though, happily I was wrong about that.

[Null17]

I enjoyed MK in my younger days and I got MK Armageddon for the PS2 and it didn't get me interested for that long so I don't really plan on getting this plus I'm not really a big DC fan. But the videos I've seen were rather fun to watch. Do they still have fighting styles based on real-life martial arts?

[Andrew]

Pretty much, though it's different to the MK games on the PS2 in that you can't switch between fighting styles and the name of the style isn't displayed at the bottom of the screen. Each character has their own stance and attacks based on their fighting style.

[xingzup19]

I'm only renting this because it has Batman and Flash in it. And Scorpion and Sub-Zero!

[Andrew]

Finished the story mode from the MK and DC side yesterday, pretty cool the way it ties together and each side perceives the other to be the enemy. Now I just have to finish Arcade Mode with everyone so I can unlock the endings. Dark Kahn is a pain though, much like Onaga in Deception and Blaze in Armaggeddon you've got to keep hitting him with a bunch of simple combos, side stepping and doing your best to avoid letting him get in a couple of combos because he can mount a massive comeback very easily. The AI is a real SOB when it comes to that as well.

[Jeffx]

I'll pass on this one, Andrew, and you know the reasons why.

[Andrew]

I do, though I must say it's more violent and closer in tone to the rest of the series than I thought it would be and the fighting looks just as brutal with blood flying about and whatnot but having said that, I'm not that keen for future crossovers. They should keep things within the MK universe from here on, though if they could ever find a way to do MK vs Street Fighter (not holding my breath on that one) I think that would be worth doing. Then again, it might not ever be able to live up to the hype.