Spoiler I've decided to review Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Feel free to discuss what I've written or the game itself. Personally, I am NOT a fan of number ratings. They're precise and misleading, so I use letter grades as they're vague yet give you a good idea. I didn't originally intend to get so in depth but that's the way it ended up. Without further adieu... Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Reviewed by Linubidix Fans of Mortal Kombat won't be disappointed with Midway’s latest instalment to the illustrious fighting series. The game puts a new twist to the Mortal Kombat feel with the addition of DC’s superheroes and villains. Although, those of you who are big fans of Christopher Nolan’s depiction of the caped crusader and his arch nemesis may feel a little let down. Batman and The Joker, in fact all of the DC characters, have been moulded and themed more from their comic origins. Showcasing eleven of the best each side has to offer, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is definitely worth checking out. Mortal Kombat favourites return in this new game, such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Baraka, Liu Kang and several more. Albeit a large downscale from Armageddon’s staggering roster of sixty-three, twenty-two playable characters, eleven from each side, means you’ll have a good variety of playable fighters to choose from. The fighters from DC’s side contain some of your favourite heroes alongside some of DC’s notable villains. Those of you who have played the previous Mortal Kombat story modes will be used to the style it presents. Those new to it may have to adjust themselves, as some of the dialogue and actions can be rather corny. Chock full of witty comments and entertaining references, the story revolves around the merging of the two universes. This phenomenon began with Superman defeating Darkseid, upon this, Darkseid attempts to teleport himself via portal. Even with strong warning from Darkseid, Superman tries to stop him with his heat-vision. This drasticaly affects and alters the portal. Thereafter, heroes, villains and fighters are spontaneously transported to and from each others' worlds. A recently defeated Shao Kahn, ends up becoming merged with Darkseid to form a being called Dark Kahn. Dark Kahn invades the mind of each character unexpectedly and they become overcome with "rage". The rage is what the game and gameplay is focused around, it affects the character and makes them crave fight. This is used so that each side will battle in amongst themselves while Dark Kahn plans to do his evil bidding. The game offers two different paths to chose when in story mode; the player can decide to either: Play as the Mortal Kombat universe or Play as the DC Universe. In both stories, you play as several from each side which has been split into chapters. This can be very entertaining, flipping through all of the heroes and villains and fighters. The story very much flows as a whole, you watch a cut-scene then complete a fight then watch a cut-scene and so on. Each chapter lasts a certain amount of fights, estimate: 5. This can be bittersweet if you’re not fond of certain characters. There may be times where you’re counting each fight hoping it’s the last of the chapter and there also may be times where you’re cherishing each fight hoping the chapter won’t end. Either way, it’s a small personal detraction which doesn’t affect everyone’s experience. Gameplay is very similar to that of its predecessors with some added and removed features. One large thing most will notice straight off the bat is that you no longer have individual fighting styles nor do you have a weapon you can whip out at any given time. The “Rage” isn’t exclusive to the cut-scenes, during games you have a bar, fill this bar and you can initiate “Rage”. In "Rage", you’re nearly invincible and inflict greater damage. “Rage” can make or break your match when used efficiently with opportunistic timing. Although as it is and has been with any fighting games past, moves can repeated or, to use a more known and demeaning term, spammed against yourself or your opponent. Even though it’s near impossible to add special moves without having this problem it can ruin a player’s experience if they have a exceptionally bad fight or two. As an example, when I played in the final fight of Story mode, I used Superman’s heat-vision and shoulder-tackle countless times to earn myself the victory. This can be insulting and frustrating when the roles are reversed and trust me, they do get reversed. Another new feature is subtle yet amazing and that is that the fighters show their battles scars throughout the match. So the further you go into a fight, the more banged-up and bloody you’ll become. A few new features put a lot more involvement into the coloured buttons. Such as “Klose Kombat” where the player has four hits on their opponent, any of which can be reversed effectively ending “Klose Kombat”. To reverse the attack you must press the same button your opponent does when they do. The main downfall in this is its unpredictability and extreme dominance as when it’s not reversed, which can be hard to do, it takes a good portion of your health. “Free-Fall Kombat” follows a similar premise. This is instigated when you attack your opponent when near an edge, they’re hit over the barrier and you dive after them. Although if you reverse a move, you take control over the situation, as you take no damage when you both land on the floor below. Test your might returns with a large twist, you tackle your opponent through a wall and must mash the coloured buttons to determine how much damage you inflict on your opponent. It can be fun but it's not as rewarding as it has been in previous games. One big downfall in the game itself is its lack of unlockable content. Sure, you can unlock the two main villains from each side (Shao Kahn and Darkseid) but those are the biggest features you can unlock. Also, when you complete arcade mode, you unlock a short video depicting what that character you used did after defeating Dark Kahn. It’s not much yet it’s entertaining but not enough to completely satisfy. Overall, it’s another great addition the highly controversial and revolutionary fighting series. It offers a great new experience with the inclusion of DC and story mode is highly entertaining. It’s most certainly worth checking out, even if you’re unfamiliar with the series. -A
I grade your review, A+. (Btw, shouldnt it say, "A-" not "-A" lol) Anyway, I have it, and I'd agree with most everything you say. You didn't talk much however about multiplayer, fatalities and heroic brutalities, which, although not very big and hard to initiate, are cool, but a degrading factor IMO, because of the lack of violence, which made past games and their fatalities so awesome. (See, "Sub-Zero Spine rip XD) overall though, I loved the game. Great review Linu! (<--Rhymes lololol)
Thanks, there were a few too many grounds to cover and I guess I forgot about it. Not sure where the minus sign is technically supposed to go. As normally with numbers it's displayed behind. I'm too much of a fan though, so I enjoyed it regardless.