Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is more than a breath of new life into the Kombat fighting franchise, it is the first game in several years to change the way we think about fighting games. From a well thought out story mode, to added nuances in game play, I predict MK v DCU will become a classic that will be cherished by fighting genre fans for years to come.

Since the original Mortal Kombat, one question has always been asked. Is this a really great fighting game or a mediocre fighting game that uses blood and fatalities as a shock-value selling gimmick? The first 2 games were great and when Mortal Kombat 3 was released, the strength of the franchise was certainly flexed. However, MK3 was also the last title from the franchise that really showed the world that the series was more than just blood and gore. Write it off as competition from other games or lack of innovation, but the MK franchise has taken a significant dive in popularity since then.

When Midway announced the release of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, many wondered if this would be just another gimmick filled game with little depth.

To put it simply, it’s not.

MK vs. DCU is a refreshing return to the glory days and can arguably be called the best Mortal Kombat title to date. It’s is the first fighting game where the developers actually took the time to create a well thought out story. Sound like a contradiction? That’s because most fighting games reduce stories to paragraphs of scrolling text with the occasional still image. Some will just have an introduction in the manual, and then you’ll find yourself pressing buttons blindly until you beat the game to see an ending that you have no interest in.

Midway and DC Comics spent the time to create an engaging story, one that is told from two different sides (like Frankenstein). Whether you choose to fight on the side of Mortal Kombat or the DC Universe, you’ll find yourself journeying through a single story from ten different character perspectives. You’ll find the DC Comics side of the story to be slightly more engaging than the Mortal Kombat side, but in general there’s just a lot more history to work with there.

Unlike other fighting games, the story mode forces you to play as each character and uncover their part in the greater scheme of things. In that way, MK vs. DCU plays more like a novella with the occasional fight in between.

There are several added features to MK vs. DCU that takes it a notch above other games. First, you’ll be exposed to “Free Fall Kombat”. In this sequence, when you knock an opponent off of a rooftop you’ll get to continue pounding them on the way down. Just beware, your opponent can reverse your attack and take over the free fall. How do you stop that? As you get closer to the ground you can unleash one of your super-moves on your opponent. Once you trap them in a super-move they will be unable to reverse it. Whoever comes out on top, literally, will give their opponent up to 30% damage.

Next, there’s “Test Your Might.” On boards where there isn’t a rooftop, you can throw your opponent through a buildings walls, and keep taking them from room to room until your on the other side of the building. Pretty sweet. This part of the game is a moment of all-out button mashing as you and your opponent press buttons as fast as you can. The faster you press the more damage you give, while the faster your enemy presses the less damage they’ll receive. This is a great addition for the simple fact that the original Test Your Might was just chopping different objects in half (wood, steel, etc) and had no real place in the game.

Another addition is “Klose Kombat.” When you grab an opponent, instead of just the standard grappling move, the game will zoom in on the combatants and let them duke it out in close-quarters. Klose Kombat can be reversed just like Free Fall Kombat by matching the attacks your opponent does against you.

Finally, there’s “Rage” mode. You’ll get two yellow meters underneath your status bar. When they’re charged you can use it to break combos or go into Rage Mode. Once in Rage Mode you’re eyes light up and you have a yellow aura around you that protects you from getting stunned, and allows all of your attacks to penetrate your opponents defenses.

The controls can can be clunky at times, due to a slight lag in response time. This is one caveat, that the franchise has always retained. Most people will stick to the D-Pad to play in order to get out all the moves and just be able to jump and duck with ease. Not to mention, you’ll have a hard if not impossible time trying to get a fatality or heroic brutality out with the control stick. Top it off with some ridiculously impossible combinations, that are even more impossible due to the game’s sub-par responsiveness.

The sad part is that the control stick gives you much more fluidity in moving around attacks, and it is after all ergonomic.

For those who left Mortal Kombat after the days of Babalities and Friendships, note that those are out. We’re back to every character having two fatalities. One note, the DC Heroes don’t do fatalities, instead they do what is called a Heroic Brutality. Brutalities are still gory, just don’t expect your opponent to die.

The computer AI is only so-so. At times it almost feels as if the computer assistance is on because just when you’re about to lose, the computer goes lame, and you’ll be able to stage an amazing come back. The game’s sound as always is stellar, and they did a pretty decent job casting the voice over actors for the DC Comics heroes and villains. Possibly the only one that sounds a little off is Green Lantern, who talks like he’s chewing food.

And, as expected, the game comes with an online mode that allows you to play in Ranked competition or start your own private room. Beware, there is a level of cheese involved in this mode of play, and some may uncover the Flash’s deadly secret. Although, his attacks are relatively weak, he has a combo that can kill almost everyone flawlessly. So, if you’re going up against someone who chooses the Flash, consider fighting Flash with Flash. Cheesy, yes. But, better to cheese than be cheesed.

Overall, the fun factor in this game is through the roof. Even with all of the aforementioned plusses, you can also just go with the good old fashioned Arcade Mode, and fight friends in Versus. You’ll love spending hours playing with DC characters you grew up with and read in books or watched in cartoons and movies. Plus the characterizations of each DC Hero and Villain is spot on. Lex Luthor is two timing heroes and villains, as well as is the Batman. Wonder Woman is nobler than though. While Superman always seems to be the source of everyone’s problems, just to become the solution.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is an intensely addictive game that will easily raise the adrenaline level on fighting game competitions. Midway has raised the bar on fighting games by adding in fully interactive landscape fighting encounters with Test Your Might and Free Fall Kombat. Despite the quirky controls, you’ll still find yourself several hours of Kombat fun.