You got your Mortal Kombat in my DC Universe; you got your DC Universe in my Mortal Kombat! OK, anyone born after the eighties, probably will not get the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup reference, but it is certainly appropriate for this game. Taking a storied franchise as the DC Universe and pitting it against the Mortal Kombat world could make a great game or just a miserable experience. A game like this one could be easily made with no back story and be just a pure punch fest with new skins on Mortal Kombat style characters and sell plenty of copies to the comic/Mortal Kombat fanboys.

Thankfully, Midway Games enlisted comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray to flesh out a back-story and turn this game into something special. Although Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe does not fit into the “proper” Mortal Kombat universe or current DC Comics continuity; it does remain true to the characters. Even the Fatalities that are the highlight of any Mortal Kombat game have been toned down for the DC superheroes into the more tame “Heroic Brutalities”.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is built on the Unreal Engine 3 and gameplay looks and feels similar to the original Mortal Kombat series with improved graphics. It is a 2D fighter with three dimensional components. There are four attack buttons represented by the A, B, X and Y controller buttons, the shoulder buttons allow blocks, sidesteps, regular throws and the initiation of Klose Kombat”.

Unlike previous Mortal Kombat games, each character has a unique set of normal movements instead of the standard attacks assigned to all fighters. Pressing the proper button and joypad motion sequences on the controller performs special attacks and movements.

Game Play features one or two player modes. The single player can choose from Arcade, Story Mode, Kombo Challenge and Practice Modes, while two player mode allows head to head fighting. Since this is the Xbox 360 version, you can also go on Xbox Live for Ranked Matches, Player Matches, Private Matches, Join or Create Rooms and check out stats and Leaderboards.

Under the Extras menu, Biographies and Character Viewers, Arcade Ending Viewers and Credits can be found. With the Options menu, the player can control settings for the Controller, Game Play, Audio, Video and Storage Device.

If you have played any of the previous Mortal Kombat versions, game play is similar to previous versions. The fighting screen features Health Bars, Round Timers, Victory Skulls, Combo % Meter, Rage Meter and Kombo Breaker.

To keep things interesting Midway has thrown in a few mini games such as Klose Kombat, Free Fall Kombat and Test Your Might. All three can occur within the standard Mortal Kombat battle.

Klose Kombat provides allows a tight camera view of the fight. It can be triggered by pressing the RB button or pressing the B and Y button simultaneously. Once activated, the aggressor is able to attack using the four face buttons. The attacks continue until the timer expires or the maximum numbers of hits have landed or if the victim successfully initiates a “Kounter” move to stop the Klose Kombat. Kounters occur when the victim performs an “evade” when matching the opponents button presses displayed on screen.

Free Fall Kombat occurs when fighting near one of the Free Fall Kombat Zones. Once initiated, the combatants start a freefall with the initiating player who is the aggressor on top and attacks the victim with the four face buttons similar to Klose Kombat. A successful Kounter causes the players to switch positions in the Free Fall making the victim assume the aggressor position. When the fall ends the player on the bottom receives the most damage.

During Freefall, positions can change multiple times. There is also a Super Move Meter during the fall, landing several successful blows fills this meter up, once enable, the aggressor can unleash a devastating attack. However, the Super Move does leave the attacker open for a Kounter for a much longer period.

Finally, the Test Your Might game is initiated along horizontal transition zones, such as building walls. Once this attack commences, there is a damage meter on top of the screen. As the combatants crash through multiple walls, the attacker hopes to land as many blows as possible, while the defender attempts to neutralize the damage before the timer expires. A skull symbol at the end of the meter indicates the victim’s Health Bar has been fully depleted and defeat awaits at the end of the mini game.

In addition, there is the Rage Mode which allows your player to be possessed by the fury of the Kombat Rage and can absorb several consecutive attacks before being interrupted. Players in the Rage Mode, can break through an opponent’s blocks, cause double damage to their opponent and not be knocked out of an attack; although, the player in Rage Mode can receive normal damage from their opponent.

As with all previous Mortal Kombat games, there is the Arcade mode where the player picks a character and fights through a ladder of opponents who become increasingly more difficult to defeat.

Kombo Challenge involves performing ten sets of move strings for each individual character. These challenges become increasingly more difficult as you move up the sequence. The Kombo Challenge adds additional playability, but can be frustrating at times in figuring out the correct sequence of movements, pauses and button presses.

Specifications:

Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe

For the first time ever Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the Mortal Kombat warriors battle with Batman, Superman and other popular DC Universe Super Heroes.  Choose your side and challenge your opponents with a new fighting system including Freefall Kombat and Klose Kombat along with dynamic multi-tiered environments.  Plus, pick your favorite character from MK or DCU and pursue a fighting adventure in the new single player mode with an intertwined storyline and two unique perspectives.
Game Website :  http://www.worldscollide.com
Category :   Entertainment
ESRB :   T – Teen
Release Date :   Available Now
Number of Players :   1 – 2

The main selling point of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is the Story mode. Battles are interspersed by cut scenes revealing the back story of why the two universes are intertwined and why heroes are fighting villains, as well as heroes. The basic plot of the game is the DC and Mortal Kombat universes are merging due to a teleportation accident which amalgamated the villains: Shao Kahn and Darkseid.

This fusion causes the release of dark energies which imbues the various characters with Kombat Rage causing them to attack whoever is in the vicinity, be it friend or foe. This sets up battles such as Flash vs. Batman, CatWoman vs. Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman vs, Shazam, etc. In addition, these dark energies cause the characters to shift universes, and realities to merge. The main protagonist in the story is Dark Khan who is the conglomerate of the merged Shao Kahn and Darkseid.

Story mode features the ability to choose to play the Mortal Kombat or DC Universe point of view and the story’s perspective changes with the selection. You will need to play both sides to get the story totally fleshed out.

Of course the first thought running through any comic book geeks head is that Superman in a fist fight, 99% of the time is a no brainer. However, this dark energy and magics have weakened Kal-El to make him an equal to other characters in combat. Superman and Raiden are considered the most powerful playable characters in the game.

Fighting occurs in several well known locales from both universes. Fight arenas range from the Shaolin Temple, Themiscrya, Gotham City, the NetherRealm, and the Fortress of Solitude. These environments include several breakable objects which can be destroyed or cracked open during battle.

Playing Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe felt like a throw back to the earlier versions of Mortal Kombat, which is actually a good thing. Fighting felt familiar, yet there are enough new additions to make it feel new. Each character has their own set of moves and attacks which provides plenty of replayability for the gamer, as it will take more than one or two sittings to master a characters fighting style.

Sometimes, fighting does feel like button mashing, but if you take the time to invest in getting to know a certain characters attacks, then play will become much more enjoyable.

Graphically, the game looks very good, although some character models seem too plastic like such as Wonder Woman. Otherwise, the DC characters are in their recognizable uniforms other than the Hal Jordan Green Lantern character who seems to be wearing a non classic version of his costume.

The voice acting is passable with the Mortal Kombat characters sounding better. Whoever provides the voice of Superman, does not seem to fit the character. The soundtrack of the game has some classic Mortal Kombat sounds including the ever popular “Fight” opening before each battle.

Now the biggest disappointment for the hard core Mortal Kombat fans is the lack of the usual Fatalities. Since this is a DC branded title, the Fatalities have been toned down significantly. As mentioned previously, DC Heroes do not kill, but instead perform “Heroic Brutalities” For instance Superman will pound opponents into the ground, Green Lantern’s crushing ring sphere, or the Flash’s cyclone punch are just some examples. Each character has two finishing moves, so there is plenty of variety.

In addition, with the large character pool available for both universes, it is surprising that the only unlockable characters are Darkseid and Shao Khan.

Conclusion:

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a throwback to earlier versions of the Mortal Kombatt series and that is meant as a complement. The seemingly ill-fitting DC Heroes and Villains mesh nicely with the Mortal Kombat characters, creating an interesting back story and lets the gamer get their fight on. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe provides enough variety and action to let the casual gamer enjoy the Mortal Kombat franchise, while providing classic Mortal Kombat gameplay for the fighting genre fan.

Pros:
Harkens back to classic Mortal Kombat gameplay
Interesting backstory
Excellent fighting game

Cons:
Voice acting needs work
Some character models look a little too plasticy
Violence has been racketed down

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance