RSS
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
The MK series returns to its roots by taking its greatest departure.
November 28, 2008 | 10:32 PM PSTby: A. McDaniel
Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is the latest title from Midway in the long running Mortal Kombat series from Midway. The Mortal Kombat Universe is no stranger to comic books, having several comic based tie-ins based on several of its titles. This marks the first time that the MK universe has expanded its roster of playable characters to include iconic members of a different brand.
After the defeat of the evil Shao Kahn [again] in the last title, he was seemingly destroyed for good by Raiden. However, the consequence of those actions caused the DC Universe to combine with the Universe of Mortal Kombat. The story follows both sides as they attempt to understand the cause of disappearances and abnormalities within their realities.
Granted, fighting games are not necessarily novels and would never be mistaken for prose, but the Mortal Kombat series has always been one of the more story driven fighting franchises. Long time comic veteran Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray were enlisted to help to make sure that the tradition continues here. Overall, MK vs DC does a decent job of making the rather implausible storyline work within the context of both universes. Care has been taken to appease both sides, and the story is more interesting than your average fighting game.
What's Hot
MK vs DC has trimmed the fat from the bloated Mortal Kombat roster. As of release, the game sports a 22 character roster, with two hidden characters; pared down significantly from the 63 found in their last title. Many of the pallet swapped characters have been omitted and the addition of the DC roster with their unique fighting styles give the game a more complete feel. MK vs DC also finally removes the burdensome feature of giving each character multiple fighting styles from the series. The resulting effect makes the game feel more fluid and competitive. MK returns to its roots. Fans of MKII or UMKIII that have been waiting in the wings will feel like they may have finally gotten their game back. Along with the addition of the DC characters, MK vs DC also brings with it partially destructible environments, and three new fighting mechanics: Klose Kombat, Freefall Kombat and Test Your Might.
Klose Kombat is activated much like any of the throws. Once you enter Klose Kombat, you and your opponent enter a quick time event, mini-game of sorts. If you press the right combination, you increase the damage inflicted. However, if you are on the receiving end of a Klose Kombat beatdown, pressing the right combination will let you counter your opponent and reduce the damage inflicted.
Freefall Kombat works in a similar way. The idea of multi-tiered stages are nothing new to most fighting games. In fact, the first Mortal Kombat pioneered the idea. MK vs DC adds a twist to the idea, and it becomes more than a simple gimmick. If you manage to throw your opponent through a wall in a stage, you enter into a mini-game similar to Klose Kombat. Here the objective is to instead fight during your descent and whoever wins winds up on top gets to deliver the landing blow. Depending on how well you fight, a damage multiplier is applied to the player that gets leveled.
Test Your Might is well done as well. It is not offered but a few times, so you never really grow too tired of it. Test Your Might throws you and your opponent into a virtual tug of war of sorts, as you ram your opponent through wall after wall. The loser takes the burnt of the blows and has a damage multiplier applied to them according to how well they did. It is definitely fun to pull off, and fun to watch.
What's Not
The fighting itself is the most important aspect to any fighting game. The only chink in the MK vs DC fighting engine would have to be the newly included rage mode. Powered by a meter, once activated the character can deal increased, unblockable damage uninterruptable by normal counter-offensive attacks. The mechanic just does not work well and changes the strategy of a match too much. Mortal Kombat games have always reveled in the idea of moves that leave your opponents defenseless, [ie. Subzero's freezing moves, Kitana's fan lift and Scorpion's spear], however those moves can be blocked and/or have their own weaknesses. Rage mode, on the other hand, can turn any match against any character into an instant dodgefest.
The character models are very well done for both sets of characters. Damage received during fights translates into tattered clothes and bruises. Unfortunately, since the game looks so well done, it makes the oddities and bad texture work stand out more. The facial models are great overall for most of the characters, however some characters could use more work. For instance, Sonja Blade's mouth seems to be stuck in a permanent grimace. Subzero and Scorpion's respective carapaces look great; you can almost tell whether they are cloth or leather; however metallic items have a tendency to look like dull aluminum. Ordinarily this would not be deal breaker, however when you have several characters such as Jax and Lex Luthor whose outfits are comprised of over 50% metal, it just does not work.
Clothing is not the only thing that seems to have taken a hit. The actual fighting stages themselves are a mixed bag. While each stage is varied enough not to be boring, some stages and backgrounds seem to have received more attention than others. Some are just downright boring to look at. Perhaps due to the large amount of story, many of the cut-scenes seem to be overly compressed and grainy. The fact that cut-scenes seem to be done in-engine, this makes the compression artifacts seem even more out of place.
While the removal of many of the distractions from the main Mortal Kombat fighting is welcome, noticeable removals also include the Krypt. A forgivable offense considering that the idea of DC characters walking around a graveyard unlocking content would be out of place, however outside of the two hidden characters, there is a distinct lack of unlockable features altogether. Presumably, most additional content will later become available via downloadable content, but it is a glaring omission.
The online mode is similar to previous Mortal Kombat titles. Everything is very simple and it works as is. You can choose to challenge anyone within your lobby. They can choose to accept or decline. After a match, both parties get the option to accept or decline a rematch. There is no option to be able to spectate some of matches between the more skilled players. Such a touch would have really made the online mode feel more like the arcades of yesteryear. Also, MK vs DC could have used more in-depth stat tracking. The only stats that are maintained are wins, losses, winning streaks and disconnects.
The fighting online is a mixed bag. There is a hint of lag which may give a slight edge to the speedier fighters such as the Flash. Hits are sometimes registered late. This makes the game seem slightly different from the offline modes, as you need to adjust to the change in timing tempo. Tactics used while fighting offline will not necessarily work against human players, and any sense of timing will be subject to connection strength.
The big pull of the Mortal Kombat series has always been the brutal fighting and violent fatalities and various finishing moves. The franchise has been quietly toning down on the blood and gratuitous gore over the years. MK vs DC makes this more readily apparent. The finishing moves are surprisingly still very violent, however the blood and gore of the various fatalities and the fighting itself is absent.
Final Word
Not since the heyday of the Mortal Kombat series has the core game mechanics shined so well. The fighting engine will appeal greatly to pre-Mortal Kombat IV fans of the series. When the title was first announced, a lot of skeptics dismissed the title presuming it would be another poorly made cross marketed tie-in. Not so in the case of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Both sets of universes are handled properly and somehow it all just seems to work. While it may not quite be as brutal as you may remember, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe definitely nailed the core fighting that has given the MK franchise such longevity.
What the Game's About
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is the latest title from Midway in the long running Mortal Kombat series from Midway. The Mortal Kombat Universe is no stranger to comic books, having several comic based tie-ins based on several of its titles. This marks the first time that the MK universe has expanded its roster of playable characters to include iconic members of a different brand.
After the defeat of the evil Shao Kahn [again] in the last title, he was seemingly destroyed for good by Raiden. However, the consequence of those actions caused the DC Universe to combine with the Universe of Mortal Kombat. The story follows both sides as they attempt to understand the cause of disappearances and abnormalities within their realities.
Granted, fighting games are not necessarily novels and would never be mistaken for prose, but the Mortal Kombat series has always been one of the more story driven fighting franchises. Long time comic veteran Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray were enlisted to help to make sure that the tradition continues here. Overall, MK vs DC does a decent job of making the rather implausible storyline work within the context of both universes. Care has been taken to appease both sides, and the story is more interesting than your average fighting game.
What's Hot
MK vs DC has trimmed the fat from the bloated Mortal Kombat roster. As of release, the game sports a 22 character roster, with two hidden characters; pared down significantly from the 63 found in their last title. Many of the pallet swapped characters have been omitted and the addition of the DC roster with their unique fighting styles give the game a more complete feel. MK vs DC also finally removes the burdensome feature of giving each character multiple fighting styles from the series. The resulting effect makes the game feel more fluid and competitive. MK returns to its roots. Fans of MKII or UMKIII that have been waiting in the wings will feel like they may have finally gotten their game back. Along with the addition of the DC characters, MK vs DC also brings with it partially destructible environments, and three new fighting mechanics: Klose Kombat, Freefall Kombat and Test Your Might.
Klose Kombat is activated much like any of the throws. Once you enter Klose Kombat, you and your opponent enter a quick time event, mini-game of sorts. If you press the right combination, you increase the damage inflicted. However, if you are on the receiving end of a Klose Kombat beatdown, pressing the right combination will let you counter your opponent and reduce the damage inflicted.
Freefall Kombat works in a similar way. The idea of multi-tiered stages are nothing new to most fighting games. In fact, the first Mortal Kombat pioneered the idea. MK vs DC adds a twist to the idea, and it becomes more than a simple gimmick. If you manage to throw your opponent through a wall in a stage, you enter into a mini-game similar to Klose Kombat. Here the objective is to instead fight during your descent and whoever wins winds up on top gets to deliver the landing blow. Depending on how well you fight, a damage multiplier is applied to the player that gets leveled.
Test Your Might is well done as well. It is not offered but a few times, so you never really grow too tired of it. Test Your Might throws you and your opponent into a virtual tug of war of sorts, as you ram your opponent through wall after wall. The loser takes the burnt of the blows and has a damage multiplier applied to them according to how well they did. It is definitely fun to pull off, and fun to watch.
What's Not
The fighting itself is the most important aspect to any fighting game. The only chink in the MK vs DC fighting engine would have to be the newly included rage mode. Powered by a meter, once activated the character can deal increased, unblockable damage uninterruptable by normal counter-offensive attacks. The mechanic just does not work well and changes the strategy of a match too much. Mortal Kombat games have always reveled in the idea of moves that leave your opponents defenseless, [ie. Subzero's freezing moves, Kitana's fan lift and Scorpion's spear], however those moves can be blocked and/or have their own weaknesses. Rage mode, on the other hand, can turn any match against any character into an instant dodgefest.
The character models are very well done for both sets of characters. Damage received during fights translates into tattered clothes and bruises. Unfortunately, since the game looks so well done, it makes the oddities and bad texture work stand out more. The facial models are great overall for most of the characters, however some characters could use more work. For instance, Sonja Blade's mouth seems to be stuck in a permanent grimace. Subzero and Scorpion's respective carapaces look great; you can almost tell whether they are cloth or leather; however metallic items have a tendency to look like dull aluminum. Ordinarily this would not be deal breaker, however when you have several characters such as Jax and Lex Luthor whose outfits are comprised of over 50% metal, it just does not work.
Clothing is not the only thing that seems to have taken a hit. The actual fighting stages themselves are a mixed bag. While each stage is varied enough not to be boring, some stages and backgrounds seem to have received more attention than others. Some are just downright boring to look at. Perhaps due to the large amount of story, many of the cut-scenes seem to be overly compressed and grainy. The fact that cut-scenes seem to be done in-engine, this makes the compression artifacts seem even more out of place.
While the removal of many of the distractions from the main Mortal Kombat fighting is welcome, noticeable removals also include the Krypt. A forgivable offense considering that the idea of DC characters walking around a graveyard unlocking content would be out of place, however outside of the two hidden characters, there is a distinct lack of unlockable features altogether. Presumably, most additional content will later become available via downloadable content, but it is a glaring omission.
The online mode is similar to previous Mortal Kombat titles. Everything is very simple and it works as is. You can choose to challenge anyone within your lobby. They can choose to accept or decline. After a match, both parties get the option to accept or decline a rematch. There is no option to be able to spectate some of matches between the more skilled players. Such a touch would have really made the online mode feel more like the arcades of yesteryear. Also, MK vs DC could have used more in-depth stat tracking. The only stats that are maintained are wins, losses, winning streaks and disconnects.
The fighting online is a mixed bag. There is a hint of lag which may give a slight edge to the speedier fighters such as the Flash. Hits are sometimes registered late. This makes the game seem slightly different from the offline modes, as you need to adjust to the change in timing tempo. Tactics used while fighting offline will not necessarily work against human players, and any sense of timing will be subject to connection strength.
The big pull of the Mortal Kombat series has always been the brutal fighting and violent fatalities and various finishing moves. The franchise has been quietly toning down on the blood and gratuitous gore over the years. MK vs DC makes this more readily apparent. The finishing moves are surprisingly still very violent, however the blood and gore of the various fatalities and the fighting itself is absent.
Final Word
Not since the heyday of the Mortal Kombat series has the core game mechanics shined so well. The fighting engine will appeal greatly to pre-Mortal Kombat IV fans of the series. When the title was first announced, a lot of skeptics dismissed the title presuming it would be another poorly made cross marketed tie-in. Not so in the case of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Both sets of universes are handled properly and somehow it all just seems to work. While it may not quite be as brutal as you may remember, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe definitely nailed the core fighting that has given the MK franchise such longevity.
November 20, 2009
