Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Dustin James on 01.18.2009

Can MK vs. DC sniff the greatness that was the Marvel vs. Capcom series? 411's Dustin James gives you all the details on Midway's newest entry in the Mortal Kombat series.....



It's Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe. You know you have always dreamed of match-ups such as Sub-Zero vs. Superman, Liu Kang vs. Batman, Raiden vs. The Joker, & Shang Tsung vs. Wonder Woman. OK, so maybe that last one was a little bit of a stretch, but you get the picture. If you are a massive fan of the Mortal Kombat series as well as the DC comics, then ladies and gentlemen....Midway has finally released your ultimate dream game. But how does it hold up when compared to it's competition? Can it really sniff the greatness that was the Marvel vs. Capcom series? We shall find out.....


Graphics:



What happens when The Joker eats at Taco Bell? You guessed it....

The graphics are pretty damn good actually. The characters are pretty detailed and are almost nailed to perfection. At times the backgrounds can be a little bland, but honestly...who cares? It's a freakin background and there is a fight going on! The wounds on the characters are a very nice touch as is the clothing that gets torn during the battle. As a video game fan who hasn't played a next-gen fighting game as of yet, I found myself mostly impressed with the graphics in the game, especially considering that the Mortal Kombat games on the previous system's had graphics that were less than impressive.


Sound:

Honestly, what can I say about the sound? It's a fighting game with super heroes. Yes, they have nice background music during the fight. I guess another good thing is none of the characters have extremely annoying voices or anything like that. But, if you buy a fighting game for the audio...then just sell your system.


"I said.....NO SMOKING!"


Gameplay:

I gotta admit, as a guy who hasn't played a fighting game on a next-gen system yet....I wasn't expecting much going into this. With games like Fable 2, Fallout 3, and Saints Row 2 out, could this hold my attention for long? Well, the answer surprisingly is yes! As soon as the screen came up featuring Mortal Kombat and DC characters, I was pumped. I was just hoping the actual fighting would be able to please me. To my surprise, the majority of it is pretty damn good. For all your semi-boring fighters like The Flash, you can pick fighters with plenty of tricks up their sleeves...much like The Joker.


Dancing lessons......Mortal Kombat style!

The button controls aren't bad and shouldn't take you long to figure out. There are some new additions to the series such as "RAGE" mode, Free Fall Kombat, and Close Quarters Kombat. "RAGE" mode lets your character get EXTRA ANGRY and lets you inflict more damage on your opponent. Free Fall Kombat is a nice little feature that allows you to fight while in mid-air in certain stages.The first time seeing this I actually thought it was a nice little touch, but it can quickly get repetitive. As for Close Quarters Kombat....I honestly didn't care that much for it.

The biggest complaint could about the game could be the roster. Why didn't they include more fighters on the game? On the Mortal Kombat side we are missing guys like Johnny Cage and Smoke. While on the DC side we are missing Robin, Aquaman (you know you want Aquaman in the game!), and perhaps more Batman villains such as Penguin, Riddler, or Two Face! Also, why not include hidden costume changes for the characters? I would have love to have seen a variation of Superman, Batman, and perhaps even Heath Ledger's Joker as an unlockable character. Now THAT would sell some titles.

Another complaint about the game (depending on your views in society) is that the game may be considered "not violent enough", at least for a Mortal Kombat title. Where the hell are all the bloody fatalities that use to cause such a stir back in the 90's? If you can get past those minor problems and you are usually a pretty big fan of fighting games, I don't see you having too much to complain about with the gameplay in this game. It's a shame when Mortal Kombat has to tune down it's violence. I mean, I was decapitating people when I was 11 years old, and now I'm 27 and the only thing I can really do now is watch Joker shock people to death with his joy buzzer. Ohhhh boy!

Fun Factor And Lasting Appeal:


Apparently, Superman forgot that he can FLY......

Lasting appeal depends on your online play. The story mode and arcade mode of the game won't take you long at all. If you like to play online fighting games, then Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe could be for you.

As for fun factor? The game has it's moments. I would recommend playing through the storyline atleast once, if not twice. If you pick to play as the DC Universe then you will be fighting the Mortal Kombat guys who are invading your universe and vice versa. You will get a chance to play as every character in that universe, and will actually even get to face some of your allies. Sometimes, even super heroes don't get along.

As I have mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of the fighting genre as I once was, but I enjoyed the time I spent on this game. Perhaps it's because I'm a huge DC fan, but there was something about pitting The Joker vs. Sub Zero that everyone should try at least once....especially if you are a fan of either MK or DC.



The 411:

As previously mentioned, I loved the idea of bringing the DC Universe together with Mortal Kombat. The end result was actually better than I expected. I enjoyed the story mode (I highly recommend playing through the story mode at least once), the graphics, as well as the controls. I would highly recommend this game if you are a huge fan of DC. If you are a huge fan of the past Mortal Kombat games, you could skip this title and not miss much. However, if you would like to experience a full blown brawl between The Flash and Sub Zero, then this is your game.

Graphics	8.5	The characters are extremely detailed and much better looking than any previous Mortal Kombat game.
Gameplay	7.0	The storymode is worth trying out at least once, plus some nice new additions like Free Fall Kombat can make for a fun time.
Sound	6.0	The sound doesn't have much of an impact on the game, but I'll give it bonus points for not annoying me.
Lasting Appeal	7.0	As I mentioned, if you are a huge fan of either Mortal Kombat or DC you may get a kick out of this game for sometime, especially if you enjoy playing fighting games online.
Fun Factor	8.0	I enjoyed the game in the time I spent with it, even if you are not much of a fighting game fan you should get a kick out of this. It's always fun watching another epic Joker vs. Batman battle.
Overall	7.0   [ Good ]

Screenshots
All 12 Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Screenshots