Mortal Kombat VS. DC Universe

E3 2008 Preview

When it was officially announced a few months ago at Midway’s Gamer’s Day, few knew exactly what to say about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The latest title in the Mortal Kombat franchise, MK vs. DC Universe brings the series to the next-gen, but with some awfully strange companions, namely Superman, Batman, and a full roster of superheroes from the DC Comics roster.

However, as wild as the concept seems, after spending some hands on time with the title, I can say that MK vs. DC Universe is almost a return-to-roots of sorts for the franchise. The action is a lot faster than the most recent iterations of the franchise, and the combat (or kombat) feels a lot more in line with the original 2D versions of the series. Still, MK vs. DC is going to be a fine entry to the series, and should be a blast to play.

The combat feels a lot like old-school MK mostly to the quick nature of the combat. Whereas Deadly Alliance through Armageddon felt a bit slow and deliberate and had each fighter using several different fighting styles, this one does away with that in favor of quick and easy beatings and combos. The special moves appear more to the forefront this time, and each of the returning characters will have some new ones to pull off, like Sub-Zero’s Ice Teleport and so on.

The stages still play an important part to the action, as you’ll be able to attack your opponents as you knock them into lower tiers and through walls and floors. You press certain button combos to pummel them through the environment, building up a combo and dealing out more damage as you go. As you wail on your opponent (or vice versa), they’ll take on more bruises and visible damage, like cuts and ripped clothes.

There are a couple of elements in the game that could still be problematic for series fans. Firstly, the “Fatalities” are vastly different from other games in the series: gone are the heart-rippings and spine-yanking of yore, in favor for more toned down fare. The gore level has been substantially toned down in order to obtain a T rating, but I’d have to admit that seeing Superman rip someone’s head off would be a bit too much to handle. Look for MK vs. DC Universe to hit later this year.

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