Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe is a surprisingly good game, at first glance most would be skeptical of putting Batman and Superman next to Scorpion and Sub Zero but the game handles the differences very well. There are several modes with the first being the arcade mode. You pick if you want to face DC characters, MK characters, or a mix of the two. Then you pick your player and fight through a progression just like the classic MK titles. Next is the story mode which follows a simple formula; cut-scene, fight, cut-scene, fight, etc. You can play through the game on the MK side or the DC side and both have different story lines which allow for a total game time of 4-6 hours. The story is actually convincing and well put together. Playing through it as one side and then seeing the other side of some events is a really nice feature to the game.
The replay value really comes into play in the arcade and the multiplayer. There are also “Kombo” challenges for each character. The gameplay is superb for a 3D fighter. As we all know, fighters have had a hard time moving from 2D to 3D, this game fixes many of the problems though it isn’t perfect. If you have decent reflexes you can still sidestep large attacks in the 3rd dimension with the left stick. The D-Pad is used for the special moves so that gives a genuine feel to the game, there were times when I moved with the D-Pad and felt like I was back controlling my Sega Genesis, which is a good thing because it is a familiar feel. The attacks are well-balanced and a good player can win with any character. Of course Superman, Batman, Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion seem to be the first choices in terms of ability, but you can still practice and do really well with any of the others like the Flash, Green Lantern, Sonya, or Jax. There aren’t any “Balrog’s” in this game. (If you don’t know Balrog in Street Fighter had an attack that drained about half an opponent’s life and was easily done. He picked up the opponent and head butted him repeatedly, there was no way to break this and so it was very frustrating) You can counter an opponent’s attack and this helps keep the gameplay balanced.
There are four special modes of fighting. The first is “Klose Kombat”, you press the right bumper and pull your opponent close to you, and then icons appear on your side and on their side of the screen. You have to press the one button that is not highlighted on their side and you will get a clean hit. If you hit the same button they will counter. The same goes if you are engaged and are on the defensive, you need to quickly push the same button to counter. The second mode is rage mode; two small yellow bars will fill up under your life as you fight. If you are blocked or are hit the bar fills up, but it goes down if you successfully counter an enemy. When they are both full you press the left and right triggers to go into rage mode. For a short time your attacks will deal a lot more damage and you will block attacks more easily. The third mode is the free fall mode and that is when you or your opponent does a large attack near a designated area and it sends both of you flying down. If you are on top a button will appear (like in “Klose Kombat”) and you need to hit that button quickly to fill up a red bar. When it is full you can press in the right bumper and you will do a special finishing move and slam your opponent into the ground. If you are on bottom you need to counter the opponent’s buttons and if you are successful you will flip to the top. The fourth and final special mode is “test your might” and it is when you hit an opponent near a designated wall and you pick them up and slam them through multiple walls. You need to slam all four colored buttons as fast as you can to increase the damage you inflict, if you are picked up you are trying to decrease the damage you take on.
The fatalities/brutalities are not defined in the moves list or in the manual. I consulted IGN and still couldn’t perform the ending moves which are only available in the arcade and multiplayer, not the story mode. So I have yet to do any but they seem to be pretty difficult to pull off. They have to be pretty tamed though because the game has a “Teen” rating, so not too much gore, just some blood. This was controversial but I think it was nice that they respected the integrity of the DC characters and didn’t make them what they weren’t, which are brutal killers, like the MK characters. They didn’t need to make a “Mature” rated game and they didn’t. There is still plenty of violence to satisfy fans. The characters actually seem to work well against one another because of their opposing ideologies.
Overall the game brings a lot to the table. It is one of the few 3D fighters that are worth the money. The graphics are nice and there are a variety of environments. The game has the same great replay value of traditional fighters and is a good buy for any fan of fighters or of the DC characters. I highly recommend.
Gameplay: 9
Story: 8.5
Replay Value: 10
Graphics: 8.9
Overall: 9.1
The replay value really comes into play in the arcade and the multiplayer. There are also “Kombo” challenges for each character. The gameplay is superb for a 3D fighter. As we all know, fighters have had a hard time moving from 2D to 3D, this game fixes many of the problems though it isn’t perfect. If you have decent reflexes you can still sidestep large attacks in the 3rd dimension with the left stick. The D-Pad is used for the special moves so that gives a genuine feel to the game, there were times when I moved with the D-Pad and felt like I was back controlling my Sega Genesis, which is a good thing because it is a familiar feel. The attacks are well-balanced and a good player can win with any character. Of course Superman, Batman, Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion seem to be the first choices in terms of ability, but you can still practice and do really well with any of the others like the Flash, Green Lantern, Sonya, or Jax. There aren’t any “Balrog’s” in this game. (If you don’t know Balrog in Street Fighter had an attack that drained about half an opponent’s life and was easily done. He picked up the opponent and head butted him repeatedly, there was no way to break this and so it was very frustrating) You can counter an opponent’s attack and this helps keep the gameplay balanced.
There are four special modes of fighting. The first is “Klose Kombat”, you press the right bumper and pull your opponent close to you, and then icons appear on your side and on their side of the screen. You have to press the one button that is not highlighted on their side and you will get a clean hit. If you hit the same button they will counter. The same goes if you are engaged and are on the defensive, you need to quickly push the same button to counter. The second mode is rage mode; two small yellow bars will fill up under your life as you fight. If you are blocked or are hit the bar fills up, but it goes down if you successfully counter an enemy. When they are both full you press the left and right triggers to go into rage mode. For a short time your attacks will deal a lot more damage and you will block attacks more easily. The third mode is the free fall mode and that is when you or your opponent does a large attack near a designated area and it sends both of you flying down. If you are on top a button will appear (like in “Klose Kombat”) and you need to hit that button quickly to fill up a red bar. When it is full you can press in the right bumper and you will do a special finishing move and slam your opponent into the ground. If you are on bottom you need to counter the opponent’s buttons and if you are successful you will flip to the top. The fourth and final special mode is “test your might” and it is when you hit an opponent near a designated wall and you pick them up and slam them through multiple walls. You need to slam all four colored buttons as fast as you can to increase the damage you inflict, if you are picked up you are trying to decrease the damage you take on.
The fatalities/brutalities are not defined in the moves list or in the manual. I consulted IGN and still couldn’t perform the ending moves which are only available in the arcade and multiplayer, not the story mode. So I have yet to do any but they seem to be pretty difficult to pull off. They have to be pretty tamed though because the game has a “Teen” rating, so not too much gore, just some blood. This was controversial but I think it was nice that they respected the integrity of the DC characters and didn’t make them what they weren’t, which are brutal killers, like the MK characters. They didn’t need to make a “Mature” rated game and they didn’t. There is still plenty of violence to satisfy fans. The characters actually seem to work well against one another because of their opposing ideologies.
Overall the game brings a lot to the table. It is one of the few 3D fighters that are worth the money. The graphics are nice and there are a variety of environments. The game has the same great replay value of traditional fighters and is a good buy for any fan of fighters or of the DC characters. I highly recommend.
Gameplay: 9
Story: 8.5
Replay Value: 10
Graphics: 8.9
Overall: 9.1
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