HCG Musashi’s Review - Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

HCG Musashi’s Review - Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Posted by HCG Musashi | Filed under Reviews

I’ve always had somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the Mortal Kombat series. While the first two releases were a welcome alternative the the much-copied Street Fighter template, Mortal Kombat 3 marked the beginning of some very bad times for the series that would stretch throughout the years up to and including Mortal Kombat Armageddon.

That being said, I was fairly sceptical when Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was announced. Even with the promises of a totally built-from-scratch fighting engine and improved character development, I couldn’t help but expect a next-gen hunk of rehashed bad ideas. Despite all the impressive screen shots and gameplay videos, I kept my excitement in check; nothing but a sit-down with the final build was going to allow to form an opinion.

Now that I’ve sat down and shared some quality time with MK vs. DC, I can finally say that finally, Midway has come through on some long-awaited promises…

First thing is the control. The characters movments are tight and responsive. Even with the 360’s mushy D-Pad, I was able to hold my own against the AI using my old buddy Scorpion. I highly recommend grabbing a joystick though for the best precision. Gone are the ridiculous dial-a-combos that have plagued the series for so long. Don’t get me wrong, you can still dish out some heavy damage combos, but now they require skill rather than memorization of button sequences. The grapple / freefall systems are great additions - they really help add new levels of strategy. In a nutshell - it feels as though MK vs DC is an evolution of the MK2 fighting engine with a 3-D / Next-gen upgrade. No complaints here.

Also, the graphics are pretty damn good as well. The textures and character models are heavily detailed and a damage system for skin and clothing is nice touch to show how bad someone is getting their ass kicked.

There are some down points, however. The storyline is pretty cheesy, but not so bad it ruins the game. In a way, it actually feels kind of at place in a cross-over game with comic characters; campy and predictable with a handful of the usual goofy one-liners.

The AI is a little annoying as well. It can switch from being dumb as a rock to MK god in 5 seconds. Boss fight are also a matter of exploiting a weakness in the AI - otherwise, you’re ground meat.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. While it may have some small issues here and there, they don’t bring the game down as in earlier titles. While I was pleasantly surprised, I’d still say rent before you buy.

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