There are so many games that have been released in the last couple of months that I am literally overwhelmed with gaming goodness. And it's been a long hard road in the way of reviewing them. So, the next on my plate is Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. And just as the name implies its about the merging of two franchises. The question is, does it work? That question is a bit of a slippery slope, and the answer is yes and no.

Mortal Kombat has always been known for it's brutal fatalities and lots of blood and gore. In the latest MK installment, the fatalities return but in a more censored form. The finishing moves are watered down and the blood is almost non-existent. That's because Midway agreed to a teen rating. Why? Because DC Comics would not allow a Mature rating for the game. Incorporating a Teen rating was the only way Midway would be permitted to use the DC license. Sounds pretty lame to me.


The story for MK Vs DC is not compelling by any means. Basically, two different worlds or dimensions collide (I can't say how) creating a time rift. And in doing so allows the two dimensions to exist within the same space. This creates a side effect called rage. Every super hero and villain is effected by its power and that's how the story unfolds. Basically, rage makes everyone mad and seems to enhance their abilities. And of course, a villain is behind it all. The Idea is sound, but it's not executed well. Because of this, the game comes off as a bit to cheesy for my taste. And I'm a MK fan! Anyways, the story can be completed in about six hours or less. It's about three hours per side. After that there is the classic Arcade mode (1-2 players), combo challenge, and Xbox Live. Plus, there are some unlockables and a total of 22 playable characters.

Anyway, the graphics for the game are hit or miss. The character models look great. They bruise, bleed, and there costumes rip and tear. But the backgrounds don't match the graphical detail of the character models. They look good, but you can tell they didn't spend as much time with the backgrounds, cut scenes, or dialogue for the game. The Bat mobile is seriously lacking detail. It's not even close to what you would expect from a next-gen game. But, the magic and super abilities look good.


The sound effects are good and are what you would expect from a Mortal Kombat game, but most of the voice work is horrible. Some of the voice work is actually good. Such as Joker, Superman, Batman, and believe it or not Wonder Women. But the rest of the cast is bland and equals B-movie quality acting. The worse voice overs would have to be Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn. These two characters are beyond evil and yet they received the worse voice casting. I just don't get it.


The controls are good, but slower than past MK games. For the most part, their tight and responsive but the block doesn't work well at all. It's extremely slow and you can't count on it to work when your in trouble. I found myself constantly attacking because of this, which really hurt my tactics. There are combo breakers, but that's just as hard as the blocking. The D-pad controls your movement on the 2D plane (crouch, jumping, and moving) while the analog will let you control your character in 3D. You basically just use the analog stick to side step. You probably don't want to rely on the analog stick for fighting though. The D-pad works best and the analog is a dodgy alternative. There are also four additions to the traditional fighting mechanic which are Free Fall Kombat, Klose Kombat, Test Your Might, and Rage mode. Free fall kombat basically replaces the traditional (gory) pit fatalities. Basically, you kick, punch, or throw someone off the edge and jump after them to engage in combat as your both falling to the bottom. The cool thing is that these moves can be countered, so the tides can turn against you or in your favor. Now close combat is like it sounds. To initiate close combat simply press the right bumper and begin your attack. It seems like a mini-game but its not. Whatever button you press your opponent is left guessing which one he should press to break out of close combat. It's fun and a welcome addition to the game. Test your might is an original idea dating as far back as Mortal Kombat 1. Back then you had to tap a series of buttons to break boards, cement blocks, and even steel. In this version your simply mashing buttons to ram opponents threw multiple walls. And then there's Rage. Basically, you get a meter to fill up (by using attacks) once it's filled up you get the rage ability. It's a temporary invincibility and it's cheap. I don't like it and I wish it wasn't in the game. But, that's the story so there's no way around it.


Unfortunately, the game falls short of being a stellar fighter. I can't help but look back at games like Soul Caliber 4 and Dead or Alive 4 and think to myself,"Why doesn't this MK game look and play as good as those fighters?" I think Midway needs to clean house and hire new talent because this game is a let down.



Reviewed By Trilithium 4