MK VS DC Universe [review]

Yeah..it's as awesome as the poster...for real...

Having shed it's rather evil, gory and flat out horrible gameplay in recent years, MK vs DC Universe has tried to merge two worlds that many (including myself) considered could not be merged. When you take the classic nature of Superman and Batman and their oaths to themselves not to kill the people they hate, and couple it with the fatalities, blood and gore of the likes of Jax, Sonya Blade, and Raiden, people start to wonder how these seemingly opposing sides can fit into a jigsaw puzzle that has a million pieces. Well, in short, it worked.

Graphically MK vs DC Universe looks polished and well done. It is a smooth looking fighting game with wonderful 3D surroundings and fighting arenas that have a couple of unique uses. The graphics in the cut-scene are identical to the graphics that are in-game. Nothing much to complain about here other than the fact that Wonder Woman and Sonya Blade do not totally look like women. Their faces seem a bit off. Wonderwoman seems to have too much tone to her face and Sonya Blades lips are the size of a brillow pad. But, nonetheless, all of the characters are well done.

When it comes to gameplay, at it's core, and really MK's whole make up is it's unique fighting style. Nothing has changed in terms of uppercuts, special moves, and the like, but one thing has been taken out and another thing has been added. Fatalities are included in this game but are not what you would expect, i.e. there is not nearly as much blood. What is included is a new aspect of gameplay called Rage. Think of Street Fighter's power bars that get filled up as you get hit. Instead of a super power being unleashed through a series of arrows and buttons on a controller, rage is simply activate by pushing down on a few buttons. While in rage it is hard for the opponent to block, attacks do more damage, and you are faster. This bar can also be used for BREAKERS which break an opposing fighters combo streak.

The interesting thing about MK vs DC Universe is how every player has similar moves, and yet they do them in a unique way. This brings a sense of identity to the game and helps make the game more unique, however; one of the gripes I have with the game is the fact that some of the moves are much too similar. They may look different to the naked eye, but in effect they do the same thing as some of the other characters moves. My least favorite character so far is the Green Lantern, I felt as if Midway just kind of gave him a few powers with his ring and figured that would suffice as his 'unique' ability. When in reality it just makes him boring. But the fighting overall is classic MK (without the overly graphic blood) and fans of the series should feel right at home, whether they are playing as Batman or Scorpion.

One of the greatest aspects of MK vs DC Universe is indeed the storyline. How is it that Superman isn't able to just pummel everyone around him? Why did these two seemingly opposite worlds collide? Which side is really the enemy? All of these questions are answered when you play through the story mode. It's fun to be able to play through each story mode separaetely. You can always play as DC or you can play as MK, but to get the full affect of everything this game has to offer, I would suggest playing both in whatever order you want. Getting the full affect of the game is key.

This leads me to my next point, the story-line, voice acting, and gameplay in between each cut-scene is great. I didn't feel that any of the fights that I had were mundane and unnecessary, or that it was too cheesy. This story honestly felt like the real deal and was very believable. The only voice acting that I had a problem with was (surprise) Green Lantern's. He didn't sound believable. It was almost like a voice simulator gone wrong. Again, I don't know what Midway was thinking when they put him in and gave him that voice (or those boring moves), but GL definitely got shafted. As for everyone else it was believable that yes, Superman could get beat by Batman, that the Joker, a seemingly feeble character compared to, well, EVERYONE, could totally kick butt, and that Lui Kang, a human, could take out Captain Marvel if need be. When you get a hold of the story and understand some things, these fights are believably even.

Another thing that Midway did well was that they made fun of themselves in a way. They did not take themselves too seriously. When Joker is out pummeling on people that should have beat him with one hit, they don't act like he's the man, they put it in context where it's funny, and yet again, believable. They don't make Superman or Captain Marvel look like gods, therefore it is believable that they can be beaten up by the likes of Catwoman and Jax. It is all relative, and Midway did an excellent job with the story line.

A few new features in gameplay may catch your attention. The first is the ability to grab. When you grab someone successfully you then enter a mini-game of sorts where you try to press one of the face buttons (on PS3, Triangle, Circle, X, or Square) and hit the opponent; the catch is if they hit the button you hit they will counter the attack and hit you and the mini-game is over. The aim is to hit them four times for maximum damage, but at any time up to that point that they counter it, the mini game is over. This also is similar to when you are in a falling mini-game. If The Flash pushes you off of a cliff, instead of dying you start to fall and the Flash can beat the crap out of you. But if you push the right button that he is pushing, you can flip him around and start beating him. If The Flash is beating you up all the way until you fall and you reverse it right before you hit the ground, he now receives all the damage that he caused you.

The third is "Test your might." On certain levels you can throw people into the walls and then grab them and run them into wall, after wall, after wall until you end up on the other side of the building. At this point it is up to each player to feverishly press one of the face buttons as fast as they can. If the person pushing is overpowering the person being pushed then the damage for "Test your might" goes up; if the person being pushed overpowers the person pushing then the damage will go down. A simpler way of putting it is a virtual tug of war, with the outcome determining damage.

Overall MK vs DC Universe was much better than expected. It is the first MK game I have ever owned and I am so happy with my purchase, I do not regret it one bit. The story mode can go by quickly if you keep playing and if you have no one to play with, such as all fighting games, it can be boring. But the prospect of playing with Superman and Batman against childhood video game characters that you've always known about such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero is something to appreciate and relish in. Not to mention this is Superman's first decent game. Midway did an awesome job of balancing his enormous strenght and speed and making him believably vulnerable without even entering kryptonite into the equation. Bravo Midway, bravo.

9/10

Jeremy aka Adridius