Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PS3)

When news of this game was first released last year, I scratched my head and wondered why such an unlikely pair was being put together in a video game. As more information about the game was released and more game play videos were revealed, I grew a bit excited for the game. When it came down to the release date, I ended up getting cold feet, thinking this game could be nothing more than a marketing scheme to brand flagship characters from Mortal Kombat and DC Comics. Boy was I wrong!

Alas, for the better part of my 4th of July Sunday afternoon, I played Mortal Kombat Vs. The DC Universe. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed, granted I've only played the game for less than a day.

The game play, the animation and controls were really smooth and easy to handle. Within an hour, I was already doing combos and special moves with the majority of the DC characters, I must say I've gotten pretty good with Batman and Flash. Already being familiar with most of the Mortal Kombat characters, I concentrated on playing and studying the DC side of the game. Kudo's to the game developers, they did a great job on capturing and staying true to the essentials of all the DC characters. Each character and their respective DC character's were unique and well thought out to complement their comic book counterparts.

What I found very impressive is the combat versatility and the level of interaction the stages allow. In addition to the normal Mortal Kombat controls, they've integrated "Klose Kombat" and "Freefall Kombat." When engaged in Klose Kombat, the characters link like wrestlers while the camera zooms-in. Here you'll get up-close-and-personal with some very brutal strikes without the complexities of combos. You simply press any strike button to hit. Your opponent must match 1 of 4 buttons you press to counter the attack. "Freefall Kombat" utilizes the environment. Essentially, you are able to knock your opponent off the stage onto another stage. In between this transition, you are engaged in combat, in the same manner as "Klose Kombat."


Overall, this game gets two thumbs up! I'm glad to see that they didn't rely heavily on the DC Comics gimick, rather, actually producing a well thought out game while innovating traditional video game combat in the process. I've only gotten the chance to dive into the practice and arcade modes. Next on my list will be playing online.