Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe Review (Xbox 360)

lord_spaceman

lord_spaceman

Expert Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,470
Thanks iDenTiTy for you kind words.

@ Iwojima - That sucks. I think your IT guys need a boot to the head.
 
B

Borrels

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
711
lord_spaceman said:
I just updated my blog this morning with a review on the game - for those of you that are interested.

lord_spaceman - care to also put it on this thread? i'm tempted to buy the game, but all the game review sites are blocked from work (including your blog)
Click to expand...
 
lord_spaceman

lord_spaceman

Expert Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,470
Here it is for those who can't see it:

What is an initially shocking and an odd collaboration between two licenses, eventually payed off to be one of the best ideas in video game history. It seems Mortal Kombat really is a fit for the DC Universe (and vice-versa) after all.

Before I continue, let me dabble a bit on my love of Mortal Kombat:

I’m a huge fan of the Mortal Kombat series and Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe is the first Mortal Kombat I’ve properly played since Mortal Kombat 4. I briefly experienced Mortal Kombat Deception on my friends PS2, but due to me not owning one, it was kind of hard to properly experience and enjoy.

While I liked Mortal Kombat II and III, it was Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 that really got me falling in love with the series. I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours were spent in front of my Sega Megadrive playing UMK3. Then the movies came along and gosh, did I love those! (even though the second film was a bit budget)

Mortal Kombat 4 (for the PC) came along and although I wasn’t happy about the 3D transition, I played it regardless. Looking back, it was a terrible game. My love for the MK series was the only thing that kept me playing it. Then the PS2 versions came out Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon and I didn’t really play those. And now we have the 8th installment of MK. History lesson finished, back to the review…

The excitement of getting a new MK title left me feeling like a little kid again and the fact that some of my favourite DC characters were going to be featured in it made this game irresistible to purchase, even though it came with a hefty price tag of R729 from BT Games.

Loved
The awesomness of it all. There is nothing like seeing Sub-Zero kick the crap out of Scorpion or Superman kicking Batman’s butt. The amount of epic battles you’ve always wanted to see since you were a kid can be lived out through this game. With 22 playable characters (11 MK characters and 11 DC characters), a lot of fun can be had with mates who have a lot of love for either MK or DC.

Graphics are good. This installment of MK uses Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 and by default that makes this game the best looking MK game ever. Environments are good for a fighting game, they could be better, but still good nonetheless. Characters are modeled very well and all their special moves look absolutley great. Female model’s tits juggle a bit too much, but I’m okay with that - it looks good.

Gameplay still fun. Not having played the previous 3 installments of MK, the control still remains similar and very much fun to still play. The game feels great and the two new gameplay adjustments; Klose-Kombat and Free-Fall Kombat are fun to do (more on that later). Controls are good and it’s going to take me a while to learn all the characters special moves and fatalities. I’m happy to see that Sub-Zero still retains some of the same moves he’s had since UMK3.

Good Characters. After playing for a while, it’s easy to see that all 22 characters were carefully picked. Both the MK and DC sides are equally balanced and no, Superman isn’t the strongest character in the game (there is a valid and totally legit reason for this). I found Scorpion to be particularly powerful on the MK side and The Joker on the DC side. The complete list of playable characters are listed at the bottom of this post.

Hated
Loading times. Midway could really have cut these down. I hate the fact that the game has to load as much as it does, especially for the character select screen. It doesn’t ruin the game, but it is irritating.

Light options. The available options are a little too light for my liking. If they threw in an additional mode or two, it would definitely make the game a much more rewarding purchase. More two player options would have been nice too, like a tag team option or a single-player survival mode (akin to Dead or Alive’s mi****me).

Story. While it’s incorrect to place the Story under Hated, I feel that although the story was actually done quite well, I can’t stop the feeling that it could have been made so much better, by just fleshing it out a little.

The single player options available are Arcade (traditional Mortal Kombat style, climbing up the ladder to the final boss mode), Story (with the ability to play the game as told through the MK or DC characters side) and finally Kombo Challenge (where you must test your control over the characters by completing their moves).

Two player mode is just straight-forward two player mode with no bells or whistles. You and a friend select a player and fight. You need to finish both the MK and DC sides of the stories to be able to select and play with Shao Kahn and Darkseid.

Available Characters To Choose From:

DC Universe:

Batman
Captain Marvel
Catwoman
Deathstroke
The Flash
Green Lantern
The Joker
Lex Luthor
Superman
Wonder Woman
Darkseid (Unlockable)

Mortal Kombat:

Baraka
Jax
Kano
Kitana
Liu Kang
Raiden
Scorpion
Shang Tsung
Sonya Blade
Sub-Zero
Shao Kahn (Unlockable)

The traditional MK gameplay comes with two new gameplay modes that have been unseen in past titles; Free-fall Kombat and Klose-Kombat. Free-fall Kombat is when you knock your opponent out of the arena. Your character automatically falls with them punching and kicking them all the way to the floor below - it’s like something out of an action movie, but really cool to see in action. The Klose-Kombat is when you pull your opponent towards you to deal out some close up punching and kicking. Your opponent can either duck, avoid or counter your attacks.

Rage is also a new concept seen in this title. Each player collects rage as they fight, which they can save and use later for dealing some unstoppable and serious damage. Like Free-fall and Klose Kombat, it works well and can quickly turn the tides of battle.

Something that really gets me excited about this title though, is the fact that downloable content has been hinted at. Perhaps we can see some characters like Supergirl, Doomsday, Johnny Cage, Reptile, Kung Lao or Quan-Chi added to the character line up.

Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea especially if you’re not a fan of fighting games, Mortal Kombat titles or aren’t familiar with the DC Universe. If you love all three, you’re seriously going to enjoy this title. It’s one of the best fighting games to hit the Xbox 360/PS3 since Dead or Alive 4 and will keep you going well until after Street Fighter 4 is released.

Rating: 8.5 / 10
Click to expand...
 
M

maestro_za

Expert Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
1,650
Just started playing this game. It's a good game.

/reminds me to update my blog
 
B

Borrels

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
711
thanks for the comprehensive review. MK was the first fighting game i played on console, way back on the Sega Megadrive. ah, the memories... now i remember why i couldn't buy a date in high school... or is tekken on the PS one to blame?

anyway, the review convinced me - off to kalahari i am.
 
K

Keeper

Honorary Master
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
23,624
ooh - like the bum on the front page, and will definitely be saving out some of the pics in your local babes section!
 
W

wizdumb

Expert Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
2,167
best price for this game? any suggestions?

the best i got was 559 from zaps, but i've never ordered from them
 
G

gambithunt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
171
Wiz, its an expensive game because of the WB licensing, pity.

Its great game and well worth a buy.
 
W

wizdumb

Expert Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
2,167
zaps 559 + 35 (delivery via speed services)
take2 580 + 40 (delivery via speed services)

so does a person go with known and trusted ie take2, or give zaps a shot? if all goes ballshaped, i can always go around to their store.................
 
B

Borrels

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
711
wizdumb said:
zaps 559 + 35 (delivery via speed services)
take2 580 + 40 (delivery via speed services)

so does a person go with known and trusted ie take2, or give zaps a shot? if all goes ballshaped, i can always go around to their store.................
Click to expand...

Kalahari.net has it for R615 (delivery is free since >R350). They upped the price from about R550 at the beginning of the week.

Still waiting for my copy to arrive though...
 
Z

zeridine

Expert Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Messages
1,009
i FKING HATE the d-pad on the xbox. how the hell am i supposed to do the kombo challenges? when i want to duck, i jump. when i want to go back then fwd, i jump. it really kills the fun of the game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top