When we think of great combat match-ups, we think cowboys vs. Indians, Jedi vs. Sith, and Marvel vs. Capcom. What’s genuine about these rivalries is that their origins, and motivations, are either clear or nonexistent (Who remembers why Marvel fought Capcom?). Mortal Kombat vs. DC begs some leeway from us. The nature of both universes is so drastically different that upon hearing of this release, many of us lapsed into a rant. Does Kryptonite even exist in the MK universe, and who, besides villains, would perform fatalities in the DC universe? The good news is that this game does not suck. The bad news is that it doesn’t rise above its novelty status as the game where we get to see Batman fight Subzero.
Not being a dedicated fighting gamer, I feel the addition of a story mode rounds out the experience. For those playing to marvel at the characters, this will be the best place to start because the interactions and revelation of each character plays as an event. It’s like watching the door at a reunion for the next person you’re going to recognize. Watching Scorpion’s spear emerge from a portal will make anyone leap off the couch yelling; “Get over here!” As you might expect, it does fold out like any comic book/video game story bent on filling logic holes: ridiculous, hokey, and poorly scripted. The condition poisoning these fighters, making them fight friend and foe alike, is called combat rage. This is the story telling equivalent of naming your villain, “That evil dude.” Rage is happening because there are two universes colliding and everyone will be destroyed if they don’t find out why. Pretty standard. Complaining about a fighting game’s storyline, however, is like being angry with a BMW for how poorly it makes lemonade. The game isn’t supposed to be great at telling a story, but it does function to set the stage for characters that would otherwise never share the same screen. The story is playable from two sides (MK or DC), so there’s a decent amount of play-time (about five to six hours) if you want to be drawn into a cheesy, but enjoyable, experience. Also, there are two unlockable characters, Darkseid and Shao Khan. You’ll want to play through to get those.
The combat system is fairly simple and this lends to a decent learning curve. Newbies won’t be completely alienated and veterans will recognize staple fighting game controls. There are simple button moves (repeatedly tapping the same button or a combination there of), tap moves (toward, toward, X), and quarter circles to learn (down, toward, B). You can also pause the game and look at a move list to learn the ins and outs of each fighter. The D-pad for the Xbox 360 will do much of the punishment, and thus some of the mechanics get a little sticky. There’s also the ability to move back and forth with the left stick in the 3D environment during combat but it doesn’t feel like it adds anything to the game play. You can dodge ranged attacks, but the fun really comes from the tried and true 2D interactions. They could have easily kept out the ability to move into the foreground and not taken anything away from the game. There is plenty of throwing opponents into walls to let you know the environment is there.
The Super moves are unique for each character and embody a lot of where the game succeeds. Seeing staple characters performing old and new moves consistent with their abilities and character makes playing with every character necessary. On the DC side, Joker uses bombs, hand zappers, and a giant boxing glove on a spring while Green Lantern has the ability to conjure walls, fists, and hammers with his ring. On the MK side, you have staple moves like the uppercut and Sonya’s bicycle kick; but now, Subzero can create and drop a block of ice above an opponent’s head.
Aside from classic fighting game combat, there have been four new mechanics thrown in: Free Fall Kombat, Test Your Might, Klose Kombat, and Rage Mode. Free fall kombat will take the opponents through a wall and pit them fighting against each other while falling through the air. On the screen, two control pads will show up and the person on bottom (the losing position) will have to press whatever the fighter on top is pressing in order to be able to reverse the order. Also, during the fall, a super meter builds that, once reached, will allow the fighter on top to execute a Super air move that launches the losing opponent to the ground. Klose Kombat works in a similar manner, except that instead of through the air, the camera zooms in on the players for an up close and personal brawl allowing for one fighter to match the attacks of the other and thus counter the attack. Test Your Might tackles an opponent through a series of walls. The sequence is coupled with a meter that requires both players to press all the buttons on the controller in order to move the meter in one direction or the other to determine damage dealt.
