E3 2008: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Street Fighter wasn't the only franchise making big waves at this year's E3, as Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was fully playable at the show, as well. We got a chance to sit down and play the game for a bit and came away rather impressed. Six characters were selectable, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya, The Flash, Superman, and Batman.

The Mortal Kombat characters largely retained much of their movesets, so we were able to get acquainted with them almost immediately, where as playing with the DC heroes required us to fiddle around with the controls, looking for moves to come out. Once we had the controls down, we chose to play as Scorpion first.

Unlike the last few Mortal Kombat games, which felt borderline confusing and clunky with their various fighting styles, this MK game feels a lot smoother. But most importantly, it felt a lot more fun to play. It, like Street Fighter IV did, reminded us of the good ol' days of dropping quarter after quarter into an MK cabinet.

Gameplay is very much pick-up-and-play, but at the same time, depth exists in the form of combos. Our next fight would involve choosing Superman who was given the Mortal Kombat treatment, as he too boasts the infamous MK uppercut. During the fight, we were able to pummel our opponent through a plethora of walls at the bottom of a building, until we arrived at the opposite side. So the stages don't just boast upper and lower sections, but also additional sections on the same level.

Visually, we liked the look of the fighters, even if the DC folk look a bit too Mortal Kombat-ish. The fighters were large and boasted solid texture details. We also liked the stages and their backgrounds. And we certainly liked the way Sub-Zero's ice blast looked.

All in all, this round of Mortal Kombat, while unconventional, may be the best one we've had in over a decade.

Related Game(s): Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

7/17/2008 Arnold Katayev

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