Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universeby Jennifer M. ContinoReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 5 I really wanted to like Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe a lot more than I do. The last time I played a MK game was with the Super Nintendo system. I loved that game. I know it was mindless violence, but there was something satisfying about beating the snot out of people. But I had high hopes for this game, with its intricate storyline and stakes. However, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I kind of was hoping more for a Naruto type game, where you have quests to complete and things that need to be done, and, incidentally along the way, you encounter people you need to fight. This had a story progression, but that was mostly beyond your control. You'd have cut scenes in "story mode" where the characters would tell you what had happened or what was going on. Then it's back to bumping into someone, fighting, and moving on to the next battle. After playing exceptional fighting games like Soul Calibur and Dragonball Z, this kind of paled in comparison.I probably would have liked it a lot more if I could have gotten through some of the challenges or performed some of the fatalities and brutalities. Even on the "very easy" setting, it was impossible to hit the buttons fast enough to perform the acts. And, after playing the game online and comparing games with most of the people I played with, I discovered that the majority of those players didn't have the "Achievement" for fatality or brutality. Plus, hardly any of them had the challenge Achievements either. I found it next to impossible to press the button combos on the screen to get any challenge Achievement. All I got was frustrated. And, younger gamers I know couldn't complete the challenges either. Plus, when you have a very easy setting the gamer should almost feel guilty playing on that setting, but if you have to struggle to get through things on that setting, something is wrong. I do applaud the developers though for giving us the option to play the game without blood. I think all games of this nature should have that option included, and a way for parents to turn that feature off permanently. I did like the variety of characters included, even if it did seem a little one-sided with the majority of DC villains being Batman related. I would have liked to have seen a few different characters on the hero side used than the ones we've seen in games before. But, overall, I thought the selection was great. I don't know a lot about the Mortal Kombat universe, so I couldn't comment on those characters, but think comic fans will be happy with the characters included. I just wanted a little more from the story and a little more variety in the Achievements. I think these game developers, who are all experts at the game play, should have some regular people of all ages, try the games and give them feedback on frustrations and expectations. Written: January 13, 2009
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