Mortal Kombat Vs Dc Games

1. Mortal Kombat Vs Dc Universe Free Games Online

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe playthrough_The Flash 2zporygon. Saltos na Mega Rampa com SUPER MOTOS - GTA V Mods - IR GAMES - Duration: 14:53. Mortal Kombat Komplete. Mortal Kombat vs. Developed by Midway Amusement Games. Published by Midway Games. Batman: A Visual History of the Dark Knight in Games. Watch Video Read Article. Title: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Video Game 2008) 7.1 /10. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. A Mortal Kombat game that has 26 characters and 4 hidden characters make this a killer game. Stars: Richard Divizio, Sal Divita, Kerri Hoskins.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (MKvs.DCU) is a crossoverfighting video game between Mortal Kombat and the DC Comics fictional universe, developed and published by Midway Games (their last entry in the franchise before they went bankrupt in 2009 and sold the franchise to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment). The game is also the eighth instalment in the main Mortal Kombat series, despite the story not being connected to the first seven games or any other game that was released after this one. The game was released on November 16, 2008 and contains characters from both franchises. Its story was written by comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. The game was followed by a Mortal Kombat reboot in 2011 and by Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013.

The game takes place after Raiden, Earthrealm's god of thunder, and Superman, Metropolis' defender, repel invasions from both their worlds. An attack by both Raiden and Superman simultaneously in their separate universes causes the merging of the Mortal Kombat and DC villains, Shao Kahn and Darkseid, resulting in the creation of Dark Kahn, whose mere existence causes the two universes to begin merging; if allowed to continue, it would result in the destruction of both. Characters from both universes begin to fluctuate in power, becoming stronger or weaker.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 and is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It is the first Mortal Kombat title developed solely for seventh generation video game consoles. Most reviewers agreed that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was entertaining and made good use of its DC Universe license, but the game's lack of unlockable features as opposed to past installments of Mortal Kombat and toned-down finishing moves garnered some criticism.

• 2Plot

Gameplay[edit]

The game features a story mode, playable from two different perspectives. The perspectives consist of one segment from the DC Universe side, and one from the Mortal Kombat side, each split up into various chapters.^[3] Depending on which side players choose, the characters from one universe see those from the opposite universe as the invaders of their own. The player has the ability to play as all the characters in the story mode at one point during development, but the story mode ultimately lacked story arcs for a few characters.^[3][4]Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe also contains a mode called 'Kombo Challenge', where players must perform ten pre-created combos of increasing difficulty.^[5][6]

Intertwined within fight matches, which are played in a 3D fighter style, are new gameplay modes, such as 'Free-Fall Kombat' or 'Falling Kombat,' which are activated automatically after throwing the opponent to a lower level in the arena. The players can fight in the air during the fall in a quasi-mini-game, with one player having to hit certain buttons to be above the other during the fall and land on the other player when the fall ends.^[7] 'Klose Kombat' is a mode the players can enter during a fight, causing the characters to lock with each other and the perspective to change to a close-up shot of the two, to make for an interval of close-quarters fighting.^[3] A 'Test Your Might' mini-game is also worked into the gameplay; while fighting in certain areas, the player can smash the opponent through a series of walls and engage in a tug-of-war with the damage meter at the top of the screen. The player on the offense presses buttons to increase damage given, while the player on the defense presses buttons to decrease damage taken.^[7]

Another in-fight feature called 'Rage mode' is introduced in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The Rage mode is governed by a rage meter placed below the player's health meter that fills progressively every time the player receives damage or attacks. Once the meter is completely filled, Rage mode can be activated and lasts for several seconds. Rage mode enables the player to break the opponent's guard on the second hit, prevents the attacker from experiencing hit stun, knockdown or pop-up, and increases the damage of an attacker's moves.^[7] During fights, characters show permanent signs of damage, such as bruises, scrapes, bleeding, and broken or torn clothing.^[8] All of the characters except Darkseid, Shao Kahn, and Dark Kahn have finishing moves; the Mortal Kombat characters and the DC villains can execute Fatalities, while the DC heroes can execute moves called 'heroic brutalities,' which function in the same manner but do not kill opponents, in order to stay in tone with the heroes who have an established reputation of never taking a life.^[9]

Plot[edit]

After Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm is halted by Raiden's forces of light, Raiden blasts and sends Kahn through a portal. At exactly the same time on Earth, Superman stops Darkseid's Apokoliptian invasion by blasting Darkseid with his heat vision as he enters a boom tube. These acts do not destroy either of them, but merge them into Dark Kahn, and causes the DC and Mortal Kombat universes to merge.^[10] As this happens, the characters' abilities fluctuate, causing violent 'rage' outbreaks that are actually the feelings of Dark Kahn being infused in the characters from afar. Because of this, certain characters gain either strength or vulnerability. This allows for such things as the possibility of Superman being defeated due to his vulnerability to magic, and giving the Joker the ability to fight skilled martial artists such as his nemesis Batman and Deathstroke. With each world thinking that the other is responsible for the merger, they fight each other until only one fighter from each side remains: Raiden and Superman. In the final battle, the two fight while Dark Kahn feeds on their rage. Both realizing that the other is not working with Dark Kahn, they overcome their rage for each other and defeat their fused enemy, restoring the two worlds to their normal separation.^[11] While everyone else has been sent to their original universe, Darkseid and Shao Kahn have been switched and are both rendered powerless. In the end, they both face eternal imprisonment in the other's universe; Darkseid is restrained in the Netherealm, while Shao Kahn is trapped in the Phantom Zone.^[4]

Characters[edit]

Development[edit]

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was Midway Games's last project before filing for bankruptcy and selling the rights to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2009.^[15] In February 2007, Midway Games announced they were planning a new game in the Mortal Kombat franchise, inspired by seeing a showcase of Gears of War. 'Mortal Kombat 8' would have been 'dark, gritty, serious' and a 'back to basics reboot' of the series.^[16] Eventually, during the planning process, a deal with DC Comics was made and this project was cancelled, thus leading to the development of a different game.^[17] An announcement in April 2008 confirmed the game as a crossover, and a trailer was released.^[18] The only notable aspect that remained from the original project was the use of the Unreal Engine 3, also used in Gears of War.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was co-published by Midway Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and was the final Mortal Kombat title to be developed under the Midway label prior to its purchase by Warner Bros. Interactive.^[19] Midway used AutoDesk software to develop Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, according to Maurice Patel, entertainment industry manager at AutoDesk,^[20] and Illuminate Labs products for lighting.^[21]

The use of a DC license in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe imposed some restrictions on the characteristic violence in Mortal Kombat games. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was thus restricted to a 'Teen' ESRB rating. Therefore, certain Fatalities such as Sub-Zero's 'Spine Rip' were excluded or replaced due to their graphic nature.^[22] In order to keep that rating, two of the Fatalities in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe were censored in North America.^[23][24] In the United Kingdom version of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, both the Joker and Deathstroke's first Fatality depict them each finishing their opponent with a gunshot to the head, both shown uncut from a distance. The North American version has the camera quickly pan toward the victor before the shot is fired, thereby cutting the victim out of the shot completely.^{[25][26][27][28]} Additionally, one of Kitana's Fatalities which involved impaling the opponent in the head and the torso with her fanblades was modified so that both fanblades impaled her opponent's chest instead.^[29][30]

According to interviews, the characters were chosen for their popularity, and for parallels between them from both universes.^[3]Ed Boon, creative director of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise, has said that some of the characters' abilities, especially those from the DC Universe, had been toned down to make them balanced within Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. For example, Boon specifically mentioned that Superman became vulnerable because of magic.^[31][32] Boon revealed that two new characters were developed as downloadable content, Quan Chi from Mortal Kombat and Harley Quinn from DC comics but had been discarded.^[33] He had also hinted earlier at the prospect of Kung Lao and Doomsday being downloadable characters.^[34]

For the release of the Kollector's Edition of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a new cover was created by Alex Ross. Also included in the Kollector's Edition is a 16-page comic book prequel, Beginnings, which was illustrated by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias.^[35]

Downloadable content (DLC) had been confirmed by Major Nelson, but was canceled due to Midway's financial issues.^[36] Ed Boon had stated that they would have been updating Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe periodically with new content all the way up to the release of the next installment of the Mortal Kombat series: 'I'd like to have [DLC] as soon as possible. I think that might be a great Christmas gift to reinvigorate the game'.^[37] Ed Boon said on his Twitter account that the plan for DLC had been scrapped, which occurred because, as clarified by 1UP, Midway had filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Warner Bros. Interactive after the suggestion of downloadable content.^[33]

Reception[edit]

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe received mixed to positive reviews from critics.^[40]Adam Sessler of X-Play stated: 'Whether it's a decade-late answer to the Marvel vs. Capcom team up games or an off-the-cuff boardroom joke gone wildly too far, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is destined to make just about anyone's shortlist of bizarre video game team-ups. Still, sometimes two disparate things can merge to create a unique synergy that makes the melding work, however unlikely it may have seemed at the outset.'^[47] In GamePro, Sid Shuman called it 'surprisingly enjoyable.'^[48]Wired.com's preview stated that the concept of the game was 'nose-pokingly ludicrous', noting that Superman's powers could be used to easily defeat a character with the comment, 'from Sub-Zero to Well-Done in eight seconds flat.'^[49]ABC News praised the game's story because it did 'a great job of giving players a cohesive, if far-fetched, story line that's fun if not engaging,' as well as 'comic book-like' dialogue.^[50]Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's Kombo Challenge mode was criticized as a thin and frustrating mode with combos that required very precise timing.^[6][42][47] The modes of Klose Kombat and Free-fall Kombat were praised as concepts but were criticized in their execution as they appeared to slow the gameplay down and took the player out of the fast gameplay experience.^[6] Critics noted that the change in the amount of gore was disappointing to longtime fans of the series who were used to the 'insane amounts of gore.'^[8]

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry approved of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe because of its departure from the earlier M-rated games of the series praising its 'simpler play, familiar graphics and adjustable gore content' but still not recommending it for younger players.^[51] In 2008, GamePro, ranked it as the 15th best fighting game out of 18.^[52]

Midway Games announced that as of January 26, 2009, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe had shipped 1.8 million copies since its release in mid November 2008, not including the sales of the Kollector's Edition.^[53] The chief operating officer of GameStop stated that the Kollector's Edition of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe made up 55% of the game's total sales at GameStop locations in its first week.^[54] In their 10-K filing, Midway Games revealed the title had sold over 1.9 million units, making it one of the company's most successful titles since 2002.^[55] According to Wired.com, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe also 'holds the distinction of being the most pre-orderedMK game of all time.'^[56] In a ranking by Rentrak, the Xbox 360 version of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was the sixth most rented game of 2009.^[57]

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References[edit]

1. ^Sinclair, Brendan (April 17, 2008). 'New Mortal Kombat details inKoming'. GameSpot. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
2. ^Miller, Greg (June 25, 2008). 'Comic-Con panel on Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
3. ^ ^abcd'GameSpot Video: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Video Interview 1'. GameSpot. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
4. ^ ^abMidway (November 16, 2008). Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Midway. Level/area: Story Mode.
5. ^Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Instruction Booklet, Midway Amusement Game, LLC, 2008, p. 13
6. ^ ^abcdMiller, Greg (November 15, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review'. IGN. pp. 1–2. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
7. ^ ^abcReynolds, Pat (March–April 2009). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Strategy Guide by Pat Reynolds'. Tips & Tricks. Larry Flynt Publications: 5.
8. ^ ^abcPetit, Carolyn (November 20, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review'. GameSpot. p. 2. Retrieved August 5, 2010.^{[dead link]}
9. ^'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Q&A - Xbox 360 News at GameSpot'. GameSpot. June 23, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
10. ^Vogel, John (w). Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe: Beginnings 1 (November 2008), DC Comics
11. ^Midway (November 16, 2008). Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Midway. Dark Kahn: On your feet! This battle is not yet over! You will fight! / Superman: Don't give into the rage, Raiden! It can be overcome! / Raiden: Focus..we must focus! / Dark Kahn: What are you doing?! / Raiden: If we fight together, we can channel his own energy against him! / Superman: Sounds like a plan! / Dark Kahn: Face each other, or face me, it makes no difference! You - will - fight!!!
12. ^McWhertor, Michael (July 25, 2008). 'Comic-con 08: Green Lantern, Joker Join MK Vs. DC Universe Line Up'. Kotaku. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
13. ^McWhertor, Michael (August 20, 2008). 'Games Convention 08: Wonder Woman, Raiden Two Of Four New Kombatants'. Kotaku. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
14. ^Purchese, Rob (September 12, 2008). 'Midway reveals MK vs. DC character List - Eurogamer'. Eurogamer. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
15. ^'Midway sale to Warner Bros. approved'. The Los Angeles Times. 2009-07-02.
16. ^Ransom-Wiley, James (February 5, 2007). 'Mortal Kombat 8 inspired by Gears of War, using Unreal Engine 3'. Joystiq. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
17. ^McWhertor, Michael (July 17, 2008). 'Ed Boon: We Scrapped Mortal Kombat 8'. Kotaku. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
18. ^Orland, Kyle (April 18, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe gets confirmation, trailer'. Joystiq. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
19. ^Molina, Brett (June 10, 2010). 'Warner Bros. bringing back 'Mortal Kombat''. USA Today. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
20. ^Cloutier, Ryan (September 24, 2009). 'Autodesk: How movies and games get made'. Blast Magazine. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
21. ^'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. Illuminate Labs. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
22. ^Shuman, Sid (November 13, 2008). 'Ed Boon talks Mortal Kombat secrets, MK vs. DC, and the future of M-rated fighters'. GamePro. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
23. ^Kelly, Neon (July 11, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Interview'. VideoGamer]. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
24. ^Williamson, Steven (November 10, 2008). 'MK vs. DC Universe U.S. version cut, U.K. gets more gore'. PlayStation Universe. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
25. ^Leahy, Brian (November 6, 2008). ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe' Less Censored In Europe'. G4TV. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
26. ^'Mortal Kombat vs DC 'Joker & Deathstroke UK Fatalities''. GameVideos. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
27. ^Williamson, Steven (November 10, 2008). 'MK vs. DC Universe Interview with Senior Producer, Hans Lo'. PlayStation Universe. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
28. ^McElroy, Griffin (October 26, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe toned down to keep T-rating'. Joystiq. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
29. ^Pigna, Kris (October 26, 2008). 'MK vs. DC Universe Gets Toned Down for T-Rating'. 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
30. ^McWhertor, Michael (October 24, 2008). 'MK vs. DC: The Joker's Fatality Gets T-Rated'. Kotaku. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
31. ^Pigna, Kris (May 8, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC to Feature Milder Fatalities'. 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
32. ^'Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe: Ed Boon interview'. CraveOnline. October 8, 1952. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
33. ^ ^abQuillen, Dustin (July 7, 2009). 'DLC for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Canceled'. 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
34. ^D'Alonzo, Mike (October 27, 2008). 'X-Play Goes Hands On With 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe' - G4tv.com'. G4TV. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
35. ^Dobson, Jason (October 10, 2008). 'MK vs DC Universe Kollector's Edition gets Alex Ross cover'. Joystiq. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
36. ^Hryb, Larry (January 28, 2009). 'Show #305 : The Maw and Ed Boon'. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2008. Ed Boon: Our goal right now is to provide at least one character from each side of the universes as a new character to play as
37. ^Walk, Gary Eng (November 17, 2008). 'Interview: Ed Boon on The Ups and Downs of the Mortal Kombat Franchise'. GameDaily. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
38. ^'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for PS3'. GameRankings. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
39. ^'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for X360'. GameRankings. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
40. ^ ^ab'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for PS3'. Metacritic. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
41. ^'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for X360'. Metacritic. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
42. ^ ^abReeves, Ben (September 22, 2009). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
43. ^Shuman, Sid (November 17, 2008). 'Review: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. GamePro. Archived from the original on 2008-12-16. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
44. ^'GameTrailers.com - Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Review'. GameTrailers. November 17, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
45. ^Gerstmann, Jeff (November 17, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe review'. Giant Bomb. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
46. ^Osborn, Chuck (November 19, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. Official Xbox Magazine. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
47. ^ ^abcD'Alonzo, Mike (November 17, 2008). 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. X-Play. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
48. ^Shuman, Sid (November 2009). 'Static'. GamePro. IDG Entertainment: 28.
49. ^Sjöberg, Lore (May 28, 2008). 'Fighting the Good Fight: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. Wired.com. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
50. ^'Video Game Review: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'. ABC News. November 28, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
51. ^'Child Psychiatry Group Approves Of Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe'. G4TV. November 21, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
52. ^The 18 Best Fighting Games, Feature Story from GamePro
53. ^Thorsen, Tor (January 26, 2009). 'MK vs. DC ships 1.8 million, follow-up incoming'. GameSpot. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
54. ^Remo, Chris (February 20, 2009). 'DICE 09: GameStop's Raines Talks 'Bullish' Retail Forecast'. Gamasutra. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
55. ^'10-K Filing that states MK vs. DC sold 1.9 million'. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 6, 2009. p. 5,6. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
56. ^Cavalli, Earnest (January 26, 2009). 'MK Vs DCU Success Guarantees More Mortal Kombat'. Wired.com. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
57. ^'Rentrak Announces Top Video Game Rentals of 2009 and Most-Advertised Titles Based On Its Video Game Ad Monitor Service'. PR Newswire. January 28, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.

External links[edit]

• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe at MobyGames

The MK and DC crowds are a surprisingly good combo, but questionable roster balancing keeps this enjoyable fighter from achieving greatness.

Mortal Kombat Vs Dc Universe Free Games Online

By Carolyn Petit @carolynmichelle on

In a way, it feels as if many fighting game characters have stepped right out of the pages of a comic book. They wear bizarre costumes, spend a lot of time punching and kicking other people, and possess inexplicable powers. Pitting fighting game characters against comic book heroes and villains has been done before, and in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the meshing of Raiden's crew and Superman's posse makes for some pretty exciting action--especially online. But even as the game moves the series back toward the fundamental strengths of Mortal Kombat in some ways, it departs from the series' essence in others. As a result, longtime fans may be left with mixed feelings, and newcomers drawn to the series for the first time by the inclusion of DC characters may find it hard to get a handle on things.

The story that explains just how these two distinct sets of outlandishly attired, superpowered beings clash is such pure, unabashed comic book silliness that you'll have a hard time not being won over. Simultaneous mishaps involving Darkseid in the DC universe and Shao Kahn in the MK universe result in these two evil beings merging into the exponentially evil Dark Kahn. Dark Kahn's power causes the two universes to begin fusing, and the heroes and villains on each side of the universal divide mistakenly blame the weirdos from the other side for invading their land. This merging of universes also causes severe imbalances in the powers of some characters, and serves as a convenient excuse for how the Joker can go toe-to-toe with Superman and have a fighting chance. As you play through the game's two story mode offerings, the flimsy excuses that cause the unlikely matchups almost become something of a running joke, and help make these modes fun for the few hours that they last.

Unless you've somehow managed to avoid playing a fighting game for your entire life, you'll immediately grasp the basic concept of MK vs. DC: punch, kick, throw, and otherwise bludgeon your opponent into submission before they do the same to you. While some Mortal Kombat games have offered two or three fighting styles per character, MK vs. DC does away with that, creating a back-to-basics feel that switches the emphasis back to the special moves that really differentiate the characters. And while the action takes place in 3D and you can move left and right in the environment as well as back and forth, sidestepping is slow and only occasionally useful. The majority of the action takes place on a 2D plane, which also contributes to the game feeling very much like a solid return to the roots of the Mortal Kombat series. The action is fast-paced, controls tightly, and is just a lot of fun.

With a total of 22 playable characters, the roster may be a bit short compared to what fans of the series have come to expect, but it makes up for that by making each character play very differently from the others. The 11 Mortal Kombat warriors on hand are all top-shelf, and while one or two of the DC characters may seem like odd choices the majority of them mesh surprisingly well with the MK crowd. While the powers of some DC characters have been toned down a bit as a result of that darn universe-merging fluctuation of energies, the characters themselves have been created here with a great deal of loyalty to the source material. Their personalities are intact, and the arsenals of special attacks at their disposal are impressive.

While the core gameplay is largely a return to the feel of the early Mortal Kombat games, there are some elements here that are pretty minor when taken individually, but add up to make MK vs. DC distinctly different from its predecessors. There are a few minigames that pop up when certain circumstances occur, and they all blend in to the action seamlessly. For example, if you're close to your opponent, you can attempt to grab him or her and initiate Klose Kombat. If you're successful, the camera will pull in, and for a short time, you can perform a variety of painful-looking moves by pressing one of the four face buttons. There's a great risk-versus-reward dynamic at play: your button presses are displayed onscreen, and if your opponents match them, they'll counter your attack with powerful blows of their own and escape from Klose Kombat in the process. It's a cool system that gives the attacker a decent advantage but still offers the defender a pretty good chance of turning the tables.

A very similar minigame is initiated any time one player knocks another to a lower level of the arena. As in Klose Kombat, the attacker can pummel the defender by pushing face buttons, and the defender can turn the tables by matching the attacker's inputs. In Free Fall Kombat, the attacker is able, after a damage meter has been filled to a certain point with standard attacks, to execute a special move that sends the opponent flying into the ground below in a particularly painful, damaging way. Like Klose Kombat, there's a good risk-versus-reward principle at work here, and the fact that these fisticuffs are taking place while the characters dramatically plummet through the air gives the action a larger-than-life, comic book feel.

Last and least among the minigames is Test Your Might, which occurs in certain areas when one combatant lands a powerful attack on the other and sends the opponent flying back against a wall. The initiator then charges at the defender and propels the latter through the walls of the office building or dungeon. Both parties then pound on the buttons as furiously as they can. If the attacker out-pounds the defender, more damage will be done, while the defender pounds buttons in the hopes of reducing the amount of damage he or she suffers. The simplicity of this minigame makes it less compelling than the other two, and only three of the game's 14 arenas have the horizontal arrangement for it, so it occurs far less frequently.

One final, important addition to the action here is the rage meter, which fills up as you take damage or are blocked by your opponent. Your build-up of rage can be used for one of two things. If the meter is halfway full or more, you can spend one full segment of it on a combo breaker, immediately putting a stop to the flurry of attacks your opponent is unleashing. If both sections are full, you can opt to spend the whole thing to enter rage mode, which allows you to pummel your opponent uninterrupted by his or her attacks and fight your way through his or her blocks, though you'll still take damage from any blows he or she lands. Either of these can turn the tables in a fight if used well, and since using rage for one purpose sacrifices your ability to use it for the other, this seemingly simple feature calls for some significant and often split-second decision-making.

On the default difficulty setting, the game seems to adjust dramatically in response to your skill level. Lose a match in the story or arcade modes a few times and it suddenly gets a whole lot easier, which means that players of just about any skill level can fumble their way through these modes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the game feel more like a brawler in which you can button-mash your way through just about anything, rather than a well-tuned fighting game that rewards precise, skillful play. This impression is deceiving, though, and upping the difficulty of the AI, or better yet, playing against other people, reveals the depth of a fighting system that's sure to please veteran fighters. With precise timing, you can chain together combo attacks that juggle your enemies in the air helplessly for a bit, but these are extremely difficult to pull off. Neophytes drawn to the game by the DC characters may find themselves a bit out of their league, and while there's a standard practice mode in which you can attempt attacks at your leisure, the finer points can be difficult to pick up without a proper training mode.

Of course, past Mortal Kombat games have been known as much for their over-the-top gore as for their gameplay, and for those fans who feel this is an intrinsic part of what makes Mortal Kombat what it is, MK vs. DC will be disappointing. While there are still ridiculous amounts of blood that go flying each time you so much as punch your opponent, you won't see any comically grisly beheadings, dismemberments, and other bombastic acts of violence that have characterized the series. The victor still gets the opportunity to pull off an extremely painful fatality or, in the case of the good guys on the DC side, a heroic brutality. Many of them are clever and funny, but they're still far tamer than what we've seen in the past. Ultimately, this change doesn’t impact the gameplay itself, but that gore is part of the MK experience, so the way it's been toned down here may turn some fans off.

A more material issue is the surprisingly limited amount of content you get in this package. There are the two stories that don't take you long to complete, and after you finish them, you'll have unlocked only two additional characters and seen just about everything the game has to offer. There's an arcade mode which, in typical Mortal Kombat fashion, has you fight your way to the top of a ladder, and in a nice touch, you can choose to have your opponents made up of exclusively Mortal Kombat characters, DC characters, or a combination of the two. But the short, disappointing endings you get for finishing arcade mode with any given character provide little incentive to come back to it much. There's also a mode called Kombo Challenge in which you pick a character and choose one of 10 combo attacks to attempt to pull off. At first glance, this looks like a useful mode to help newcomers pick up the finer points of the game's combat, but the timing required to successfully do even the easiest of the combos in Kombo Challenge is unforgivingly precise. With only 22 characters, 14 arenas, and no special costumes or anything else worth unlocking, the single-player experience dries up a little too quickly.

So ultimately, whatever longevity the game has lies in its multiplayer offerings, and playing the game with others, either locally or online, is great fun. There aren't any special modes available online. It's all just no-frills, one-on-one matches, which is really all you need. Xbox 360's online setup is a bit more fleshed out, with options to jump right into a ranked or unranked match, and a TrueSkill matchmaking system for ranked matches. On the PlayStation 3, you need to enter a lobby where you'll see a list of everyone else hanging out in the room, and you can challenge or accept challenges from the other players. In both cases, once you're actually down to the business of punching and kicking each other, the action plays smoothly, provided both parties have a steady connection. The only caveat about online play in our experience is that a disproportionate number of players are currently trying to rack up wins using the same few overpowered special attacks by The Flash (and a couple of other characters) ad nauseam, and while this isn't impossible to defeat, it sure is annoying. You might prefer to quit a match than bother with it when you come across such a cheap competitor, but doing so counts as a loss, and in the case of ranked matches on the 360, hurts your TrueSkill ranking.

The game looks great. The characters animate well, their attacks look powerful, and there's a consistency of design that helps make the bizarre crossover seem natural. There's an especially great detail to the game's presentation in the way that damage isn't just reflected in the energy bars across the top of the screen. As characters suffer attacks, their skin gets bruised and bloody, their costumes get torn, and by the end, if the loser put up a good fight, even the victor will look much worse for wear. Of the 14 arenas, most of them look pretty cool. There are a few Mortal Kombat arenas, but the majority of locales come from the DC side, or reflect a merger of the two universes. There's a devastated downtown Metropolis and a high-tech Batcave, among other noteworthy locations, and they're packed with details that will please fans of the characters. Dynamic elements such as the elevated train you see rattling below you as you plummet from one level of Gotham City to another also help bring the environments to life.

The game’s audio isn’t amazing, but it gets the job done--matches definitely sound like those in previous Mortal Kombat offerings, and the voice acting for the characters is solid, but sadly you rarely hear them outside of the cutscenes of the story mode. The music doesn't draw much attention to itself and isn't exciting enough to match the action. If you're trying to decide between versions, it's a bit of a toss-up. They both look and play pretty much identically. The Xbox 360's online system makes it more convenient for just jumping into a match, but the PS3's D pad is better suited to fighting games and feels more precise. The PS3 version has trophies to match the 360's achievements.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe feels a bit like a mutant of a game. On one hand, the fighting mechanics are solid and fun and represent a refreshing return to the fundamental strengths that made Mortal Kombat's gameplay so compelling in the first place. On the other hand, the shift in tone from completely insane amounts of gore to only outrageous amounts of blood will put off some fans of the series’ usual ultra-violence. Newcomers, on the other hand, will have little trouble button-mashing their way through the game's single-player offerings, but may find it difficult coming to grips with the more technical aspects of the gameplay necessary to get the most from the multiplayer. If the idea of beating the hell out of Liu Kang with Lex Luthor (or vice versa) appeals to you and you don't mind going online for serious competition, you'll find a satisfying fighting game in this strange but enjoyable crossover.