Worlds collide but ultimately leave you unfullfilled
MK vs DCU is an absolute tease.
The game proves that Mortal Kombat is back and far from over, yet instead of giving us a true MK game, we are treated to a mash-up.
Want to see Liu Kang bite Superman in half? Hah, you wish. While the DC heroic brutalities are entertaining, they aren't as savage as they could be and the game seems held back by it's teen rating.
Creator Ed Boon had to dumb the game down to please the DC suits, so gone are the ultra-vicious fatalities.
While the dissapointment that the MK side of the game isn't as violent as some would want, the truth is the DC characters are well executed and enjoyable. The DC characters have unique play styles and while MK fanboys may be wanting a true MK game, the DC fanboys might feel the same way.
Knocking MK vs DCU just because it's not a true MK game is not justified though. The game has a strong fighting engine, two decent story modes, online play and the versus action is still a blast. There is plenty to love in MK vs. DCU but it's far from perfect.
The problem lies in that the characters can be unresponsive at times, almost like controlling dead wood. The age-old issue of momentum still plagues MK (such as running and then suddenly stopping on a dime) and the new klose kombat and air kombat features are just distracting mini-games. They could have been pitched, but they do add a "oh snap," factor the first few times they occur.
The level design is somewhat boring as well. MK had great levels with traps and while the game is rated T and would never feature traps such as a meat grinder, a few electric fences would have been nice. The only real traps in the game are hitting someone off the arena to intiate klose kombat, or running them through a wall.
All in all, MK vs DCU is a great game to own for any MK fan or DC fanboy. While you might be wondering why some classic characters from each side were omitted, DLC is sure to fix that problem in the future. If you don't mind that MK vs DCU isn't the deepest fighter in the world, and that it is also lacking the vicious style of previous MK games, there is a lot to enjoy in MK vs. DCU.
