MK isn't really like other games. It's less about being amazing at fighting games and more about just beating the shit out of each other. It's always fun, whether you win or lose.
As for this latest installment, it really does take me back to the old days when I was pumping $20 allowance a week into the arcade machines on MKII and MK3 (and Killer Instinct, coincidentally). The thing is that it's not really a fun game if you are playing solo, which is something that franchises like Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter have tried to change. However, with online play in most fighting games now, your only real limitation is an internet connection. The few matches that I've played on Live were pretty solid with little lag, and the structure of the lobbies is pretty cool. The Chat Room matches are pretty cool, as you can just sit and chill in a lobby and shoot the shit with a bunch of MK players, and then someone can challenge you to a match. It's almost like playing Poker on Yahoo! Games. lol
I can easily see this being an MK game that people hold onto for a good amount of time. Sure, with SSF2THDR out, MK vs DCU has some competition. However, it really does help revive the franchise rather than drag it down further. There's more of a focus on the combat in the game and making it interesting and fun rather than trying to play up the spectacle of what MK is all about (and obviously with DC characters, you can't really get too gory or anything). However, the game feels pretty brutal still, even if the fatalities and brutalities are on the weak side. Whatever, though. The fighting mechanics are the core of this game, and I think that they really stepped it up to where the game needs to be in order to move forward. MK was a series that never worked well in 3D, and Boon was always trying to make it a franchise to compete against Soul Calibur and Tekken and Virtua Fighter. Unfortunately, that 3D focus made the fun factor go bye-bye. Now that we're back on a mostly 2D plane, man...it just feels so tight. The ridiculous combo systems are gone and we're back to special moves and just beating the hell out of each other.
I would say that you need to give it a rent if you aren't a loyal MK fan or a fighting game fanatic in general, but the overall package is something that I've personally found to be very gratifying. Unfortunately, I'm just stuck on so many other games right now that I don't have the time to dump into it like I would've back in the day.
Damn that Left 4 Dead...
Log in to comment