Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Publisher: Midway

Mortal Kombat makes a Next-Gen debut in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. While some fans may be worried that having a crossover title may water down the core of what makes Mortal Kombat what it is, they need not worry.

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe pits the characters of Mortal Kombat and the DC Universe against each other in a tale of the two realms colliding. With characters on both sides having no idea of why the two realms are merging or who the ‘invaders’ from the other realm are, the table is set for a struggle to stop a catastrophic event that will lead to the destruction of both universes.

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe has a story mode that is split into two halves. One half is the Mortal Kombat side and the other is the DC Universe side. Choosing either storyline will split up the game into multiple chapters. Each of these chapters will have you play as a different character as heroes and villains alike try to get to the bottom of what is going on with their realm and the threat posed by the merging of the universes.

As you play the story mode with each realm, you’ll only be able to see a small part of the role in which they play in the overall narrative. Only by completing the story mode with both universes, will you be able to learn the full extent of what’s going on.

The classic arcade mode is exactly as one would expect. The one slight deviation made here due to the crossover licenses is that after choosing which character you’d like to play as, you’ll need to choose whether you’d rather fight against Mortal Kombat characters, DC Universe characters or a mixture of both. Also, you’ll be able to perform fatalities in this mode as well (fatalities aren’t possible in story mode).

Speaking of fatalities, bringing DC Universe characters into the mix does change things a bit. While all the Mortal Kombat characters and DC Universe villains can perform fatalities, things are just a little bit different for DC Universe heroes. Instead of fatalities, they perform Heroic Brutalities. While they won’t kill their opponents with Heroic Brutalities, they will give them the beatdown of their lives. This had to be done to keep the DC heroes within the confines of their lore. You wouldn’t expect to see Superman kill someone after all.

The fatalities themselves have been watered down quite a bit. They’re much tamer than and not nearly as shocking as they used to be. While one could argue that we as a society have become accustomed to having a much higher tolerance for shock and gore, its simply a case of the fatalities being very mild to keep the ESRB rating as Walmart-friendly as possible.

Another worry some may have had about the game is that the DC Universe characters would play like already established Mortal Kombat characters. There is no need for Mortal Kombat veterans or DC fans to worry about that either. None of the DC Universe characters are mere palette swaps of Mortal Kombat characters. They all have their own styles and animations. While some may seem to share a similar basic stance, all of the moves are unique.

If the Mortal Kombat fighting experience has been your thing, you’ll find the gameplay to be solid. Even though the title is 3D, it takes place on a 2D plane. You can hold down a trigger button and move around freely, but the core mechanics are classic Mortal Kombat. The next-gen consoles have made the animations and attack transitions more fluid, but there are still the jerky and awkward movements if you’re not spot on with your combos. Nothing against this game so much as just a quirk inherent with the way the combos are handled in the franchise. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe is definitely a tighter experience when compared to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

Mortal Kombat has always had its own unique style and either people have loved it or hated it. If you didn’t like Mortal Kombat before, this is not the game that is going to make you change your mind. However, Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe does have enough going for it to satiate fans of the franchise.

If you’re of the DC faithful and want to play the latest videogame with your favorite characters, we recommend having a little taste of it first before wolfing down the whole meal. You just may find that the Mortal Kombat flavor is a delicacy that you can’t get accustomed to.