What’s up people? I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but I’ve had some things going on. Trying to figure out this school thing and still maintain a decent level of sanity is a tough thing to do. I’ve been inspired recently by someone I know who does this for a living to give it a try. I’m gonna review some stuff and try to save you guys from from wasting money, or even worse, time. Some of my personal views on unrelated subjects may creep through, but I’ll keep most of my personal posts on another part of the blog. Either way, you might hear some controversial stuff coming from me. I can’t help it. Hopefully someone will understand my views and see where I’m coming from. Hopefully some of you won’t. I want to promote thought and rational discussion…and in the process have a little fun.
Aight, now that that’s out of the way, I’m gonna review something:
Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe(Xbox 360)
We all Remember Mortal Kombat. I mean, I can’t have been the only kid that stumbled across this machine at the bowling alley and to my surprise, saw what appeared to be real humans completely annihilating each other can I? All I know is that I was instantly a fan. And I wasn’t the only one. Mortal Kombat became famous almost overnight due to public outrage from the religious groups who tried zealously to have the game banned. We all know how well that technique worked for gangsta rap. Indeed, the same result occurred here: Mortal Kombat has spawned at least 7 games, 2 movies, action figures, a cartoon, comic book, etc. These characters are true American icons when you stop and think about it.
What can I say about the DC Universe that fits into a paragraph? Not as much as I want to, trust me. Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern. These are classic characters that have been around for sixty years. I was skeptical of even renting this game but my curiosity overwhelmed me. I was intrigued at the idea of being one of them in a fighting game for the first time ever. Would the makers of the game screw up not stay true to the characters? And then I wondered what Mortal Kombat fans must have thought: “Wait a minute, how does the other side even stand a chance?”
I was actually insulted that a mere human like Sonya Blade could even attempt to fight Superman, a solar powered bullet-proof alien. But the storyline explains how it might be possible in a satisfactory manner. You see, the two Universes in the game are merging. The MK Universe is one that’s based in magic and Superman’s particularly vulnerable to magic. It actually weakens him. So that explains why he can get harpooned by Scorpion’s signature move and not have the blade bounce off. Hmm. That was actually pretty clever. Now I could focus on the learning the controls.
The game uses your four face buttons as punches and kicks. The right trigger blocks, and left trigger lets you sidestep around the ring if you wish to do so. It’s all very intuitive. You’ll be pulling off moves in no time. The timing window for combos is pretty strict though. When you see a good player (or the computer lol), kicking your ass in the air for 5-10 seconds, you’ll appreciate how skillful he or she is. But by no means is this a game that only pros will enjoy, and that’s because the gameplay itself is just so much fun. Anybody will be able to pick this up and have a pretty good time.
To my surprise, this game was good as hell. All the characters played exactly like you’d think they would. Superman is extra strong, so he’s naturally the slowest. He’s got lots of grapple moves. The best one is where he inhales you, tosses you in the air, and spikes you like a volleyball into the pavement. Very cool stuff to watch, I assure you. Batman has all kinds of cool tricks at his disposal like batarangs that fly offscreen and come back and hit your opponent in the back of the neck. Flash is incredibly quick. His best move leaves your opponent spinning in the middle of the ring unable to block at your complete mercy. I strung together a 19 hit combo off it yesterday. The MK characters I don’t use very much because I just don’t think they’re as cool. I’ve played against all of them though. Liu Kang still has all of his signature flying kicks along with high and low fireballs to confuse your opponent. Raiden and Scorpion border on being overpowered. Those dudes have teleports that let them escape pretty much everything. Maybe I just haven’t figured out the trick to beating them yet. But this game is a blast to play. Characters match up well against each other, and everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Except for Catwoman, who has no strengths. None that I’ve yet discovered anyway.
I almost forgot, there are Fatalities in this game. Yup. Fatalities. Raiden can grab Batman by the neck, charge up, and fry him. Scorpion can do his “toasty” move and burn Lex Luthor to a crisp.
What’s funny is that on the DC side, due to what is obviously a contract clause, the DC characters do not perform fatalities. “Boo” you say? What if I told you that you could do “Heroic Brutalities” instead? I knew that would cheer you up. The DC characters get filled with so much of what the game calls “Rage” that they lose control and become brutal. But they do not kill. So if any of you guys have parents out there that won’t let you get this because there’s killing on it, tell them that that’s not really true. It’s worth a shot at least. Examples of said brutalities include the Flash creating a whirlwind that sends you flying into the air and letting you drop while he poses for the camera, and Superman pounding you into the concrete until only your arms and head hang out. The DC villains have fatalities still. The Joker actually shoots you in the head with a gun. It’s crazy. Anyway, the game has less violent fatalities than many of the prior games (where if you ask me they started getting ridiculous). These are still fun to watch though.
I have to give this game a final ranking of 8.5/10. That’s a high ranking for me. I’m not gonna give out too many of those. But this game is just so much fun that I have to give it up. The makers of this game went out on a limb, but the two fanbases have made this game a huge seller. I tried to buy this at Christmas and no store I went to had any in stock. I couldn’t even get my fix at Blockbuster. Even if you aren’t into fighting games, this one’s worth a look. It merits a rental at least. Check out some Youtube videos if you aren’t sold. Play it with your friends. I dare you not to get excited when either of you smash the other into a series of walls or fight while falling from a building. And I dare you not to talk trash. This game’s fun ya’ll.
8.5 out of 10
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