SDCC: Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe Explained
The biggest North American comic convention wraps up another show. The hall is closed and the lights are off. But the videos from the show floor live on.
Way back when Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe was first announced fans worried that Superman would be a horribly unbalanced character. A veteran reader of many Silver Banshee attacks Superman storylines, I speculated that since the Mortal Kombat universe was steeped in magic, this would explain how Sub-Zero could freeze Superman or Scorpion could set him on fire. Turns out I was right.
Midway has released the video shown (seen below) at San Diego Comic-Con where creator Ed Boon explained to fans how his guys can beat up their guys. And it looks amazing! The video also explains new in-fight mechanics: close combat and free fall combat. Also in the video were fights featuring Batman, Flash, and Catwoman.
No word yet if the villain from the Superman Returns movie shows up: A rock. A really big rock.
I have to admit, I'm not a big "Mortal Kombat" kind of guy. I never knew how to key in any of the "secret moves." I do remember the Mortal Kombat arcade game from 15 years ago or so. I remember watching kids play and the game had this taunt, "FINISH HIM!" You would score bigger points if you could violently kill your opponent with your last move. If you could rip out their skull and spinal column and then whip the lifeless body with it before it fell to the ground, ooh that was BIG points!I can appreciate the level of technical skill and detail that went into creating a fighting system that combines Mortal Kombat and DC Characters. I can see that the Mortal Kombat GAME DESIGNERS have tried hard to stay faithful to the DC Characters' powers. But that's not the same as staying true to the characters. I just don't think that Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman or the Flash live in a "FINISH HIM" kind of world. So many stories have been themed to have the HERO turn away from violence for violence sake, or violece for retribution. Superman and Batman have been taunted many times with "FINISH HIM" or "FINISH ME!" The Hero has generally SAID, "No." That's how things end for Batman AND The Joker in the movie, "The Dark Knight."Then again, it doesn't make for a good video game if the voice taunts, "INCARCERATE THEM," "PUT THEM IN ARKHAM" or "REHABILITATE THEM!"
The DC heroes don't kill. They took a lot of flak for that. In "Batman: The Cult" Bats has been shown to never kill, but he's not above making his enemy feel some pain.
This game looks good, although I foresee a migraine after playing more than half-an-hour at a time. I think it could also get dull fast, unless gamers play against their friends or online. For me, Mortal Kombat was always a distant second to Street Fighter II, mostly because the controls felt unnatural, especially having to use a button to block an opponent's attack. Holding the directional button backward, as in SFII, seemed so much more intuitive.