E3 2008: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Hands-On
We finally get our hands on Midway's fighter mash-up featuring Mortal Kombat and the DC Universe.
With the initial shock of its announcement now gone, Midway's upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe stands as one of the most anticipated entries in the Mortal Kombat series in quite a while. The promise of a revamped fighting system, a graphics makeover, and the chance to play as DC Comics characters, such as Superman and Batman, definitely has undeniable appeal. The big question now is: How does it play? We finally had the chance to start formulating an answer to that question thanks to some time with the E3 demo of the Xbox 360 version of the game. The demo gave us a modest slice of what the final game is going to offer; enough to keep us hopeful of the game's direction.
The E3 demo of MK vs. DC is very much a work in progress and features a handful of fighters and environments to try. We go to choose from six fighters total, three from each side. The Mortal Kombat characters on tap in the demo were Sonya Blade and BFF's Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while on the DC side, we had Batman, Flash, and Superman. There were three environments to choose from: a graveyard, hell, and Superman's hometown, Metropolis.
Before we start waxing poetic on how sexy the game looks--and it does--we'll give up the goods on how it plays: pretty well. Game director and MK creator Ed Boon told us that the development team is taking a back-to-basics approach to gameplay, which, to our eyes, has some heavy MKII influences. Characters have a set amount of special moves that you can mix together into combos of your choosing. You won't find MKIII-style chain combos that will clock up hit counts in the double digits; instead, you'll find combos in the three-to-five hit range. This is still being tweaked so it may change, but we have to say we kind of like how it's working.
Combat has a tighter feel to it, and it definitively feels like you have a lot of butt-kicking options. This time out, the team isn't thinking of the attack types in the same way it has previously. The low and high system that's been used before isn't quite as prominent. At the moment, the attacks are simply numbered one through four, with each one corresponding to a face button. The right bumper is used to grab and enter into the close combat fighting mode, while throws or attacks that knock you back a good amount appear to be what's needed to push you through the walls and kick off freefall combat.
Speaking of those new variations on combat, we had the chance to see how they worked, as well as try out a new "test your might" minigame (more on that in a bit). First, however, let's cover freefall and close combat. Freefall combat engages when you throw opponents through specific points in a level, sending them falling to a low part of the stage. As they fall, you'll automatically follow and get the chance to beat the stuffing out of them. Your attacks will fill a super meter. The interesting wrinkle to it is that hitting the right trigger will unleash a special super attack unique to the freefall mechanic. The damage it does is based on the fullness of the meter. While this sounds straightforward, the catch is that if your opponents get their timing right, they can swap positions with you and be the attacker, which lets them unleash their super move. Sneaky but cool.
Close combat has changed a bit from when we first heard about it. You engage close combat with the right bumper, which has you grab your opponent and causes the camera to come in close. You'll have a short span of time to either attack or dodge attacks; it seems like it's about three or four blows. Each of the face buttons does a unique attack, some of them awesomely brutal, which can be dodged if you time it right.
As far as the new "test your might" minigame goes, we have to say we're very pleased by how it fits in to the action. We stumbled on it in the Metropolis stage when we'd backed an opponent into a wall. After knocking him through the wall, our character, Superman, grabbed him and started running to the right, slamming through wall after wall. The sequence required us to mash face buttons, which upped the damage. Much like the sequences we just mentioned, it's a quick break in the fight. While the timing is being tweaked, we're liking how it works. You're not pulled out of the fight for too long and it all keeps you on your toes, adding a welcome unpredictability to battle.
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