Preview: Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (360)

With a whole host of characters from the DC and MK worlds fans of each will be well catered for, but the main worry with fans (particularly the MK ones) is how much blood and gore can they expect in a game that has been rated T (Teen) in America. While fatalities are said to be intact it’s unknown whether they’ll be similarly bloody as in the MK of old. The censors had already come down on the Jokers fatality, which is disappointing considering it was one of the best things we have ever seen.

However it begs the question of the DC characters role in the final moments of each fight. Will you really be able to do pull the arms off of Superman, something that doesn’t quite stand with the mythology unless the perpetrator has kryptonite infused arms. One thing that is for certain though is that the DC heroes (which includes the likes of Flash, Green Lantern and Batman) won’t have the trademark fatalities, but brutalities instead. Being heroes they’re obviously against death, so it’s a suitable replacement for them.

Intertwined with the fights there will be elements new to the series. "Free-fall Kombat," which is activated automatically after throwing the opponent to a lower level in the arena. Here you can fight in the air during the fall (as seen in the teaser trailer), which will build up their super bar. When a player's super bar is full, they can activate a special move which slams the opponent on the ground. The other is called "Klose Kombat," which is a mode you can enter during a fight, causing the characters to lock with each other and the perspective to change to a close-up as the two players pummel each other. In addition to that fans of the classic Test Your Might mini game will also be catered for.

Ed Boon, co-creator and executive producer for Mortal Kombat at Midway Amusement Games in a press release went onto say, "It is a truly unique and extremely exciting effort to be teaming up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics for the first Mortal Kombat game on next generation platforms,” He also followed with, "The DC Universe characters are some of the most popular and enduring characters in the world. By combining them with the Mortal Kombat mythology, all new gameplay modes and features, plus a completely unique storyline crafted by top comic writers, players will now be able to answer the question: what would happen if Batman fought Sub Zero?"

While this is a question we can’t quite remember on the playground, it’s certainly an interesting prospect. We can only hope it lives up to the standards of the two legendary franchises involved.

Words by Adam Gulliver