P.S. I did not post any pictures, because they're all over the net.
Mortal Kombat: if you've looked back at my past reviews/previews, you'd see that I've been solely dedicated to this fighting franchise, and not just for the singularity feeling of going head-to-head in a classic, updated fighting game, but for the overall expansion of the Mortal Kombat world that has taken this mud ball by its reigns and said: "Whoa, hold it right there, now see this? This is how a fighting game is made." This is the definitive fighting game on the planet, and people ask, how did this one beat out all the others when it comes to fighting games? I mean Capcom, SNK, even Neo-Geo have their classics, but Midway's Mortal Kombat is the game franchise you think of? Even games like Soul Calibur, and Bloody Roar ( in my opinion, Bloody Roar is an actualy technical fighting game, where button mashing and spamming do not pay off) fail to compete with this game that is over 15 years in the making? Well, because the story never goes stale, and the kombat system is what others strive to be, yes even Street Fighter.
Unlike Guilty Gear, KoF, or even Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat made the best jump from 2-D to 3-D of any of the above named fighters. I'd throw in Bloody Raw and Soul Calibur into that line-up, but those two were already three dimensional games, and are also top tier franchises. For more information on Mortal Kombat's significance in video gaming history, please refer to the earlier posts.
Now, when I think of Mortal Kombat, I think of three things: 1. Story, perhaps the most important aspect I find in the series, and where Armageddon failed me, but that's another story. 2 Control, I want to be able to have quick reactions, and not deal with the same three-hit combos spammed to hell in every damn match against Scorpion. The controls need to react fast, because that's how the fighting genre is, speed and skill against defense and reaction. Finally, I want characters: Above 20, below thirty, but 10 is a reasonable amount to really show-off whether you know how to play, or just spam characters until they shoot out a fireball.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was a fucking joke when I first heard the announcement, about four-to-five months ago. That's when I was bored and decided to check out Midway's homepage in hopes of a new Suffering game to preview, but alas, I see Batman and Sub-zero squaring off. It was a few weeks before April Fools' so I figured it was Gamepro doing a gag, but they already set up the Zelda film, which I admired through the creativity that went into that faux trailer. Nope, Midway was not following in the Gamepro footsteps, this game was coming out whether I liked it or not, I expressed my utter hatred for this game, and I am not picky I disliked Marvel vs Capcom as well, because cross-overs are nothing but unimaginative games pieced together to make a quick buck off of old content.
Then I heard that it was canon! This game is canon to the story, as it takes place between MK I and MKII, which was also the early and mid-nineties, the rise in DC comics were going up with Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and Todd McFarlene working on different Batman comics, revitalizing the franchise from near death, and shitty films. Remember, the Michael Keaton Batman came about this time as well, so it was desperately needed. That is probably coincidence, rather than playing to the Golden Age of DC revitalization.
I was not happy about this at all, I mean as someone that knew Special Forces was a bad idea, felt that this game in-particular would flop like a fish on scalding glass. I also suspected that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was TIme Warner sticking their nose in Midway's business, but I saw potential after not just the renders, but the fact that fatalities were specific to certain characters. After the last three games (MK: DA, MK:D, and MK:A) The fatalities were becoming more and more broad, and the characters were based more off fighting style and either good, bad, or neutral. So when I saw that the fatalities/brutalities, would be specifically picked because of either a hero of villain, I saw the possibilities of a future game (MK 8/9 depending how you are counting) as it would play out on the next gen consoles. What irritated me is that this game should've came afterwards, and was done obviously because of the next few years in film. DC is struggling to regain its dynasty from the conquering Marvel franchise, and impending superiority of Dark Horse with Hellboy, and the ever-present Image comics with Spawn. DC Universe is another game based on DC that is coming out like an MMORPG style game, and that is also because of the revival of not only Batman in The Dark Knight, but the next Superman movie in Summer of 2009, the green lighted production of a Green Lantern film, and the big Justice League movie to conclude in 2010 or 2011. Marvel is ahead of this game with an Iron Man movie, an Incredible Hulk movie, and possible upcoming Captain America movie, and Spiderman 4. These movies, in-turn lead into an Avengers film. Marvel Wars is probably the kickstart to all these happenings.
Back to the game, and why I feel it was a bad idea: See, you have these two franchises, and just how they're both suppose to be playing out towards the video game medium, and the theatrical medium, and both together are like mixing pizza with ice cream, only a few sickos are going to enjoy the taste. Midway did this because of the fail attempt to win their fans with Armageddon which they knew was hype, and even admitted to leaving out important areas, while never giving us bios, or closure. So instead of fucking up the next canon game in the present timeline of Mortal Kombat, they're going back to the glory days of MKII, which is considered to be the game's high-point.
The story they came up with is unoriginal, and really lazy: the two world's collided, and now MK and DC characters are battling it out because they can, and it's not even like the tournament is happening, it's just like this: "Hey! It's batman, he's like my opposite" says Sub-Zero. "I have to kick his angst, anti-social ass back to Gotham City where he can nightcap with Vicky Vale, and over-analyze simple tasks." Yeah...Sub-Zero and Batman....long lost twins, sort of like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito in the movie Twins. Of course Scorpion and Superman have to duke it out, I guess both are complete opposites because.......yeah, still trying to grasp a hold as to why these two are paired up to battle it out, makes my brain hurt, so I'll go play pong for a while.
Yeah, this game is sad, I mean it's really, really sad, there's no beacon of light at the end of that lighthouse, it's just a lighthouse that's beating it's window-paned face on the wall trying to figure out why the hell this game was made.
But then, I saw a tiny flame, I saw it budding across that dark palette of suck ocean, and what came back was the smile and laughter of a clown. A deranged, psychotic, whacky clown that SHOT KITANA IN THE FUCKING HEAD WITH A PISTOL!
The Joker's fatality, is by far one of the sickest things I've ever saw, I mean it's the Joker, nothing better could sum him up. First he pulls out a pistol, shoots the opponent, and out comes confetti and a "BANG" flag. Opponent is like "WTF?" then he pulls out another pistol and just point-blank shoots them in the FUCKING HEAD....yes, I'll say it again out comes pistol, shot in head, and I say "MK vs DCU, I'm in love with you, please, take my hand in geek, comic-book guy nerdiness marriage".
So despite flaws, characters most of us had to research to know who the hell they were, which I'm glad to have done, Shazam is an interesting Superhero, despite being a blatant rip-off of Superman...or is it vice versa, sorry, Marvel fan here. This game has potential, sure it's not what the fans wanted, but if they allow creative freedom on all parts. (DC writers are working with Boon and company on this project) it could be a good vanity piece for collectors down-the-road. If Boon doesn't fuck it up, we might have a play-worthy game on our hands.
I've had the chance to sample a bit of this game at Comic-Con this year, but seeing the drastic changes to the game since then (i.e. new characters) I just hope they spruce up the lucidity of the controls, and for PS3 use the Sixaxis controller in some way, maybe test your might? That is all easy programming though, and may be a last-minute surprise. I've pre-ordered the game, and expect to get it at least two days ahead of the curb, as I am also reviewing Street Fighter 4 here, and in an indy magazine put out by gamers. Leipzig showed us that all MK characters, except Johnny Cage will be in (As of now) and that characters such as Wonder Woman, and Deathstroke, what else could we see from this game that seems to continue to surprise, and mesmerize both sides of the fan base spectrum? Perhaps we'll never know, but in the upcoming months leading the the November 10th release, Mortal Kombat vs, DC Universe will be one game fans will need to play, as this can be a turning stone in the series as we know it; I mean, look at what happened to Street Fighter after Marvel vs. Capcom... give it a thought.
Now, Mortal Kombat 8, or 9, however you count it, I count it eight because of this game, but in the line of games, it will actually be MK 13, 14 counting MK: Unchained for the PSP, but you get the gist. Mortal Kombat 8 for all intent purposes, should be to the PS3 as Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was to the PS2, granted, it was a great game, but it also laid the path for Deception, perhaps the best game of that console. New characters are a must, especially female characters, I think they are under-appreciated in MK games, and feel that they can be just as original if not more original than the male characters. Mortal Kombat 8 will take place right after Armageddon, so we're guaranteed to be saying good-bye for a while to some of the classic characters that have died off in Armageddon *Note: no characters have yet to be canonized as dead, and/or gone from the Mortal Kombat Universe, so it's still anyone's game, but don't expect Scorpion to be biting the dust twice, he's still going to be there, unless Boon completely shocks the hell out of me and puts him off for now, but he's not gone for good. The story mode will follow along the lines of what we've seen in the past, but I'm hoping for less sandbox, more story, maybe something like a Mortal Kombat: Reconciliation game, where we all get to start back at square one, and not let emotion run the tourney, but rather have the fights be for the sake of humanity, and play that battle out on an epic scale with CGI galore, you can have perhaps the most intense MK game if you try hard enough and make that sparing effort.
In hopes of a future game, I do hope that MK DOES NOT, I repeat DOES NOT go the way that Bungie did, and create an RTS style game, as it will be like turning Tetris into an RPG, or Final Fantasy into an FPS....oh, sorry, FF XIII already did that from the looks of the game.
MK on the PS3, the real MK will be worth waiting for, Boon is making a promise, and knowing him, he'll not keep it, but Ed Boon also knows this story as it's his lifeline, and if he cares about the $60 bucks of not just my money, but the hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the world that adore MK, he'll focus on a good story, and great fighting.
Check out my upcoming posts on future video games, music, technology, and of course, literature/books. Thank you for reading Malacast Editorial, and hope you've enjoyed your stay.
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