Support NeoGAF

[McBradders]

I don't know what stupid shit you are referring to, and are you honestly going to compare the excellent gameplay of Street Fighter to the mediocrity that has been the Mortal Kombat series with the exception of UMK3. Now I'm not hating on MK vs. DC, but lets be honest the gameplay has never been anything more but a shallow gorefest that derives most of its fun from mere shock value and ridiculousness. Street Fighter IV looks to expand on the deep core gameplay of Third Strike, and requires tenfold more strategy to be highly competitive, which is why Street Fighter tournaments have always been the bigger of the two. I don't think you should even mention the two in the same breath.

I'm not talking gameplay, per se, anybody who honestly considers MK to be a better fighter to SF is smoking some crazy shit and should probably be left to fester in whatever basement they have been dwelling in for the past 20 years.

When I say 'stupid shit', it's fair to say SF IV has its fair share. Examples being the crazy facial expressions, some of which are just... well, let's just say hit and miss (Personally I think they're great), as well as the apparant throwing out of the over-arching Street Fighter narrative, a huge fat dude complete with hilarious jiggly belly, the Luchador chef etc. What MK vs DC is doing is no worse than any of that, really. People openly embraced X-Men vs Street Fighter and the subsequent iterations, Mecha-Akuma... all kindsa stupid, retarded shit that was fun as hell and now MK is doing something remotely similar it seems to be the in thing to sneer at it and just call it retarded. It's sad. The game has a lot of positive buzz from the press and personally I think this is going to be one of this years more fun games and hopefully a solid foundation for the MK franchise that can be iterated on, successfully, for a few years.

 

[akachan ningen]

I was under the impression that MK games still sold pretty well, despite GAF's general disdain for the series.

Anyone got actual numbers?

They do sell pretty well in the heartland. I don't see how that's relevant though. btw, it's not just GAF's disdain, it's anyone who plays fighting games even semi-seriously. Go to other site's forums and see for yourself.

When I say 'stupid shit', it's fair to say SF IV has its fair share. Examples being the crazy facial expressions, some of which are just... well, let's just say hit and miss (Personally I think they're great), as well as the apparant throwing out of the over-arching Street Fighter narrative, a huge fat dude complete with hilarious jiggly belly, the Luchador chef etc. What MK vs DC is doing is no worse than any of that, really. People openly embraced X-Men vs Street Fighter and the subsequent iterations, Mecha-Akuma... all kindsa stupid, retarded shit that was fun as hell and now MK is doing something remotely similar it seems to be the in thing to sneer at it and just call it retarded. It's sad. The game has a lot of positive buzz from the press and personally I think this is going to be one of this years more fun games and hopefully a solid foundation for the MK franchise that can be iterated on, successfully, for a few years.

The difference is that the "stupid shit" in capcom games is on the surface and does not affect the gameplay in any way. The stuff MK does just tries to cover up the lacking gameplay. I'm not gonna start listing generalities though. I'll rent this game so I can properly pick it apart later.

 

[McBradders]

The difference is that the "stupid shit" in capcom games is on the surface and does not affect the gameplay in any way. The stuff MK does just tries to cover up the lacking gameplay.

Not going to disagree with you there. I never suggested that, as a fighting game, it was going to be better.

 

[Lost Fragment]

They do sell pretty well in the heartland. I don't see how that's relevant though.

It's not relevant because I'm not even following the eternal "MK sucks!/No it doesn't!" debate. People think that Midway is resting its hopes on MK vs DC's sales, though, so it's relevant to that.

 

[akachan ningen]

Not going to disagree with you there. I never suggested that, as a fighting game, it was going to be better.

I didn't say you did.

It's not relevant because I'm not even following the eternal "MK sucks!/No it doesn't!" debate. People think that Midway is resting its hopes on MK vs DC's sales, though, so it's relevant to that.

I see. Well, I think this is first time a MK is coming out during the holiday season. I think most of the target audience will either be playing Gears 2 or Resistance 2.

 

[neorej]

It's not relevant because I'm not even following the eternal "MK sucks!/No it doesn't!" debate. People think that Midway is resting its hopes on MK vs DC's sales, though, so it's relevant to that.

The most recent game I played from Midway is Blitz: The League 2 and it's pretty awesome, but it's missing that last polish that would make it a great game. If Midway has it's hopes on MKvsDC, and I don't know if they are, they should make sure that last bit of polish is applied. MKvsDC has the potential to be every bit of awesome, and considering they returned to the 2D gameplay, assuming they went back to the original fightmechanics, it should be very sweet. But all these things just need that last bit of polish to make it stand out and sell extremely well.

 

[Captain N]

I see. Well, I think this is first time a MK is coming out during the holiday season. I think most of the target audience will either be playing Gears 2 or Resistance 2.

I don't think that Midway is going after the same Audience they did with past MK games. I've seen a number of mothers pre-ordering this for their 10 or 12 year old. This game will likely sell close to 2 million holiday for that reason alone. DC will help this game sell. I think you will see a big shift from the guys who used to buy MK to the parents who get it for holiday gifts. Midway will probably see 100 parents buy it because it's rated T for every one person who doesn't buy it for the same reason. A T rating was a smart move and will help it sell that much more.

 

[fernoca]

Regarding the sales data:

• Nope, is not the first time a MK game is released during the holiday season.
• The last 3 main MK games (Deadly Alliace, Deception, Armageddon) were released between October and November.
• All 3 games ended in the Top 10 sales in their respectives NPDs.
• All passed the million units with no problems (in a few months), even Armageddon on the Wii, on PAL regions managed to end in the Wii charts when it debuted (back then).
• Worldwide sales (combined /in millions rounded because I lost the actual numbers from the other computer but I posted them some time ago)- Deadly Alliance: 4.5, Deception: 3.5, Armageddon: 3.0

The series does sell, even Shaolin Monks managed to break a million with no problems...(then again even Mythologies sold over a million, and both movies debuted at #1..)

Someone asked about "other modes" like time trial o something...., there's a quite long training for each character, there's the arcade mode and there's a "combo mode" of some sorts..

 

[tribal24]

i got the game playing through it right now cutscnes are good and cheesy it works combo system has potential

 

[SapientWolf]

The most recent game I played from Midway is Blitz: The League 2 and it's pretty awesome, but it's missing that last polish that would make it a great game. If Midway has it's hopes on MKvsDC, and I don't know if they are, they should make sure that last bit of polish is applied. MKvsDC has the potential to be every bit of awesome, and considering they returned to the 2D gameplay, assuming they went back to the original fightmechanics, it should be very sweet. But all these things just need that last bit of polish to make it stand out and sell extremely well.

The last few games had pretty good production values. The problem is that Midway doesn't know their niche. The MK series will never be as deep and nuanced as a Japanese fighting game, so instead of sticking to the formula they should move in a completely different direction. One that emphasizes the simple, brutal fun the series offers. For example, a 4 player online beat-em up with the Shaolin Monks fighting engine would be pretty awesome. But I don't see myself putting too much time into MKvsDC because I've played similar games that were much better (like Bloody Roar, Rival Schools, or even Killer Instinct 2).

BTW, Blitz League 1 costs less than a happy meal. Is it worth buying that or should I wait for a price drop on League 2?

 

[outsidah]

anyone found a copy yet? Stores got them in already

 

[tapedeck]

i got the game playing through it right now cutscnes are good and cheesy it works combo system has potential

Where'd you get it?

 

[DihcarEM]

Will definitely be getting this, too bad i have to wait another week(PAL release).
Impressions from those that have it would be much appreciated.

 

[Monocle]

I'd really like a demo for this game. I'm not interested in picking it up or even renting it right now, but a demo would help me decide if I should check it out later.

i got the game playing through it right now cutscnes are good and cheesy it works combo system has potential

Better than Deadly Alliance or Deception in that respect?

 

[outsidah]

I'd really like a demo for this game. I'm not interested in picking it up or even renting it right now, but a demo would help me decide if I should check it out later.


Better than Deadly Alliance or Deception in that respect?

$50 at CC at launch if you want to take the risk.

 

[agrajag]

I wish I had a PS3 or 360 so I could play this :-(

 

[Guy Legend]

I'll be buying it on Sunday or Monday, but my HDTV is out of commission so I'll probably end up waiting a little while before playing.....*argh*

 

[tribal24]

ok now that i played it for awhile time to talk about it. Well the game is pretty bare in features like it olny has story, vs arcade, ***** challenge and practice. The story mode for me the CS were very cheesy but enjoyable olny ended it with dc side though so olny saw there CS. Graphics are pretty decent envoirments are bland , now onto the gameplay well to me the game is pretty good gameplay wise the game is very basic but its also combo heavy,like i can do one special move into another as long as i can keep them in the air pretty impressive when you start doing all the moves correctly. Also of what i played the game is almost lagless online yes almost lagless it feel completly like im playing single player.Honestly it doesnt matter if the game doesnt have those flashy fatalitys. For what the game is its very fun


also i love catwoman in this game

 

[tapedeck]

IGN Review is up: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/929/929012p1.html

Video Review: http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/853444/mortal-kombat-next-gen/videos/mkvsdc_vidreview_111408.html

7.5 Presentation
Batman and Scorpion do battle as you navigate the menu, and the story is explained well through cutscenes. I could do without between-mode load screens. The online lobby is a bit bare.
7.5 Graphics
I dig the tearing costumes and bruising, but there are goofy clipping issues with capes and whips. The actual characters look cool, but the backgrounds can be crappy -- just look at the Batmobile.
7.5 Sound
The music is just generic, but the sound effects for Batarangs and fireballs sound good. The cries of characters doing Supermoves can get repetitive and some of the voices are a bit too cheesy.
7.5 Gameplay
It's Mortal Kombat for better or worse. Moves sometimes feel sluggish, but the cool ones make up for it. Free Fall Kombat and Klose Kombat deal damage but don't always look great doing it.
7.0 Lasting Appeal
Sadists will find the Kombat Challenge enough to keep this disc spinning and there's bound to be an online community, but others will feel like they've seen it all pretty quickly.

7.5 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

 

[fernoca]

Nevermind.

 

[Phloxy]

I got it early (360). I'll be writing a more in depth impression later, but so far, it is much better and fluid than the last archaic clunky games, and so far it is much more fun. Which is what matters a lot when playing a fighter with friends.

Be back later with more impressions, going to go through story mode a bit more.

 

[The-Switcher]

This would be an instant buy for me, if it wasn't bogged down with lame DC characters.

Seriously. I'd rather just a new mortal kombat with this fighting system.

Still, I'll rent, as it does seem fun.

 

[JdFoX187]

I have it being shipped to me, won't arrive until Monday though

I love me some Mortal Kombat, glad to see the franchise has gone back to its roots, somewhat. I could not stand Armageddon and I tolerated Deception.

 

[kbear]

ok now that i played it for awhile time to talk about it. Well the game is pretty bare in features like it olny has story, vs arcade, ***** challenge and practice. The story mode for me the CS were very cheesy but enjoyable olny ended it with dc side though so olny saw there CS. Graphics are pretty decent envoirments are bland , now onto the gameplay well to me the game is pretty good gameplay wise the game is very basic but its also combo heavy,like i can do one special move into another as long as i can keep them in the air pretty impressive when you start doing all the moves correctly. Also of what i played the game is almost lagless online yes almost lagless it feel completly like im playing single player.Honestly it doesnt matter if the game doesnt have those flashy fatalitys. For what the game is its very fun


also i love catwoman in this game

Good news about the lag-free online play. 90% of my time after beating the story modes will be put into online and local play. That's why I don't agree with IGN's complaint about content and how it's probably just worth a rental... the online / local play is gonna provide tons of hours of replayability.

 

[Bog]

I've been playing on and off since Friday. The gimmicky random button pressing segments do sort of ruin the flow of the fights and can almost completely randomize some of them. Not a serious fighter, but still a lot of fun with 2 people. I do wish the Story modes were as involved as the previous versions, though. As it stands, they take about an hour to 90 minutes to play through (I've only finished the Mortal Kombat side). Oh and one other thing - The Flash and The Joker are fucking awesome.

 

[ragingadamo]

Good to see some favorable first impressions. I am interested to see how well it does sales wise with so much competition.

 

[Anyanka]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pIwcoEURI
Apparently the first infinite has been found and from what I've heard from testing it can NOT be teched or even broke by breakers. Only way out is to activate Rage and jump away.

So fitting it's Superman. What Superdickery :lol

 

[SapientWolf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pIwcoEURI
Apparently the first infinite has been found and from what I've heard from testing it can NOT be teched or even broke by breakers. Only way out is to activate Rage and jump away.

So fitting it's Superman. What Superdickery :lol

Broken on day 1 then. Now I know why Capcom spent so much time playtesting SFIV in the arcade.

 

[shuri]

can be patched. This isnt 1995 anymore

 

[Anyanka]

Even if that's patched like 10 minutes from now it's a sad sign of things to come.

This guy has all the finishing moves up.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MKvsDCSpoiler

 

[SapientWolf]

can be patched. This isnt 1995 anymore

Yeah, but if you never connect your console to the interwebs you will have a broken game that will always be broken. And I predict there will be a lot of those people thanks to the XBox's sub $200 price tag.

Although you would have to be a pretty huge douchebag to abuse the move so maybe home players can police themselves. Still, judging by how incredibly simple the infinite was, it's not a good sign.

 

[Dead Man]

Yeah, but if you never connect your console to the interwebs you will have a broken game that will always be broken. And I predict there will be a lot of those people thanks to the XBox's sub $200 price tag.

Although you would have to be a pretty huge douchebag to abuse the move so maybe home players can police themselves. Still, judging by how incredibly simple the infinite was, it's not a good sign.

If you only play at home the solution is simple... punch the guy IRL if they use it. If you play online, it will (hopefully) be patched. Problem solved.

 

[Halvie]

$50 at CC at launch if you want to take the risk.

$50 at all CC? Their site says $59.

 

[BradVanDam]

I got a chance to put in about 3 hrs into this game tonight, its return to form.

Jobber and Outcast GTFO.

This is my favorite game of 2008 over MGS4, Fable 2, Gears 2, Fallout 3 and Mirrors Edge.

 

[Halvie]

noob question, but does this play alright with the regular six axis? Don't have the cash for a stick right now.

 

[BradVanDam]

yeah man plays great i played both versions of the game and it plays pretty good i enjoy it on both platforms but 360 was the ultimate choice for me because I can play my friends in the uk and battle my friends in USA and Canada too. However if you dont care about playing your Pal friends then PS3 will do you good, plus it has the better Dpad.

 

[McBradders]

yeah man plays great i played both versions of the game and it plays pretty good i enjoy it on both platforms but 360 was the ultimate choice for me because I can play my friends in the uk and battle my friends in USA and Canada too. However if you dont care about playing your Pal friends then PS3 will do you good, plus it has the better Dpad.

So are can you play on the stick or Dpad or just dpad?

 

[Halvie]

yeah man plays great i played both versions of the game and it plays pretty good i enjoy it on both platforms but 360 was the ultimate choice for me because I can play my friends in the uk and battle my friends in USA and Canada too. However if you dont care about playing your Pal friends then PS3 will do you good, plus it has the better Dpad.

I am gonna try and pick this up in a couple hours. Probably won't be any good for a while because I haven't played a MK game since III, but my PSN name is SirHalvie if you want to play later today.

 

[GCQuinton]

$50 at all CC? Their site says $59.

It's in the new weekly ad circular. I'll be picking it up from there in a few hours.

 

[Fatghost]

Just beat the story mode with the DC side.


This is the first MK game I've played since MK3 btw, but this is like the anti-Marvel vs Capcom.

Where MvC had essentially no story at all, but great gameplay, this game is all story with a mediocre at best game tacked on.

Controls are unresponsive, almost feels like input lag at times, animation is jerky and stilted, aside from special moves, every character has the same kicks/punches/jump attacks/throws with a few exceptions here or there, combo system seems ok, and the throw/combo breaker system seems ok, but the 3D movement system isn't very intuitive.

The story, cut scenes, and acting are pretty good for this, so from a comic fanboy perspective the game has potential.

I'd say wait until this is 15 bucks or less if you want it for the story mode.

 

[GuessWho]

wow some of the worst fatalities i have ever seen.

 

[Magik]

I see the MK franchise continues with the corny endings yet again. =\

 

[Prime crotch]

wow some of the worst fatalities i have ever seen.

True, even gametrailers community doesn't like them, how can you have a fatality where Baraka doesn't mince his opponent?

 

[Kingpen]

wow some of the worst fatalities i have ever seen.

The main reason I won't buy. If this was a mature MK in next gen, I don't care who the fighters were in it, I would have bought day one. I've seen clips of some of the fatalities (including Baraka's), and wonder why they don't just have him kiss the opponent as it would be more gruesome then what they included.


I will probably check out on a price drop next year.

 

[The Main Event]

I'll stick with MK2 thank you.

 

[Guy Legend]

Will be buying tomorrow, but probably won't play for a week or two since my HDTV is currently out of commission....

 

[Ninja Scooter]

yeah the fatalities/brutalities look fucking terrible.

 

[Anyanka]

Playing it now. Sucks. It's not "back to it's roots" or like MK II/UMK3. Do not be fooled by fans kidding themselves. This is the MKDA engine with the movement controls changed to be more 2D.

Controls are unresponsive, almost feels like input lag at times,

Yep. It's because Midway doesn't understand frame advantage. It takes 20 years to recover from everything. You hit someone with a quick jab string and instead of having advantage you both wait a year and then are even. It makes the whole game feel super sluggish and unresponsive. Even if you don't understand frames you can feel the problem with this game.

 

[robot]

Does it at least play decent with a stick?

This went from potentially buy and see how good it is, to potentially rent and see how bad it is.

 

[riskVSreward]

Playing it now. Sucks. It's not "back to it's roots" or like MK II/UMK3. Do not be fooled by fans kidding themselves. This is the MKDA engine with the movement controls changed to be more 2D.

Yep. It's because Midway doesn't understand frame advantage. It takes 20 years to recover from everything. You hit someone with a quick jab string and instead of having advantage you both wait a year and then are even. It makes the whole game feel super sluggish and unresponsive. Even if you don't understand frames you can feel the problem with this game.

As if "back to it's roots" is even a good thing.

I could never understand how Midway couldn't get the basics down in every single MK game. You'd think they would start hiring programmers who worked on other fighters, or at least enjoyed playing them, Mortal Kombat always feels like it was taken out of the oven too early. After 15 years of this shit, I can't help but feel that it's intentional.

I'm glad theres murmurs of it already being broken, I can't confirm for myself if it's just exaggeration but I wouldn't doubt the game is broken top to bottom. Not that 85% of the user base would even notice, they just wanna dial up some fatalities and watch teh uber-gore.

Maybe then, after all, it is returning to it's roots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8xgIMNeZDc

Stupid broken piece of shit.