*Originally published on 7/15/09
When I first tried to play this game, it was not working at all. I would spend at least half an hour turning my Xbox on and off trying to get the game to load. A couple of days ago, for no reason in particular, I decided to try and play the game again. I don't know why, but it works fine now. Now that I've had a chance to actually play the game, I thought I should post a new review to reflect the change in status.
I have to say, not having the game freeze up on me every five minutes makes the game a heck of a lot more enjoyable.
The story mode is divided into two parts. You see the events unfold from the perspective of whatever side you choose, for the full story, I suggest playing through both as I did. It's pretty neat how the events sync up.
As a DC fan seeing my favorite characters lose to weaker characters was somewhat unpleasant, Wonder Woman loses to Liu Kang? Yeah I don't think so. They do a fair job of providing an explanation for why characters suddenly become stronger than usual.
I enjoyed seeing the MK characters' response to Joker. Even with all the odd things they've experienced, the demented clown still unnerves them. Scorpion's reaction to the Clown Prince of Crime was pitch perfect. His expression doesn't change, but you can tell that his thought at the moment is "wtf?"
The game is fun and exhilarating, you really feel yourself getting involved in the fights you see on screen. At the same time it's surprisingly frustrating. When you hit a character, they stagger backwards, when they hit you you freeze in place allowing for huge combos. Watch out for Darkseid in Arcade mode, he can and will air juggle you any chance he gets.
The graphics are very well done and they really went into detail on the characters' appearance.
Two of the heavily advertised features are the Freefall and the Klose Kombat systems that pop up in fights. I've gotten the hang of the freefall, though I find that even after whaling on my opponent the whole time, they can still flip you around at the last second and dish out full damage. I've been having trouble getting the hang of the close combat. The screen will tell you to push a button and it will only result in you getting hit every time. I'll hit a different button and it will block the attack and counter. Some times it goes the other way and does work. I honestly have no idea how that works so I just push buttons at random.
It's not as gory as the other MK games, but there is some blood and the beat downs can get pretty brutal. Scorpion lights people on fire, Captain Marvel can electrocute people with lightning and both Darkseid and Superman can fry people with eye beams. No one's spine gets ripped out, but I think that it will satisfy longtime MK fans.
DC fans will get a kick out of playing as villains like Deathstroke or Joker, especially Joker. I always chuckle when I use the electric buzzer because Joker does a little victory dance while laughing. The downside is that after Joker wins, he stomps on the loser's genitals which makes me cringe every single time, literally every single time.
This game is quite enjoyable, frustrating but enjoyable. I highly recommend picking it up, though I hope you get one that works. I've noticed that it can be a stubborn game at times.
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