'Mortal Kombat' is truly a product of the 90s and the series is starting to get a little long in the tooth as far as I'm concerned.

I don't have a problem with a new game coming out, but I'd be just as happy if they never made another one. It just doesn't seem relevant anymore.

That being said, 'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe' is a competent effort at bringing the series back in the spotlight. Having the 'Mortal Kombat' characters mix it up with the heroes and villains of DC Comics seems like a fairly decent, if oddball, idea.

So anyway, the deal is at the end of the last 'Mortal Kombat' game primo-baddie Shao Kahn is killed by the Thunder God, Raiden. Far from being a good thing, this act causes the MK and DC universes to collide and sets the stage for the unexpected match ups.

As far as fighting games plots go, 'MK vs. DC' has a lot more thought put into it than most, but it's still pretty low quality and there are a number of continuity gaffs and "Oh, come on!" moments. Still, it serves its purpose.

When you start the story mode, you get to choose between fighting for the DC side or the MK side. The story remains the same regardless, simply showing the events from different perspectives. Who you play as is fully determined by the plot, so as you complete the campaigns you'll get to fight at least once as every character.

Speaking of characters, the roster is a bit more streamlined that before, but it's actually a change for the better. Palette swamped characters have been dropped and the remaining crew offer a nice variety of fighters.

On the MK side, fan favourites such as Scorpion and Baraka get the nod, along with Jax, Kano, Kitana, Liu Kang, Raiden, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Sub-Zero and Sonya Blade. DC gets Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, The Flash, Catwoman and the usual choices of Captain Marvel, Darkseid and Deathstroke.

It's a balanced crew, with enough unique attributes to make them all seem different.

The game features a few innovative techniques to differentiate from other fighters. These come in the form of Klose Kombat, Freefall Kombat and Test Your Might. Klose Kombat and Freefall Kombat are essentially the same thing. They work kind of like a throw move coupled with a quick time event.

What happens is, if your Kombat move is successfully executed you need to input a preset combo of button presses. Do this successfully and you inflict massive damage. If your opponent does this to you, again you get to input a combo of button presses; success means you defend yourself from the assault.

The difference between Freefall and Klose is that in Klose you are both standing up and in Freefall you are falling off a cliff or something.

Test Your Might is much cooler. On certain levels you'll get the chance to smash your opponent through walls. It's basically a tug of war, as you ram your opponent through wall after wall. The loser takes the brunt of the blows and has a damage multiplier applied to them according to how well they did. It's to fun to watch, and goes a long way to showing how powerful some of these guys are.

And then there's Rage mode. This is not a particular unique feature for a fighting game, but in 'MK vs. DC' it totally unbalances the game. Every blow you take will increase your Rage meter. Once it's full, you can activate rage mode, which makes all of your attacks unblockable.

This is such a cheap addition because it gives one player a huge advantage and it's immensely unfair. The skilled player who manages to wear his opponent down is now completely on the defensive and is effectively at the mercy of his weaker opponent.

Online play is available, pretty stable and straightforward. You can challenge anyone in a lobby and they can choose to accept or decline. Re-matches can be requested, when bouts are over. Fighting a human player really elevates the game as strategies that normally work against AI-controlled players rarely works on humans.

As for the game's signature fatalities go... well, 'Mortal Kombat' is officially neutered. The outrageous, over-the-top gorefest that is the series' signature is completely toned-down in this instalment. It doesn't affect the gameplay in any concrete way, but it just feels wrong somehow. And having the DC Comics heroes perform the "Heroic Brutalities" instead of fatalities comes across as just another cop out.

Visually, the game is OK. It's actually pretty "so-so". There's nothing wrong that you can see; it just isn't very eye-catching. Everyone looks like they're supposed to, but the visuals seem to lack that special something. Sound includes "Get over here!" therefore it is perfect. MK fans will know why that is important.

The decision as to whether you buy this game or not rest on how much of a fan you are of either 'Mortal Kombat' or DC Comics. On its own merits, it's just not that great. The fighting is competent enough and the online play is stable, but the overall package just seems to lack... something.

The bottom line is there are better fighters available, such as 'Soul Calibur IV'. And if you aren't a fan of that game, you're probably still better off waiting for 'Street Fighter IV'.

6.9/10

Buy this game: PS3 | Xbox 360