Parents' Guide to

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Good fighting game more or less lives up to the hype.

Game Xbox 360 , PlayStation 2 2008
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Joshua H.
Joshua H. Parent of 18+-year-old
June 26, 2020
age 16+
Female characters' outfits are too skimpy

This title has:

Too much sex
nuenjins
nuenjins Parent
January 15, 2018
age 10+

The most digestible version of Mortal Kombat cuts down the gore for younger comic fans.

You hear Mortal Kombat and it's synonymous with gross out exploitation an highly suggestive outfits. However, introducing comic heroes has caused the gimmickry of past MK games to be more focused on solid mechanics and gameplay rather than cheap thrills. Having played and hated previous MK titles, I was pleasantly suprised at the lack of cheap AI difficulty and spam maneuvers that made the past games often feel rigged or generic aside from it's novelty gore. Although the story is decent, this is obviously only set as a backdrop as to why these ridiculous match ups are even taking place, but the combat is executed so smoothly and so well that it rivals Street Fighter on a technical level for the first time with much more attack variety and balance than any MK before it. Although it shows it's age a bit with other, newer DC fighters and MK titles, this is arguably the most robust roster as a 'greatest hits' album parred down to the most likable and sharpest characters from both worlds. Fatalities are replaced with 'brutalities' but the familiar game style has been rebooted to something much greater than all it's predecessors which spawned a better standard for both franchises and a new beginning to lay down the groundwork for future titles. I would never suggest an MK game for younger gamers, but this is the one exeption in case your preteen or tween is itching for one, possibly as a compromise.
See all 9 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Consider it a battle between two billion-dollar franchises: Midway's Mortal Kombat warriors -- such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero -- face off against DC Comics' iconic superheroes including Superman and Green Lantern. Now available for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE is a fighting game that features signature attack styles and special moves, multiple solo and multiplayer game modes, and more than a dozen environments (including the Batcave). More importantly for comic book enthusiasts, perhaps, is an intertwining story line penned by the Mortal Kombat creative team in collaboration with celebrated comic book writers Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Marvel Nights) and Justin Gray (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, JLA Classified).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (37 ):

We loved the concept, but how does it play? Well, for the most part. Controlling the 22 characters is fairly simple on the surface, allowing you to jump, kick, punch, and perform deadly finishing moves, but skilled players can take advantage of more advanced moves and combos for added depth. In other words, you can "button mash" and win a few rounds, but in order to really get into the game, you'll need to learn moves such as Batman's "Ducking Gut Punch" (down arrow on the d-pad and the X button on the Xbox 360 controller), the "uppercut" (down arrow on the d-pad and Y button) and "Vengeance" (X, X, Y). Players can also modify the game controls in the Options menu, if desired.

Multiple game modes will also keep players busy. Single player options include Story, Arcade, Practice, and Kombo Challenge, the latter of which allows you to tweak your skills with a favorite character by performing increasingly tough combo moves. Two-player modes are even more fun, whether you're against someone sitting next to you or over the Internet. Some new game-play additions are met with mixed success: "Free Fall Kombat," for example, has players matching an attacker's button moves displayed on screen to become the victor rather than the victim, but this minigame of sorts feels out of place from the main fighting mechanic. Overall, though, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a decent fighting game that, while not groundbreaking, successfully blends these two worlds and delivers an intense and attractive combat experience – especially for fans of Mortal Kombat.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether or not this Mortal Kombat game is as fun as its predecessors despite the less graphic violence. (We think so.) Perhaps other "Mature"-rated franchises could follow suit?

Game Details

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