As a fighting game enthusiast, coming from Street Fighter 2, Original Mortal Kombat, to today's generation of fighting games (Street Fighter 4, MvC3, SFxT, etc) I have to say that this DC Super Hero version has met, and somewhat exceeded, certain expectations.
Now first off, I do have to say I didn't have great expectations to begin with, considering how MK vs DC was a bit under par. But certain previews at least gave me some hope. I'm also not some elite player in all those games, but I can pull my own weight to at least offer some perspective about certain fighting games. And based on what I've played so far, I was actually impressed. I'll try to note some of the highlights that caught my attention. I've just had time to beat the game in single player mode, so I haven't done a lot with multiplayer to comment on that yet.
This review may assist with someone still on the fence about the game, and wanting certain answers.
[GAMEPLAY Highlights]
- Fight style is very similar to Mortal Kombat, as one would assume. However, there is no more need for a block button. This time, just hold back (away from opponent). This makes it easier for new players, unfamiliar to MK, to pick up. Basically, allows for a larger audience. However, hardcore MK fans may or may not appreciate this.
- There is a meter bar that is built up with attacks. Up to four meters to be used individually for move cancellations, or full meter for Super Signature moves.
- Ability to cancel certain abilities/combos (uses a meter bar), helps to connect long chained combos.
- Basic combos are simple enough for newbies to make use of. But, it can get complex enough to keep the hardcore entertained in finding long combo strings.
- Meter bar also used for wager mode. While you're being chain hit, you can cancel the opponent's chain by initiating a "clash". During this phase you and the opponent place a "bet" of your meter. 1-4 of your meter to be used in the wager, against the opponent's. Once the wager is placed, the two figthers do a slow motion power clash. If the initiator of the clash wins, he/she gains a % of health based on the difference of the meter waged. If the initiator of the clash loses, then the opponent does an amount of damage that is the difference of the wager. However, this can only be performed once per character, within a game, and when you're down to your 2nd health bar. In-game should explain this more clearly, but it is a pretty nice touch, imo. Additionally, it can be used as a bait/psych move against another player. For example, you could choose to initiate the clash, and not wage any of your meter. Yet, your opponent might panic and wage all of his meter. You take some damage, but it may be worth taking that damage over possibly the opponent using their meter for more damaging combos or supers. And of course, whoever has no meter during this will automatically lose. Ties will just end up in a Tie with no damage nor health bonus.
- Rather than rounds, you have 2 health bars. This is great to keep the fight flowing. It wouldn't make sense for some voice to announce "ROUND 2", anyway. But once you deplete the first bar, there is a slight pause... kinda feels like you knocked the wind out of the other char, and he's regaining his senses. Something to note, with two health bars, it is not continuous. Meaning, if you do more damage than is necessary to deplete the first health bar, it doesn't carry over to the second health bar. So, you would be wasting a super when the opponent only has 5% left of their first health bar.
- Very interactive stages. This could be a hit or miss with the crowd, but I feel it's fitting for a Super Hero game. Certain objects in the stages can be thrown, activated, or jumped off of. For example, a hovering vehicle could be picked up in mid air and slammed at the opponent. A button on a panel would activate the missiles on the Batmobile. Some heavy objects on the stage may be picked up by a stronger character, but a more agile character would jump off it as a defensive maneuver. Objects thrown/activated this way is unblockable.
- Characters can also be knocked through walls to other sections of the stage. In the process you see them hitting various objects, which differs from stage to stage. For example, hit through a wall, into a helicopter, which then crashes into another area. The character does take damage along the way.
- Character specific special, activated, abilities. One button is assigned for this, and it can be activated any time when it's off cooldown. Every character has a different ability. IE: Batman activates radio controlled Batarangs that circle around him. These can then be use to shoot at the target, or create a defensive barrier. Green Arrow just shoots an arrow when pressing his button, but if you did a half circle back + button he loads up an ice arrow head. Next time you press that button, he shoots the ice arrow which freezes the opponent briefly. Another motion would load up fire arrows. Doomsday activates power armor that decreases damage for a short period. All these abilities do have a cooldown, amongst other conditions. Another nice addition for this type of game, imo.
[STORY LINE Highlights] **** Warning - Spoilers ****
I feel they presented the story mode very well. I actually felt like I was part of the story. And personally, I think the story was well written for a game of this sort. If you think about it, how in-depth of a story line do most fighting games have? Street Fighter 4... Story? A few short animated scenes maybe.
Basically, the story is based on the comic line where Super Man is drugged and mistaken Lois for Doomsday. He unintentionally kills Lois, and his unborn son, which triggers a rigged nuclear explosion, all thanks to the Joker. Super man pretty much goes insane and kills Joker, and all goes downhill from there. Superman goes vengeful mode and pretty much becomes a conqueror of Earth. This happens in another dimension.
Around the same time, in another dimension (the Good Superman), a similar incident is in progress where the Joker is about to set off a nuclear bomb. Right before that happens, part of the team gets teleported into the "Injustice" dimension, and that's where the fun begins.
During all this you get to play different perspectives, starting with Batman. Throughout you will transition to different character's points of view and play as those characters, split into chapters. Between scenes, the story does take its time to build everything up, and present decent cut scenes. You don't just go fighting the next guy right away. And the cut scenes actually have very decent fight cinematics. There's clearly well done martial arts motion-caps that happened in this game. For example, apparently Aquaman and his guards know Wu-Shu... who would've thunk.
There are also mini games in the story mode, which adds a nice touch. Not all will agree, but it's not bad. I can see it being a bit repetitive if you play through the story mode a few times. Those mini games are part of the story transitions. For example, Grundy is coming at Green Arrow. You're viewing Green Arrow from a 3rd person perspective and controlling his arrow targeting. You have to hit the things Grundy is throwing at you, while trying to hit Grundy. Or you're Joker and you're throwing explosive playing cards at Nightwing. You have to press buttons in certain sequences that popup to succeed. Fail too much and the fight begins with you having less health.
In the story, it does explain how all the characters can fight on equal terms. They swallow a pill that has Kryptonian characteristics, which increases strength and durability by a few thousand percent. HOWEVER... if I must nitpick... it still doesn't explain how bullets can still hurt characters like Superman or Doomsday. The bullets weren't modified, yet Deathstroke can hurt all the characters the same with his guns. And, although Aquaman's Super looks great with a giant shark biting into the opponent... it certainly shouldn't hurt Superman... unless the Shark took the pills too. Now granted, you don't really fight Doomsday or Superman in the story, as Deathstroke, but the point stands when you're fighting in other modes. It's just one of those nitpicky things.
The entire story line took about 3.5 to 4hrs for me. It would be faster if you can quickly beat through all your opponents. But as you switch off to new characters, and being a new game, it's a learning curve. Although, if you do want to go through the story mode quickly, just set the AI mode to easy. But I do have to say, that was a pretty long story to play through for a fighting game. However, I think it is fitting since it is telling a rather long story.
Personally, I think the story line was decent enough to have made a movie/animation out of it. So having that in a fighting game was a nice bonus.
[SINGLE PLAYER MODE Highlights]
I didn't get to go through all of them yet, but you do get a training mode where you can practice. There's also a STAR Labs Mission mode which tells Superman's side story while giving you goals to achieve. (IE: Being affected by Kryptonite, you can't get hit by CatWoman for 20 seconds - and try to get bonus pts by doing certain combos to her). It works as part training and entertaining achievement challenges.
There's also other modes, like fighting all the villains only, super heroes only, survival mode, poison mode, etc. There are more modes that I haven't unlocked yet.
[CONS]
Some combos did seem a little clunky at times. For example, I was doing a combo like, low, med, (fireball motion) heavy. But instead of registering the fireball motion heavy, it did a fireball motion med.
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