It's hard to pin down where MK vs. DC fails in the visual department, but I'll give it a crack. Yes the character models are the most detailed in the series. Yes, all the DC characters are faithfully created. Where the game looks less than next gen is the textures. While far away they look nice enough, but up close they are a nightmare. The animations are smooth, but ala Mortal Kombat, the transitions between moves look rushed and don't quite sync, which makes the final result seem jerky. This was all fine and dandy years ago, but when you play games like Soul Calibur IV or Virtua Fighter 5, you definitely expect more in the smooth animations department. On the plus side, the back drops look fantastic, replicating not only the best levels of Outworld but also the DC Universe, and a combination of both at times. Of course the mass majority of the levels are DC heavy, so if you are in this for Mortal Kombat specifically, you may feel like you get the short end of the stick.

The series' gratuitous violence was toned down in MK vs. DC due to the DC license, so those who were hoping to rip out Batman's spinal cord will sorely be disappointed. Of course this game still isn't quite for the kiddies as there is still plenty of blood and gore detail and the results are fairly accurate and quite morbid. That is not to say that the MK crew has lost its mind and has forgone fatalities all together. They are still here, but are more like the Brutalities we remember from MK 2 and 3. Thankfully they weren't nuts enough to bring back the Animalities and Babalities.

The fighting mechanics have thankfully gone away from the broken style introduced in the last incarnation MK Armageddon and have gone back to a more “old school” style as found in Mortal Kombat 2. To die hard fans this is a plus as pulling off special moves, stringing together combos, and wreaking total havoc is as simple as a few button presses. This also may be an issue as I personally feel that the team isn't taking the series anywhere new. I'm a fan, but after 15 plus years of playing the same way, I'm starting to grow tired of the same old routine. This is a franchise that can really benefit from something new and can reinvent itself again, especially with the new tricks in technology today. I just hope they figure it out before the name becomes obsolete and people no longer care.

Where Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fails miserably, in this reviewer's opinion, is the total lack of depth and replay ability the game offers. You are offered a Story Mode, an Arcade Mode where you can play single or multiplayer, or the Online Mode. That's it. Yes there is a practice and Kombo Mode option, but they are just habitual control modes that are pointless. No real unlockables, no crypt, no cool extra modes, no online tourneys, not even a way to replay movies you've viewed throughout the game. I know the developers want to call this game “a rebranding of the franchise”, but at least give gamers something to keep coming back for.

It is really hard for me to recommend Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe outside of the crowd it is trying to pull in. Unless you are a MK fanboy (and I mean so die hard that you don't care if the game is the same old song and dance) or a DC fanboy who wants to see where the writers take their beloved superheroes, then this game is a rental at best. Hell I'm a fan of both, although not die hard for either brand, and I still couldn't find myself very interested in the final result. If you are going to “re-invent” yourself as they say their direction was, then don't half ass it by adding a comic franchise. Change things up, make the game more capable of taking advantage of today's technology, and for the love of crumb cake, don't dumb down what draws a good majority of your bloodlust fans to you. If you do all that, then you get…well this game.