hen I arrived at the Midway booth, I had only one mission: to check out MK vs. DCU. However before I got my hands on the game, I made sure to get in some face time with the development team in order to get some of my burning questions answered.

The quick Q&A turned out to be pretty informative. First, it was explained to me that a total of 10 DC Universe characters will be included in MK vs. DCU; Superman and Batman being revealed early on. I was told that the remaining characters will be picked by way of popularity in the DC Universe, so those of us in the office expect Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to make an appearance. Flash, Catwoman and Captain Marvel were revealed during my hands-on time, with Liu Kang, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Sonya Blade and Sub-Zero confirmed for the Mortal Kombat side.

We then talked a bit about the original concept of the game and the involvement of DC during the development process. Surprisingly, I was told that DC was on board with the project from the very beginning – that they did not need any convincing in order to accept the partnership. Evidently Midway and DC had been looking for an opportunity to work together for some time, and the Mortal Kombat franchise seemed to be a good fit. Still, even with DC’s enthusiasm for the title, they had to lay down some ground rules for their beloved characters. Each of the superheroes can only perform moves in the game that are grounded in the reality of their specific comic. Meaning that Batman can’t do anything inhuman, Flash can’t kick, and Superman has to stick to his already wide arsenal of established attacks. As far as the Mortal Kombat characters go, they have both new and traditional attacks at their disposal while fighting

Similarly, it was decided right away that the game should remain Teen rated. Both sides were in agreement that letting Superman rip off Sub-Zero’s head would not be kosher with DC fans. Needless to say, blood is at a minimum with this title. Even with that in mind, I was surprised to see the progressive character damage done to the DC combatants during the demo. Superman’s eye began to swell and bruise, and his suit tore a bit with each attack. They even let Midway put a large rip through his iconic S symbol. Evidently DC was a bit hesitant about this feature at first, but when Midway explained that it would only make sense for damage to be distributed equally between characters, they conceded.

Basic gameplay was described to me as similar the first two Mortal Kombat games, with smaller hit combos being a key element. Still, even with smaller combos, the player can get pretty creative with their moves. Unique changes to the fighting formula include the new Freefal Kombat and Klose Kombat mechanics. Freefall Kombat allows player to battle while in midair when falling from one arena to the next. Klose Kombat highlights character damage when the camera zooms in during grapples and throws.

While playing I took note of the more unique powers in each of the DC challenger’s arsenal. Superman can freeze opponents, use laser eye attacks, fly in the air and deliver a shockwave punch to the ground. Batman has four Batarang attacks, can use smoke bombs to distract opponents, and has a full range of realistic martial arts moves. As one would expect, all of Flash’s attacks are based on his speed. He can whip by an opponent three times to leave them spinning – and venerable – for attack. I also had a chance to glimpse several of the new fighting arenas, including Metropolis, the Batcave, Gotham City and a unnamed graveyard.

Unexpectedly, the Q&A proved to be the most informative part of my meeting. I learned quickly that the gameplay is very true to the Mortal Kombat formula, so the hands-on time was more for pure enjoyment than uncovering game mechanics. Still, DC and Mortal Kombat fans alike have reason to be excited for the title.