After 16 years of snapped spines, charred corpses and ruptured ribcages, the introduction of DC Comics Lycra-clad crimefighters into the sanguine world of Mortal Kombat pushes the notorious brawler in a thrilling new direction.
Whereas the cheesy presentation of earlier Kombats didnt matter as it was all about ripping the still-beating heart from your opponents chest, the appearance of DCs biggest stars has seen the game designers up their game, the wildly imaginative and impeccably turned-out Kombatants easily matching their inky rivals for style and ferocity, the traditional comic heroes such as Batman, Superman and Flash also looking fiesty and fabulous in this harebrained beat em up.
The chance to beat on enemies as you fall between floors and tense close-quarters fisticuffs also make this a decent evolution of the Kombat franchise. However, fans of more accomplished fighters such as Soulcalibur IV will be horrified by MKs simple attacks and fanciful special moves, and the fact this latest Kombat still plays like an old-fashioned, 2D button-basher despite its three-dimensional set-up makes it feel like its 1992 and youre still squandering 10ps in a seaside arcade.