Topic: Batman wins...FATALITY?!? Mortal Kombat 8 to feature Batman???

[IceCold]

Wait, so that picture with all the superheroes in it - is it its own comic? Or is that just the universe? So are you saying that in a Batman comic some other random character will just appear and become part of the story?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Super Kombat Justice Brothers Ultimate Friends League

[animecyberrat]

Not usually in Batman comics no, but Batman will show up occasionally in other comics and they mix and match just like Marvel does. The difference is the Justice League is like the best of the best for DC and instead of having super hero teams like Fantastic Four or the X-Men they just take whoever they have lieing around and throw them in the mix.

Ian, did you ever read the Batman vs Spawn comics? What did you think of that as a crossover?

Of all the crossovers, why did you mention the one with Spawn?

Anyway, my personal favorite crossover with Batman is, without question, the pairing that inspired this short movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBRg502gz9o

Because out of all the crossovers this is the most like that one. To me it is really no different than seeing the Caped Crusader combat the spawn of Satan as it is seeing him combat escapees from the Netherworld. Combining MK and DC is probably the lamest idea ever, but it is such a contrast that it might turn out to be a good idea. I loved the Batman vs Spawn crossover, not as much as I liked the Superman vs Alien deal thought hat was fantastic.

Ian, did you ever read the Batman vs Spawn comics? What did you think of that as a crossover?

No I haven't read it.  I have mostly a casual interest in comics.  I've read some big stories like The Dark Knight Returns but other than that I haven't read much.  I like the really exceptional stuff but don't have enough interest to follow comics seriously.  I'm like the guy who owns the greatest hits album for a band but isn't interested in the full albums.

I've never been very interested in Image comics so I know very little about Spawn aside from some general pop culture knowledge I've picked up here and there.

I never cared for anything Image did, I was a die hard Marvel fan during the defection of all those so called industry loyalists and felt their leaving as a betrayal therefore boycotted everything they did for the longest time. It was actualy the Batman vs Spawn crossover and the Maxx showing up on MTV that got me to rethink my anti-Image sentiments.

I am more than a casual reader though, I am as into comics as I am video games and tend to play most every comic book themed video game I can with a few exceptions. I never did actually read the Batman vs Spawn deal just because it happened during my anti Image days, but I remember the impact it had on the comic book industry at the time.

I guess being MK is my favorite video game series and I am a hard core comic fan for the most part, I tend to not see this as anything but fan service and maybe a chance to fix the faults of the recent installments of the MK franchise. But then again I am one who still enjoyed Special Forces and Mythologies despite their  flaws.

[Arbok]

Not usually in Batman comics no, but Batman will show up occasionally in other comics and they mix and match just like Marvel does.

I don't know about that... Superman seems to show up not that infrequently in Batman comics. Although he's probably the great exception.

The difference is the Justice League is like the best of the best for DC and instead of having super hero teams like Fantastic Four or the X-Men they just take whoever they have lieing around and throw them in the mix.

Which is kind of what the Avengers have become for Marvel, since that team had Captain America, Spider-man, Iron Man and Wolverine all on the same front. Or did (RIP Cap, and the civil war split after). To that effect, at least DC avoids the over usage problem Marvel has with their teams, in particular Wolverine on X-Men, Avengers and X-Force (although that new team looks quite good, since it's small at only four members and with a darker edge).

Combining MK and DC is probably the lamest idea ever, but it is such a contrast that it might turn out to be a good idea.

To me, what makes a crossover work is an unlikely pairing that feeds off each other. Each brings something to the table and the end result is distinct. It's that reason that I love Batman vs. Predator, as the latter brings a dark edge but one that fits in the confines of Gothem and the end result is one hell of a ride.

In this case, the two are an unlikely pairing... but I don't see their respective mythos feeding of each other. But hell, that's my views from a story angle. From a video game angle, I don't really care just as long as I enjoy the characters involved, which is why I loved the more or less story-lacking Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK games.

[animecyberrat]

Which is kind of what the Avengers have become for Marvel, since that team had Captain America, Spider-man, Iron Man and Wolverine all on the same front. Or did (RIP Cap, and the civil war split after). To that effect, at least DC avoids the over usage problem Marvel has with their teams, in particular Wolverine on X-Men, Avengers and X-Force (although that new team looks quite good, since it's small at only four members and with a darker edge).

Yea except that Avenger is their only team that does that, DC they only have 2 main teams, and both are the same concept.

I don't mean to sound condescending I love a lot of the DC characters just as much as the Marvel ones. I just was trying to paint a picture for Ice cold.


The worst crossover in the comic book history would be a tie between Archie showing up in The Punisher and  Spider-Man showing up in Transformers. Although with Archie and Punisher it worked like you said, as a contrast, but with Spidey showing up in Transformers was just wrong in every way. Not that I didn't buy the issue and love it at the time but it seriously made me question the editors at Marvel at the time.


Maybe this will open the door for a Marvel vs DC videogame in the future, that would be cool.

[Arbok]

...and  Spider-Man showing up in Transformers. Although with Archie and Punisher it worked like you said, as a contrast, but with Spidey showing up in Transformers was just wrong in every way. Not that I didn't buy the issue and love it at the time but it seriously made me question the editors at Marvel at the time.

Which time would that be? Way back when he was still in the black suit, or do you mean the recent Avengers/Transformers thing?

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/821/821788/new-avengers-transformers-20070920043207949.jpg

Anyway, from what I understand, the Transformers are supposed to be part of the Marvel Universe... or at least were, as during the Secret War some of their enemies were briefly seen. Hell, Death's Head from the Transformers line, who was an original Marvel creation in those books, was given his own comic run after it.

[animecyberrat]

During the time when Marvel had Transformers they were at liberty to do with the characters as they pleased, hence why they did so many GI Joe tie ins, although also being Hasbro owned had something to do with that I would imagine. The newer comics are not published by Marvel at all so any crossovers between Marvel characters and Transformers would be the equivalent of the Marvel vs DC crossover or similar cross universe crossovers, like this MK vs DC game.

Hasbro has gone on record and said that Transformers exist in their own universe out side of the Marvel mythos and only the Marvel created characters belong to Marvel which is part of the reason certain characters do not get updates because Hasbro does not own the rights. I forget which ones specifically but there are a few Marvel created Transformers that Hasbro has to get permission to use when they want them. I haven't kept up on the newer comics since Dream wave did the first War Within and their early G1 stuff. That is aside from the mini comics that come with the toys.

Oh and I was referring to the original TF series, issue 2 or 3 I think it was. It had black suit Spider-Man fighting the Decepticons in their mountain base but I don't remember many details. The UK comics are a different story, they had a different writer and editors than the US comics for the first part of their life and were considered a separate line for a while until Marvel brought Simon Furman over to do the US comics then they started merging the two into one consistent series. Prior to that Budiansky and Furman had different takes on the mythos and took each in totally different directions. 

I look at it like this, the comics, toys, and cartoons each exist in their own universe but are a part of the same mythos just not interconnected. BW and the latter stuff usually tends to follow that same logic in that the comics and cartoons usually differ slightly from each other as well as picking and choosing what parts of Transformers past to keep and what to re-write.

Wow... seriously  long off topic post, sorry I got carried away.

[ShyGuy]

Mortal Bumpbat! I think this is the newest thread for the game.

Anyway, played it last night on the PS3 and I enjoyed it. Enjoyed it more than Soul Calibur 4. Dpad and analog stick control actually works, and the combat (Kombat) was fun but simple. Batman is the best character of course. I just wish they had included Jonny Cage.

[bustin98]

I've been wanting to rent the game, but its been out since release on both systems.

The last fighting game I bought was Soul Calibur 2, and that was mainly for Link, so I really don't want to buy the game.

[BranDonk Kong]

The game is pretty awesome, the T rating, however, sucks.

[UltimatePartyBear]

I saw the commercial this weekend.  I rewound it and watched it frame by frame because something looked odd to me.  It was the way the characters hit each other, or rather, the way they never actually touched each other.  The Joker apparently got launched into the air by the air pressure of a punch at one point, and the Flash is telekinetic now.  Wait, two characters did touch one time, when Raiden (is that his name?) flew through his opponent before the hit detection figured it out.  I know this is fairly common in 3D fighters, but it looked particularly wrong to me in this case.

Also, they showed Batman getting beaten up several times in the commercial.  Everyone knows that's statistically impossible.

[Morari]

I'm pretty sure that just about anyone could beat up Batman... He doesn't even have any powers after all, just a utility belt.

[ShyGuy]

STOP SPREADING FALSEHOODS. Batman can beat anyone with prep time, it's scientific fact.

the cool thing is Batman never loses a match in the DC story mode. You switch from character to character and you're playing as the Flash when you face Batman. After you win the match, Batman hits the Flash with a taser and takes him back to the lab. Later when you are playing Joker you fight Batman again. He again tasers his opponent in the cut scene. In the next to final battle, you are Superman vs. Batman. In the subsequent fmv, Batman talks Supes down from his Kombat rage infection to make him back off then he sends him after the end boss.

[NWR_pap64]

I saw the commercial this weekend.  I rewound it and watched it frame by frame because something looked odd to me.  It was the way the characters hit each other, or rather, the way they never actually touched each other.  The Joker apparently got launched into the air by the air pressure of a punch at one point, and the Flash is telekinetic now.  Wait, two characters did touch one time, when Raiden (is that his name?) flew through his opponent before the hit detection figured it out.  I know this is fairly common in 3D fighters, but it looked particularly wrong to me in this case.

Also, they showed Batman getting beaten up several times in the commercial.  Everyone knows that's statistically impossible.

The character models in MK vs. DC are pretty damn bad. They are extremely stiff, lacking any fluid whatsoever. Of course, the MK series was never about realistic physics and animation.

I can't wait to rent the game, if the videostore owner decides to bring it of course.

[BranDonk Kong]

That's animation - the character models (aside from say Sony and Catwoman) are fucking awesome.

[NWR_pap64]

Finally rented the game and played through both stories in story mode:

- Is it just me, or does the gameplay feel like classic MK?  I know the gameplay has barely evolved from the arcade games, but the removal of multiple fighting stances and gimmicks make it feel like a down to Earth version of MK, making it almost feel like the first MK game. Again, this might just be me...

- The story mode in MK vs. DC might be the best out of all the story modes in past games. First, you actually get to play as the characters rather than a generic character going through a series of mundane events and missions. The story is a little silly, but explains how the universes merged and why everyone felt like beating the crap out of each other. I heard that it was penned by one of DC's writers, so that explains why everything fits so well and feels like a crossover comic.

- I'm somewhat disappointed with the extras. As convoluted and gimmicky the extras were in the past games I really enjoyed unlocking animatic videos, sketches, extra characters and costumes. I thought a game like MK vs. DC would merit a lot of content, especially with the franchise it is dealing with. On the XBL Marketplace you can download videos of the making of the special edition comic and the game cover. Why couldn't we have gotten those videos as extras in the game. But on the other hand it gives the game a more "down to Earth" feel to it, with little gimmicks (save for the crossover of course) out of the way.

- The Joker is AWESOME in this game. To me, he is a mix of Cesar Romero's Joker and Mark Hammill's Joker (I think he does the voice for this game as well...). His scenes with the MK characters are the best in the entire game, if only because the MK characters can't comprehend his persona.

- My 360 is set to Spanish. What really funny is that the announcer actually pronounces the names of the DC characters in perfect Spanish (for example, in Spanish the Green Lantern is called "Linterna Verde". When he wins, the announcer actually says his name in Spanish). I thought it was both a surreal and clever attention to detail, acknowledging the character's presence in foreign markets.

- The main menu is awesome. I love how the battle between Scorpion and Batman plays out while you switch between menus.

- I must say, the games does look better running on my TV than on low res online footage. I still think the characters are a little too stiff and don't animate as well as they should, but still look good.

- Finally, I must give props to Midway for using the DC Heroes license very well. They got the most out of the license and the dedication to the characters, the locales and the story shows. This is unlike Namco who haphazardly added Star Wars characters without a proper storyline or logic (then again, I am sure that while MK vs. DC was planned from the start to be a cross over fighting game Namco added the Star Wars characters at the last minute).

Overall, it was a really solid game with presents both universes in a great light, fighting feels classic and the story is worth going through once. I say rent, though, because its pretty barebones regarding extra features and modes and unless you have friends or a Gold account you might grow bored playing it single player.