While their competitors packed their booths with games, Midway showed up at PAX with three different multiplatform titles, one of the smaller offerings amongst developers and publishers in the exhibition hall. However, they turned out to have one of the most solid all-around booths, including two games BC Gaming completely changed their mind on.
While some feel it was the Mortal Kombat: Annihilation movie, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is popularly touted as the lowest point for the franchise – at least in terms of video games. The prototype IP soup tried to do something new with popular characters going head to head, but never really got a good reception.
The biggest issue was that with the introduction of DC and Warner Bros, MK's iconic gore had to be dialed down. Batman, after all, cannot be split into two by Kung Lao's hat. However, while the game itself signaled the fatality of the Mortal Kombat franchise, its core formula is what resurrected it to become NetherRealm Studio and the reboot we've come to adore.
MK vs DC wasn’t awful. If reception for that game made mk9 possible then hopefully the failures of MK11 can make some good changes as well. It’s time to get rid of variations, they had a good run but ended up a mess.
I think MK 9 did.
In fact I remember being bummed that this was a T rated MK game and just dismissed it. MK 9 was when I actually stood back and said, "They're back!". Still think that game is fantastic.
With the Mortal Kombat franchise now on its 11th installment this year, one of those many franchise entries, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe has not been remembered fondly, and in fairness, it isn’t difficult to see why. The action is somewhat muted for a Mortal Kombat game, it’s infamously lacking in extra content, and its arrival heralded the end of series publisher Midway Games. However, while this reputation is understandable, it is not deserved. Not only that, but the game may have even ensured that the more recent Mortal Kombat installments came into being at all.
James writes: "The wrestling portion of the video game market has been dominated by WWE (formerly WWF) for years now, fighting off their biggest rivals WCW in the process. There was another who tried to dethrone the leading brand in the late 2000s though, when Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) took their popularity to the next level with the release of a wrestling game. Ten years after the release of TNA Impact!, it’s time to look back at whether it was a success. Did TNA Impact! whip up a storm in the world of gaming like a hurricane coming through to leave a lasting legacy, or was it more of a failed attempt at cashing in on the rapidly growing promotion?"
