Studio: Warner Interactive/Midway

Fighting fair was never fun. Dirty tricks, foreign objects, and finishing moves keep the flavour in the funk. Like Van Damme getting sand tossed in his eyes during the final fight in Bloodsport or that redneck party-crasher bringin' the bladed boot to Swayze early on in Road House, unexpected elements in hand-to-hand combat can really add some spice to a showdown. Who would've thought that one day we'd be using characters from perennial arcade and console favorite Mortal Kombat against some of the most loved and feared heroes and villains alike from DC Comic's universe. Both franchises have been doing the odd game here and there over the past couple of years, but MK vs. DCU from Midway Games has done justice to the gaming community by combining the two revered storylines into a game where you get to put the best to the test and see who's left standing. The gameplay in the 3D environments was phenomenal and allows for all ranges of motion during battle, and the fighting experience is dope as hell with classic moves from the MK franchise and exciting trademark moves from the DC peeps. You can throw your opponent off ledges and battle them while falling through the sky, or charge at them so hard you bust through multiple walls and inflict some gnarly damage. Fatalities are as disfiguringly fun as ever, and the DC characters actually have their own version called Heroic Brutalities. The plot involves a situation where the the worlds of both the Mortal Kombat and DC are colliding and the battles that ensue are actually a joint effort to conquer an even more menacing entity that threatens both realities. You can start off the story mode on either the DC or MK side of the fight, and the environments and opponents will reflect that decision throughout the missions. The game is available on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 with additional add-ons being advertised as being available for download sometime soon. Hopefully there'll be a couple new characters to play with, it seems they went a bit light in quantity of playable fighters. Definitely worth the wait, and better than expected, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a sureshot winner.