Today, we have a few classics reborn, revitalized, and rejuvenated. They’re two similar titles with intense differences between them. I’ll get right down to it.

Notes on the Reviewer

The author (myself) is a fighting game enthusiast and has been following the material within this article for some time. He played the games in his youth, and does have a strong sense of nostalgia tied to his knowledge of the game lore within each. This is his favorite genre. He bought the first on hype, and the second after reading a review. Both games were played on the PS3.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix - The game is blistering fast. Every aspect of the game has you hurtling toward the speedy yet silky smooth battles that the game excels at. Those battles aren’t a cakewalk, however, as even on the “Easy” setting the CPU will put up a fair challenge, but the game has a very accessible online service that is just as fast as local play and offers a more equal challenge for those not up to the CPU.

It supports a beefy set of options that allows the player to customize the way it plays so that he can enjoy his particular play-style. The new HD remix mode offers some interesting balances over the original, but simplifies some commands that really didn’t need simplifications. This irks me somewhat–Zangief’s double 360 rotation is a staple to the series in all iterations–but I can see where this would be more inviting to new players.

Speaking of which, the game even includes several in-game help pages that offer some advanced play techniques and a practice mode that displays hit boxes to ease the transition a little more. With all the customization, though, it would have been nice to take the classic motions from the original game (which are included, but in their respective mode) and apply them to the HD Remix rebalance.

On top of that, the game doesn’t offer much in the way of a lengthy story mode aside from a handful of nifty redrawn ending slideshows, nor does it have any unlockables (press up for a toned down Akuma), but for $15, it’s hard to complain.

• Rundown - As an incredibly fast battle experience locally and online, this reasonably affordable fighter has several inviting features to introduce new players and the depth and classic challenge enthusiasts demand from a Street Fighter title.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – I had a difficult time believing that I actually enjoyed this game. It turns out, I do. This is the sort of revitalization developers dream of. It takes the things that made the classics good, and the things that made the new games good, removes everything that didn’t work, adds several new features, and creates a Mortal Kombat worthy of the franchise title, as hard as it is to believe.

The fighting system is based on strings of combos centered around a character’s style of play. The combos are much less akin to dialing a phone and feel a little more organic than previous installations. Even the characters all feel fresh and unique, especially the DC characters, who don’t feel out of place thanks to the clearly well-thought-out story.

The story mode, itself, has a lot of high points and a only few downs. Speaking for the high points, the cinematics work wonderfully. They’re written in a way that stays true to the series’s sense of chicanery and the comics’ lore that removes itself from the serious (read: GRIMDARK) tone of similar titles, while also doing a fair job at subtly explaining why Superman can lose in a fist fight to the Joker. Also, the characters animate amazingly with movements and facial expressions that stay true to life and stray for the oft mentioned robotic stereotype. The voice acting is better at times but occasionally is bad in a way that made me wonder why they would ever choose that actor for any role.

The graphics look great during the aforementioned cinematics, but some of the backgrounds just look ugly and plastic. In the same way, the actual in-game fight models aren’t as detailed as the cinematic models, but they still animate well enough and perform some classic MK animations I’ve come to expect. To be honest though, the female models look incredibly disproportionate and get hard to look at after a while.

Although there are very few unlockables (two characters), there’s plenty of other modes, including a decent online, that offer loads of challenges and trophies, even though the story is meaty enough to justify a purchase. The Kombo challenge is a good (but occasionally infuriating) way of learning the more advanced maneuvers such as the pro moves and other tight bits of juggling and timing. And even though the game is rated T for Teen, it still delivers much of the brutality I expect, pushing the boundaries while not going too overboard, which is almost refreshing, really. That said, the Fatalities and Heroic Brutalities are just OK. Still, for $60, the game offers a lot for everyone.

• Rundown – A rejuvenating entry, MK vs. DC provides a great story and solid gameplay with versatility and depth that one doesn’t altogether expect from a Mortal Kombat game, much less a licensed one. It’s a solid fighter that anyone should at least try.

So, of the two, which is better? That’s tough. They’re two very distinct games that deliver very different styles of gameplay. Street Fighter is all about countering and penetrating your opponents offense and defense, while Mortal Kombat is more about stringing combos on your opponent to keep them defensless and get them down faster. Then there’s replay value: SF doesn’t have the many modes nor does it provide a decent story mode, but it’s online is probably the best for any fighter of this generation. Mk has alright online, but it’s bevy of modes, including the excellent story mode, provide an exhilarating and unrivaled experience among today’s fighting games.

If it came down to it? I’d have to choose Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix. That $15 price tag is hard to pass up. Do yourself a favor, though, and still pick up MK vs. DC. Rent it, at the very least. It’s an excellent game that deserves the attention.