Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat Review

Graphics:

The graphics are good. Not amazing, but they are solid. The character models are done well and and it still has the original MK flair to it, which is a huge positive. The little subtleties though are what make it  great. Look in just about every background of every level and you'll see something interesting.  These range from two other fighters on a ledge, random cars going by, or other bizarre additions. While the environments don't add to the gameplay itself, it does add a great deal to the game as a whole.

The gore is also top notch. Every fatality is unique and the way that is represented is wonderful. When a man is split in two, you can see everything from his intestines to his skeleton. The blood is also great, and just pours out of the victims.  Watch below for an example of one of the great fatalities, this one is specifically from Ermac.









8/10


Sounds:

The sound in this game is great. The voice acting gets the job done and is quite effective. However, the sound effects is where the sound shines. Whether your guy is doing an x-ray attack or is being grabbed you can hear exactly what you think you would hear. For every fatality there is a unique sound effect that makes doing it so satisfying.

9.5/10

Story Mode:

The story was entertaining, just not great. The Mortal Kombat junkies will love it, but the casual gamer will also like it. I don't want go into to much detail about the actual events in order to prevent spoilers but there were a few annoyances. The main annoyance is that I feel I had to almost resort to "gimmicks" in order to win. An example of this would be the final boss battle with Shao Kahn. Typical fighting techniques, combos, and specials just didn't work on him, so you have to resort to another fighting technique. The fighting technique that ended up working best, results in lots of teleportation and very little actual fighting. (one hit here, one hit there) Once you got the hang of it it wasn't very hard, however, it made a fun fighting game a little boring. I don't want to be teleporting every second just to give him an uppercut then run away, I want to be linking combos and specials.

7/10

Gameplay:

Mortal Kombat plays just like the older games, which is great. They stuck with the 2d style for this fighting and it worked very well.  After the the "3d" Mortal Kombats I think this was a great decision. They went back to the roots of the game while keeping it fresh. The combos and specials are easy to use and are very responsive. The simplicity makes the game easy for the casual player to pick up and have fun with, but the added level of complexity with the timing of the combo's and specials against other good players also caters to the more intense players.

9/10


Re-playability :

             Online/Local Multiplayer: The online play is a little laggy once in a while, but not terrible. You'll find that sometimes the lag does interfere with your timing of your moves, which can get quite frustrating. You definitely get a more solid experience when playing locally with a friend. This is clearly the best part of the game. It is the part of the game that you will be playing for months and years to come. There are a variety of modes online which will be fun for a long time.

          

             Single Player: There is a lot to do without anyone else. Between the story, the ladder, and the challenges you'll have a lot of fun and will be able to play this game for a long time.

9.5/10



Overall


8.5/10


This is a solid game that is a great game to buy. Its a game you will definitely pick up month after month even if its just to play locally with your friends. If you like any type of fighting game then you will enjoy this game as well. I personally am not a huge fan of the "fighter" genre but this game is great. Anyone can pick this game up and have fun, whether your a fighting genre expert or a casual player.

You can buy it as low as $33.99 from amazon(see below).