• Review: Mortal Kombat

    by
    Hecqubus
    Published on 05-01-2011 11:43 AM
    4 Comments Comments


    Mortal Kombat

    Developer: Netherrealm Studios
    Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
    Platform: PS3, 360
    Genre: Fighting
    Rating: Mature
    Release Date: April 19th, 2011
    For Fans of: Blood, No Sidestepping, Citizen Cage

    One of the most celebrated fighting games returns with it's ninth installment in the series and a slew of new features, including, wait for it, the past. Can Mortal Kombat win back the fans it lost during it's venture into 3D fighting? Or has the fighting game market shifted once again making a series twenty years in the making obsolete?

    -Presentation-

    The game actually starts with what seems like the apocalypse as Shao Khan's Outworld begins to merge with our Earthworld. All the fighters, including Outworlds have perished, some in vain for the defence of Earthrealm has failed. The only hope that remains is Raiden, god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm. Unfortunately, he is being beaten to a pulp atop an enormous pyrimid by Shao Khan. In the last second before his inevitable demise Raiden utters a spell, a spell that sends his former self a premonition and gives Earthrealm a second chance, or rather, the eleventh chance. Now Raiden is attempting to change the events of the past in order to change the events that are sure to come.

    For those readers who are just getting into the series at this point(and this game is good for that) the Mortal Kombat tournament was created to give realms a chance to defend themselves against Shao Khans invading Outworld. Shao Khan must win all of the ten Mortal Kombat tournaments which are held every 1000 years. He has been victorious in nine of them making this Earthrealms final chance. Progressing through the story mode, players will be given a chance to fight as each warrior excluding the outworld invaders. The story is actually pretty engaging which is a suprise for a tournament fighter but this is the Mortal Kombat mythos we're talking about here, a well established story still in the making.


    -Graphics-

    Mortal Kombat has come a far way in terms of visuals. The franchaise that was infamous for changing the color palette on sprites to create new characters has grown up to have arguably some of the best graphics for a fighting game. One of the prettiest things is the addition of the bruised up faces and how the clothing becomes torn as the fight progresses. Of course we saw this in MKvsDC but not nearly to this extent. Using the high definition to its full advantage, details just spill out of Mortal Kombat just like your opponents entrails.

    -Sound/Music-

    The background music varies quite a bit from some techno feeling songs to the grand orchestrated pieces, all of it feeling just right for the level you happen to be fighting on. The best touch in terms of sound I thought was the different sounding punches and kicks depending on the opponent your fighting, for example landing a punch on Johnny Cage sounds normal but on Cyrax in his robot form it sounds like your hitting metal. Voice acting is another element that MK is shining in, not much more to say about it then that but check it out, its good.

    -Gameplay-

    The first and most notable change is the shift from 3D fighting that we saw in games like Deception and more recently MKvsDC Universe, back to the classic 2D gameplay. This completely negates the annoying sidestep mechanic and brings the gameplay back to its roots. In keeping the general mechanics simple, first-time players will find an easier time getting a grasp on the controls and more importantly the combos, making Mortal Kombat 9 the easiest title to jump into the series on. Masters of this style of gameplay will likely pick up on the mechanics and dominate almost instantly. The gameplay, while at first feeling a bit like the first few mortal kombats, has been somewhat modernized to complete with todays games. Fatalities and their varients make a comeback here as well and are bloodier then ever quite often featuring the opponent in pieces. Featuring elements like "Breakers" which break the enemies combos, and a super meter that allows you to supercharge special attacks, or bank it all instead for a superpowered X-ray attack, Mortal Kombat is more than your standard fighter can handle.

    On that note, The control is something that I think is worth mentioning. Since I personally don't own an arcade style fight stick, or have any plans of attaining one just yet (although the MK one is pretty), this is directed more toward the players who still rock the controller. The control doesn't take long to get used to, each of the face buttons controls a different limb. Although using the joystick might seem like a love-doll subsitute for the missing fightstick in your life, it doesn't suffice for pulling off some of the tricker combos. By trickier combos I mean the ones that require you to ultilize any of the upper spaces of the joystick or D-pad. It may be my noobiness (I mean it is) but everytime I get in a tight situation and have to pull off a combo to escape it, I botch the whole operation by slightly overshooting the back button by a degree causing me to jump backward. Why does UP have to be jump? Many a close match have been lost due to a control flaw you'd think they would've changed it to something else by now, however the game does include a fully customisable button layout for those of us who like tweaking things to suit the mood.

    MK takes a different route with the combos, instead of having a giant string of buttons to mash at specific times during the attack like we see in games like the Soul Calibur series, MK takes the road less traveled and makes the longest combo five buttons long. Of course this does allow for the "button mashers" to win a few games, but anybody with a grasp of the RTrigger(Block) can eventually demolish these players. Since this is MK you can expect every character to have an array of gruesome special moves that can be pulled off pretty easily. Ultilizing and more importantly, recognizing these special moves will help you immensely although I still lose to Subzero and his freeze twenty years later. Those of us who are old enough to have played the first two games can remember thinking how simular the characters felt only differing in special moves, That is not the case anymore. Every character has a different set of combos and playstyles that can make them your worst nightmare, for example, Jax, is an up-close tank of a character whose grabs will decimate even the mighty Shao Khan if he was grabbable that is. While Reptile is a character that seems to preferr the ranged constantly backing up to keep distance.


    -Lasting Appeal-

    Perhaps where MK takes the greatest leap forward in the series is in the features that will keep you from ever ejecting the disc. The story mode alone can last you around nine hours depending on how long it takes you to figure out that back-forward-A (or X for you playstation players) is the trick to defeating Shao Khan. The story is gigantic for a fighting game and can be re-played for those of us who love showing our friends our mad skills on level one. It also has a separate set of random challenges called the tower. There you will kill enemies in new ways like firing lazers to prevent them from reaching you, or just a normal game with weird stipulations.

    Where MK has always shined has been in the versus modes, and this title is no exception. With several new modes like Tag Team and my personal favorite, Test your Luck, which adds crazy game stipulations sometimes buffing you, or your opponent. MK can provide endless hours of fun and makes for a pretty epic party game. Seriously, play Test your Luck, seven reels, loser drinks, see how long it takes to get a disturbing the peace call, one of the funnest things ever.

    Taking everything one step further, MK has joined the Online community, which does unfortunately require an online pass, but that's a different issue. While playing online your able to do a few different game modes then the regular versus, the first of which being the barren ranked matches where you can fight the same person over and over. The alternative option, and better by far, is joining a room of players and challenging someone to a fight. Now they can decline your challenge, which goes against the rules of Mortal Kombat but we can ignore that for now. One of the modes that you can join is a King of the Hill, this mode brings back the arcade style of loser passes and features a theater style way of watching the bouts while you wait for your shot at the reigning champ. Unfortunately this is kind of a slow mode for the game and generally most people will etheir a) send the champ hate messages while waiting to play him, or b) just leave the room and wait for people to challenge them.

    Everyones favorite graveyard/execution grounds more commonly known as the Krypt returns and has more unlockables then ever. Whoever said Mortal Kombat has no sauce is one bad liar, it is full of the special sauce. The krypt is a safe of unlockable extras that you can buy using the money you earn from completing story and tower missions. MK has always been known for having a ridiculous amount of extras in the games and this easily doubles any krypt we've seen before. These extras are availible for viewing in the Necropolis which acts as your personal showroom for the things you've collected.

    -Conclusion-

    Mortal Kombat has been my favorite videogame series since I can remember because of the amount of story that is behind every character and the sheer carnage that takes place, especially during the fatalities. With a story mode twenty years in the making and a jump to the online scene finally, Mortal Kombat is worth every penny of its price tag, and thats not including the "Lord of the Rings" amount of extras included in the Krypt. The graphics and sound quality are a huge and welcome step up from the previous games as well. Even more welcome is the return to the 2D fighting and simple controls that made the older titles the top of the pack. Mortal Kombat (9) is a great title to pick up for your library if you can handle the gruesome fighting styles of the past. I recommend anyone of age picking up this game because there is something here for every fighting game fan, and if your not, this might be the title that finally converts you.

    -Score-
    9/10
    Comments 4 Comments
    1. Skotters's Avatar
      Skotters - 05-01-2011
      great review, i kind of actually really enjoyed it
    1. Hecqubus's Avatar
      Hecqubus - 05-01-2011
      haha Thanks! The review or the game? I love it but I get crushed online haha def going to make it my goto drunken party game haha
    1. Jason Arriola's Avatar
      Jason Arriola - 05-01-2011
      Nice one, Hec. I played this the other day with Gus and it does remind of the older ones in a way. I had a good time with it and I'll have to pick it up soon when I get the chance.
    1. Hecqubus's Avatar
      Hecqubus - 05-01-2011
      Thanks! when I come down (hopefully in August-ish) we will have to play some Test your Luck! Armless Kombat! Fight!

  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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