When it was introduced in 1992, Mortal Kombat became the most violent fighting game of all time. Nearly twenty years later, much more controversial games have come and gone, but Mortal Kombat still stands its ground. The Street Fighter games will always be favored by the hardcore fighting gamers who prefer strategic combos and dedication to a particular character, while Mortal Kombat players are those who wanted flashy fights and loved the brutal finishing moves. Midway, the company that made Mortal Kombat a brand name is no longer around, so NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. have taken over as the adoptive parent. The result is a reboot of the series that takes all the best elements of the original games and adds a few more sprinkles. This is definitely the best Mortal Kombat experience in over a decade that will earn back the fan base, as well as win some new followers.

gameplay

The premise for Mortal Kombat is familiar to old school gamers who popped tons of quarters into the arcade machines at their local pizza shop or laundry mat; then later played it on their Super Nintendo or Genesis. The ultimate fighters from various universal dimensions must compete in a Tournament against the best warriors of a realm known as Outworld. Lord Raiden has selected the best fighters on Earth to face off against the Outworld champions, and if they lose the fate of the planet will be lost.

For the reboot, the game begins with the vision of all of Earth’s fighters laying dead after being defeated in the tournament, but just as Raiden is about to meet his demise, he sends a message into the past to warn himself before the events of the battle. Raiden must now use this knowledge of the future to develop a new strategy for the tournament so that he and the Earth fighters can change the outcome of the future and conquer the warriors of Outworld.



The last few Mortal Kombat games released used a 3D engine, but this reboot goes back to the traditional 2D style of fighting, which is very welcomed return to form. The game allows you to select twenty-seven playable fighters, which is a collection of the central characters from the first three Mortal Kombat titles. Favorites such as, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Lord Raiden, Sonia Blade, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Jade, Goro and Jax, just to name a few are available immediately, and then there are characters that you will need to unlock through gameplay.

The mechanics for gameplay have not changed, so those who have mastered combos in previous Mortal Kombat games will just be able to jump right in. As with any fighting game, each character has a unique fighting style, and of course signature finishing moves. To highlight the intense violence of the game, an X-ray view mode has been added into the mix so that at certain points of a fight you or your opponent may take a hit and the view will show how much damage has been caused to your body right through your flesh. You can see bones shattering, a spine snapping, or a skull cracking as if you’re watching the fight through an X-ray machine. This effect was attempted in the Fight Club game for last generation’s consoles, but in Mortal Kombat it’s done in a far more superior manner that will make you cringe at the sight of it.

New to this game is an attack gauge meter that appears on lower screen, which allows you to specifically formulate your fighting style. The meter is split into three levels and gives you a different strength of attack depending on how much you can fill it up. The more successful hits you get raises your meter allowing you to perform stylized counterattacks, breakers, as well as triggering the X-ray takedown mode. The benefit of the attack gauge is that instead of just the typical hit and block combos, you can now strategize your attacks so that your fighter is less predictable, especially when going up against a live opponent.



Besides the story mode, and a standard arcade fight mode, there is the Challenge Tower mode. This mode is a series of 300 challenges that are basically mini-games that go from extremely simple to insanely hard. The challenges allow you to learn new fighting skills, such as multiple-hit combos, blocks, breakers and finishing takedowns. These challenges do have an addictive element because a hardcore of Mortal Kombat is going to play as long as it takes to complete all 300 of them for both the achievement points as well as the bragging rights.

Mortal Kombat will bring back a lot of great memories of your youth and is a solid reboot of the classic game. The best part is that there is plenty of content such as a story mode, arcade, challenges, and then to top it off, online fighting. Street Fighter has its loyal audience and Mortal Kombat also has a dedicated cult. Some of these fans were disappointed with the last game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which was a mash-up joining two worlds, because it had no blood or crazy violent fatalities. NetherRealm Studios did justice to the franchise and should be commended for delivering one of the best Mortal Kombat experiences in years.

graphics

The graphics in this game are a mixed bag, for instance sequences such as the X-ray bone shattering effect is excellent, but the cutscenes in the story mode have blocky and stiff character animation. The 2D fight sequences are the highlight of the game with smooth animation and plenty of detail. The background environments are hit or miss, where some battlegrounds are so well done that they give a three-dimensional illusion, and other areas look flat and simple. Colors are strong and the designers did a great job keeping the original style of the classic game, while also adding another layer for this generation.

sound

The audio is top notch, and it’s actually surprising that the voice work is done well in the story mode considering this is a Mortal Kombat game and the dialogue is not meant to exactly be memorable. The effects for the fighting matches is where it all shines, whether it’s the blast of ice that Sub-Zero emits to shatter his enemies, or the awesome slo-mo bone shattering sounds in the X-ray mode. Basically everything you expect a Mortal Kombat game to sound like has been fulfilled to make the true fans happy.

replay value

NetherRealm Studios has put together a great package that will satisfy the loyal Mortal Kombat followers, as well as make the newbies happy. There’s a story mode, the arcade fighting mode and the 300 challenges. In addition there are plenty of things to unlock, such as characters, artwork, and costumes. To play online you will have to use the Online Kombat Pass, which is included on a card inside the box. Without this code you can’t play online other than buying a pass to play through the menu settings. Accessing online play allows you to enter one-on-one or two-on two matches and the King of the Hill mode.

bottom line

Just when you thought that Mortal Kombat was a dead fish, this reboot pumps new life into its veins. This game appeals to both the hardcore Mortal Kombat fanatic, as well as the new MK kids. The insane violence that you expect is still the main attraction that draws you in, and new tricks like the X-ray moves will keep you glued to gameplay. With twenty-seven fighters to choose from, various modes to play, and plenty of content to unlock, this is a solid package that will keep you performing fatalities until you bleed.

Review by: Johnny McNair
Posted: 05/16/2011

Gameplay:	8.0
Graphics:	8.0
Sound:	8.5
Replay Value:	8.0
Bottom Line:	8.0