Posted By AngryJoe about 2 years ago
Mortal Kombat Angry Review,
We are many. You are but one, Angry Joe!
Angry Joe reviews the latest Mortal Kombat, a complete reboot of the franchise. Will going back to the series’ roots result in a flawless victory for this new fighter? Find out!
What constitutes a good character? Join me in this series that attempts to look at these characters and tries to peel away the layers of depth they have. Join me as we find Characters with Character! This week is Scorpion and Sub-Zero
Ed Boon wants to make video games….lots of new video games…
The most hardcore item for the most hardcore game around had to be reviewed in the most hardcore show around !
Hell has not so much frozen over as it has exploded, with the shocking and totally insane reveal of the mysterious fourth Mortal Kombat DLC fighter, who very much wants to welcome us all to his nightmare…
I could make a joke about getting wet, but that would be immature.
Are you already tired of Skarlet? Mortal Kombat has another DLC Karacter ready for you.
At least she won’t have to worry about bloodstains on her clothes.
Ed Boon wants to make video games….lots of new video games…
The most hardcore item for the most hardcore game around had to be reviewed in the most hardcore show around !
Hell has not so much frozen over as it has exploded, with the shocking and totally insane reveal of the mysterious fourth Mortal Kombat DLC fighter, who very much wants to welcome us all to his nightmare…
I could make a joke about getting wet, but that would be immature.
Are you already tired of Skarlet? Mortal Kombat has another DLC Karacter ready for you.
At least she won’t have to worry about bloodstains on her clothes.
Grudge Match! Angry Joe and Spoony fight for bragging rights in three Mortal Kombat matches!
Posted By Yousif A. about 2 years, 1 month ago
Mortal Kombat Review
Mortal Kombat Angry Review, 
Mortal Kombat was one of the first games to be brought up in the age old argument that video games promote violence in children. I got Mortal Kombat 3 for Christmas in 1995 and the only violent tendencies I have developed since are when I am exposed to any of the main titles that came after it. The series had started to become as stale as the blood split on the ground of its arenas. However, with a new development studio name and Warner Brothers publishing, Mortal Kombat returns with no subtitle and no number. This title has the chance to elevate the series back the top of the fighting ladder and replace every C with a K once again.
| PROS | Great visuals, stunning loading times, brilliant story mode, sweet character list, loads of unlockables |
| CONS | Boss fights are still silly, can’t skip already viewed cutscenes |
| WTF?! | He must win. Could you be a little more specific there Mr. Future Raiden? |
Nobody can say that NeatherRealm Studios skipped out on content. From the second you put the disc in the drive you are capable of playing every mode. From the single player story to the 4 player tag battles, to online king of the hill, to the secrets of the krypt, Mortal Kombat has more than enough content to warrant your $60 (£40). “Is this content any good?” you ask? What do you think this is, a review?
Let us start with the story mode. Overall NeatherRealm Studios have created the most complete story mode ever seen in a fighting game. Utilizing the UT3 engine, they have created hours of in-game cutscenes (the press release clocks them at over 8 hours), all of which look amazing. Rather than just sticking to the predesigned levels, these scenes work into a flowing story that feels like the levels were designed around it and not the other way round. Even the voice acting works, with none of the terrible lines expected from the genre. Well, perhaps Quan Chi’s line when teaming up with Shang Tsung about it being a ‘deadly alliance’ was a bit cheesy, but I gave a reluctant groan of appreciation towards the comment.
Reptile kites, now free with every pool of acid! Get yours today!
The plot involves Raiden trying to change the events of the series, after his future self sent a message back to him warning of the events to come in Armageddon. The whole thing is a little bit silly, but players get to re-live most of the events of Mortal Kombat 1 through 3, so fans should have plenty to enjoy and little to grumble about. You play as 16 different characters as you progress, each one getting around 3-4 fights each before making way for the next combatant. By picking the characters for you, the title not only keeps the game fresh, but makes you play as people you would not always have tried. I was never a fan of Stryker in MK3, but now he is easily one of my favorites. Thanks story mode!
It takes roughly 4-7 hours to get through this extraordinary mode, and your reward will be two new characters to your roster sheet. One is a MK4 character, the other is something old and something new (no spoilers here). These two hardly feel necessary, as everyone, barring Rain and the second incarnation of Sub-Zero, make it into the game from Mortal Kombat Trilogy. While the bosses are in the game, none of them are playable, with Montaro only making an appearance as a character model. This is a good thing too, but I’ll explain that later. There is an exception to this boss rule, but only in the challenge mode.
Every character on the new roster sheet varies drastically from one another. While Ermac, Smoke and Scorpion may have what seems to be the same teleport move, they all use it completely differently in their fighting style. Finding your favorite may be difficult as there is not a single dud character in the whole list. There may be one or two combatants that need a balancing tweak or too, like Shang Tsung, but overall the list is pretty even. At first each character only comes with one costume and one fatality unlocked, but playing the different modes unlocks ‘koins’ for you to spend in the ‘Krypt.’ With these you can unlock new fatalities, costumes and many other bits and pieces to enhance you experience.
I'll just strike a pose while you look for your contacts
The actual combat itself is the most beginner friendly fighting experience I have ever encountered. Like the MK’s of old, special moves only require a series of directional presses and a face button to perform, while simple combos are pretty free flowing. Within moments of picking up the game I had an 8 hit combo with Scorpion down, perhaps not the largest damage I could produce, but satisfying none the less. Without the quarter circle or 360 maneuvers of Capcom beat-um ups, players that find themselves throwing out a wildly inaccurate punch instead of a Hadoken in Street Fighter should find solace in the simplistic style of Mortal Kombat.
The joy for more experienced fighters comes from the innate understanding of how moves can be linked. Performing simple combos or special moves inspires you to figure out how to link them together. I found myself thinking ‘ok, so if that does that, then I could start with this’, and usually the hunches were right. It’s satisfying to see your combo list evolve so quickly and yet never feel like you have found something over powered. When I say the game caters to less experienced players that does not mean pros will find themselves bored.
This latest installation introduces a new mechanic for the series, the super bar. Broken into 3 stages, this bar builds as you perform special moves, technical moves, have your attacks block and when you are damaged. At the first stage you can use the bar to produce an enhanced version of a special move, either increasing the damage or duration. Think of it as an EX move in Street Fighter. The second level of this bar allows you to break a combo at any point, possibly saving your life or setting up a counter-attack. The third level is where the real punishment comes in. An all or nothing X-ray move can be activated once all the bars are full, horrendously damaging your opponent. This can be used to even out the fight or take a serious advantage over your opponent. However, like all attacks apart from throws, this move can be blocked (apart from rare throw and counter versions), meaning your whole bar will be wasted.
It can't be said that robots don't know how to look good when blowing someone up
Getting the first strike in a battle will see your bar go from the standard one block to two instantly, making your opening gambit far more important than simply taking first blood. Once you have got to grips with the game, deciding how to use your super bar in each fight can be the key factor that decides victory. While using a well placed enhanced special in a combo will not deal as much damage as an X-ray move, the chances of success are guaranteed of used correctly, while using an X-ray is only assured if you have a character with a move that causes stun, like Sub-Zero’s freeze or Scorpions spear. Breaking a combo is sometimes just as important as doing damage yourself and foregoing the previous moves may well win you the match. It’s an interesting mechanic and one that will show its depth over time.
Fatalities obviously make a return, and depending on which character you select, there could be up to 4 to choose from. Each is a sickening delight to watch, with many fan favorites returning from previous games. Previously fatalities were moves that would have to be remembered and pulled out of the bag like some sort of memorized insult (and online still are), but in the single player, you can pause the game and look them up freely now. If that wasn’t enough the title also has a training mode to help you perform each one, walking you through the distances required and the combinations. Very much hidden, but still there, Babalities make a return to the series, with slightly more animation than previous renditions. You haven’t seen anything until you witness baby Kratos.
If Brutalities and Friendships made it into the game as many leaked sources suggested (including Ed Boon’s Twitter), I and the rest of the internet are yet to discover them. Thankfully we still have pit fatalities though and plenty of them. You can hardly blink without passing a stage where a fatality can happen involving the environment. While nigh on all the stages are re-imaginings of previous levels, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a nasty way to kill someone. Even simple levels like the bridge from MK3 involve a fatality using the fast moving traffic as the means to your opponent’s demise. Unlike the previous two iterations of Mortal Kombat, there is no shortage of ways to make sure your opponent stays down.
I have said on a Podcast previously that I would pit Mortal Kombat against fighters like MVC2 and Street Fighter 2. It’s that good. The roster, Kharacters, story mode, Kombat, and of kourse the Fatalities. It’s that damn good.
(I like putting K in front of C words =) )
just gotta say best fighter in a long time soul caliber better step it up this time around to keep me as a fan
You can skip previously viewed cut scenes on the PS3 by pushing Square and X at the same time.
This game is really what the series needed to get back on its feet. I agree with the author of this review about Khan being excessively cheap and broken. During story mode I had to spam moves just to defeat him. When you have to do that instead of getting a good strategy and heading after him, that’s when the boss is broken in my opinion. However that certainly doesn’t ruin the experience.
My friend has this game, and it’s AWESOME! And screw people who don’t like Mileena’s best alt ever.
The prize you get when you beat the challenge tower, oh what a disappointment 
Amazing game I must say
It’s awesome, but from all the hype the developers were spouting, I expected a bit more. For example: Beating the entire tower, all you get is an extra costume for Mileena? Really?
MK is back and better then ever!
Totally deserves a 9/10.
Can’t wait for Joe’s take on it tho.
What constitutes a good character? Join me in this series that attempts to look at these characters and tries to peel away the layers of depth they have. Join me as we find Characters with Character! This week is Scorpion and Sub-Zero
The most hardcore item for the most hardcore game around had to be reviewed in the most hardcore show around !
Grudge Match! Angry Joe and Spoony fight for bragging rights in three Mortal Kombat matches!
Let us tell you about the things we’ve seen: homes overrun by thugs and gangs, priceless possessions lost forever to ruthless looters, mangled bodies of innocent people slaughtered like lambs. All that and we were STILL shocked by some of the fatalities in the new MORTAL KOMBAT!
ZGR – I went into Mortal Kombat thinking it would be dry and boring. Boy was I wrong!
Let Mortal Kombat begin! Birdman takes an extended look at Mortal Kombat: Kollector’s edition! Will this game be enough to renew the once proud franchise? The answer may just surprise you!
Mortal Kombat returns, Now with more violence than your body has room for!
What constitutes a good character? Join me in this series that attempts to look at these characters and tries to peel away the layers of depth they have. Join me as we find Characters with Character! This week is Scorpion and Sub-Zero
Let Mortal Kombat begin! Birdman takes an extended look at Mortal Kombat: Kollector’s edition! Will this game be enough to renew the once proud franchise? The answer may just surprise you!
Before we get started here, let’s be completely honest for a moment, shall we? Mortal
Music Mondays revisits the band that brought us tunes from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Bit.Trip Runner.
This is the best mk ever!,but the thing that makes it suck for me is,ive had it since it came out,and spamming in the game has gotten worse and worse,Its now 99.9% spammers,so now it really sucks and really pisses me the hell off, ive literally and im not kidding have broken 3 controllers because people online have pissed me off so freakin bad
yeh totaly agree with you, this is one of the best MK’s ever and thank god they went back to the 2D perspective
Thank you Ermac for the Tostones recipe they were good.
i strongly agree to many of your statements but i disagree on online lag i dont seem to have it at all this may just be somthing from your consule and not to be used aginst the game since my xbox360 works fine in multiplayer withought any lag so thats all im saying but your reivew is good and i do kind of miss the cooking with scorpion and the bonus content douse seem to be extreamly concept art -you can also unlock sektors costume which you were complaning about aswell you can unlock evreyones alt costume aswell- so in conclusion the game is good and you put in some good points but the lag part may be fasle just to consle alg
Eh, not as much extra content as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but the fact that more fighting games are recognizing the potential is great.
You know, I wasn’t going to, but I think I’ll go pick up mortal kombat now.
Personally, I am not a follower of the Mortal Kombat series because I find it too violent for my taste, however, I can’t help but be impressed by the effort and quality put into this game (I can understand why so many are excited)! I only wish that other fighting games had as many great features!
Ironically, this review manage to get me out of my seat and into the store- the grocery store that is! I hadn’t been introduced to tostones until now and I was eager to try them! I literally just got done making a batch along with a little mojo sauce for dipping and I must say they were delicious!
Thank you for the awesome review Angry Joe! In more ways than one
Lol! He is playing the X360 version again!
If he picked even MK on X360, then I’m perfectly sure that he doesn’t own a PS3 at all! You have no other reason to play this game on any other console than PS3.
Um, are you serious?
Tell me, why would you buy Mortal Kombat for the ps3, when psn has been down for weeks now and it’s scheduled date to be back online is the end of may?
Because most of us probably bought it BEFORE the network went down? And also, the general X-Box controllers suck for fighters? Take your pick.
Piss off ya PS3 fan-nazi, every comment you make talks about how much better PS3 is than 360.
MAY I HAVE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION SO WE CAN END THIS, THERE IS NO POINT ARGUING WHICH CONSOLE IS BETTER, IT’S THE GAMES THAT MATTER!
Personally, I like the neither game library better, most of the games I like, such as the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, Fallout, Mortal Kombat ecetera are on both.
Simply put for your idiot brain, piss off and let us enjoy the games without trying to start another console war.
2 vs 2 has existed before, like MK2 or 3.
My friend and I laughed our asses off playing storymode when we first heard Shang Tsung’s stereotypical old-man voice. I half expected him to say “Welcome to Mortal Kombat… you siree Amewicans.”
Just wanted to give an Update, for Germany’s release.
Actually MK was banned today and can only be bought “under the desk” in shops,
no marketing is allowed and its so nearly impossible to get a copy of that game legal,
cause most shops wont budge with fucking age verification (on the net and online, via Amazon it costs 5€ extra for checking your age via the postman, to add to that, the postman is only allowed to give this copy to the specific person who bought this game, so if only your wifes at home you wont get the game)
Holy shit. So my comments got a combined FIFTY TWO thumbs down, are you guys for serious?
I mean, I get that you value joe’s opinion, but you guys couldn’t brown nose any deeper if you tried, you have joe’s ass hairs around your shoulders, that’s dangerous.
I mean, wow. Everyone that disagrees with Joe’s opinion on MK in these comments are getting tons and tons of thumbs down and indirect flaming. Despite the fact going out of our way to stress that it’s a fun game and Joe can have his opinion as a casual fighting game player.
I saw the same thing on Spoony’s video where he disagrees with Joe too, anyone that said the opposite to him and agreeing with Joe was getting all kinds of shit, the fanbase of this site is horrible, you guys act like mindless drones that can’t think for themselves.
Wow, butthurt much?
I’m curious, did you practice at being ignorant or does it just come naturally to you?
Read my post again. Like I said, you go to spoony’s mortal kombat video, where he disagrees with Joe, and you see the exact same outcome as here, only in reverse!
On this site (and it’s affiliated sites) if you do not follow the herd and agree 100% with the video creator’s opinions you’re somehow seen as an enemy and are clearly trolling, because heaven forbid you disagree.
It’s no more damning than in cases like this where two prominent figures of the site disagree and yet both videos have the exact same responses and reactions to those disagreeing. It’s disgustingly predictable, and even doug and spoony have said themselves that they are simply sharing their opinions and that they’re infact, not 100% fact, yet the legions of sheep here will treat it as such.
Go watch sadpanda’s latest video even, the entire video is nothing but sadpanda and welshy making fun of the people doing this – we’re at the point where you guys are getting made fun of by the people that provide the content you so feverishly defend.
I would say the smarter producers who understand the one sided community they’ve gained are making fun of them. Still a lot of the producers will hide behind rabid fans that refuse to criticize them and give into their every demand. Unless of course someone says something awful about them that is true and they personally try to shut you up.
Frankly I disagree about your points (and maybe you could have been a bit more civil) but going through them I don’t think your comments really deserved so many Thumbs Down.
All I have to say is…
Ooohhh, Nasty!
Seriously though, great vid. And I’ll see about locating a PC version of this game… (there isn’t one is there?)
lol I agree with most of what you say Joe but there is one thing about this game… one thing… pathetic and absolutely inexcusable… that is the reward for challenge tower
And that reward IS…
*SPOILERS*
A costume of Mileena basically just her wrapped in toilet paper. 300 painstaking, HAIR PULLING challenges… for THAT?! That is pathetic… and the even more pathetic thing is that they were PROUD of that reward! I couldnt believe it…
Well… in defense of that, Mileena DOES have a massive fanbase. I agree it’s kinda stupid, but yeah, to the huge Mileena fanbase, I guess it would be worth it to see her in nothing but that.
Yes but I’d think even Mileena’s fanbase would have liked something better than that. To have had it somewhere in the tower as a reward wouldve been fine, good even… have more than one reward scattered throughout it (besides koins) woulda been cool but to have that and only that as the ultimate reward for all that… yeah I dont think so. Other than that though I think its a great game, I’m almost in total agreement with Joe… and I dont know, maybe Joe hasnt finished challenge tower yet lol
Not just that. But all you receive is a silver trophy? When fighting as “Cyber-Reptile,” why couldn’t we unlock that costume? At least, they could have included trophies/achievements along the way. I know they have one for beating 25 challenges, but why not 50-100-150-200 and so on. And all you get is a silver trophy and Mileena’s outfit that was already revealed in story mode?
Okay, seriously, if they’re going the perverted route, why not give all female combatants French Maid or school girl outfits?
But let’s not forget the crowning achievement… you get the sole gold trophy after having to spend 350+ hours on the game, 24 hours per character… that’s a Johnny Cage punch to the nuts for people who don’t want their gaming system to MELT.
People have claimed that it’s full of content, when really all you get is one alternative outfit per character and some artwork and music no one wants to listen to. I do love the game, but it’s also earned my ire in many areas.
Also, just a secondary comment… do you know who has a MUCH larger fanbase than Mileena? Sub-Zero. And yet he was raped in every bit of advertisement for this game. Even the damned opening screen has him getting his ass kicked.
I would have bought the Kollectors edition had it not been for the spear jabbed through my favorite character’s heart. It’s just lame and, quite frankly, an insult.
Well, hold on a moment now. Which iteration of Sub Zero do you like? I assume you mean the good guy one from later in the game. The Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat was a much different character and actually a bad guy, as I recall (I may have the mythology mixed up but I am sure the one in later games is a different guy). The original Sub Zero gets killed in the first game, so the Sub Zero you like is not the one getting his ass kicked in the opening.
In addition to this, try to remember that female characters take precedence over male ones when it comes to selling points. I really like Johnny Cage and he is one of my favorite characters but if I do have to get some sexy outfit reward I want it to be for a female character.
I am a little shocked by Mileena’s popularity as I always guessed that Kitana was more popular. Go figure, I guess.
What does that matter? I know the history well, and I know the first Sub-Zero kills Scorpion and his clan and Scorpion comes back for revenge. The Story is fine with me. But there’s no excuse for the promotion. Fans of Sub-Zero, who is arguably even more popular than Scorpion (the two heads of the gaming franchise), is bitched out in EVERY piece of promotion distributed. Would it have killed them to simply put out a piece of the two in a pose off? I wouldn’t buy anything with Sub-Zero killing Scorpion either, because it’s “just not cool.” Seriously… bad marketing decisions. Even my friend, who openly favors Scorpion, looked at the Kollector’s edition and said as eloquently as he could, “Wow. That’s pretty damn gay.”
I am now hungry for some tostones
Mortal Kombat is awesome so far! I just found a blog that’s giving out the preorder DLC for all the costumes, and the new Kenshi character DLC!
I just got my Reptile Klassic Kostume but I don’t know if there’s anymore keys left. If you want to check it out, here’s the site:
http://freemortalkombatdlc.com.nu
The only thing that I can say for sure is that Angry Joe and Mortal Kombat are the epitome of AWESOME.
This is a great game and I agree on all points but the X-ray moves, which are ridiculous.
You can’t keep fighting after you’ve had your skull shattered or your organs frozen and crushed.
Even in an over the top game as MK, it’s way too ridiculous.
This is about the only point I agree with Spoony on – when I saw them a few times, I wanted to turn them off already…
On another note, lots of games have online lag issues, so I won’t count that in the score, although it would be quite nice if they are fixed.
Otherwise, everything else deserves praise, 9/10, and badass seal of approval indeed!
Ive said it once, ill say it again. MK was in my top 2 most anticipated games of the year, and it didnt disappoint one bit. one of the best games i have ever played in 28 years of life! now if they could just bring PSN back up so i could play it with my friends!
I watched this and Spoony’s review and I have to say I’m with him on more then a few things. I found this game the opposite of intuitive and easy to just pick up. I admit I am not very good at fighting games but the sheer amount of memorization makes this far from just pick up and play. Seriously just go check out Spoony’s review of this I’m not going to repeat it. He brings up some valid points and has a POLAR OPPOSITE reaction of every thing said here.
I really enjoyed this review, even though I’m not really a fan of Mortal Kombat (I’m not that good with gore…).
Cooking with Ermac was HILARIOUS! (I can’t believe I knew Joe was dressed as was Ermac!)
You’re clearly enjoying yourself their Joe, makes me want to give this game a shot and I’ve never played any Mortal Komabt game before.
Joe, really, it’s great that you love MK, and it does look like a great game, but as a fan of MvC3 I resent how you continued to make fun of that game throughout your review of this thing. We know you don’t like that MvC3 had no story mode, we know that you don’t like that it lacked content outside of its fighting. This is supposed to be a review of Mortal Kombat, not you continuing to take your aggression out on MvC3 and talk about how much better this game is than it.
I don’t like Mortal Kombat, I never liked Mortal Kombat, and I’m not going to get this one because I don’t see that changing. However, I can appreciate that they’ve put together a good title with lots of content for a fighting game. Good for the fans of the series.
Look, no disrespect to you Joe, or to any of the fans of MK, but the repeated shots to MvC3 throughout this review really annoyed me. I’m really not the kind of guy who feels they need to defend the titles they like, but this just seemed unnecessary and it kind of dragged the review down. I was too busy getting annoyed with you after you made fun of MvC3 every few minutes that I wasn’t able to focus on your points about MK. I wasn’t judging MK on its merits, I was getting defensive about a game that I love that you kept making fun of, and I actually feel even less compelled to get it than before because of that.
Also, on another note, it’s interesting that they put Kratos in the PS3 version, but didn’t give the 360 version its own exclusive. You know… Microsoft owns Rare, and Rare owns Killer Instinct. During this game’s development, I repeatedly said that I thought it would be cool if they added Fulgore into MK as a 360 exclusive. Wouldn’t anyone have liked to see that? People keep asking for a KI3, and I think it would have been a cool thing to see Fulgore featured in another game, especially MK.
If fulgore was in it, it would’ve given me the push to really want to play MK9…and for many, push them to buy the 360′s MK9.
Uff… First Red Dead redemption and now Mortal Kombat… I need to buy a consolle.
Cooking with Ermac should be a regular show. Get on that, Joe. We need more cooking shows!!
Anyone else catch ‘libary’?
Ironicly, i couldn’t agree more with some of the comments said.
In terms of extra content, the awesome fatailities, the x-ray, etc..this game is truly a crowning achievment in fighting games and I am GLAD its setting the standards for fighting games higher than MVC3 did..HOWEVER, with that said..core gameplay wise..mortal Kombat has NEVER been a truly respectable fighter. The core gameplay is FUN don’t get me wrong, but the gameplay just isn’t where it should be at all for fighting games. Its really hard to put into words, but its not as much a true fighting game as many others are, and it never was.
But that’s okay because MK9 is just doing what Mortal Kombat does best, and I respect it for that, because that was a very wise choice. Go for the gameplay its known for, have a ton of extra stuff to do, awesome fatalities, awesome x-ray, etc. That’s where its strengths are, and Netherrealm KNOWS what they’re good at with MK, and did it in spades. But I’m not going to buy the game, because the core gameplay has never been at where most hardcore fighting game fans want.
My main thing to say is, looking at this game, I hope it gets the Tekken and Street Fighter Crossover game makers (Namco and Capcom respectively) to take a good hard look at what MK9 has done, and make sure their upcoming games are NOT like MVC3, but more like the amount of stuff in MK9. But at the same time, keep the quality that Street Fighter and Tekken are known for in their core mechanics and gameplay.
One thing nice to know is, Eighting (makers of Bloody Roar) handled MVC3..and Dimps handled SSIV. The guy who headed SSIV is doing Street Fighter x Tekken. (Ono) and Harada..guy who handles Tekken..is doing Tekken X Street Fighter, so the quality should definately be above MVC3. Still, to reel it in..MK9 is still an awesome game, just not meant for the hardcore fighting game crowd. But I suppose Joe kinda hinted at that anyways with his “not likely to be much of a tournament fighter” comment anyways
The wierd part is, I baught Dante’s Inferno over-the-counter, I baught god of War over-the counter, hell I baught Mortal Kombat Armageddon over-the-counter. What’s Mortal Kombat got that Dante’s Inferno hasn’t got?
Don’t feel bad for me, ordered Mortal Kombat from eBay, arrived today. If the government doesn’t want the 10% Goods & Services Tax money from me playing Mortal Kombat, they can go fuck themselves. I’m STILL playing it
Don’t feel bad for me. Git Mortal Kombat from ebay just today.
Well, you asked for a petition to bring Mortal Kombat to Austrilia, and I found one on google. http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43349.html
I agree with you, Joe! This game is a HUUGE improvement over the other Mortal Kombat games since that one in the N64, and Deception (which nailed MK’s grave for me).
Definitely worth a buy if you enjoyed the originals, since it’s a big “Back to basics” with tons and tons of extra content, a worthwhile storymode that sorta explains the origins of most characters (if not all).
My only “gripes” would be about the Fatalities which seem to repeat themselves from one character to another (talking about the “Splitting in half” approach to Finishers), and the cheap No-Knockdown shield that Goro, Kintaro and Shao Khan have. There’s a workaround of course, but after receiving the N’th elbow uppercut from Khan each time I get too close and get killed, I tend to scream like Kirk and give up for another frustrating session. …But that’s Mortal Kombat for you.
The moves are easy to do, I wouldn’t swear about it since it’s far in my memories, but I believe most of the moves are the same as the originals, the buttons to press I mean.
i’m gonna say something here that’ll probly get me thumbed down a tonne of times but has been urking me about peoples comments of MK’s ban in australia (hi i’m new and i’m australia)
i just wanna get this off my chest: there is nothing wrong with australia’s rating board, infact if anything our rating board is JUST AS leniant as america’s, it’s just got one flaw, theres no R18+ rating, and really, can you expect a game like MK9 to get anything less then R? cause personaly i think it’d be stupid to put it on shelves with a MA rating, the game is intence and super violent (guy being ripped in half? naw let the little kiddies see it i’m sure it wont give em nightmares) personaly i support the board on not giving this title a MA rating, now do i support there not being a R rating? fuck no i don’t support there being no R rating, i’m over 18 and i love violence, but i can’t expect the rating board to release games UNDER the rating they SHOULD be getting, and i also don’t want developers to cut out massive bits of thier games just so they can skim under the r rating as well, the fact is that the only problem the rating board in australia is the lack of R18+ rating
sorry for that huge rant joe, i love your show but it’s a pet peave of mine when people just assume our rating board is incompetant becuase they ban games (legaly anything that can’t be given or hasn’t been given a rating is effectively illegal to sell, so that’s what the actualy ‘banning’ process is) they ban games becuase they don’t have the proper rating’s available to them, no they are incompetant becuase games that SHOULD be R18+ are sold as MA15+, TBH IMO that is WORSE then a game getting banned
/rant
The problem with Australia’s rating board is that it is, as I understand it, a government entity. Once that happened it just opened up the inevitable creep of sociopaths using it to control you and what you’re free to do.
There will never be an R18+ rating in Australia because they don’t want there to be one. They want to tell you, an adult, that you can’t have these games, because they don’t like them, and the people who have purchased these bureaucrats don’t like them. And as long as it’s a government entity that’s the way it’s going to be until someone can bit more for these bureaucrats and turns the spigot the other way. This will of course incite the people who currently own these bureaucrats and who hate these games to rally and try to wrest control of this board away from you, thus completing the endless cycle of two groups trying to beat each other over the head with one stick.
it’s funny furluge, how i agree with if not all, most of what you said, you got what the rating board is pretty acurate and some of it’s major flaws, but this wasn’t the point of what i was ranting about, what i was ranting about was how people completely miss the point of why and how games in australia are banned, and the repercusions of there being no R rating
before i continue, i am not trying to deface or bring down your reputation at all furluge, i’m just putting forth my thoughts and elaborating on what i said, people feel free to tl;dr and thumb down if you want.
the problems are twofold a problem for gamers and a problem for the public
for the gamers: games get content and other things removed (example: l4d2)
for the public: games that should be rated much higher get release as a lower rating (example: fallout three was banned becuase of drug imagery, when the developers removed said imagery the ratings boards played the game again and found disturbing imagery they didn’t notice before, thus the game went to MA15+ instead of M)
i’m just trying to get people to stop thinking of the problem as “australia’s rating board are pussies” and start thinking “australia needs a R rating for video games” starting petitions that state “other games are more violent then MK9 and got released in australia” is not going to help, at best it’ll get the games mentioned banned after sale, and at worst will get MK9 release as MA15+
i will reiterate my stance very clearly here
as the rating board stand right now with no R rating MK9 should not be released in australia
i don’t care if saying that gets me the irth of the entire gaming comunity it’s fucking TRUE, you all saw in the video how that one character ripped someone in half with his shadow clone thingy, that is brutal and isn’t something that should be released under anything but 18+ audience (in my opinion anyway) i don’t care how badly someone wants to buy this game at EB games they can just go on ebay and buy it, the game is way to violent to be release as MA15+ title
so yea, if you want to make complaints about the rating board make a complaint they don’t even play through the game they just play the opening usualy and that’s what they go on
and one last thing before a go, the only reason the MK9 didn’t get released under a R18+ rating is becuase the fatalities are a major advertising point for the game, you’ll notice that with alot of games that are banned, the violence is usualy a bullet point on the back of the game box, otherwise usualy whats in the game goes under the radar
er…bring on those thumbdowns!
Well I’ll give you a thumbs up. For what it’s worth, I didn’t miss what you were saying at all. You’re right the game should be released with an R18+ rating. I have no problem with ratings, I like ratings, and MK is aiming for a mature rating.
I was just commenting that it’s not an accident that there is no R18+ rating in Australia. The rating doesn’t exist because the ratings board, a governmental body, and those who own the ratings board, don’t want to release these games so adults can purchase them. If it wasn’t a case of wanting an excuse to defacto-ban titles then the rating would have been created years ago once it became apparent that this rating was needed.
i might like to point out my only problem with your argument is a semantic, you say ‘so that adults can’t play these games’ though i think what you mean is “they do it so that kids wont get ahold of the game” really it’s the goverment and the religeouse groups butthurt over that some parents are bad parents and get thier kids these games anyway no matter the rating on the title
a funny side note though: a game this violent is obviousely high fantasy in it’s execution so it couldn’t possibly cause any sort of violent behavior or have the ‘imiatating generation’ imitate whats happening, but still it seems the main reason that games get put in the ‘ban’ pile is becuase they feel that the behavior in the game will be imitated, makes you think don’t it?
furluge, you’ve been a excelent debate partner *tips his hat to you*
Man can’t wait until they announce a sequel for this game
Joe let me say, I love your show and your reviews, however sorry I can’t watch this without getting pissed off. Not because I don’t like the review but because I’m Australian and I know I will never get to play this fine piece of work unless they manage to get ab R18+ game classification or its released in a censored version (which will suck anyway)
I agree Joe, this game kicks ass!
I also agree that the AI can be cheap and that the story mode,as great as it was, could’ve had more chapters in it.
I would comment on the online mode…but I have the PS3 version…and I’m sure you know why we can’t play online right now.
I’ll be honest, I’ve had little interest in MK9, and your review didn’t do much in convincing me to buy it. It was kind of contradictory of you to say “There’s so much content here.” followed by “Most of the unlockables aren’t really worth it.” I do admit it’s fun to watch, I just have no interest in playing. And I do have to correct you on the tournament scene, MK9 was announced as a major title for the EVO 2K11 tournament in a couple of months.
Also, the pot shots at MvC3. Really? they have been adding modes since launch to make up for the “anemic” game options via Shadow Battle and Event Mode. Also, you seemed highly enthusiastic for the DLC characters here, yet it’s frowned upon in your MvC3 review? Lastly, you didn’t even bother to mention the $10 online pass that you have to pay for if you ever decide to pick up MK9 used, which is not cool at all.
I’m not trying to sound hateful here Joe, I’m just giving my opinion/criticism of the review. I’m still looking forward to what you have up for us in the near future.
Since playing the game, I can tell you that there’s more contradictions than that. The only useful unlocks are alt costumes and fatalities. The rest are codes like “No blood” or stick figures doing fatalities (seirously).
And the game’s NOT beginner friendly, scince all my friends started matches looking at the movelist and forgetting most of them. I couldn’t do Sub-zero’s ice for 2 matches until I looked back to find it was down forward kick. What is he shooting with his fuckin’ legs?
I was kind of indifferent about MK, but scince this review, I feel like I have to hate it scince I like MVC3 more. It’s like we have to build this trench between fans.
Story was great, fighting was love it or hate it, not a godsend but worth a look.
Main thing you also have to remember as you said, it took some time until they came out with the extra content instead of day 1. Compared to MK having it all on Day 1 of the release, that’s what’s making things look better for it. I definitely see what you’re mentioning, but at the same time, it’s also about the fact that if you want to get the most out of your game, you’ll usually want it on the first day instead of a few months down the line.
Hey can somebody answer this question for me; I -REALLY- need to know before I purchase the game. I trust this website and the people on it, so I went here.
My Friend over in Florida has the game, I live in California, I am considering to purchase the game.
If I buy the game; Can I go online, with my friend, and partner up; to fight other people online in two versus two mode? Sort of a 2vs2 mode but with a arranged partner, him using his console ONLINE, and me using my console ONLINE. We pair up online, rather then locally, to co-op against other people. If not, does ANYTHING have the feature to team up with a ONLINE friend. The internet jumps around rapidly on ‘yes and no’s’.
This will determine my decision on purchasing the game, and I’d like to be informed, please. Thanks ahead of time.
Since I have a PS3 I have not tried the online system. I do know it is possible to have you and your friend on the same console go online and team up (there’s an online option under “2 players” so I can only assume that’s what it’s for…having you and a friend on the same console join up in a 1v1 room is asking for trolling).
I would assume teaming up with someone else online is a given if they’ve thought that far into it. It would be insanely dumb for them to let two people on the same console team together in 2v2 online and then NOT let two people on different consoles do it. I would think as long as you two have the same console obviously, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Thank ya for the reply, it’d make sense for them to have it, as you said. It’d be stupid if they denied that chance to people who may have long distance friends exc. exc.
Its a good game but I missed the electric sounds from Raiden and the ability to make your own character. Also as a new player I found this to be harder to get into than soul calibur.
Actually I am a gamer from germany and you Joe do not adress the problem with the rating system in this country at all.
1st
Every single shooter is cut in germany, if it is even available
2nd
On Steam germans can only buy cut versions, even if we are 18 years old, cause steam is to lazy to implement an age verification system
3rd
Mortal Kombat is published in germany but we cant play online, cause age verification issues.
Most of this fucking shit comes out of bavaria, yeah the Oktoberfest thingi. I as a gamer hate bavaria cause of this.
i dont ususally like to flame at the comments of others but i need to correct some of the statements:
1. not every shooter is cut. only when you can kill humans. i know that this includes 95% of the shooters but i wanted to clearify that anyway. sometimes if the tactical element of the killings is very clear, they dont cut at all (for example bf bad company 2). but it is right that the germans frown upon violence against humans as much as the americans on nudity. i order shooters only from austria or the uk because i dont want cut versions. which brings me to my next point:
2. you can play uncut games in steam when you order the disc version from another country and register that cd-key. the only game so far that block this is cod black ops. you can buy 18+ games on steam. but they are almost always cut. that bugs me the most. that even the mature buyers are patronized like this. i can understand when a game is cut to a lower rating but cut to get a mature rating goes too far for me. some games arent even released in germany because the producers wont cut their games. which brings me to my next point:
3. mortal kombat IS NOT released in germany. that is a fact. but it’s legal to order it from all over europe. look at the articles on amazon for example. only us, uk and austrian versions there. but even thats gonna be harder in a few days because the import versions are gonna get indexed (thats when you may not advertise or openly sell this product – happens to brutal movies/games all the time in germany and this is why they cut the games to prevent this.)
after this long long explanation i just want to say, that i, a pc gamer by heart, will buy a xbox360 just for this game this month and import both from england
i’m a big mortal kombat fan since the first acarde releases. and i dont see a pc coming so i finally have to get the console, i guess 
btw great review joe. loved the cooking show
Does poking those thin holes in his examples really matter? Regardless there’s still a bunch of bureaucrats who have decided that THEY know better and have decided that he’s not allowed to purchase these items, forcing import from outside the country. Oh, and don’t think those bureaucrats aren’t going to make that illegal for you soon to. All it takes is a little promise of money/power and they’ll be all over it.
I certainly didn’t expect to get pumped for this game as much as I did, but man, this was an awesome package. I played MK often before, but this one really does take the cake for the best in the series and should but a staple for how to make next gen fighters. I may still have liked BB:CS more, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is a fantastic fighting game, certainly a game of the year contender for me.
Mortal Kombat is a real game changer. I wonder if anyone will ever try to top this attempt?
GIEF PC port!
I’m not even a fighting game fan, seriously I own zero fighting games, but even I plan to buy this game.
It’s pretty rare for a game in a genre I usually don’t like to interest me, but Mortal Kombat has done it.
Mortal Kombat will be at EVO this year along with Marvel vs Capcom 3, Tekken 6, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition for those who don’t know
I would have preferred the “FRIENDSHIP” over “BABALAITY” or whatever. It probably would have taken less time to implement than the babalitys, just animation time and props for the characters, versus entire models for the baby mortal kombatants.
Well… to be honest, I play fighting games solely for the multiplayer with my friends. So the Core Engine and Long-Last ability is the key things for me. Extra’s are nice, but once they are all done and unlocked… there isn’t much use to them any more. It all eventually falls to the Multiplayer, and in core fighting engine, I think MvC3 is better. More Characters, More Balance. Mortal Kombat might have it’s X-Ray moves and Fatalities, but they only really are shocking for the first couple of times (EXCEPT maybe Noob Saibot’s First Fatality. It still makes me cringe.) afterwards, it all becomes repetitive and you yearn for a greater fight system.
Don’t get me wrong, I say MK is better than MvC3 as a general game… but I wouldn’t say it’s better than Street Fighter 4 or BlazBlue.
Well now I know how to make Tostones. Maybe I’ll eat some when I finally play this surprisingly awesome game! I’ve never played a Mortal Kombat before- the series had always rubbed me the wrong way, but this game looks like it may be different.
So PS 3 got bonus character (Kratos) and Xbox don’t. WTF????
100% agree Joe. Corse I haven’t had the chance to play online yet because I wanted to do the story and some tower b4 trying the online and by the time I was ready for it….PSN went down. But anyway, I love some of the hidden things they have in there that are call backs to MK1-3. Like the hidden fights that are just like the ones from those games. Though I’ve only been able to get to one of those thus far.
MK is the fighting game I grew up with and if I had a costume like the one you have Joe I wouldn’t take it off either.
i only have one nitpicking complaint is BlazBlue Calamity Trigger in not a last fighting game to have a indepth story its sequel Blazblue Continuum Shift that came out last year in August it doesn’t just gave us a few new characters but Contiuum Shift’s story picks up where Calamity Trigger’s True Ending left off its to bad the english dub haters have given BlazBlue a bad rep if that made sense to anyone
Now it would be nice if they (Not NetherRealm, just any game company) would make a nice Killer Instinct Remake/Reboot … That game kicked ass too … We need a new one!!
Oh by the way , great show Joe!! Always enjoy your reviews, keep up the good work !!
Looks like MK is back on the right tracks. Too bad it wasn’t released on PC.
Awesome review, Joe, you only forgot one little thing ISN’T AWESOME THAT YOU CAN HAVE ALTERNATE COSTUMES IN GAME AND NOT HAVE TO BUY THEM AS A DLC!!! Right Akuma???
I can’t wait to actually get to play this online.
I enjoyed the BlisteredThumb room Joe made last night, and had fun playing matches against the fans of the site here. Hope somone can keep a room going so that we can still challenge everyone here
woah! that’s cool that a room was made for Blistered Thumbs. was the room just titled that? i was getting the dumb servers down glitch last night so i wasn’t able to get online last night. let me know what room title to look out for in the future if this is gonna be a regular or semi-regular thing. thanks!
Well for a moment i was expecting that you will use the krypt monster xD joe
Mortal Kombat 9 is far one of the most epic fighting game that I play, sure have minor issues they are nothing compared to the good thing in the game sure the krypt need more interesting content and not only concept art
The fatality are gory, yes but I was expecting more fatalility like the old one when liu kang throw you a arcade game of mortal kombat over your head lol
Also i was expecting that there was an option to create your own fighter but that is just a minor issue
The history mode is easily one of the best history modes in a fighting game and men the ending makes me kinda sad (not spoiler ir)
The kombat is easy to get in, the challenged tower have a lot game time over 300 challenged
The mini game of test your might are back along their variation, a actual tutorial mode and the list go on and on if you want a good fighting game try this out!
So Joe, is there any chance we’ll see video of the epic beatdown you gave Spoony in MK anytime soon?
The thing is, even with all its kontent and unlockables. I still can’t get into MK for one reason
The versus fights. It just isn’t as fluid, well controlled, or balanced as a Street Fighter game, and that’s what I’m after.. the best game to play with my friends offline. and while doing a fatality or two has some appeal, it is a party trick, not a gamewinner for me.
MK is fun, but i prefer the more skill-demanding SF games
i respect that you like street fighter 4 every one have the right to have their on favorite fighting game and have some issues whit other game is normal, but tell that in a review of other game that you are having issues kinda look bad for other that actually like the game soo be a little more carefuel, because other people maybe will think that you are trolling ir
i know mortal kombat is not perfect and also street fighter is not perfect to i just saying that your coment easly can get misinterpret
Mortal Kombat 2011 or MK 9 is a COMPLETE fighting game. I feel sad for players in Australia, Germany and in other countries for not being able to play this game (the game is also banned in Japan too but I believe that the ban will be lifted soon. I know coz Im here in Japan and I imported MK9). This is what we gamers deserve our hard earned cash. A complete game, full of KONTENTS and easter eggs and USEFUL OPTIONS like being able to watch someone’s match online and can comment on while watching the match instead of watching 2 cards humping each other (I’m sorry I just can’t get over the MvC 3 problem because I was one of the millions who are expecting that game to make a great comeback and CAPCOM failed us. I sold my MvC 3 game for the PS3 and 360 last month on ebay because I got bored with it. Super Street Fighter 4 is much more enjoyable and worth keeping in your collection than MvC 3. This is not a fanboy POV, its my OWN opinion) and a tutorial that REALLY HELPS YOU OUT from doing a special move to making a fatality move and most of all ITS NOT PUSSIFIED like what MK vs DC did. Mortal Kombat SHOULD NEVER EVER be pussified. Mortal Kombat should stay violent, gory, bloody and fun game to play (Noob Saibot FATALITY FTW!!!). X-ray move should become a main stay in future MK games. My little issue for this game is that the super bar is only filling up when you get hit instead of doing a special move and combos. Adding more characters with their own X-ray move and 2 fatalities and a babality is a must in MK9 (which kinda dissapointed me when I found out that Cyber Sub Zero doesnt have a x-ray move) as long as its not worth 5 bucks a character. 2 bucks is fine. By the way, I just wanna mention that being able to play MK9 in a tag battle and up to 4 players (4 fckng players) can play together is an idea that is so brilliant that I wanna buy the guy/guys/gals a round of drinks, hats off to those people who thought of that and did it well. To the makers or MvC 3 take notice, this is what a next gen game SHOULD BE MADE. COMPLETE, HAS A LOT OF CONTENTS, BEING ABLE TO WATCH THE MATCH ONLINE, A DECENT STORY, A USEFUL TUTORIAL THAT REALLY HELPS BEGINNERS AND PRO PLAYERS, AND MOST OF ALL A DECENT ONLINE SERVER. Infact I did made a comparison between the 2 games using my PS3 and Xbox 360. I got 8 out if 10 online matches with 0 disconnections and no input lags playing MK9 on Xbox Live while I only got 4 out of 10 matches with a small input lag and almost having disconnections while on a match playing MvC 3 on Xbox live and on PS3. MK9 is on top of my fighting game collection now and Tekken 6 is 2nd and SSF4 is 3rd. Infact, im gonna say it right now. Tekken 6 is more complete than MvC 3. There I said it! IMO Tekken 6 is a man’s game compared to MvC 3′s super combo spam-a-thon.
Bottom line: Buy Mortal Kombat 2011 or Mortal Kombat 9 or Mortal Kombat Reboot (whatever you wanna call it). Its worth the money. If you don’t have the money, go trade in your MvC 3 game and your old SF4 game or SSF4 game (because Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition is said to be the complete version of Super Street Fighter 4) and but Mortal Kombat 9. If you have the PS3 and 360, then go buy them both. Your money is worth it I tell you.
Joe, I’m hoping the online gets improved a bit so the Blistered Thumbs MK tournament you mentioned in one of your other videos can actually come to pass. I’d deffinitely be up for repping my Cage in it. Also, it’d be freaking awesome to actually play you sometime online. If you’re playing on the 360 my GT is barn34. Hit me up if you wanna rumble.
PS: This game is indeed awesome and all of my previous reservations based on the series’ history have been proven wrong. If the online gets smoother and they deliver the high quality DLC that they’ve been promising, this could deffinitely stay in my tray for quite a while.
Got this game the moment I saw it and it was well worth my money. An awesome review, I’ve been waiting a while for you to post this and you didn’t dissapoint, thanks….
Also I think your Reptile costume was better than the Ermac one…
I’d say more but I’d probably ramble and wouldn’t make much sense anyway so I’m gonna shut up now…
This game is so great! One of the best value games I bought. I rarely buy any games but I had to buy this and yes it was in fact worth every penny and more I’m sure! Some balance issues but overall joe is spot on with this review. I played MvC3 and SF4 at my buddies house and wow MvC3 I just don’t get how that is so popular. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like I was having a seizure or something. I don’t get how that is a great tournament fighter. And based on what I’ve heard that game has mad balance issues so how is that so popular in tournaments if everyone picks the same fighters.
Also the krypt was pretty annoying and pointless for the most part. The fatalities get lame after you realize alot of them are basically the same. Could have used more variety.
Wait wait wait – so the Aussies get a moment of silence and we germans aren’t even mentioned? We can’t play this, too ….
…. unless we import, that is.
Anyway, excellent game, excellent review and the return of Joe’s force lightning! Yay!
I’ll rewatch the beginning and give my silence to the Germans.
You guys get boned a lot more often than we do. Just that it’s considered like normal for you guys, I guess. Us Aussies have been causing a lot of media attention lately 
“You are but one.”
BIG MISTAKE, red-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-know. AJ has an ARMY!!!
PS Don’t worry Joe, us Aussies are playing this game. Region free PS3 ftw.
And things are actually moving with regards to our classification system so any pushing from an army of foreign supporters will have little (positive) effect at this stage. Next AG meeting is in … uh … one of the J months. June or July. And the government has basically demanded that something finally gets done at that meeting otherwise they’ll intervene.
PPS Utah Saints Mortal Kombat Theme? Uhhhhhhh No. Actually, you used Itch-e and Scratch-es’ ‘Sweetness and Light’.
I can’t believe no one else caught that? Or did I hear the wrong tune? In which case you didn’t credit Itch-e and Scratch-e?
Also, Joe you are so white. :p
Cooking with Ermac…
I would buy the game just for that
Its awesome that MK has made victorious return. Expesially after failure that was DCU vs MK.
A beyond perfect game.
If fatalities don’t have an impact on people. Get ‘em drunk and try again, it worked for me.
If Noobs tearing fatality doesnt stir someones stomach, he must be emotionally stunted or something… Seeing that fatality never gets any easier.
Which makes it quite awesome actually.
I kept expecting that little jumpscare they have in the Krypt to pop up when you were using it in your background, but I guess you also referenced that towards the end with the “TOASTY” included.
Nice review though, looks like it could be a good subject for me to draw as well… ;3
“If you want the very best of what the fighting genre has to offer, get mortal kombat”
Wooooahhh now Joe, I don’t think that’s what you meant to say, especially after you said right afterwards “It’s a different more accessible fighter.”
Is it a well put together product? Yes. Is it rewarding? kiiiinda. Accessible? Yes! Is it a well put together fighter? Heeeeeeelllllll no. Not in the slightest. That’s not to say it isn’t a fun little game, but it is definitely not a good fighting game, just like smash brothers is not a good fighting game.
It is of course above smash brothers in that it succeeds in actually being a fighter – but just barely.
Bah, the time to edit my comment elapsed, here is what I added:
EDIT: I see comments here like “If you’re a fighting game fanatic go out and buy this game!” If you’re a “fighting game fanatic” then this game likely does not interest you, and you don’t need me to tell you that.
“This game deserves best fighter of the year – sure I haven’t played it”
I mean, really? REALLY? As much as I like Joe and some of the other reviewers on this site, you put WAY, WAY, WAAAAAY too much faith in their opinion especially without trying things out first before you form your own. Take what he has to say on board, but remember this is just his opinion and his perspective, your mileage may vary.
The core mechanic in any fighting game is the fighting, everything else is just fluff, if it does not have a strong fighting core – something mortal kombat has never had (and I don’t think ever tried to have) – then the series will never reach the likes of established respected fighting games.
I see a lot of hate here from joe, and others on Marvel3, and yet I know for sure I’ll see a hell of a lot more pros playing that, and longer, than MK9. Why? Because it’s core gameplay – the fighting – is just a much, much better, more polished product. Mortal Kombat has never – and I doubt it ever will – reach the core fighting game crowd, because when it gets down to it, it’s stiff, slow, incredibly spammy and unbalanced, and frankly, has a terrible unintuitive/annoying button layout. Those key elements are a staple of the series, so I don’t expect them to change any time soon.
I typed too much, but as I said, fun game, a good distraction to tide over until AE comes out, but definitely will lack staying power, and is not a serious game.
I’ll agree to a point.
Is it as balanced out as say, Super Street Fighter IV? No way (what current gen. fighter is even close to that though?…I’ll spot you Blazblue but that’s about it after that). And also, Mortal Kombat’s modes and different ways to play trumps SSF4′s list of modes by a LONG shot. Say what you will about the balance and playstyle of it, but try playing about three games of “Test your Luck” and tell me you (as in anyone reading this, not just Reaprar) didn’t enjoy at least two of them (provided you don’t get the “danger” mod or the “lucky/jackpot” which does nothing but give you boatloads of koins for winning).
And you are right, the fighting system isn’t as balanced. But MK is still a hell of alot of fun. I think that’s what Joe means when he says “well put-together fighter”. I get the idea that Ed Boon and Netherealm Studios aren’t so focused on making a tourney-friendly fighter that’ll be played at EVO for the next 5 years or so, but just making a fun, solid (if a little unbalanced) fighting game that plays like an old style MK game, with modern perks thrown in, and then giving players numerous ways to play it from there. And it works DAMN well.
It’s a shame that (from reports I hear…I have a PS3 so no go for now >:( ) the online is a little buggy. Even if it worked fine, I have a hard time believing that it would replace SSF4 as the must-play-online fighter. If I want to play online, SSF4 and Blazblue are still the kings. But for a straight-up good time, Mortal Kombat belongs in the exact same sentence as the aforementioned. I honestly traded in MvC3 for this and haven’t regretted it for one single second…though I WOULD regret it if I had traded SSF4.
I totally agree with you. All this “extra” content they packed in is just the same thing over and over again. This game is basically a bloody Dead or Alive game. Story mode is probably only the good thing and even then I was starting to get bored. Good fighting game for casual players. Hardcore fighting game players will probably only play this until EVO season is over. This game just solidifies my opinion that Joe doesn’t know shit about fighting games.
How can the guy who represents all gamers not know about this popular genre?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqPQz39L-G8
This is the best fighting game in a long time , there is freacking much content in this game . This is easy to get into, everybody can play this and so accesable . Go buy it now if your a fighting game fanatic ^^ Worth every penny
This game deserves Best Fighter of the Year and so far Best Game of the Year, sure I havn’t played it. But seeing its content via Let’s Plays on Youtube and gameanyone.com it clearly deserves every penny. I hope theirs a sequel to this game it deserves it and Joes review of this game is by far the best one I’ve seen to date.
Don’t worry Joe it’s easy to import in Australia. I got my Kollectors edition. Only bad thing online is laggy but theres a small Aus room thats growing.
Great game but MK Trilogy is still my favourite
Stryker’s ending is the best also. Won’t let Johnny Cage play him in the movie
Granted, I believe Ermac is a collection of souls, so Joe’s portrayal IS plausible. :p
Fuck Australia.. or rather their tight ass government and game ratings board. I feel so bad for Aussie gamers =(
Totally agree with the review Joe, great job!
My only complain with the game tough, is the story… Not the “story mode” itself which it’s engaging wich brings a great cinematic experience to the play which all of future fighter games should aim for…
But as the story unfolds it becomes dumber and dumber over the minute. I mean, I understand the MK it’s been really campy over his history, but couldn’t hey have tried it to make it more compelling?
There is no real protagonist, as you start with Johnny Cage Raiden says “He doesn’t know yet he is a real hero…” or something like that and guessed he’d grow up as a character….but he does not. He decides (off camera) to follow Raiden just because and fight all the vils when minutes before he was mocking him.
Talking about main characters… Liu-kang is a card-box of a character. Jax loses his arms when 2 of his “friends” could’ve easily helped him atm and with his new arms he does nothing… , cont counting plot-holes, things that doesn’t make any sense …. and I could go on and on… >.> (Specially with the FUCKED UP ending…but I won’t spoil it here)
But don’t get me wrong, loved the game, its gameplay, its features… but I just sigh that the story could’ve been more than an 80′s cartoon.
I agree. Just like spoony said, can rayden not send back a more meaningful message? Just don’t do what I do and “he” must win? Is it that hard to add one syllable to the message and say shao kahn must win? Other than that it’s a great casual fighter.
Well since the message was made at the last second, there are only two explanations that I can come up with over the message not being clearer. Shao Kahn was about to kill him. If he tried to make the message specific, it would have come out as “Shao Kahn must.. *splat*” That would have been even less helpful.
Either that, or maybe the images should have shown Shao Kahn at the end accompanying “he must win.” Maybe they did, but could have still been interpreted to mean “if some champion doesn’t win, this will happen.”
Mind you the second explanation is more of a stretch, since if that was they case, they should have explained that better. I’m guessing it was the first.
I agree with licantro that the story could have played out better. My main gripe is the following:
*******SPOILARS*********
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Sindel kills most of the Earth Realm fighters with little to no effort.
I have a problem with that too. Specially since (HUGE SPOILERS!) when I had to fight with her as Nightwolf she barely put up a fight. Plus it makes introducing Cyber Sub-Zero kinda pointless if he was going to get killed off like that.
wow i was wondering when you would post a new review. it was almost a month of waiting (starting to get pissed XD)
now normally i dont play fighting games, and i dont normally get games you review (because i got a list of games i still want to get) but i think i will try to add this to my collection because it dose look good.
Awesome work as usual Joe. Game has me hooked. Thankfully the offline content kept me satisfied while I wait for PSN to come back.
Awesome review. I haven’t played online myself (PS3 user and whatnot), so my only real gripe with the game is the lack of 1P vs CPU versus, as opposed to a full ladder mode. Besides that, I agree; it’s a solid 9/10, no question.
Also, nice Ermac impression. He’s always been my favourite. =)
I doubt it, but I hope this comes out for the Wii
This is an amazing game, and I’m glad that nether realm studious delivered. Great review joe, Man I was getting Angry Joe withdrawls for the last few weeks, but I’m glad you finally reviewed this. I look forward to seeing the 3year anniversary review, and of coarse more ANGRY JOE!!!
PS: Latino Ermac = teh leet
I didn’t know Ermac was Hispanic. That’s freakin’ awesome!
As for the game, I’m not very partial to fighting games, but I’m definitely giving this game a try.
This is super glowing for ya, huh?
Still, a bit mad at you calling BlazBlue “Calamity Trigger” (that was only the subtitle for the first game), or the “Blue” series. Seriously? BLAYZBlue.
And also, this definitely DOES look like the kind of game to get into the tournament circuit. It takes all kinds, and I doubt that MK would be snubbed from major video game tourneys.
Thank you, Joe!
I’ll admit, I’ve been somewhat lukewarm towards this game, mainly because I was paying more attention to Portal 2 when it was released, but over the last week, I’ve seen some reviews that, while not glowing, got me to thinking that this was something special. The reception for MvC jaded me more than I care to admit, as people threw near-perfect scores to such a bare game. The way you laid it all out for that game, and the way you compare this game to it, says leagues more than the “a goodly amount of content” crap I’ve been seeing in reviews.
Admittedly, I’m not a fighting fan; I’m too slow at the controls to have a good time. But this was a thorough, funny, solid review, and I really enjoyed it, even if I probably won’t buy the game.
Regarding the spamming Shao Kahn, you can just jump over his hammers and duck his spears. Once you get the timing down, his throwing object spamming isn’t that cheap anymore. I can take him out with just projectiles at this point. Really, what’s more annoying is his momentary invincibility. I’d hit him, he wouldn’t be fazed, and he just swings his hammer into my face. At this point, Kahn poses more of a threat to me close up than far away.
This is by far one of my favorite MK games, I cannot stop playing this, hell I’m playing it right now as I was watching your review, took a break to type this comment :p I fully agree with everything you said about this review…One thing I hate that you mentioned is that Shao Khan is CHEAP!!! I mean this guy is a complete spammer of moves but tht is my only gripe with this game and I love the story as well.
BTW, That Noob fatality, I cringe everytime I see it
That’s another thing I absolutely love are the well done fatalities oh man are they awesome especially Kratos’ fatalities.
yeah that one and strikers shot to the head are the 2 best n the game
I created an account just to make sure that if there’s ever a Blistered Thumbs tournament in this game, I’m in! This game exceeded my expectations completely and is probably the greatest fighting game I have played. Kudos to you Netherrealm Studios!
another awesome vid joe .. i bought this the day it came out and loved it ever since..
Latino ermac FTW
Fantastic review and this is the measure to which all others shall stand accountable.
In my review I mentioned how they mined the MK Mythos for material and that shows dedication to the story mode
Capcom and other companies best be on notice now because this is how to deliver a full retail release to the public
Also the collectors’ edition is pretty bad ass too
Excellent review Joe. Cooking with Ermac was hilarious and your friends were entertaining as well.
I want this game so much, I’m buying it the first chance I get. I’ve always been a big fan of Mortal Kombat and nothing made me happier than when I heard about this reboot. Well, at least that was true until I found out all the great hings this game has to offer. You’re very right in saying that this game is worth it’s price tag.
Excellent game. Excellent review. 100% agree with everything you said, good and bad. Cooking with Ermac was awesome.
Thanks for the moment of silence Joe. How many more games must we lose to the Ratings Board?! How many I ask?!!
This game is awesome …. I have spent more time playing Mortal Kombat & completing all the content in the game than it took me to Play through Fable 3 … Kinda sad for Lionhead studio when an RPG gets beaten on play time by a Mortal Kombat game … but Congratulations to NetherRealm because they really put a lot of work in Mortal Kombat & it shows !!