Mortal Kombat Review

Posted By Yousif A. about 2 years ago

Mortal Kombat 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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.