Bloody. Crude. Graphic. Nasty. Sick. Awesome. Fun.
All of these words can describe the Mortal Kombat franchise, which has been around for generations in the video game world.
It has made its name known for its brutality that is displayed in its fights, and its widely known fatalities... Nobody who has played Mortal Kombat can ever forget Shoa Kahns demand to “FINISH HIM!” after a bout is won.
Mortal Kombat is also known for something else though, it is known for creating a universe and story more with more depth than any fighting game.
Graphics 8
Mortal Kombat, as a franchise, has always been mediocre in the graphics department.
While they have been good enough to enjoy, they haven't been up to par with other games such as Tekken and Soul Calibur.
With this instalment, however, the game has definitely gotten a beef up in the graphics department. This definitely puts Mortal Kombat in the same class as other fighting games as far as visuals, not quite as good as the Tekken series, but much much better than the more animated series like Virtua Fighter and Street Fighter.
In addition to more detail and smoother movement in the appearance of the characters (although some characters' faces still look polygonal like Liu Kang), the game takes gigantic strides in the improvement of scenery graphics.
I have always enjoyed the scenery of the Mortal Kombat world, and there are so many places that are classic hits that have made returns throughout the series like the Pit and Acid Pool.
But, despite the several incarnations of the same environments, I found myself in awe this time around.
I view the graphics with a fair amount of scrutiny, however, I found NRS's attention to detail really paid off, making for a very enjoyable treat, and something great to look at.
Sound 9
I have to admit, I do sincerely like the soundtrack from this instalment of Mortal Kombat.
As far as the sound effects of the fighting itself, it's a little over the top, but in reality what game isn't?
The music and the ambiance, however, grade A.
Fight music is important to me, I enjoy having some good music to accompany me kicking someone's arse and while I won't go so far to say that the soundtrack is overly epic, I will definitely say that it is a good one.
I enjoy the dark feel to the tracks and the dark suffering feel to the ambiance, completely appropriate for the Mortal Kombat realm.
Gameplay 8
Alright, this is probably the most important part of the review.
Mortal Kombat has undergone severe changes throughout the span of the series, and have been both good and bad.
With the 3D gameplay that was introduced in Mortal Kombat 4, the franchise took a turn toward becoming like many other franchises like Tekken, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, etc. This move made gameplay much more strategic on the player's behalf, and also made the gameplay much more realistic.
However, this instalment takes Mortal Kombat back to its roots of 2D... sort of.
It is actually 2.5D. It is a horizontally based fighting game, one which has no 3D pane in which to move, or no z-axis, but some of the arenas utilize diagonal movement to add some depth. There is no sidestepping and circling movement, and all of the directional controls give you are left, right, jump, and duck.
This being said, it is not slow paced like the original Mortal Kombats in the series that also used a 2D engine, quite the contrary actually. This instalment is an incredibly fast paced game, especially for a Mortal Kombat game as a whole.
I am a die-hard Tekken player, so I am used to the pace of the game, and as such, I was able to adapt quickly, however for those who are inexperienced, or are expecting a Mortal Kombat like the past, you're in for a rude awakening. Luckily, however, there is a beginner difficulty that could ease pain a tad (a lot).
Story 8
The Mortal Kombat story always revolves around the same thing, a villain trying to take over and elite heroes entering a tournament in order to stop said villain, all the same since the beginning.
This game takes the original 3 games stories and mashes them together in one massive narrative, which is good because until the later games, I never really "got" the story of the games.
Though I do think it's funny that the MK1 portion of the narrative takes a lot of cues from the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie.
With the story now actually being elaborated on, as opposed to simply fighting their way up the ladder (which is still an option to players who would like to experience non-canon character specific endings), players can get a really good feel for the backdrop of the Mortal Kombat world; and for those who have not played any of the other instalments, you won't be missing out and you won't be confused. All in all, the story was relatively good and interesting.
Overall 8
I loved this game, to be honest, while I've always like MK, I fell out with it and favoured Tekken more, simply because Mortal Kombat started to grow bland, but this game has been stripped down and it's gone back to basics. And that's a good thing!
I really enjoy playing this and whupping my husbands arse with Kitana... It never gets tiring. Do yourself a favour and get this game!!
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