Besides the main story of this fighting game, there are many other modes for players to enjoy. Modes like arcade, tag team, a co-op of up to 4 players and a few extra minigames that are all themed around the concept of Kombat. But with so many failed versions of the franchise and other fighting games out there, how does this latest rendition of Mortal Kombat fare?
Hated
First and foremost, there is a ridiculous balance issue with a lot of the characters. Most of the franchise favorites have an extremely unfair advantage over the lesser. This mainly stems to how some of the input commands are designed for the game. Most of the characters share a good portion of similar combos and special moves, but then there are some that are just ridiculous with very little reward. It was as if A LOT of attention went into the fan favorites, like Scorpion and Sub Zero, while they kind of just threw together moves for characters that needed to be in the game but not as popular (Kano, Sindel).
Stemming from that, this also made some of the Story Mode extremely lacking in fun factor as you were forced to play with some of these characters. It could not be more annoying to walk through later chapters with great ease yet struggle with earlier chapters due to unbalanced design. Is it not supposed to be more challenging as you get closer to the end? As the story went it made sense to play with the characters you had to, but when you move from an extremely fluid character to a sluggish one in the matter of minutes, it leads to a lot of frustration.
I'd also say "Don't get me started on the 'Bosses'," but the ball is rolling. I understand boss battles are suppose to be tough, they are the climax of the game, but when they get to ignore all the previously set rules that is a little much. One shouldn't have to 'spam' a distance attack to win a final battle because Shao Kahn doesn't get stunned or interrupted by attacks. Not to mention that even touching him or coming close after he has finished an attack will still register as is he struck you in the first place. It detracted so much that this strategy is one of the few that works as well as it does. Even in Beginner setting you should be able to actually fight and not take just cheap shots.
Now before you say, suck less, when playing in the mention Beginner setting it is extremely easy to Flawless every match leading to the final three. If it progressively got more difficult that would be one thing, but to go from easy flawless win to winning with half life left and needing to spam attacks, there is something wrong. This also is the case on higher difficulty levels, so it in not all just player skill leading to this.
Liked
Now while some of the fights and chapters got annoying at times, which was merely due to the fact of character strengths and not the story as a whole, I enjoyed the base storyline. Enjoyed even though I've played it before. To keep most spoilers to a low, it follows the storyline of MK, MK2 and MK3 all in one sitting. Yes there were stories to those earlier games and it gets nicely wrapped up here with a few new twists and additions to make it a bit more original. Even though it's been told before, it was extremely entertaining and fun to play through. It gave something more than just a short animatic after winning a Ladder Match.
Next up, X-Ray attacks. If you remember the anticipation and love for Fatalities in the original Mortal Kombat, then you are prepared for these attacks in the game. Not only are they a great way to even odds or just outright win a match, they whole process reminded me of the first time I saw a fatality in MK1. It is just something so new to the franchise that even after the 30th time of seeing one the anticipation and mental wincing still occurs. I knew when I first saw these at E3 2010 that they were going to be an amazing addition to franchise.
I will also say that most of the new fatalities added into the game, or reimagining of old one, also brought back the nostalgia of the first time you saw the low resolution fatalities. There are a few disappointments mixed in, but almost all of them bring that little extra closure to the end of a fight. Both entertaining and a great way to assert your master over the fallen gamer. Even the continuation of Babalities is a nice touch here and entertaining to watch when all is said and done.
Finally the Challenge Tower. At first I thought it was a bit on the ridiculous side to have so many, 300, but it is a great distraction when you are waiting to play against another player or are not interested in playing the Story again. Some of them really do live up to the title of Challenge too. There is nothing like fighting without a head while the whole game world is flipped upside down. Don't even get me started on the fun of trying to beat an opponent to one side of the map just so you can get some crazy bonus over them. It is amazing for replay value.
Should You Get It?
To best answer this, think back to when you played the very first Mortal Kombat. Did you enjoy it? Did it tickly you're fancy? If you answered yes then this new MK will totally be worth the cash for you to shell out. In many instances it captures that original feeling we had so many years ago. All with the added bonus of not needing to dump quarter after quarter to fully experience the fun of Mortal Kombat. That was always my issue with the past arcade franchise.
If you answered 'No', then I would probably start out with a rent before shelling out all your cold hard cash. There is a plethora of fighting games out on the market and you should find the one that suits your preference. I for one love the hyper violence. Others don't and this is not a game for you.
Mortal Kombat was developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. on April 19th for the PS3 and Xbox 360. A PS3 copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. I played through the main story, some Tag Matches, some Ladder Matches and over 200 challenges in the Challenge Tower on difficulties ranging from Beginner to Normal.
