An American Tradtion Redefined
Mortal Kombat is a fighting video game franchise that has been slowly slipping off of every fighting game fan’s radar, up until now. With the last two releases — Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Mortal Kombat VS. DC, the series really fell off a cliff after leaving its original roots of gory brutality and slow, strategical combat. But at E3 2010, that changed. Creative director Ed Boon decided to reboot the franchise, bringing the franchise back to its old fashioned glory.
Mortal Kombat is not a sequel, nor is it the ninth installment of the series. Rather a redesign mapping the older games, while adding just enough tweaks and modifications to make it more accessible to the new generation of gamers.
Ed Boon’s latest is really easy to pick up and play. The player combos are far easier to pull off, and the special moves have predictable inputs on the controller, providing casuals with just enough loose material to make fighting a joy, instead of a royal pain. Sadly, while the combos are easy to input, most of them are hard to connect on human players due to incredibly short range entwining that with many ways to play on the defense. Combos usually have to begin before your opponent even gets to you, which might confuse people that don’t have a lot experience.
There are over 25 selectable fighters to choose from, and all fighters are from the previous MK games. From Reptile to Sub Zero and Scorpion, all provide diversity and nostalgia value to die hard fans. All characters have distinct advantages and disadvantages, providing a well balanced game-play experience. Every character has at least three fatalities to choose from, and most of them are beautiful and hilarious to watch. If you’re unfamiliar with fatalities, they are basically over the top, brutal finishing moves that can be executed after you defeat your opponent.
Mortal Kombat is filled to the brim with content that can keep veterans and casuals alike very busy. None of the replay value the game offers comes off as repetitive or mundane. All the content is challenging and fun. The game offers some pretty standard stuff such as: Arcade Ladder, and online combat, but also offers new modes: Challenge Tower, a fatality room (where you can practice fatalities) and a vastly improved story mode that features the entire MK cast.
The story mode unfolds exactly how any MK fan would want it to, but newcomers will not be confused or even need a recap of previous MK story lines. Shao Khan, the emperor of the Neatherealms creates a tournament in which the best fighters from around both the Neatherealms and Earthrealm enter for a shot at Shang Tseng, Shao Khan’s right hand man, and one half of the Deadly Alliance. If the last fighter standing defeats Shang Tseng, he/she is the champion of Mortal Kombat. On the sidelines, Quanchi, the other half of the Deadly Alliance seeks to revive the Emperor’s dead, evil queen, Sindel. If he succeeds Shao Khan will have killed off any competition he may have had, and if he enters himself into Mortal Kombat and wins, he could gain the power of Earthrealm and rule the universe with a deceptive iron fist.
After you’ve finished story, you can head over to the Challenge Tower, where your ultimate quest begins. There are over 300 challenges in this tower, and most challenges offer some hilarious handicaps. In one of the challenges you must defeat your opponent by tearing off your own limbs, beating your opponent with them. Another challenge tears off both fighter’s arms, allowing them to use their head and legs only. These events are challenging, but at the same time very enjoyable and comical. There are some easier quests such as: test your sight, test your might, and test your strike which allows some much needed breathing room in midst of tower. Completing challenges in the tower grants you some secret unlocks and coins to spend in the “Krypt.” The Krypt is a massive graveyard and execution ground where you spend coins to release the dead or kill an individual to harvest their soul for Shang Tseng. Your rewards consist of alternative costumes, fatalities, and concept art. These unlocks give the player a lot of incentive to go back and keep playing until everything is unlocked.
Despite the gore and brutality that ensues between the players, Mortal Kombat is a beautiful game. The characters really shine, and animate perfectly in combat, and the vistas and battlegrounds they fight on are well designed and add a perfect and different atmosphere for each stage.
Fans and newcomers alike will be pleased with the franchises recent release. Mortal Kombat has been improved on in every way that it can be, and it’s the perfect fighting game of 2011. Give it a try, most people will find something to like here.
