Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Just as it’s SNES counter-part, the gameplay remains the same. With over 15 characters and a few unlockable ones, the game is not much different to the original. Some of your favorite characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Johny Cage are back with their famous moves and over-the-top fatalities. Each character has their own unique fatality, which can be somewhat difficult to pull off using the Xbox 360 controller. If you’re new to the series or this game in particular, you might have some getting used-to before playing online against others or trying out different difficulty settings. This all falls back to the controls with the 360 controller. Once you’re somewhat familiar with each character’s moves or otherwise, your favorite characters moves, it’s time to test it out against harder difficulties or a online opponent. The game plays very well online with minimal to no lag, so you don’t have to worry about your kicks not registering or you moves not executing as it’s a smooth experience and quite fun, since you can play against 100’s of different players.
Just as in any XBLA game, the presentation is a simple as it gets. The menu consists of a couple of different modes such as Arcade and Xbox LIVE, where one let’s you play locally while the other allows you play against anyone in the world respectively, the only problem with online though is that there are little gamers in the world playing the game this late in it’s life time. Menu’s are easy to navigate and you never get lost. The game offers help to those not familiar with the game or which haven’t played it in years. It’s overall a basic presentation that brings nothing new to the table.
In the sound department, UMK 3 has the same old music that the SNES version did but it’s not part of the gameplay or anything in relation to the game but something to hide the silence. Thankfully the Xbox 360 gives you the ability to play custom tracks from your dashboard, so you won’t be hearing the in-game audio at all unless you’re into boring low-sound music that feels like an afterthought. Don’t hold your breath with this one if you’re expecting good sound effects.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 isn’t anything special that makes you miss old-school gaming as it was a basic 2-D fighter that was fun 10 plus years ago when you were playing with your friends on a hot summer day. No, the game feels different because you’ve gotten used to playing 3-D titles and it just doesn’t feel the same with these next-gen consoles. If you’re wondering whether or not UMK 3 is worth a purchase - it all depends. If you’re a hardcore Mortal Kombat fan than sure, it’s something you’ll be able to play until a next-gen MK game is made, but if you’re not, there is no appeal here to a new player to the series. I would definitely suggest purchasing MK vs. DC if you’d like a more updated look and gameplay, until the next true Mortal Kombat is released.
