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Mortal Kombat Review for Xbox 360

Mortal Kombat Review for Xbox 360

The Fatality We Deserve

Over the years, as the fighting game genre became more crowded, something weird happened to the Mortal Kombat series. It started to change its DNA. While I’m all for evolution in a series, Mortal Kombat took this to an extreme, and some strange things started happening. A traditionally 2D fighter suddenly went to 3D, storylines got muddled up with extraneous characters and universes, and crossovers became the new numerical entry. In the midst of all this change, the core experience of Mortal Kombat seemed to have eroded.

Sure, games bearing the Mortal Kombat name still had over-the-top gore (except the horribly tame Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but that’s a story for another day), but so much had changed since the franchise’s inception that fans were starting to become disenchanted with Mortal Kombat, and for good reason. However, with the release of Mortal Kombat (which is actually the ninth entry in the series, for those of you keeping score) it looks like the franchise is back on track.

Mortal Kombat Screenshot

Mortal Kombat is one of the few games that plays well no matter whether you are a newbie or an experienced franchise player. The storyline actually starts you off at the end of the Mortal Kombat story, and it looks like perennial bad guy Shao Khan has actually come out on top and Earthrealm is toast. However, Raiden, being the magical guy that he is, is able to send his past self a premonition about all the bad stuff that is about to transpire. And then it’s off to alternate universe land. The story is fairly expansive, and covers the events of the first three numerical entries. If you are new to the series, everything will flow fairly cohesively, and you’ll get a pretty cool tournament-based story. If you are a big fan, though, you’ll be able to spot where the alternate reality deviates from the canon, and some of the changes made are actually quite intelligent. Enough modifications to the original are made that the story will still be interesting, but Mortal Kombat is still Mortal Kombat, and you’ll still get the experience you paid for (don’t expect anyone to go flying off in a spaceship or anything).

However, though the story certainly is cool (and is definitely one of the most comprehensive I’ve seen in a fighting game) the real meat of the game is in its battle system, which I’m happy to say has returned to simpler combo-based mechanics. These mechanics are simple in nature, but can be layered and tweaked to create a unique strategy. Though the game doesn’t have the “flow” of other franchises, it allows for multiple openings and breaks in the combat, which is great if you don’t like wailing on enemies with reckless abandon. No matter how awesome you are, the combat system ensures that you are on your toes constantly, which provides some welcome excitement in battle.

Mortal Kombat Screenshot

New to the game’s battle system is a power gauge, which allows you to either modify special attacks to make them more powerful with small amounts of the meter, or save up and use a full gauge to perform devastating “X-Ray” attacks. Though it is generally more practical in battle to deliver strong attacks in short bursts, I often found myself saving up for the latter, as “X-Ray” attacks are a lot cooler than they sound. What happens when you perform an X-Ray attack is the camera slows down, and the action zooms in to where you are about to hit. The flesh is then stripped away and you can see bone, muscles, and internal organs as they shatter, squish, and break. X-Ray attacks are almost as entertaining as the series’ famous fatalities, and are just as over the top. If you can’t get up and kick someone’s butt after being repeatedly stabbed in the back of the head until your skull fractures, you’re just not trying.

In addition to the regular story and versus modes, Mortal Kombat also includes extensive training modes and a challenge tower. The challenge tower works as a kind of advanced trainer, as you’ll have to finish fights under very specific conditions to progress, and you’ll need total mastery over your chosen character if you are going to progress through this mode.

Mortal Kombat Screenshot

However, though the training modes are a nice supplement, the real star of the show has to be the online offerings. In today’s competitive landscape, it is not enough to just have player and ranked matches online, and Mortal Kombat does a great job of creating an experience that will keep you immersed in the online world by creating an almost arcade-like experience where you can hang out in lobbies, watch as other matches go down, and challenge players based on their record and what you’ve seen. There are tons of different lobbies to check out, and you can even create your own. And the good thing is, even if there are 80+ people hanging out in one area, you can challenge any one who isn’t actively in a game. It’s not hard to find yourself in impromptu tournaments with players who either think they are better than you or respect your fighting style. Though you can jump right in to the online mode, select “Player Match,” and be done with it, the lobby system provides so much depth and flexibility that it would be a real shame to miss.

Mortal Kombat Screenshot

In addition to completing the various objectives within the online and offline modes, the game also lets you take control of how you unlock content. As you gain points for finishing objectives, you can walk around in a spooky overworld known as the “Krypt” where you can literally dig up bonus content. It’s not the most compelling mode, but it’s a nice little meta-game, and being able to walk around and “find” bonus content is a really awesome way to put game progression back in the hands of the players.

Visually, Mortal Kombat looks great. If you are hoping for a highly detailed, gruesome experience, then Mortal Kombat definitely delivers. Everything from character bisections to brutal weapons-based fatalities looks great, and the stunning detail may just make your eyes twitch (some of those attacks can get quite…gooey…if you know what I mean). The only hiccup I ran in to with the visuals were some serious framerate slowdowns during online matches. Though it didn’t happen often, when it did it was extremely pronounced and made some matches unplayable. If you aren’t a big online player, you likely won’t notice this hiccup, but if you are planning to try to conquer the leaderboards, expect some serious issues along the way.

Mortal Kombat may be the 9th entry in the MK franchise, but it feels fresh and is a welcome return to form for the series at-large. Though we have technically already had a Mortal Kombat game this console generation, this is the first M-rated Mortal Kombat game we’ve seen on HD platforms, and as such it makes a stellar debut. I wouldn’t call Mortal Kombat a reboot, but instead the sequel you’ve been waiting for. After several mis-steps, the series is back and deadlier than ever. If you are a fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise, love 2D fighters, or just want to experience what must be the goriest fighter ever made, you’ll have a bloody good time with Mortal Kombat.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.3 Graphics
Extremely detailed and gory graphics make this game horribly wonderful to look at, but online lag and framerate issues mar the experience. 4.5 Control
Combo-based battle system is easy for newbies to pick up, but challenging enough so hardcore fans won’t get bored. 4.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Background music and voice-overs all sound great. 4.8 Play Value
With plenty of single-player content, a robust online mode, and tons of unlockables, this is one fighting game you won’t be able to put down for quite a long time. 4.5 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Making a big return to mature presentation and classic 2D fighting engine
  • Captivating storyline that rewrites the history of the Mortal Kombat Tournament
  • State-of-the art technology showcasing stunning 3D environments and characters
  • Reinvigorating the franchise with new multiplayer components

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