Mortal Kombat (2011) Review

Mortal Kombat (PS3, Xbox 360) Game Review

When it comes to fighting games, you probably aren’t going to find a fighting game that’s going to grab your attention quite as much as Mortal Kombat. MK brought a whole new dish to the table, introducing its unique style of play and being probably the goriest, bloodiest fighter you’ll ever see. It was the first game in its genre to use real life people as the characters, and the first fighter to use blood, which wasthe main attention grabber. For almost 20 years, MK has continued its legacy; sticking with its unique, bloody fight style, but making some changes along the way. Starting off as a 2D fighter the developers, Midway Games Chicago, experimented with the 3D mechanics, still keeping the gory game play the fans knew and loved.  Unfortunately the fans also knew that this was no Tekken. But then, in 2010, Midway Games became the newly formed NetherRealm Studios. They had teamed up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed what is said to be the best Mortal Kombat game to date. 

Development of the game

After Midway games went bust, the founders, Ed Boon and John Tobias created NetherRealm Studios. Ed Boon, the creative director for NetherRealm Studios, announced that the MK franchise would be returning to its bloody origins, including returning to a 2D fight style. The production team was aiming for a mature rating (18) instead of the teen rating (16) on the previous games. The game was then revealed at E3 2010, and announced that the 2D fighter would be 3D compatible, this meaning more 3D detail to other features like the graphics. Features that were announced in the game included “The Krypt”, the unlocking system, and other humerous elements that were in previous MK games. On April 5, 2011, both Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios announced that the game was finished. The developers decided to call their lastest product Mortal Kombat, treating it as a reboot to the franchise. However, with this being the 9^th installment to the franchise, fans and gamers mainly refer to this game simply as MK9.

Genre

This game sits proudly in the fighting game genre, being one of the most popular at the moment. The main audience for this game will consist of original MK fans, and fighting game fans. However, this game does have the potential to win over any non-fighting gamers, with its unique and incredibly fun play style. On the month of its release, the game had sold over 2 million copies between the PS3 and Xbox 360 version. It has won numerous awards for best fighting game of 2011, and has been very popular since its release. The game is currently banned in Australia and South Korea due to its intense violence, which just shows that this is definitely a fighter worth looking out for.

Gameplay

All MK fans know, the fighting in any Mortal Kombat game is going be pretty violent and intense. And it’s safe to say that NetherRealm Studios did not disappoint. Not only is the fighting the most violent its ever been, but the fighting itself has improved dramatically. They’ve done this making the fighting much faster and more fluent then its previous games. The controls consist of, right punch and kick, left punch and kick, block and grab. And if you thought this game would just be your normal 1 vs. 1, 2 player fighting game, you are dead wrong. This game has introduced tag team mode, enabling you to pick 2 characters instead of 1, where you can switch out each character anytime you want (as long as that character is still alive), and use your extra character to assist your current character. And because of this tag system, this enables for up to 4 players at a time for 2 vs. 2 action. Each person can control a single character when they’re switched out. Or, if they’re only 3 people around, just have a 2 vs. 1 match with one person controlling 2 characters. As you can see, already there’s enough have for hours of play, and the surface of this game hasn’t even been scratched yet.

The Fighting Mechanics

As said before, the fighting in this game is very graphic and violent. At any time, you can press start to go to the start menu to look up your characters move list, which includes, basic moves,combos, special moves and everything that character is able to do in the game. Just watching you kicking the crap out of your opponent, with blood flying everywhere is satisfying enough.

Meter

In MK9 you have 2 meters. At the top is your health bar. Once it empties, you lose the round. But the second bar is the newly introduced super meter. This is what a fully charged meter looks like. This meter is probably the most important super meter in any fighting game, as it is almost as important as health. You gain meter by performing special moves, or by having your opponent block any of your moves. The meter is split into 3 parts. By using one portion of meter, you can perform a more powerful version of one of your special moves. Two portions allow you to perform a combo breaker, stopping your opponent’s combo, saving your health, and initially annoying your opponent. And finally, by using all three portions of meter, you’re able to perform an X-RAY move, which is basically this games version of a hyper combo. These X-RAYS are extremely brutal, watching your opponent’s bones being crushed, and all the carnage that is happening to them from inside. Overall, this new meter is a welcome stay to the MK series as it works extremely well in the game.

   

FATALITY!

At the end of every fight, the victor is able to perform a special move at the end of the battle, which is known as a fatality. This is a unique feature that was introduced in the very first MK game. By performing a specific input at the end of the fight, your character basically finishes off the opponent in a very gory, brutal way. From dispatching limbs to literally burning your foe alive, these are by far the most violent and jaw  fatalities to date.  

But that’s not all. There are two other kinds of fatalities. Firstly there’s the stage fatality. By performing a specific input on a specific stage, the victor ends the opponent’s life using the stage they’re on as the murder weapon. Depending on the stage you’re on, the loser could be killed by being thrown into a pit of spikes, or into a pool of burning acid. The other fatality is the return of the hilarious babality. Instead of ending your opponent’s life, you instead turn them into a baby version of themselves. Weird, but they’re awesome and funny as hell! As part of the MK heritage, fatalities are back and better then ever.

   

Kontent

Another thing that MK9 is absolutely filled with (aside from the blood and gore) is the number ofmodes there are, and the amount of KONTENT. On the main menu page, you’ll be treated to a number of options. These options include:

Fight

When you click on fight, you’ll be given a good amount of options to have fun with the game all on your own. The first option you get is Ladder.This is basically the game’s arcade mode. In Ladder, you choose one character to face of against 7 randomly picked characters, then 3 boss characters at the end, making it a 10 round tournament. You can also choose the difficulty for it, range from easy to expert. Once you complete the Ladder, you’re given a character ending for the character you used to complete the Ladder. You can then view the character endings again in extras. Next you have Tag Ladder, which is the same process, except you do the ladder in a tag team against the computer, making it a longer, but more interesting Ladder. A good feature about Tag Ladder is that you can do it with 2 players, enabling you to grab a buddy to help you get through the ladder.

The rest of the options in the Fight menu are some of the most unique mini games to appear in a fighting game. These are Test your Might/Strike/Sight/Luck. Might- you’re given a bar on the left side of the screen, and something to destroy. You have to get the red meter above a certain point of the bar by button mashing. - very similar to Might, but you have to get the bar between to points.

Sight- you’re given some cups with a ball under one. Keep your eyes one the cup that has the ball as the cups move, and work out which is the correct cup.

Luck- this is probably the one you’ll spend the longest on. You’re fighting the computer, with a twist. There are reels above you, which spin, and when they stop, different things will happen, good or bad. Examples are it could rain ice, your controls could switch, or you can’t block or jump, making a game a lot more about luck then skill, hence the title. A great feature about test your luck is that it is also 2 player, once again enabling you and a friend to battle it out, this time to see who really is the lucky one.

Story Mode

Surprisingly for a fighting game, this one actually has a story mode! And it isn’t a half-assed, bare bone story; it’s actually a well-done story that was the first 3 MK game’s story put into one massive story, but in an altered reality. The story is that the main villain, Shao Kahn wants to take over Earth realm by fusing it with his realm, outer world. He can only do this by winning a tournament known asMortal Kombat in which warriors from each realm fight to beat one another. It’s like an MK movie! The story is told through cut scenes and fights. There are 16 chapters, playing as 16 different characters, and as the story goes along, you learn more about the characters and their origins. As much fun as it to do all the fighting, it’s also really interesting to learn about the origins of MK.

Challenge Tower

The mode you’re probably going spend the most time on is the challenge tower. Here, you have a tower consisting of 300 different challenges. By completing challenges, you earn koins, in which youcan spend on unlockables. Some of the challenges will consist of “Test your” mini games, but most of the challenges will be very unique, like throwing bombs into buckets, or shooting zombies. Once you start the challenge tower, it can get very addicting, as your going to want to know what’s the next challenge, and what’s at the end of the road.

Training

In training mode, you have the options to do a tutorial mode, showing you how to play the game, and basic tips. You have a fatality tutorial mode, that lets you practice performing fatalities. And finally you have a training mode for 1 vs.1 or for tag. This is the best place to learn how to properly use a character, to learn all their combos and special moves. Depending how good you want to get at the game, you may spend hours in training mode alone.

   

           

Extras

In extras, you are able to enter the Krypt. This is where you can use the koins you’ve earned from story mode and challenge tower to buy unlockables, such as character costumes, art, different fatalities etc.

How you buy unlockables is also very unique. You’re given a map of the Krypt, and in the Krypt there are 4 sections. Each sectionis full of graves, or undead bodies in traps. By selecting a grave, the grave is destroyed and you get the unlockable. If you select one of the traps, it’ll activate, killing the person inside, pretty gruesomely. Everything you’ve unlocked, you can view in the nekropolis. In this section, its shows characters stats on all characters, how much you’ve played with them, and all your unockables. Once you’ve bought everything in the Krypt, you basically have no reason to go back, unless you like staring at dead bodies all day.

Some of the concept art shows you some of the character designs andhow the fatalities were designed. There’s also concept art on character with and without injuries, which are the same injuries they get in game. Even though you’re not going to look at everything you unlock, you can tell that the artists really put time and effort into their work.

 

  

Graphics

MK9 runs at 60 frames per second, a good amount and it does show. Although this game doesn’t use real life people like in the originals, the amount of detail put onto the characters are pretty well done. You can tell if someone has been through a brawl, just be how bloodand battle scars they have at the end of each fight. Despite this, the violence and gore shown on each character can be a bit cartoony at times, and the graphics can sometimes be taken away a bit when a fight is actually happened, as opposed to the detail you see in the cut scenes, but it isn’t really that noticeable. Having said that, the stages in this game look great. It’s a 2D fighter with 3D graphics. Whether you’re fighting in the sunshine, or at night, all the stages really show off in this game.

Sound

The sound effects in this game are some of the best, if not the best in any fighting game. When someone is hit, you feel it through the sound alone. The noise of bones snapping, limbs ripping, flesh getting stabbed and torn is extremely impressive. The voice acting is also very well done. The sound in this game is definitely a huge positive of MK9. 

Characters

If you’re a hardcore MK fan, you’re most likely going to be hyped for the cast ofMK9. Using all the original and most popular characters from the MK series, like the classic Scorpion, the ice-cold Subzero and the chosen onehimself, Liu Kang. In total there are 27 characters, 28 for the PS3 with the Kratos exclusive, and 4 DLC characters, including Freddy Krueger from the ‘A nightmare on Elm Street’ series. The fact that Freddy Krueger and Kratos are playable characters should be enough to interest any gamer to play this game.

Online

Like any fighting game should have, MK9 does have an online mode. Here, you’re able to fight with anyone around the world in a 1-vs.1 or tag match. You can do this by selecting ranked match on the menu. There’s also a lobbysystem, where up to 100 players can enter. You choose whom to fight by selecting them, and then they choose whether to accept to challenge. Or, vise versa, they might challenge you. There’s also a leader board that shows your stats and all the top players. But by far the most unique online feature is the king of the hill mode. How this works is that you enter a theatre like room as an avatar that you select. It’s a winner stays on mode with up to 8 players aloud. You get to watch the fight, with the ability to cheer or boo at any time. Then when the fights over, you give a score out of 10 to the victor. There is so much fun to be had here, and definitely one of the best online modes put into any fighting game.

TOASTY!

As a joke, in every MK game, there is an Easter egg, where at any random point during any fight, the sound editor forMK, Dan Forden, will appear for about 1 second and say “TOASTY!” It’s just a little thing in the game that will be noticed, and honestly fans of the original are going to laugh their heads when they see it.

Negatives

Unfortunately, no game goes without its flaws. Here is a list of all the main negatives in MK9.

. Online lag- one of the biggest issues with MK9 is the lag that does occur during online matches. Sometimes the connection can feel really good, other times it feels like crap, and usually disconnects if the connection is really bad. Having played online on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles, the Xbox online surprisingly seemed a lot worse than the PS3 online.

. Shao Kahn- Anyone who has played MK9 knows what I’m talking about. The final boss in this game has got to be one of the cheapest, most frustrating bosses in any fighting game.Even on easy mode, he’ll still probably make you chuck your controller. Mainly because he spams his hammer, taking off half your health before you even get up, and has about double the health you do. You have to resort to spamming just to beat him, making it hardly a battle of skill. Unless you’ve had experience with this game before, you’re not going beat him the first time round.

. Useless unlockables and the Krypt- probably the worst thing about the Krypt is that you don’t get to pick what you want to buy. Instead, all the unlockables are hidden, meaning you have to Google where the unlockables want are. And the only unlockables you want are the alternative costumes. Everything else is just concept art that you’re never going to look at, and different fatalities, which you can just get of the Internet as well. And as said before, once you’ve bought everything, their no reason to visit the Krypt ever again.

. No Xbox 360 exclusives- Only Xbox 360 users going to complain about this. PS3 gets to play as Kratos, Xbox 360 doesn’t get anything exclusive.

. Difficulty- there are some parts of the game that can be quit a challenge. Aside from Shao Kahn being one of the cheapest bosses in fighting game history, there are some tricky fights, like 2 on 1 battles in story mode, and some challenges in the challenge tower, which you may end up researching how to do them.

. Unskippable cut scenes- you may not notice this first time playing through story mode, but you can’t skip any of the cut scenes in story mode, even when you’ve already completed it. If you’re impatient and want to get on with the story, you are going to get annoyed at times.

The Final Verdict

Overall, MK9 is an absolute blast to play, and definitely stands out as one of the best in its genre. Though it does have some issues like every game, the pros hugely outweigh the cons, making it an extremely fun and epic fighting game experience. NetherRealm Studios knew what the fans wanted, by returning to the origins of MK, and creating the best Mortal Kombat game to date. 

Final Score: 9/10