Review: Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat has a very storied past. From its humble beginnings where the over-the-top brutality brought people in and caused a stir, to Mortal Kombat 2 and MK3 that took arcades by storm, the early years of the series provided some of the best gaming memories of my youth. After Mortal Kombat 3, things took a dramatic turn for the worse. The series experienced a downfall in every successive iteration up through the recent Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. A lot of things were thrown at the wall, but nothing stuck, so the team at NeatherRealm Studios went back to what works best: 2D fighting, brutal fatalities and solid multiplayer. The result is the ninth game in the series, called only Mortal Kombat, but the best game produced in the battle between Earth Realm and Outworld. Whether you’re a fighting game fan, series veteran or newbie to all things Liu Kang, you might want to pay attention.

Going back to a 2D fighting plane was the biggest and best move that Ed Boon and company made with Mortal Kombat. It’s been proven over the past few years that 3D spaces just don’t work well for traditional fighters. Street Fighter IV proved that going back to 2D, while still using 3D character models and backgrounds, can prove highly successful. With 2D in place, NetherRealm made another solid decision to have Raiden flash back to the time of the first Mortal Kombat tournament, bringing the story some much needed cohesion (things got a bit off the rails of late). Classic characters are all there for your button mashing pleasure. The story actually plays a major role here, as opposed to most fighting game where it’s just glanced over by the majority of players. A separate Story Mode is included in Mortal Kombat that takes you through each combatant’s role in the tournament in a quest to defeat Shao Kahn in alternate reality versions of the first three Mortal Kombat games. You’ll be put in control of different characters as you progress through each chapter, giving you ample opportunity to learn and perfect your fighting style with everyone in the game. It’s easily the best Story Mode of any fighting game created. The traditional Arcade ladder is there for you too, if that’s more your cup of tea. The Challenge Tower adds even further depth by giving 300 tests for you to pass, from old favorites like Test Your Might to having to defeat multiple enemies. If you’re anything like me, the Story Mode and Challenge Tower will take up the largest portion of your single player time in the game. Tag Team matches are also available, but it’s not my favorite mode. The Tag Moves are cool, but I’ve always been more a fan of one-on-one combat.

The fighting itself has received a nice overhall from previous Mortal Kombat games. Built-in combos aren’t 15-button extensive affairs like previous games, but creating bigger attacks is possible by stringing together combos, special moves and other juggles. Getting a 40% damage major combo by figuring out the perfect sequence will put a smile on your face. If you’re on the losing end of that, the new X-Ray Moves will get you back in the fight. A meter at the bottom of the screen fills up, similar to what we’ve all become accustomed to in games like Super Street Fighter IV. The meter has three stages that allow you to trigger different techniques. The first stage of the meter allows you to perform Enhanced Special Moves, which are the Mortal Kombat equivalent of EX Moves in Street Fighter IV. You’ll throw multiple fireballs or have further distance and more power in your ranged maneuvers. Using them will drain a third of your meter, so keep that in mind. If you store up to the second section of the meter, you can use a Breaker which will get you out of combo on the receiving end. Saving up to the third and final section allows you perform an X-Ray Move, where you can deal massive damage in some of the most brutal maneuvers in the game. You’ll learn by playing when the best time to use the moves in each match may be so you don’t blow your wad too early. The moves are great tactics that bring a bit more thinking to each match.

Multiplayer is the essence of any fighting game and Mortal Kombat does a damn good job, both online and offline. One of my favorite modes ever, Test Your Luck, is an offline-only mode where fighters and conditions are chosen at random. You might fight without arms and one of the fighters can’t jump. The scenarios make for an ever-changing fight landscape and you’ll end up with some very fun matches. I’m hoping Warner and NetherRealm bring this mode to online play, but I can understand keeping it unranked. The major online play is King of the Hill, where up to eight players are in a virtual room where two fight and the rest spectate. It’s an attempt to create an online representation of classic arcades, but sadly nothing will ever be able to hold to up to that feel. King of the Hill gets as close as you can get, but people tend to be assholes online more so than in real life, so expect some douchebags in the rooms. I played online on Xbox 360 and Steve was able to get online on the PS3 version of the game before the PlayStation Network went down. Most matches played well, but there were a few King of the Hill matches on both platforms that had some lag. Warner has a patch coming soon to address the problem, but even still, it’s not enough to make you skip online play.

Mortal Kombat is deep - easily one of the deepest fighting games I’ve ever played. With a terrific Story Mode, an addictive Challenge Tower, great multiplayer action and more things to unlock in The Krypt than I can detail in ten reviews, you are definitely getting your money’s worth here. Upcoming DLC will bring even more characters to the game to further expand the action. If you have the choice of platform, I would hands down suggest going with the PS3 version of the game (even though the PSN is still down). Kratos is not your average toss-in character - the balance in his moves, combos and Fatalities are done very very well making him a worthy choice in any battle. Getting the extra character and great Temple of Olympus stage is plenty of reason to grab the PlayStation 3 version of the game. Throw in the fact that the PS3 has a much better d-pad than the Xbox 360 and you have a winner (I tried the game with my Hori and Mad Catz fight sticks, but did not like the button layouts, preferring standard controllers). If you haven’t picked up Mortal Kombat yet, get your ass out to a store and buy it now. It’s one of the best fighting games ever created.