FINISH HIM!!! The famous catch phrase that we fight to hear in every Mortal Kombat game since the beginning, in this new game we are once again doing the same. There is much about this new version that will please the old fans and attract new ones, the game’s modes are Fight, Story, Challenge and Online.
Fight mode is the most basic, and thanks to the clever developers at NeverRealm Studios it has been brought back to the same level that made the original game great, where you climb up the MK ladder of fighters until you reach Shao Kahn himself. Also by returning to its classic 2D fighting plane it keeps the battles simple so all you have to worry about is getting your combo moves, special moves and dodging right. The moves themselves are quite easy to pull off, the longest special attack is only a four button combination and most combo attacks are eight or less so you do not end up stressing out trying to pull off crazy long attacks and failing. One of the new battle features that make the new Mortal Kombat great is the X-Ray move that you get by filling the Fatality Meter at the bottom of the screen and then activate by pressing both triggers, when full, the fighter then unleashes an attack and if it hits the screen goes into X-ray mode where you can see the inside of your opponent and all the brutal damage that happens to them, for example when they’re punched in the face you see their skull crack and their teeth fly out. Of course when the battles are over the gruesome Fatalities make a triumphant return to their original violent form as Mortal Kombat gives us the graphic details, never before possible, presented with the most sophisticated graphics engine in MK history. There are at least 2 custom fatalities per character plus every arena has a stage fatality so there are many ways to rip your opponent to pieces. Another nice little feature is the fatality tutorial where you can learn and practice fatalities in a controlled environment, it also shows you where you need to stand and the controller motions.
The arrival of a new tag team battle option brings even more craziness as you can tag out one fighter and bring in another to mix it up even more, plus these battles can go up to four players at once and you can play team ladder as well.
The new Story mode takes place after centuries of Mortal Combat Shao Kahn has finally defeated Raiden and his allies. Raiden has one last chance to save earthrealm by striking Shao Kahn where he is most vulnerable, the past. The game actually takes you back all the way to the start of Mortal Kombat 1 where Raiden keeps seeing images from the future and attempts to change things for the better and this goes all the way to where Mortal Kombat 3 ends. How you play is simple enough, you watch the cinematic story and play out the battles that happen with whichever character the story is following at the time, all in all there is a good eight hours worth of game play here where at the end you will unlock two more characters for your gaming pleasure.
There is also the Challenge Tower of up to 300 challenges to keep you busy for 10 hours or so. The challenges mainly consist of variations of the standard fighting game as well as the numerous mini games like the returning Test your Might where you need to hit any buttons to build up your power within a time limit and when you have enough hit one of the shoulder buttons to release the power. Test your Sight makes a return as well and it’s simple you have 3 heads and an eye under one of them you just need to follow the eye as the heads move round the table and then pick the one it’s under. There are two new mini games now Test your Strike which is the same as Test you Might but you just need to get your power between two lines on the power bar and then hit a shoulder button to release. Test your Luck is a fight but before it starts a slot machine rolls and it picks certain conditions that effect the battle, like you may end up headless, your health keeps decreasing and so on while playing all these different modes. You earn Koins for use in the Krypt where you unlock hundreds of items from new Fatalities to picture art.
All in all Mortal Kombat is back on form and a great fighting game that should appeal to any old fan and new fans should enjoy it too. It’s gruesome, violent and fun.
9/10
Chris Comber
