#Review: @Violent_Gamer Takes On Mortal Kombat

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Violent_Gamer

Hide yo' kids and hide yo' wife because Mortal Kombat is here and brought enough blood to put a slaughter house to shame.  The new installment developed by NeatherRealm Studios goes back to the games core gameplay with violent 2D fighting, brutal Fatalities and a rebooted story mode.  So is this new Mortal Kombat a legitimate fighter or just another gory bloodbath?

Good news, this is the real deal.  While previous games were more well known for pushing the envelope for violence, this latest release is actually a competitive fighter.  Even though the single-player modes are challenging and sometimes straight up frustrating, Mortal Kombat still delivers a great fighting engine, bloody fatalities and almost never ending challenges.

The story of Mortal Kombat has always been a little silly, and with all the spinoffs its hard to know just what the hell is going on in the Mortal Kombat universe.  NeatherRealm Studios did a good thing and started the series from the beginning.  Doing this made it easy for new players and fans to get back into the Mortal Kombat story.  Here is a quick summary, Shao Kahn invaded earth and wants to merge his world with ours.  Raiden (God of Thunder) is the last fighter to take on Shao Kahn and is defeated.  Before Raiden dies he sends a message back to himself to prevent the end of the world.  Thus a complete reboot of the story.

Sure, this may not be the best story you have seen in a video game, but it works.  The story this time around is very easy to follow and there are cutscenes between fights that make the game flow easily from chapter to chapter.   I was entertained from start till finish, mainly because of the quirky characters and  bloody encounters.

Lets talk about the gameplay itself.  Mortal Kombat is back to the 2D plane like the originals.  One on one and tag matches are available if you want to partner with a friend.  The basic elements of the fighter are still there, each character gets their own special set of moves and are easy to execute.  Stringing combos and special abilities to land devastating damage to your opponent may take longer to master. 

The new Super Meter at the bottom of screen give fighters more strategy when facing their opponents.  During the course of a fight the meter will build up depending on the damage you deal and take.  The meter is broken into three segments, each can be spent in different ways.  Filling up the first segment will allow you to enhance your special attacks, dealing more damage.  The second segment will break an opponents combo if they have you stuck in a corner and beating your face in.  When the meter is completely filled you will have an X-Ray attack that deals massive damage and can turn the momentum of any match.

Lets not forget what made Mortal Kombat a household name, the Fatalities.  They are back and more brutal and gruesome than ever.  Each character has 3 Fatalities including a stage Fatality.  The second Fatality can be unlocked by visiting the ever expansive Krypt and spending coins awarded through story mode, arcade mode and the challenge tower.

Online play is what you would expect.  You can join in single Ranked or Unranked matches or join a King of the Hill tournament with you and 7 other opponents to determine who is the champion of Mortal Kombat.  One thing I loved about King of the Hill was being able to interact with other players and grade the fights when they were finished.  Anyone who turtles during a match doesn't earn my respect points.

Even with so many improvements Mortal Kombat is not without its flaws.  During single-player I got frustrated with the imbalances of 2 on 1 fights and some of the ridiculous boss fights.  I understand making bosses harder, but when I have to spam cheap moves to win a fight, I don't feel the same accomplishment when I land big combos to finish my opponent.

One technical flaw I found is not being able to skip through scenes, this gets especially annoying when you want to come back to a fight and have to watch the same 4 minute cinematic you just watched last time you played.

The new Mortal Kombat is a winner when it comes to its predecessors.  Fans of the series and the fighting genre can rejoice now that they have a fun competitive fighter.  I enjoyed Mortal Kombat the most when teaming up with a friend and moving through the arcade mode.  I was disappointed how hard single-player could be but it never kept me from playing through the story.  This is a must buy if you are a fan of the franchise or if your looking to pick up a fighter that stands out from the rest.

Presentation: 8

The story is fun and easy to follow.  Not being able to skip cutscenes sucks...

Graphics: 9

X-ray attacks, Fatalities and environments are badass.  Some character outfits are questionable.

Sound: 9

The sound effects are amazing! bone crunching sounds and the voice acting isnt half bad.  The music could have used some work.

Gameplay: 8

The best fighter of the franchise.  Loved the addition of X-ray attacks and the Super Meter.

Lasting Appeal: 9

With a 300 Challenge tower, story mode, arcade mode, tons of unlockable content and fun online play, this game has a lot of replay value.

Violent Score: 9 (out of 10)

#nerdsunite

#NerdsUnite: Mortal Kombat Preview

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Violent Gamer

The Mortal Kombat series has seen its ups and downs.  When the original Mortal Kombat debut onto consoles in 1992, it was welcomed with a world wide fan base and a lot of controversy.  Kids were playing Super Nintendo, pulling heads off and ripping hearts out, and parents were shocked they just bought the most bloody and gruesome game to ever hit consoles for their grade school child.  But what caused much controversy also sparked a revolution in game development, game ratings, and the potential for bringing video games to the silver screen.  After many hit or miss sequels and horrible spin offs, developers at NeatherRealm Studios took Mortal Kombat back to its roots.

So what's new? Well it's not what is new about the game, it's what will be returning to the game.  For starters Mortal Kombats engine will be on a 2D plain and reintroduce players to the gruesome Fatalities that made the franchise stand out from other fighters.  Some of the new additions include bone crunching X-ray attacks that slow down the fight and will give you a look at internal damage done to your opponent.  It will also feature classic stages, with stage Fatalities that will have long time players remember the first time they were knocked into a spike pit.

Lets talk about the roster a little bit.  As Mortal Kombat games have expanded, so has the roster.  Though a full roster has not been released yet, we can expect many of the fighters from Mortal Kombat 1-3.  Here is a short list of characters you can expect to see.

• Sub-Zero
• Scorpion
• Nightwolf
• Mileena 
• Katana
• Sonya
• Raiden
• Reptile
• Kung Lao
• Striker
• Johnny Cage
• Shao Kahn
• Liu Kang

The new Mortal Kombat will also feature mini-games such as "Test Your Might", "Test Your Sight" and "Test Your Luck" along with a new Challenge Tower that will put gamers through a rigorous 300 challenge event.  Local and online multilayer will also be available to take your kombat skills to the rest of the community. 

Mortal Kombat is due to release on April 19, 2011.  For now you can download the demo on the Playstation Network.  

#HappyFatalities

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