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Similarly, the games music is great, with many tunes from the first three Mortal Kombat games making an overhauled comeback for this addition to the series. While I felt that the voice acting quality was decent for the most part, the dialogue was a bit lacking and somewhat cheesy at times, however this is something I have come to expect from martial arts inspired entertainment. I mean lets face it; people do not buy fighting games for a good dialogue. On the other hand, the games sound effects leave a lasting impression, as players are treated to the sounds of razor sharp weapons cutting into flesh, the disturbing meaty like thuds of a cadaver collapsing to the floor after a fatality and the bone crushing reverberation of bodies being destroyed by the carnage of various x-ray moves. (In case the fans are wondering, Dan Forden does pop his head out of the corner with the traditional “toasty”).

Besides the customary 1v1 matches, Mortal Kombat’s online game modes allow players to put their skills to the test in tag battles which can be played privately or on a ranked basis. Furthermore, challengers have the option of participating in “King of the hill” battles whereby players fight while waiting competitors watch the action in a theater, with the option of holding up a score card at the end of the match based on the winner’s performance during combat. The resulting collection of respect points tally up as a “rep” like feature for online play, ultimately giving players a good indication of what type of combatant you are. Simply put, if you play cheap, don’t expect your peers to give you huge amounts of respect.

Sadly, while I had enormous amounts fun playing “king of the hill” and the other online modes, (when the servers were consistent) it was here that I found the largest collection of issues, as joining a “king of the hill” game once it had begun proved to be a rather difficult task, since there seems to be no option of inviting a player into the theatre once combat has commenced. The result is that in order to join a theatre the involved party would have to quit an existing game and orchestrate a new one.

Furthermore, there is no option of skipping a turn once your time comes to challenge the king. I would love to have seen a timer of sort utilized here, one that would automatically result in a “turn skip” provided the player did not confirm the up and coming battle. As it currently stands, a group of combatants are not able to “boot” a player or skip over challengers who might temporarily be away from their consoles. While these might seem like rather trivial gripes to some, they are the kind of simple additions to this game’s online play that would go a long way in sculpting and refining its rough edges.

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Conclusion

Packed with content and game modes unlike any other in its genre, Mortal Kombat is a massive game that is bound to keep players busy for some time to come. While the game is not without its faults, it is for the most part very well put together; with stunning visuals great sound and game play mechanics that will appeal to large spectrum of gamers (provided they can stomach the violence).


Scoring:

Gameplay: 8.6

The gameplay is pretty solid and while I’m sure fans will debate the new back limb, front limb layout, the addition of a super gauge has definitely added a level of depth to this game in terms of strategy. Not to mention that by going back to the franchises roots, NetherRealm has made leaps and bounds in the right direction with this latest addition to the series.

Design and Presentation: 9.0

Besides the instances during the story mode where character models looked somewhat undefined, Mortal Kombat is a stellar looking game, with the addition of great sound effects and music. The whole package not only does well to attract newcomers, but there is a huge amount of fan service going on in this game.

Value: 8.7

Provided that NetherRealm take active steps to have some of the online issues resolved this game has tremendous potential in terms of longevity, seeing that online play truly is a blast when it’s all going well. Online modes aside though, Mortal Kombat has not only provided a huge amount of various game modes and unlock-able content to satisfy the casual gamer, but the game play mechanics have simultaneously secured a potential long-term fan base in the competitive player.


Overall: 8.8

I am absolutely ecstatic that Mortal Kombat has finally returned to its roots and done it well. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent in this game besides its minor shortcomings and I am excited to see what it could mean for the future of the steadily growing genre.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Last Updated: May 9, 2011

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Mortal Kombat
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