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While most of the missions are Kombat orientated with diverse odds stacked against you, others require you to exercise the art of timing, as you throw grenades into a moving bucket or face off against hoards of undead with only your ranged special attacks to keep you safe. As you would imagine the challenges get progressively harder as you move up through the tower levels, and although the majority of tasks are simply good fun to play, you do inevitably reach a level where they become incredibly challenging and downright hard to get through. Fortunately Practice modes have also been included, which allow players the opportunity to spend hours experimenting and perfecting their Kombat strategy and finishing techniques.

To make things even more interesting, just about everything you do in Mortal Kombat will earn you some koins, which can then be used in the Krypt to purchase a plethora of collectable content such as music, locked fatalities and alternate costumes. This clever little idea first put to use in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, ultimately rewards and motivates players, as they develop a compulsive need to discover the undisclosed items hidden in the gloomy depths of the various burial grounds that make up the Krypt. Staying true to its many predecessors, this latest installment also harbors a surplus of mysterious secrets that will require players to pay special attention to their surroundings during combat (that’s all I’m saying).

With Mortal Kombat’s return to the 2D fighting plane NetherRealm has not only delivered a spectacular slice of fan service, but the game play mechanics driving this gruesome title also have the potential to push this title back into its rightful position as a major western competitor, in a genre dominated by Japanese titles such as Street Fighter and Tekken. With regards to its competitors, Mortal Kombat has always had a very unique disposition, which has thrived on a “we are different, and we like it that way” kind of attitude. However, this is not to say that the franchise has not learnt from its competitors over the years.

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In fact, fans will immediately notice that the conventional high and low strike layout has been replaced with a new system, whereby individual limbs are controlled by pushing the appropriate buttons, namely: back punch, front punch, back kick and front kick. The characters also have distinctive movements which vary in range and speed, making it absolutely necessary for players to spend time getting to know a character. Although the traditional “sweeps” and “uppercuts” are still around, the days where generic move sets were applicable to all characters have long since gone, along with dial-a-combos and palette swaps.

Additionally a Street Fighter like Super/Ultra gauge has been added to the gameplay which allows players to build up certain advantages during combat. The gauge has three major sections, each boasting a unique ability. The first section will give players the option of adding some extra power to a special move, the second section will allow for a breaker to be performed, which basically stops an opponent’s combo dead in its tracks. Once the super gauge is full, combatants will be able to unleash the third level in the form of a brutal X-ray attack, a spectacular display of bone breaking action which also conveniently saps a huge chunk of your opponent’s health meter. It is ultimately up to the player as to when these abilities will be most advantageous, adding another level of strategic orientated depth to the combat.

While at first gameplay can seem rather stiff and discordant in comparison to other fighters out there, after some practice players will find that the characters move quite smoothly and transition well between special moves and combo chains. Despite what it sounds like, Mortal Kombat is actually quite well rounded, in that casual gamers will find it relatively easy to get into the swing of things considering that special moves and basic attacks are not that hard to get the hang of. At the same time, competitive players will find that there is a certain depth to this game that is worth exploring and investing time in.

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In terms of presentation, Mortal Kombat is a phenomenal game, with beautiful stage designs revamped from older titles that successfully establish the trademark tones associated with franchise, something fans will undoubtedly recognize and appreciate. Fatalities are back to their brutal nature, executed on fantastic looking character models that bruise and bleed (and split in half) in a typical over the top Mortal Kombat like fashion. Overall, the game does a magnificent job at getting an “Oh wow!” kind of response, especially when regarding the games new x-ray techniques that temporarily highlight the inner workings of characters as skulls are fractured, bones are broken and internal organs are destroyed. Regrettably, during parts of the story mode where cut scenes are involved, character models look rather undefined, which is sad considering that during gameplay the attention to detail is superb.

Last Updated: May 9, 2011

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Mortal Kombat
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