Mortal Kombat 9

If you’re looking for a game that you could just pick up and play with some friends, then you’ve found the right title. If you’re looking for a game with easy to learn special moves for beginners, but more complex to time and execute during combos, then you’re in the right ballpark. If you’re a diehard Mortal Kombat fan and looking for that sense of completion in your Mortal Kombat life, then this game is perfect for you. Mortal Kombat (MK) is the 9^th installment of series, and it has a whole lot to offer.

Story

Since this is the latest MK to come out, one would think that the game would focus on the events after Armageddon (the story of the 8^th installment of MK). If you’re thinking that then you need a slap on the wrist! This game’s story takes you through the events of MK 1- MK 3 with some twists. But it does it form a very creative approach. The story is about Raiden (the thunder god, and earthrealm’s protector) being haunted by visions of the future. His future self is in grave trouble and decides that his last resort is to send visions of the future to his past self with hopes that his past self would alter the decisions that landed his future self in that bad situation. Raiden first encounters the visions during the 1^st Mortal Kombat tournament (MK 1), then the story begins.

Gameplay

There’s something here for everyone, whether you are an avid MK fan, a hardcore fighter fan, or just a “pick up and play” kind of person. The most noticeable aspect of gameplay style is the fact that it’s been changed back to 2D format, just like its predecessors (MK 1, MK 2, MK3, MK Trilogy, and a few others). This change makes an immediate impact on the action, returning the game to an in-your-face, offensive style, where the best way to stop your opponent from teleporting behind you with his fist out is often to just do it to him first. The game also returns to the uppercuts and sweeps found in the original trilogy. It’s not only old school aspects that makes this game shine – there are plenty of new additions to make your mouth hit the floor due to loss of muscle control. One new addition, x-ray moves, brought plenty of speculation. The moves work similar to Street Fighter 4’s ultra moves. With x-ray moves, you have a super move bar which has 3 levels. Your bar must be all the way filled to perform an x-ray. Mortal Kombat offers a load of extra content and modes. You will find one of the longest story modes ever in a fighting game full of cinematics, a challenge tower with 300 challenges, arcade mode, tag team battles, tag team co-op mode, plus much more. This game offers expanded content ranging from music, to concept art, and methods to perform a second fatality, all of which are unlocked using the infamous krypt. One of my few complaints about MK 9 was the difficulty of the boss characters. They seemed to have an unfair advantage and beating them seemed like an impossible task.

Graphics

Visually, the game is a big step up from the last Mortal Kombat game, with far more detailed characters and backgrounds. The characters’ costumes get torn up over the course of the battle, resulting in bloody scrapes and cuts in the sides of faces, ripped clothes and masks, and so on. The fighters will even end up covered in blood by the end of the fight – even the winners will look like they lost. There is a reason that this Mortal Kombat has snatched the title as the goriest MK of all so far.

Sounds

Mortal Kombat delivers on its sound flawlessly. You hear every snap, crunch, break, smack, and thud that is produced in a fight. The music is similar to that of MK Deadly Alliance, MK Deception, and MK Armageddon.

Overview

Overall, Mortal Kombat is quite notably the best game of the series. Its combat system shines, its content is epic in both quality, and quantity, and it has plenty of modes to boot! I recommend this game to all MK fans.