Back in the day, fans could be found rushing to malls and arcade zones only to feed coins into machines that allowed them to play games like Street Fighter, Tekken and of course, Mortal Kombat. With creators already optimizing the former two and others to appeal to the current generation of gamers, why leave one bright star in the dark? NetherRealm Studios and creative director Ed Boon have unleashed a new entrant in its acclaimed franchise plainly dubbing it as Mortal Kombat. As we dig deeper into the many folds of the game through a PS3 review, the title certainly doesn’t seem that plain after all. Get ready to undergo In-terror-gation!
The game that makes you feel nostalgic on mere mention is back, this time with a bang and not to forget a whole bunch of new features for fans and newcomers as well. What we perceived in the preview of Mortal Kombat seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg. The complete version has something for both single players as well as two players. For starters, the former offers Fight, Story Mode, Challenge Tower, Training, Online, Extras and Options. In Fight, the game offered Ladder, Tag Ladder, Test your Luck, Test your Might, Test your Sight and Test your Strike. Training enabled us to learn the ways of Mortal Kombat through a series of offerings such as Tutorials, Fatalities tutorial, Practice and Tag Team Practice.
Making our way to the Challenge Tower we found a host of tests that had to be accomplished in order to move on. All the challenges were of the ascending sort that plunged us into battles that had some condition or the other attached to them or simply single quick quests like breaking pine boards and finding the eyeball after shuffling. This was indeed a mixed bag with varying skill levels. Either you successfully accomplish each one thrown at you or skip them and move ahead. However, giving them a miss would mean costing you some big bucks or in this case, the in-game currency ‘koins’. These shiny things can be acquired throughout the game in any sort of challenge you undertake. Furthermore, if you feel like splurging on some goodies, there is always the ‘Extras’ that offers a refuge to spendthrifts.
There are a whole lot of ways you can spend the in-game ‘Kurrency’ and by that we mean gruesomely extorting and unlocking Kontent from the Krypt. This eerie place comprises of Deadlands, Bloodmarsh, Meadow of Despair and Hollow of Infestation where in order to obtain the goods, one must smash tombstones, torture a few blokes, and even burst an inflated stomach or two complete with gory blood splatter right on the camera. We however must warn the faint-hearted about the hideous little surprises that tend to pop up when least expected. In Training, we particularly liked the addition of the Fatalities tutorial where you can perform and perfect the different Fatalities at leisure or time restrained if you like. After all, its Flawless Victories and Fatalities that earn you in-game bling.
The story mode was quite an interesting inclusion to the latest Mortal Kombat. Unlike what we experienced in Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, this title had a captivating storyline that took us from a devastated future all the way back to the initial epic days that started the whole franchise. Although a very long journey, it was certainly a worthwhile one. In fact, it would even make for a good movie; we hope you’re listening Mr. Spielberg. This mode had some quirky comments and great dialogs and sure, some matches were unfair with two opponents pitted against one lonely PS3 owner but as they say, the sweet taste of glory is great only if garnished with blood and challenges, right? Furthermore, a sequel to this story mode can be expected in the next iteration.
As revealed in our preview, a power bar with three segments is added which gives players an edge during combat. Taking damage and dealing some too help fill up the bar. The first gauge powers up any special move while the second allows you to unlock a combo breaker and finally, when the whole bar is filled, its X-Ray time. Get ready to be grossed out with bone shattering and blood spattering which cuts your opponents life by nearly half. This mode however could have been more ingenious in execution and by this we mean less monotonous and more character specific. The new x-ray feature will also soon have you looking at things in a new white and black perspective with prolonged play.
Blindly slamming down on the buttons won’t help you too much in this Mortal Kombat game. Not all opponents can be defeated by that single move performed in continuity. Well, it may work for some characters but definitely not all. Each warrior has to be tackled in various ways depending on their tactics, abilities and bulk (here’s looking at you mighty Goro). One word of encouragement, if you use the right techniques and timing, all fearsome characters can be tamed, well eventually at least. During a fight, you can break a combo that’s been performed on you but at the price of some juice from the power bar which could have been used instead for an ‘x-ray-ted’ performance. So choose wisely, save yourself from a bruise-inducing licking or sacrifice that to see the innards of your foe.
Besides going retro on the name and a few features, the graphics although quite polished for the latest consoles still retain the arcade style and vibrant colors. The unprecedented detail involved in the costumes, flesh impairments, blood oozing and even the wear and tear of clothes are done with complete precision. The voiceover retains its ‘chill up the spine’ audio while the characters’ voice talents are also great. The various backgrounds during battle have been tailored to perfection. Although there’s a lot going on in the milieu such as cars zooming by and poor souls getting an acid dip, it certainly doesn’t interfere in the ongoing match taking place in the forefront and lets you concentrate on the beating while appreciating the backdrop. Adding to it is the sound emitting from the background such as phone ringing in the subway and screams of tortured people.
Since we acquired the PS3 version, we got the God of War, yes the mighty and grumpy Kratos himself. He was something like a breath of fresh air amongst the ‘dungeony’ kind or the familiar faces seen in previous MK titles. Not sparing the Spartan, he too was given his own special moves, combos, fatalities and even background story which seamlessly merges him into the combating action that takes place in the game. Although the advancements in the game are great, the characters however still retain their stiffness without offering much fluidity.
Final Word: Mortal Kombat for PS3 is not just an ordinary, arcade sort of fighting title but one that is packed with many activities and kontent which are sure to keep fans glued to their TV without much sleep and nourishment save for the glee and sadistic pleasure. The game is no longer just a title where you have to brawl just to remove your frustration; no, it’s much deeper than that. With the engaging story mode which will take up quite a worthwhile chunk of your life along with Challenge Tower and loads of unlockables, the game is sure to remain fresh until maybe another MK title materializes. The mere fact that this iteration has managed to garner a huge amount of interest gives room for Ed Boon and team to further explore the vast possibilities. Fight hard, play harder lest you want to hear your opponent taunting, ‘It’s Official, You Suck!’
Graphics: 9.5/10.
Environments: 9.6/10.
Story: 9.1/10.
Game Sounds: 8.8/10.
Replay Value: 9.3/10.
Overall (not an average): 9.6/10.