Reviews// Mortal Kombat

The Tournament Begins...
From booting up the traditional ladder mode pretty much every traditional character is available and is instantly recognisable. You would struggle to think of anyone that is missed off the list (aside from Kratos on the 360 version, of course) with the bosses being the only characters that can’t be selected for a battle.

Ladder Mode is comprised of ten increasingly difficult battles culminating in a showdown with the brutal warlord Shao Kahn in a fight to save EarthRealm (or condemn it) in his gladiator-like arena. The only noticeable change from previous games is that you do not fight a mirror version of yourself prior to the boss fights.

One of the elements that remains is the use of cheap tactics by the boss characters. Shao Kahn, Goro and Kintaro are literally invincible at times whilst also having added speed, strength and reach, allowing them to decimate the player’s health bar in seconds.

Much like the original titles, cheap “rinse and repeat” tactics are the most effective yet boring way to beat them. Completing this mode with any character will unlock their alternate costume and explain their specific ending to the story in much the same as every MK game to date.

The Other Realms
MK 2011 features numerous game modes with all the best parts from previous iterations, all offering currency which can be spent in the Krypt. The Krypt returns from Deadly Alliance and offers concept art, costumes and other bonus content for a price. When something is bought, one of a number of sadistic animations plays, revealing the reward from a humanoid captive, such as a Saw-like trap impaling a corpse. There are more than enough rewards to discover, giving completists plenty to do.

Story Mode is a re-telling of the original trilogy’s story as depicted from Raiden’s point of view after he has gone back in time to attempt to change future events. The game switches between different “good-guy” characters after each chapter and after some cheesy yet satisfying progression cut-scenes.

Challenge Tower
The Challenge Tower is the only real new addition, with 300 stages of different side-objectives showcasing the game’s features such as chained combos, fighting overwhelming odds and also the return of mini games such as Test your Might and Test your Sight.

At the time of writing, online mode is plagued by several bugs and lag issues, but is otherwise a quality addition. As well as standard Ranked or Unranked matches, King of the Hill is a “winner stays on” sub-mode with numerous players being able to view in-progress matches whilst waiting their turn to fight and are depicted as either Xbox avatars or Mortal Kombat characters.

During the fight, players can perform fun animations and rate opponents at the end of each bout, giving a more interactive element to the game when you’re not centre-stage. Another nice addition is auto balancing, which is checked every time the player connects to the online service.

Regular updates from the developers will be made to tweak the quality of each character to keep things on a level playing field. One thing to note is that players picking up the game second hand will have to purchase an online pass code to go online. All in all, the variety and difficulty scale is varied between modes and staggers nicely to allow players to either push themselves or gradually improve on what they have learned.

Conclusion

Mortal Kombat is a complete and solid fighting package with a tremendous amount of thought and polish given to every aspect. It has enough variety and accessibility to keep all types of players interested and has far greater depth than previous iterations, giving hardcore players the opportunity to discover chained combos and push their personal style. In terms of nostalgia, arguably the biggest factor, it goes back to the core of what Mortal Kombat was - being able to both witness and participate in the decapitation of a fighter and enjoying either equally.

SPOnG Score: 88%