Somewhat Nerdy Gaming: Mortal Kombat Review

Overall Score: 9.2/10

Genre: Fighting
Systems: PS3 and Xbox 360
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher/Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/NetherRealm Studios

Warner Bros. is known for:

Batman: Arkham Asylum
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

NetherRealm Studios is known for:

Mortal Kombat

Usually when I pick up and play a fighting game I'm not expecting much when it comes to the story aspect. I expect there to be easy and hard to execute combos, killer special moves, a decent amount of replay value, and a mediocre tact on story that doesn't tell you much. Mortal Kombat punched my expectations in the face, threw them into a portal to the nether realm, and fatalitied the crap out of them.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Fantastic! NetherRealm Studios have out done themselves with this one. Going back to 2D side scrolling combat was a very smart choice. They completely packed the disc full of content. Story mode is by far my favorite but the challenge tower is a close second. In the challenge tower you need to complete certain tasks such as killing zombies before they reach you or performing certain fatalities for the victory. The x-ray attacks are so cool and can be executed quite easily. You earn koins in pretty much every mode that you can spend in the krypt. The krypt allows you to unlock concept art, extra fatalities, new costumes, etc. The roster of characters to choose from is huge.

Story: 9/10

The story is awesome! It's very similar to the movies that not many people actually watched. You're fighting to save earth realm from Shao Kahn and his army. What's so cool about it is you switch characters throughout so you're not stuck with one the whole time. It was quite a bit longer and in depth than I thought it would be.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are top notch. Special moves look great. Fatalities are absolutely brutal, some will make you cringe. All the stages look fantastic and are very animated with trains, cars, live trees, and fights going on in the background. All animations are superb.

Sound: 9/10
Voice acting is incredible and really adds to the story. Blood spurts and cries of agony, typical Mortal Kombat stuff, sound really good. All special moves such as Cyrax missile explosions and Sub Zero's freeze, just to name a few, all sound fantastic.

Replay Value: High
A ton of modes, unlocks, and online play make this a game that can be played for a very long time.

All in all there's a lot of good to say about Mortal Kombat and not a lot of bad. I highly recommend it to anyone even a little bit interested in fighting games. I warn you though, if you're at all squeamish around blood you'll find yourself needing to look away from the screen a lot.