Mortal Kombat is a complete package well deserving of a spot in any fighter fan's library. Welcome back classic MK!
By now, you know that this MK, or MK9 as most are calling it, is a reboot of the original trilogy. Now, while I have never been one for reboots, MK is one that can easily benefit from a redo, and benefit it has. In the new Story Mode, the original trilogy is retold to be easier to follow, while leaving the core stoylines untouched. Add in animated character specific endings, and you have a winner. ( Shame on you MvC3 for not having it ) Talk about fan service. On top of that, you get to see Kabal, Cyrax, and Smoke before their life-altering ordeals took place. The story line, while retaining some of the "cheese-factor" is really well done, and quite lengthy, which for a fighter, is a welcome change.
But Ed and his team didn't stop there. Not even close! The Krypt is back, and packed as ever, including new fatalities, babilities, costumes, art, and even contains Cyber Sub-Zero! On top of that you have the Challenge Tower, a 300 piece event mode testing every one of your abilities from relexes to memory. Then you have the Ladder Mode, an Arcade Mode of sorts where you fight 10 pre-selected characters and ending with Shao Kahn. ( just a heads up, he's a b****, however not as bad as most other genre bosses ) Heres a neat piece, MK9 has a decent tutorial, teaching you the basics of combat in all aspects, that you then cater to each character you play as. Then you have King of the Hill, and online spectator mode ( Double shame on you MvC3 for not having it!), in which you and the online community can watch fights and leave positive or negative feedback to the players fighting. The icing on the cake is a fully realized Tag-Team mode, that plays a bit similar to MvC3 and Tekken Tag which you pick any two characters who then duke it out against another team.
Now the main questions fans have are: is the combat fun and are the fatalities and gore back in full force? Well I'm happy to report yes for both. MK has gone back to the roots that propelled the series into the spotlight, and this fan couldn't be happier. Think of this as a great big happy family reunion that people can actually look forward to because all the characters from the original trilogy are here and accounted for. Everyone's move roster has been beefed up too, so each character has over 20 moves, not including the X-rays and Fatalities. As one reviewer put it, MK's X-ray movies are the R-rated equivalent to Street Fighter 4's Ultra Combos, and that statement is so very true. As for the Fatalities, they are two things: easier to pull off now and look absolutely, horrifyingly awesome. PARENTS, HIDE YOUR KIDS OR PLAY THIS GAME IN A DESOLATE PART OF YOUR HOUSE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! This game has everything but nudity and drugs in it, so blood, gore, and language ( while not as abundant as most other M rated titles ), is in full-throttle powered by overdrive here. Remember, this is the franchise that started the ESRB, so with that in mind, you will have a pretty good idea what to expect here.
Overall, MK9 could easily be one of the best fighting games out there. With features packed to the brim, great graphics and sound, and a great single and multiplayer experience, MK9 is sure to be spinning in your disc drives for months if not years to come.