Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

Mortal Kombat is a hardcore fighting game, that fans of the genre should not pass.

-- Story -- 80/100 --
Raiden is about to be killed by Shao Kahn, and just before he delivers the last blow, Raiden sends a mental message to his earlier self, and the camera rewinds back to Mortal Kombat 1. The Raiden from Mortal Kombat 1 then gets the message and experiences a premonition. The game then spans Mortal Kombat 1, 2, and 3, retelling the story with an enlightened Raiden, who has changed the course of events. Eventually, everything you've seen happen before - Liu Kang winning, the guys turning into cybernetic ninjas, has been altered. You might see a cybernetic character who wasn't before, and a different version of events.

-- Visuals -- 90/100 --
Mortal Kombat looks pleasingly beautiful and solid, with detailed backdrops and fighters. There's not a whole lot in the way of style or flair like Street Fighter IV's signature visuals though, but all in all, MK 2011 is in fine form. And the Blood is a good looker as always.

-- Audio -- 85/100 --
Raargh! Graargh! Crunch! Smack! Pow! Mortal Kombat sounds exactly as it should, with lots of cringe-inducing effects that sound like a cooked chicken full of walnuts being smacked with a baseball bat and lots of macho voice work to go with the story. Also the Voice Acting is great.

-- Gameplay -- 95/100 --
This is still the same MK that you know and love, but it somehow feels more fluid and intuitive to play. Stringing together combos is great fun and as always, performing fatalities is an absolute joy. The X-ray moves, Breakers and Enhanced specials are also welcome additions to the game and bring an extra layer of depth to fights. You'll be playing for hours on end with the Story Mode, Arcade Ladder, Tag Team, Challenge Tower and online modes to indulge in. Unlockables provide ample incentive to return too, with alternate costumes and fatalities as well as concept art aplenty awaiting in the Krypt, where you can trade your earned koins from each mode for extras. This is exemplary stuff, especially for a fighting game.

-- FINAL VERDICT -- 9.0/10 --
Mortal Kombat is back with a vengeance, unapologetically savage, eminently playable and massive fun. It's the greatest love letter to MK fans that you could ever hope for. A Must buy for the fans of both Mortal Kombat series and Fighting games.