A game that lets you finish off your opponent is definitely a game worth looking into.
THE GOOD
-Blood, gore and fatalities
-Nice graphics
-Good audio
-Good controls
THE BAD
-Small cast of characters
-Inconsistent difficulty
OVERVIEW
Mortal Kombat was one of the first controversial games on the market with its excessive violence. Many people wanted this game banned but it only helped in making this even more popular. The Mortal Kombat tournament isn't an ordinary fighting competition. Earth's, which is also known as the Earthrealm, freedom is threatened by the Outworld realm and they need to bring the best fighters from around the world to preserve it. Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage are Earth's chosen warriors that get some help from the Thunder God, Raiden. There are three other contenders that are competing for different reasons; these fighters are Kano, Sub-Zero and Scorpion. All of the fighters must fight each other until they qualify to square off against one Outworld's sorcerers, Shang Tsung. If Shang Tsung wins the Earthrealm will be plunged into darkness as all the world's people will become slaves for the Outworld.
GAMEPLAY
Mortal Kombat was a hit arcade game developed by Acclaim Entertainment and ported over to the Super Nintendo. This game has a mature rating because it is one of the goriest fighting games for the SNES. Hits to the face will spray blood high in the air and the victor will have a few seconds at the end of the decision match to finish their opponent off. These fatalities range from a simple uppercut to ripping out the heart of an enemy. Although this is extremely violent, it adds a great new feature to fighting games.
There are two modes of play in Mortal Kombat; story and multiplayer. In the story mode, you choose one of the seven characters and first battle your way through each of the remaining playable characters. Each match consists of a best of three format. At the end of the final round you'll have about five seconds to end that player's life by performing a fatality. After you defeat the other six characters there are a couple of endurance matches. These matches get a little trickier because each round consists of two enemies. Once you pass the endurance matches there is only one monster to fight before Shang Tsung and his name is Goro. This four armed beast is tough but once you put him down it's just you and Tsung. For the most part the story mode is fun to go through but the small cast and inconsistent difficulty are a bit of a disappointment.
The multiplayer mode lets you and one other friend square off against each other in a good, old fashion grudge match. This mode is quite entertaining because there are good amount of special and non-special moves to perform with each character and the fatalities are fun to watch. A successful fatality is the perfect way to humiliate your friends.
The controls in Mortal Kombat are put together quite well. There are many simple attacks to execute like high and low punches and kicks, roundhouse kicks, leg sweeps and uppercuts. Each character has between two and three unique special moves that range from flying sidekicks to freeze attacks. All the special moves in this game are effective and easy to pull off which is a nice plus.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visuals work well in this game. The character and environment detail is extensive and the level design is impressive. For instance, there is one stage called the Pit which lets the executioner uppercut their enemy into a pit of spikes; plenty of carnage equals plenty of fun.
The music fits the theme of this violent game. The sound effects are another great feature that this game has to offer. There are a lot of smacks, thuds and bone cracks that's fun to listen to; especially when the announcer yells "Finish Him" and you're able to pull off a gruesome finisher.
CONCLUSION
As far as fighting games go, Mortal Kombat is above average. The amount of violence is definitely for a mature audience but it really makes the game stand out among the rest. The lack of playable characters and inconsistent difficulty is a bit of a drawback but the solid controls and fatalities make this game worth playing. I would recommend this game to anyone that likes playing fighting games because it'll prove to be hours of fun. A game that lets you tear out the spine of your opponent definitely deserves a chance.