CES 07: Mortal Kombat II Hands-On

By Ricardo Torres, GameSpotPosted Jan 8, 2007 7:20 pm PT

We get our hands on SOE's conversion of the Midway classic for the PS3.

LAS VEGAS--Hot on the heels of Sony Online Entertainment's announcement that it would be publishing and developing several classic Midway titles for the PlayStation 3, we had the chance to try out Mortal Kombat II. The classic sequel was released in arcades in 1993 and converted to a good spread of the era's consoles, which only helped the immensely popular game gain an even greater following. In the years that have passed, MKII has arguably solidified as the best entry in the series thanks to a refined fighting system, cool roster, and a plethora of secrets for players to discover.

Unfortunately, the depth of our affection for the game has been sorely tested as, besides the SNES home conversion of the game, the various console conversions have fallen flat in some way--with a special shout out going to the PC version of the game, which was fantastic. As a result we've been cautiously optimistic about what MKII promises on the PS3, despite the fact that Digital Eclipse is handling the conversion.

The version of the game we played was extremely early but was looking like it was well on its way toward matching the quality of the best MKII conversions. Though early, the game already featured a full roster of fighters, stages, and the assorted finishing moves that were the introduced in the game. Best of all, the title ran at a good clip and felt about right, which bodes well for the final game. Besides what appears to be an impressive version of the original arcade game, SOE and Digital Eclipse are making additions to the experience. The title will support 720p and feature online multiplayer (which we didn't get to try yet) as well as online leaderboards.

From what we've seen so far, we're impressed by how MKII is shaping up. The game makes a good first impression even in this early state, though it would have been nice to see an enhanced graphics option. That said, there are some crucial elements we want to see before we let ourselves get too excited. Online play is obviously the biggest factor in whether the game sinks or swims, in our eyes. Beyond that, little touches such as the button layout (which is currently awkward) and the game's price could send things south, but we're crossing our fingers that things turn out well. Mortal Kombat II is currently slated to be available in the PlayStation's online store in the early part of this year. Look for more on the game in the coming months.

33 Comments

  • juan99692k6

    Posted Apr 16, 2007 3:24 am PT

    Ed Boon and PSN plase make MK Trilogy available next month or something

  • 8bit16bitsowhat

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 9:51 am PT

    ah yes, one of the best if not the best fighting game ever made, IN MY OPINION. why do people get mad that it looks the same? dont know. what i do know from reading is that we are getting the game the same way we saw it 13 years and the same way we loved it 13 years ago. for all those idiots that are mad because they are bringing this game back, nobody is forcing you to read about it or buy it so do the smart thing and shut up and read something else

  • goodemon

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 1:57 pm PT

    Hells yes if this is online i cant wait to dominate. Stop bashin PS3. it hasnt been out for what like 2 months maybe? MK2 is classic gaming at its finest! And yeah ill totally pay 10 bucks to play this

  • Ne0zEEd

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 10:12 am PT

    Disposition..I await our battle MKII..BEST MK EVER!!!

  • Disposition

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 12:16 am PT

    I cant wait for this game.. I LOVE MK and ive always wished that my dream would come true ... Arcades are dead and thats a sad thing.. I remember lineing up to play this game and now i can finally PLAY it online with my PS3 OMG this console gets better andbetter.. here i thought i bought this thing only to play ps3 games and on top of all that not only do i get 1080p GLORY i get one of the best fighting games known to man.. Telken Tag online would be amazin aswell.. Rumor has it the Tekken 5DR US version might have online.. hence the delay... I LOVE YOU SOE.. you guys really know what fans want... I see a ton of peopleplaying this game online thorugh MAME and now finally we can play it legit and I can OWN all u scrub out there.. Prepair for Dispositions SUB ZERO

  • jacnewforce07

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 5:42 pm PT

    HAHA!....CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY

  • jerectoff

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 8:12 am PT

    This will retail at what? £30? If not more!

    Great way to start PS3s birth, rip us off from Day 1.

  • davedouble16

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 3:47 am PT

    FIGHT!

    This would be awesome, even more so if it you can play online...which I assume you can!

    FINISH HIM!

    Dave

    FATALITY!...

  • sherif2004

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 1:55 am PT

    sony made the next genration ps3 to put some cool games not lame games like mk 2 now the next genration made to play some old lame games from 13 years what foolishnes sony is

  • killab_venom

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 6:50 am PT

    hmm i see that this version sounds and look different from the ps2 counterpart! but u have 2 know how to notice such minor details in order to see it. In my opinion this version for the ps3 sounds better! listen closely and u'll see. also the picture looks more crisp.

  • darklink124

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 5:00 pm PT

    wats the difrence btween ps2 and 3 i dont see a diffrence

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    i have this on the snes i do not and will not buy this for a so called next gen console that cost 600 + dollars , and have 2d gamingi do not think so , try again next time , once is enough i can see if they built it using next gen graphics but it doesnt , so it is a waste of time as with any xbla ps3virtual console or wii virtual console at least wiis has games i do not own on any console and provides a second chance to play ones i missed out on like r type or any tg 16 game

  • M_A_D

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:23 am PT

    I think midway should make a new MK the fits the next-gen consoles ! NOT brining something that has been in the basemeant for 13 years !!!

  • mrekolost

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 8:27 am PT

    ooooo.... only if i had a ps3 this looks very intersting as long as it has much better stuff than the last 100

  • KikoJones

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 8:50 am PT

    I piss on the Wii for all its crappy old games and crappy graphics (compared to the PS3 and the 360). I won't get excited for an old game coming to the spankin' new PS3 either. Bring on Warhawk, Lair, Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm, not some old classic!

  • yohanjr

    Posted Jan 14, 2007 12:33 pm PT

    why the ugly graphics return im sorry but this i dont think the blast from the past is gonna make it in my rankings

  • hovan316

    Posted Jan 12, 2007 4:34 pm PT

    Best versions of MK II and MK III were on the PC. That's for sure.
    Man, I use to play it on my Pentium 150MHz... :-)

  • Javier

    Posted Jan 11, 2007 2:25 pm PT

    MK is cool, but Im kind of frustrated when a port of a 13 year old games is considered as "big news" for the most advanced console, er..." computer entertainment system".....so, Mr. Kutaragi, Im waiting for you to say when will the next genearation starts.

  • Col_Swamp

    Posted Jan 11, 2007 12:10 pm PT

    i hope its good. i loved the snes version.

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