It's still a fun game, but only if you have lots of patience & are playing against other skilled people.
And for some reason I lost it. I don't know what happened. I couldn't play the game worth a damn anymore. Maybe it was the new combo system? Maybe it was the fact I was getting sick of the MK games? Or maybe it was just depressing when you get smacked around by a 12 yr. old who is calling your mother names you have never heard before? For whatever reason, I really didn't like MK3 & didn't have much fun with it. I didn't like the new characters & I hated the new combo system. Other than that, I really couldn't put my finger on it. Then it was like Midway heard my pleas and released ULTIMATE Mortal Kombat 3. This update added new characters, moves, and just made the game better. Then I got that twich again and started loving this franchise all over again, for better or worse.
Then the turd known as Mortal Kombat 4 came out.........but I digress. This was the last 2D fighter in the Mortal Kombat series. Like I mentioned, I really used to love this series. But now, after playing this game over Xbox Live for many hours, I am starting to wonder why. You see, I consider myself a pretty good player at this game. Sure I am not as good as I used to be, but I can hold my own. So when I downloaded this, I was very eager to hop online and test my Scorpion skills against the rest of the 360 world. To describe my online experience, here is basically an average rundown of maybe ten matches:
For two of the matches, you will run into someone who will completely own you without even giving you a moment to blink. This person will beat you with skill and you will take your loss like a man. On the flip side, for two other matches you will run into people who have no idea what they are doing and are terrible. They are easy wins, but boring opponents. Then for two more matches, you get a guy who must be receiving his internet connection through a transistor radio. The lag will drive you nuts and you might even quit out of the match if it is not playable. Then for three matches, you will run into the irritating noobs who have figured out how to use the ultra-noob character 'Smoke' (which most opponents of mine used) or who also love to just run at you & throw you every two seconds. These matches are horrible because you know you have more skill than this guy, but he is beating you because the game is too stupid & it's letting him. Then for one match out of ten, you will find a skilled opponent who is around your level and you can have a fun match.
Now that doesn't sound like much fun to me. And believe me, it wasn't. To make matters worse, the Xbox 360 d-pad is terrible in trying to pull off moves. It's very unresponsive and just plain not accurate a lot of the time, which leads to getting crushed in a game like this. There were many times where I would try a nice combo I learned in the arcade years ago, only to have it fail because the controls wouldn't work right. This is a game about timing and precision and it kills the game that the controls can't get it right.
And don't even get me started on the terrible one-player game! Once I got the achievements associated with beating the single-player part, I washed my hands of that and I would rather never speak of it again. Yes, it's that irriatating. If you can find me two cheaper bosses than Motaro & Shao Kahn..........
So what was good about this game, you may ask? If you forget about the horrid single-player experience and can find some good Xbox Live matches, this game is just as fun as it used to be. Nothing beats a couple of skilled MK players playing a good match. Even though I did take a beating every now and then, I love playing very skilled players. The game didn't get any upgrade in visuals area, but it really didn't need one. I still like how the game looks and it runs very smooth. The sound is still great and this is a pretty good value even at the price of $10.
If you can find a fun online experience, than this game is worth more than the $10 that you will pay for it. It's crappy single player hurts, but nothing beats a skilled online MK match. Just make sure the guy you are fighting has a nice connection & hope he isn't an irritating noob. If you can get past the control issues, you will find this is a great port of a great arcade game. Just be sure to play this game with other people. If not, you might have more smashed controllers than you do working ones.