☣ ... ☹ ... ☯ ... ☺... ♛
Graphics: Back in 2008, Ed Boon was talking about developing a dark and gritty Mortal Kombat, similar to Gears of War. Obviously that didn't happen with MK/DC, but what about this one? I for one consider this game rather flashy and colorful but visually pleasing, especially for spectators.
☺
Sounds: I'm glad there are some old tramps like Dan Forden and Ed Boon giving their voices away but I'm not satisfied with the DLC characters' muteness. The select screen music is horrible as well as many arena soundtracks. It's all about humming with the game's soundtracks. Hopefully we will get some zesty and intense sounds in MK10.
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Presentation: This is really the right direction for Mortal Kombat. The story was a letdown - surprise revelation prematurely - but it still has the appeal for old Mortal Kombat fans, new-comers and party animal spectators. Some hardcore story fans are not pleased with this one but that's why there is Arcade Kollection. This is a new rush of blood to the heart.
♛
Story: At first glance Mortal Kombat (2011) looks red but seeing how recycled its story is, to me it is green. The original story was fabulous but the retcons made to this new iteration weren't all necessary. It feels rushed for some reason. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable no doubt.
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Gameplay: This is the most important aspect of the game. There is so much diversity in it, some fresh air with the X-ray moves and the reunion of some classic finishers and special moves. The 2.5D kombat did the trick, thanks to Street Fighter for showing the dimension direction. I hope for more arena interactivity like breaking floors and roofs for the sequel.
♛
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Verdict: Banzai!

as much as many people have pointed out, i really feel ambivalent on the whole subject of story mode. There was just as much about it that i liked (characters' dialogue, new storyline twists, playing through characters' perspectives...etc) as i didn't like (limited amount of chapters not featuring all characters, no training mode a la MKD konquest, certain events that didn't make sense especiallty regarding Mileena one of my all time favourites).

Everything else is just glorious. The visual effects, best ever renderings of characters & detailed backgrounds (even dripping slime on the walls of Goro's lair!!), the reams of crimson blood effects, the challenges on the tower, all the other fighting options (tag team, test your skills, nekropolis)... the best outing by far.

I too have a complaint (slight as it may be) about the music being too bland, but this is a minor quibble.

My major grievance is the DLC. why couldn't the makers have just included all this stuff (extra fatalities, retro costumes and new characters) as unlockables in the krypt? Thus negating the feeling of 'missing out' on certain content that i and others who DON'T have access to xbox live share.

P.S. What the hell is a 'speed drawing' anyway? was the artist painting a background image against the clock, or were they just under the influence of a couple of grams of amphetamines and thought, "hey, let's get out the watercolours!" ?

The game is great no doubt. But I just can't get enough. I bet there are millions and millions of people like myself would love to see ALL Mortal Kombats released. WHO'S WITH ME !?!?

It's a scapegoat for all the flaws that may occur.

Graphics:

The graphics in this iteration of Mortal Kombat are without doubt the best graphics, that MK has ever offered..

The Arenas are beautiful and mildly entertaining. The level of detail is so high, that I'm constantly left with the feeling that something was happening in the background, that I failed to notice..

The characters are well modelled, enough so that it's almost possible to overlook the generic character model used for all the female bodies..

9/10 - more variety of body types amongst the female characters, would have bumped this up to a 10..


Sound:

The actual fighting sounds and dialogue are great, and produced to a very high standard. But the BGM soundtrack was a little lacklustre and didn't have the driving bassline, that fuels a fight, that we've come to expect from MK games.

Although the often comic PA announcements, in the Subway Arena were an excellent addition..

7/10


Gamplay:

The gameplay was a vast improvement on MK games of recent years. The return to a 2 dimensional fighting plane was a total triumph. At least for me, as I never felt the 3 dimensional fighting plane added to the gaming experience. It works for some games but MK is not 1 of them..

The removal of multiple fighting styles and style switching combos, was absolutely necessary. As it had been poorly implemented and made MK:DA, MK:D and MK:A inaccessible to some players, this didn't sit with MK's every man approach to fighting games. The introduction of an anything goes combo system made the game fun and engaging, although the combo breaker system is woefully inadequate for a fighting game that's so combo driven.

8/10 - Improved Combo Breaking System, would increase this score for me..


Downloadable Content:

The DLC for the game was a lot of fun and brought us 2 brilliantly realised characters and 2 massively improved characters.

I've always been a an of Kenshi and his return was a welcome 1. The changes made to his character, to make him more 2D friendly are, it turned out, character improvements.

Rain has stopped being both a joke and 1 of the lamer Palette swap characters in the series. His fighting style is interesting and he's become 1 of the top tier characters, as well as becoming a character worth mastering..

Freddy Krugger has an interesting fighting style and moves list. Even if he makes no further appearances, a character with a similar fighting style and move list could be a welcome addition to the MK roster..

Skarlet - put simply Skarlet is the best new character to grace the MK series in a very long time..

If MK10 is going to be a few years away, then MK9 needs a new batch of DLC to keep it fresh in the interim..

10/10


Online Gameplay:

This should have been an area where MK really excelled, but it didn't and that's only partly due to rude, spammy players, who force you to quit and are then surprised when you do..

Indirectly Related Anecdote: I once had a ridiculously spammy player, played as Skarlet and spammed her dagger toss and teleport, quit on me because I was actually able to overcome his spam. I'm used to quitting on spammy players, but to have a spammy player quit on me was weird to say the least..

No the real problems for Online Gaming with MK9, where unreliable servers and inadequate match-making software. Why is it that I got through an entire online Co-op of Dead Rising 2: Case West, but there are occasions when I can't get through a single online match in MK9..

Why do I regularly encounter a message that says "GAME SESSION HAS BEEN ENDED". Why are there instances when I don't get any message. It usually happens on the character select screen, and I can't move my cursor but I get no error message that's just frustrating..

The lag in Ranked, Player and King Of The Hill matches was also a massive blow to my enjoyment of MK online gaming..

6/10 MK10 online gaming has to be better than this purely because it would be difficult for it to be any worse..


OVERALL 9/10

MK9 isn't perfect but makes a massive effort to come close to it and mostly it succeeds. I was disappointed at the failure to include the KOMBAT TOMB and the BALCONY, these are 2 of MK's most iconic backgrounds. Rewards for Challenge Tower seemed perfunctory and not worth the effort required to earn them. Also Sonya's MK and MK3 costumes should have been available as an unlockable or DLC or something..