Mortal Kombat
Review
Jam-packed with content and fun
by Jeff Gates
reviewed on PS3
Modes of Kombat (cntd.)
The Challenge Tower is the crown jewel of Mortal Kombat. A massive ladder of objectives for the player to complete provides seemingly endless excitement. With tasks ranging from using the Pit Fatality to fighting 1v2 with degenerating health this delivers fun in a sundry scale. A personal favorite pits Johnny Cage and Stryker against a horde of zombies with only two projectile attacks to protect them. The best part of it all is this mode has 300 hundred goals for you to complete which adds about 10 hours of fun to the game. In fact, the Challenge Tower is longer than the single player campaign by at least a couple of hours. The use of some of the tasks to show the hidden abilities in the game is a serious strong suite. One such task gives the player the duty of performing Nightwolf’s special stage Fatality which is really only something an experienced player might get to see. Another wonderful aspect of the mode is the different characters that are introduced often only for one assignment. People like directors, stunt men, zombies and other Outworld creatures find their way into the battles which is just another great topping on the triumph pizza that is the Challenge Tower.
Test Your Luck is another game type that offers something unique and entertaining. In this mode players are given a slot machine of sorts which determines your opponent and some sort of effect. The effects offer a variable to the typical combat. Some examples of effects include your character being poisoned causing their health to slowly drain and your opponent having a 200% power increase which is sure to wear your controller's blocking button down. Much like the Challenge Tower, this mode just goes on and on adding a lot more variety and play time to this game.
Mortal Kombat offers an enjoyable mixed bag of modes but there are black sheep here in the form of mini-games. One such mode is “Test Your Sight”, a game reminiscent of the ball in a cup sideshow. Instead, it replaces the cups with heads and obligates players to follow an eyeball under one of three shuffling skulls. These are cool little distractions but they do little to add to the Mortal Kombat universe. They’re a lot like the cheeky videos and gimmicks played on JumboTron’s at sporting events to lengthen the attention span of the crowd. The fans will find them amusing between the sporting action but most are attending for the game, not the silly diversions. These mini-games are enough to add a bit more amusement to Mortal Kombat. However, they are best left in the Challenge Tower in between fighting ultra versions of your character and denying teddy bear gifts from suitors with a proper ass-whooping.
Jam-Packed
Mortal Kombat brings a lot to the table. With a plethora of modes and game types there really is a great deal of action to keep you busy. Very attractive and lively stages accentuate the artfully crafted and diverse characters. The combat is easy to pick up but hard to master, just as any fighting game should be. However, it is not perfect. Graphical issues, an unbalanced set of fighting styles, and seemingly tacked on mini-games are obvious blemishes. Though, it’s the diversity of Mortal Kombat as a whole that generally makes up for the concerns.
If Mortal Kombat was a punctuation mark, it would be a hyphen because while jam and packed might be two words by themselves, it is the hyphen that brings them together in a single robust conglomerate. The combat and visuals are good, but it’s what you get that makes this fighting title unique. Is it the most precise fighter around? No. Is it the best looking? No. But does it offer the most bang for your buck? The answer to that question is a violent and brutal “yes!”
8.5
fun score
Pros
The Challenge Tower and Campaign present nearly 20 hours of diverse gameplay and strong storytelling.
Cons
Not as precise as its competitors, too similar fighting styles, a few tacked on mini-games.
