PlatformOVERALL
PlayStation 39.40
Overall 9.40
A dream come true for any Mortal Kombat fan, the 9th installment in this often laughed at series finally brings back everything that made us fall in love with MK.  This is not just a fighting game for MK fans but one of the finest fighting games this gen, it can hang with the best of them. It is a 2D fighter that is accessible to anyone with basic moves to learn and a combo system that is open enough for the player to learn his own way. There is no need to learn crazy combos that are practically impossible to pull off, I'm looking at you Street Fighter. Here you can string to or three moves together with a few punches and you can hang with some good fighters.

The gameplay feels like a mix of MK2 and MK3 but not broken. MK3 to me always felt off cause it went away from having the special moves being the focus and relied too much on the run combos. There is no run button here but combos flow naturally in a way that incorporate special moves to make them feel as important as they were in the first two games. Its hard for me to describe, it just feels perfect. Within minutes I felt comfortable with all the characters cause they play like they used to but better than ever. Of course when you end a fight you can perform one of many fatalities, they are back and better than ever. The game is actually loaded with all sorts of secrets, it feels just like the classic days of MK.

To top it all off the game includes a ridiculous amount of content.  None better than the incredible story mode which puts all other fighting game story modes to shame. It plays out like a movie where you get to play every fight. The story takes you through an alternate version of MK1-3 so you get to relive the best parts of the series. Each hero character gets his moment to shine. Any MK game that can make me love Johnny Cage did something right.

When you finish story mode you can still play arcade mode which plays just like the old games. Each character gets their own ending, you know the drill. But wait there is more! A 300 mission filled challenge tower awaits with all sorts of cool scenarios to fight through like fighting with no arms. Or even shooting projectiles and a horde of zombies. As you play all modes you gain coins to unlock material from the krypt. There is just so much to keep you occupied in single player.

The online mode is a blast as well. King of the hill mode recreates the arcade experience by having you watching others play and wait your turn to take on the winner. The game is laggy compared to other games, it varies way too much from fight to fight. Other than that, online mode is a blast as well.

There isn't much bad to say about the game. Sure it doesn't have the depth of a SF, I don't want that, I am not a fighting game nut. This game is perfect for me. I am still more of a 3D fighter fan but this is the first fighting game in years that has grabbed my attention in this way.
Posted by Dvader Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:48:13
 
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:43:34
Does this have legs online?
 
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:39:58
Probably not as I bet masters will develop crazy 80% hit combos and eventually start to break the game. But as long as you have friends at your level its a blast to play.
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