Product Features
- Genre
- Fighting
- Publisher
- Warner Bros. Interactive
- Release Date
- March 02, 2012
- Available Platforms
- PlayStation 3, XBox 360
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Mortal Kombat Game of The Year Edition
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition is the newest chapter of the iconic fight franchise marks a triumphant return to the series' mature presentation and a reinvention of its classic 2D fighting mechanic. Driven by an all new graphics engine, the fan favourite Fatality is back and presented in more gory detail than ever before. In addition, Mortal Kombat introduces a number of new game-play features including tag team and the deepest story mode of any fighting game. Players can choose from an extensive line up of the game's iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches, or take on several new game modes, as well as the most extensive online experience ever seen in a fighting game. Up to four players can battle "tag-team"- two players can team up in the new "Co-op Arcade...
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George Orton August 20, 2012 360
If you were around in the 1990s, you'll no doubt remember the tremendous impact that the original Mortal Kombat had on the gaming scene. Depending on your point of view, it was either a breakthrough one-on-one beat-em-up title with almost photo-realistic graphics and a delightful 'grand guignol' approach to over-the-top bloody ultra-violence; or (in the case of the British tabloids) it was an outrageous and depraved game that would corrupt children and bring about the apocalypse.
Both points of view were very popular at the time, but both missed the point somewhat: it was the simple, straightforward, but often subtle gameplay mechanics (rather than the graphics or the blood-letting) that made the game so enjoyable and popular, and allowed it to stand as one of the very few titles that could pose a genuine challenge to the then-untouchable Street Fighter II.
Since that original release, the formula of Mortal Kombat has been endlessly tinkered with. An arguably superior sequel, Mortal Kombat II, preceded a gradual decline in which the series bowed to the inevitable law of diminishing returns. Subsequent games tried to increase the series' appeal by cramming themselves full of new characters, or expanding on the gory and gruesome 'fatalities' with an increasingly odd array of finishing moves (such as 'friendship' and 'babality' moves) that never quite matched the visceral thrill of the original executions. And in recent years, the Mortal Kombat games have tried to move with the times by introducing 3-D movement, more elaborate multi-level battle arenas, weapons, and complications to the franchise's fighting mechanics. Although laudable in terms of their intention, these attempts to freshen up the franchise have rarely improved it, and the Mortal Kombat series has never quite reached the heights of the earliest games.
Which is perhaps why NetherRealm have adopted a back-to-basics approach for the latest entry in the series, once again titling it simply 'Mortal Kombat' and removing much of the clutter that has accumulated over the franchise's history. Through an inspired time-travel plot, the game effectively reboots the entire series, allowing all of the best characters from Mortal Kombat 1, 2 and 3 to return, and once again simplifying the story into that of a supernatural fighting tournament between humans and the denizens of the Outworld.
But let's be honest, who plays the Mortal Kombat games for their story? What's important is the characters, the special moves, the fighting mechanics and the fatalities - and on all counts, this game delivers. The vast majority of the early Mortal Kombat characters are available for selection here, meaning that if you have a favourite from those old titles, the chances are that he or she will be a playable character in this one. The special moves are more-or-less the same as they ever were (although some of the button-combinations have been modified slightly, meaning that old fogeys like me have had to relearn one or two things), and the balance of different powers and abilities for each character has been maintained, so that no one character stands out as ludicrously overpowered compared to the others. (Although as ever, one or two of them have sneaky moves that are pretty hard to defend against under any circumstances - mostly teleport-based).
The return of a traditional 2-D fighting system (albeit rendered in up-to-date three-dimensional graphics) makes for a pleasingly straightforward combat experience, and one that's obviously been polished as much as possible to make sure that your opponent never manages to avoid a punch that should have connected, or get the drop on you from a position that shouldn't allow them to.
And yes, the fatalities return in all their glory. Each character has several possible finishing moves that can be activated with the traditional complicated button-pressing sequence - although in this game, it feels as though players have been given a little more leeway with timing and character-positioning, making the fatalities a little easier to pull off. They're bloody, unpleasant, and disturbing - but it wouldn't be Mortal Kombat without them.
Finally, this being the 'Game of the Year' edition means that this version of the game - also known as 'Mortal Kombat Komplete' - includes a slew of extra characters, costumes and added material that was missing from the original release, and had previously only been made available as downloadable content that had to be paid for. Bonus characters for this version include Skarlet, Kenshi, Rain and - bizarrely - Freddy Kreuger from the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movies (who at least makes up a little bit for the Xbox 360 version missing out on the PS3-exclusive character of Kratos from "God of War").
If you're a fan of one-on-one beat-em-ups in the classic style, this game should be right up your alley, as the return to Mortal Kombat's traditional fighting mechanics - coupled with the wide selection of characters and fighting modes - means that this is one of the purest and most satisfying fighting games to have been released in recent years. And if you're a fan of this franchise in particular, you'll be overjoyed to see it return to the greatness that once characterised the series before its fall from grace.