aNewDomain — It’s amazing to see how far the “Mortal Kombat” franchise has evolved since it came out in 1992 and that catchphrase, “Finish Him,” was born. Well, “Mortal Kombat X,” now a next gen console game for the Sony PS4 and the Xbox One, is available in an awesome edition for 4th gen consoles. The graphics are superb, as expected. But how is “Mortal Kombat X” overall? Let’s take a long, hard look.
The Campaign
OK, I know what you’re thinking: Who even plays the campaign in a fighting game? But the campaign of “Mortal Kombat X” does give a pretty interesting story, though not without problems.
Because this is a next-gen game, the cutscenes are amazing. The graphics are top-notch, and the fighting is streamlined.
The game moves in and out of fighting by changing the point of view, making the cutscenes seem more like a single long movie rather than simple transition clips. And because the cutscenes are longer than in most videogames, there are Quicktime events that keep the attention of the players and show off the awesome action sequences.
Unfortunately, the campaign is a mere four hours. And the cameos of favorite characters from previous games, like Mileena, are just given a few seconds of screen time. Instead the game focuses on new characters. Really, NeatherRealm?? I know everyone loves the new, but veteran “Mortal Kombat” players want to see their favorite characters on screen, not just pushed off to the side. Sadly, there’s not as much nostalgia in “Mortal Kombat X” as there was in “Mortal Kombat 9.”
Gameplay
The focus of any fighting game has to be gameplay, and here “Mortal Kombat X” rules. With 24 characters, gameplay doesn’t just look awesome, it has serious variety.
Better still, every character has three different variations, which changes their gameplay styles as well as their movesets. That means there is a more diverse range of gameplay to explore.
It’s just too bad that some characters are unable to use certain moves in different variations.
The fighting is well-rendered in 3D, and the graphic nature of fatalities is both horrifying and awesome. The fatalities that distinguish “Mortal Kombat” are more graphic than ever, especially as bone-crushing, gut-wrenching action is seen up so close in next-gen graphics.
Not all fatalities are horrifying, though. Some are hilarious, like when Cassie knocks someone’s mouth out and then takes a selfie with him.
The stages in “Mortal Kombat X” are also interactive, which can make for some awesome fatalities, such as smashing your opponent’s face into burning hot lava. The game also includes other side game modes, like Towers and Test Your Luck.
Towers comprises hourly, daily and weekly challenges you can try, allowing you to unlock certain cutscenes for characters once completed. It gives much-needed screentime to characters who are underrepresented in main story mode. The gameplay here basiscally consists of going level to level, fighting each opponent one on one. It’s a great add for the game, especially considering Story mode is a bit skewed on character representation.
And in Multiplayer Mode …
Multiplayer mode includes many of Single Player’s cool features, but adds more. Team Battles, for instance, let you pit two teams against each other in either 3 vs. 3 or 5 vs. 5 battles, or faction battles. It all works the same way, except players are divided into factions based on their characters.
Multiplayer mode also has King of the Hill, where players will fight multiple people until the winner is defeated. And it’s got a cool first-person mode called Krypt.
In Krypt a player collects coins while occasionally facing down enemies who jump out and attack. Krypt is an immersive game mode, and it works as a standalone, too.
The Bottom Line
Overall, I give “Mortal Kombat X” an 8 out of 10. The gameplay is stunning, the graphics are beautiful, and the fighting mechanics are top-notch. The Story mode, though it could use some work, feels like an awesome streamlined movie.
I highly recommend “Mortal Kombat X” for anyone who’s a fan of the fighting genre, especially if you love all the blood and gore “Mortal Kombat” traditionally offers.
For aNewDomain, this is Puching Zhang signing off.
“Mortal Kombat X” trailers like the two below came out last year and early this year on YouTube.
Mortal Kombat cinematic trailer: MovieManiacsDE YouTube channel
Mortal Kombat Finish Him Sony trailer: Sony PSN YouTube Channel
Finish Him screen: iBankCoin.com
