When I was asked to do a review on Mortal Kombat X, I was thrilled to say the least. Over the course of my videogame experience, which began when I was about 4 or 5, there’s no name that’s held on to me quite like Mortal Kombat (not even Mario). Besides the fact that fighters are easily my favorite genre of videogame, Mortal Kombat’s story and characters have always stood out to me like no other game series. I’ve played every game from MK1 to MKX, with the exception of the 3 spin-off games (Special Forces, Mythologies, and Shaolin Monks).
Sometime after the initial excitement wore off, the dreaded reality set in. I have to write a review on a fighting game, but I’M A BUTTON MASHER!!!
Yes, I must confess. Even though fighters are my favorite genre, I’m the guy that learns a few moves, then rubs his thumbs over the buttons and hopes for the best.However, I’ve realized that I’m not alone in that. That being said, I intend to make this a very “user friendly” review, for the both the hardcore and non-hardcore fighting game enthusiast.
When reviewing this game, I’ll be doing so upon the following criteria: Story, Gameplay, Characters, Online, and Offline Content. Mortal Kombat X is available for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Story
Mortal Kombat’s story has always been the series’ biggest selling point, in my opinion, and this game does not disappoint. The story mode takes you on a cinematic journey, following a team of young heroines and heroes (all new characters), led by veteran characters Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. They are tasked with attempting to save Earthrealm from the evil, fallen elder god, Shinnok. Seriously guys, this game’s story is awesome. Before I even had a PS4, I had already watched YouTube compilations of all of the cutscenes several times, and the gameplay with it only makes it better. From the political struggles in Outworld (with a potential insurrection in the works), to the budding romance between two characters (who I won’t reveal for spoilers sake), to the internal struggle of a young woman trying to fill the shoes of her mother and father, who are estranged from one another, all while leading a group that has not yet come to terms with her position of authority. This game has it all. Throughout the story mode, you will play as several different characters, as the game not only guides you through its overarching story, but also explores each character's unique backstory so the player can better understand the character’s perspective. In typical Mortal Kombat fashion, there’s a lot of treachery and bloodshed. I guarantee you will be surprised by at least one of the plot twists in the story. For those who may not be fans of the fighting genre or of Mortal Kombat particularly, this game’s story is where I feel you will be most won over.
Gameplay
The gameplay of MKX is, in my opinion, the smoothest gameplay that the series has ever had. Mortal Kombat’s gameplay in general has stepped up since being under Warner Bros (also known for the DC fighting game, Injustice), and combined with next gen technology, this is both the best looking and feeling MK game to date, in my opinion. The graphics are crisp and the characters’ motions are smooth. The game has more than enough detailed stages to keep the gamer visually stimulated. If that is not enough for you, each of the stages has interactive background items that can be used for attack, defense, and fatalities. Literally, there is a stage where you can attack your opponent by hitting them with an elderly woman who is standing in the background! As Mortal Kombat is probably most noted for, the fatalities in this game are the best I’ve seen in the MK series. Each character has multiple fatalities, exclusive to their character that shows off how vicious and creative they can be. Each character also has an “easy fatality”, where the button command input is catered to button mashers, such as me. I must admit I am quite partial to Cassie Cage’s “Selfie” fatality, and, if you know me, I’m sure you can guess why.
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| Cinnamon, though... |
In addition to fatalities, this game also incorporates brutalities, which are slightly less gruesome than fatalities, but still render the opponent dead, and, my favorite, x-rays. X-rays were incorporated into the MK series with the previous game (MK9) and are brutal combos in which the same gives you X-ray vision on the opponent, where you can see each of their bones being broken as your character completes his/her combo. Like fatalities, these are character specific. Unlike fatalities, these can be pulled off at any point in the game that you have a full x-ray meter at the bottom of the screen. Overall the gameplay, is true to what many have come to love about Mortal Kombat while also bringing in new ideas that only further the brand, in my opinion.
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| Sonya has always been pretty stubborn. |
Lastly, one of the best things about the game is that nothing you do is in vain. Every match, online or offline contributes to points for 1 of 5 factions that you must choose from when beginning the game. These points add up to in-game perks if your faction comes out on top in the weekly rankings. The factions are as follows: The Lin Kuei (They’re cool. Get it? Because that’s Sub-Zero’s faction. Okay I’ll stop), The Brotherhood of the Shadow (Boooo), The Special Forces (that’s me!), The White Lotus, and The Black Dragon. You can be a part of any faction, regardless of which characters you like to play as. Don’t worry, if you if you ever want to switch factions, you can at any time.
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| TR-8R would know. |
Characters
Characters is one area that I feel that the MK series excels above all other fighting games and many other games period. MKX has all of the faces that you have come to know and love, from Raiden to Scorpion to Sub-Zero, and so on so forth. Out of the box, the game has a roster of 23 characters, with 1 additional character being available after completing story mode. MKX also introduces 8 new characters into the series, not counting those that are available as downloadable content (freaking Jason Voorhees, and others!). One of the things that I absolutely LOVE about this game is that every character has 3 fighting styles to choose from. This may seem overwhelming, but it’s really not. Each character’s standard, punches, kicks and throws are the same across all 3 fighting styles as well as the character’s fatalities, x-rays, etc. The difference comes in with the technique in which the character uses. Let’s take Scorpion for instance. Scorpion’s 3 styles to choose from are: Ninjitsu, Hellfire, and Inferno. In Scorpion’s Ninjitsu style, Scorpion relies heavily on fighting with dual swords. In Hellfire, Scorpion can call fire from the ground to burn the opponent and can also shoot fireballs. With Inferno, Scorpion can summon a demonic minion to aid in in the fight. In my online and offline battles, Inferno has given me the most problems of Scorpion’s 3 fighting styles. The 3 styles definitely add to the complexity of the game. You may be comfortable fighting against one version of Reptile, but, have you mastered all 3? I personally enjoy seeing how other fighters use my favorite character (Sonya), but with different styles.
Online
The online features of MKX are great, in my opinion. I can only speak from my experience on PlayStation Network here, but the online community is teeming with fighters from all levels of gameplay. I have never had to wait long for a fight to connect or, if I want to play a friend online, it’s super easy to connect with them (I could throw shade at Street Fighter V on this, but I’ll be good).
Offline
MKX has a wide variety of things to do offline, from the story mode to the classic arcade tower, and more. You can go to practice mode to sharpen your skills or training mode if you have no idea what you’re looking down at as you hold a controller in your hand. Training walks you step by step in the most fundamental aspects of the game. You can also complete various challenges to unlock content. One of the coolest offline modes, in my opinion, is the living towers. It’s the basic arcade mode, with random, often comedic, stipulations thrown in each match. The living towers updates with the online server to various themes at different times (Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day all had themes related to their respective holidays). And, of course, there is versus mode, where you can pummel your friends- always a must have.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always appreciated Mortal Kombat for its story, more than anything else. MK’s fighting never wowed me, until recent years (Warner Brother’s era). Prior to that in terms of gameplay, I was always a Tekken person, but the last few MK games have been phenomenal, with this one taking the top position. Whether you’re a casual fan who just likes the blood and gore, or an experienced player who likes to learn the ins and outs of a game, I can’t recommend a better fighting game for you. I cannot come up with a numerical score for this game, as I’ve never been good at those kinds of things, but this game is DEFINITELY a Flawless Victory as far as I’m concerned.
It get’s a Talkin’ Nerdy rating of 10/10.
Additional Information
On 3/1/2016, Mortal Kombat XL was released. This is the same game as MKX, but has every DLC character already available, every fatality already unlocked, and every costume for each character. The gameplay is the same and is compatible online with MKX. If you don’t already have MKX, I would recommend this game. You can pick it up at your local retailer for $59.99 (same as most new release games). If you do already have MKX and want this additional content, which gives you access to a total of 4 additional characters (9 if you haven’t purchased any of the DLC characters in MKX), you can download the XL package for $29.99. No need to buy an entirely new game. MKXL is only available for the PS4 and Xbox One. It was not released for the PC.
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