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Take everything you had of the old Mortal Kombat series, all the impressions you had of the game, and wipe that out of your mind because this game is nothing like you have ever seen before. Brand new storylines and characters, over the top amounts of violence, and more blood to be shed here then all the previous games combined. Midway took everything that made the original games a hit, added a souls’ full of new features, and delivered to the public in a very pretty package.
First thing you notice when start playing the game, is obviously how much better the graphics in this game are compared to that of all the others. With each individual character made up of a very high polygon count, and with the ability to fully move in and out of the background and foreground, this is definitely the prettiest MK yet.
I will now go on about the characters. You start off with 12 characters,(which include old favorites such as Scorpion, Sonya, and Sub-Zero, as well some new characters like Bo Rai’ Cho, and Li Mei) and you can earn up to 11 more characters(9 unlockable, and 2 hidden)
Now these characters aren’t just for show, even though they are gorgeous. After you get done drooling at their design, then you can take the time to see the many modes this game displays for you to choose to play at. First off, there is the Arcade mode, in which you can play to get any one of the characters’ endings. You can also get Koins, which you can use to open the graves in the Krypt.(which I will get too later)
Next, is the Versus mode, where you can grab a friend and mutilate him or her in head to head kombat.
After that, is the common practice arena, where you can learn to bash and mash any chosen “dummy” opponent, who will stand there and take all of your abuse, and beg for more.
Then, is the Konquest Mode, which basically a tutorial where you start off learning how to do your chosen characters basic moves, until you move on to more advanced moves, such as performing style switching 10 hit combos. As you advance, you will earn more and more Koins. After you beat Konquest mode with everybody, then you get a special gift…I will leave it to you to unlock that gift. Konquest mode is basically a tutorial, and going through it will allow you to get to know your characters moves much better, in hopes that you will eventually become an excellent combatant.
Then there is the Krypt. This one of the times where the massive replay value of the game really comes into play. The koins you earn in the other modes(Konquest, Arcade, Test your Might/Sight mini games) Are used here, to puchase items. The koffins are placed in a 26 by 26 grid, (which makes 676 total koffins to unlock) and the coins to unlock the koffins come in different colors and names. So it may cost 2776 Sapphire(blue) coins to unlock a certain koffin, and then 10 Ruby(red) koffins to open the one next to it. What’s inside the koffins, is everything from pages from the Mortal Kombat Komic, to sketches for never released characters, to “Cooking With Scorpion”; a mock video of Scorpion slicing and dicing in the kitchen, to unlocking new levels and characters themselves. It will take a lot of replay and determination to unlock them all.
The items you buy in the Krypt can be viewed in the vault, which also has such hidden features as the Adema Music Video of the games theme song, “Immortal”, as well a making of MK: DA, and a History of Mortal Kombat movie. You can also view all of the endings you have earned in Arcade mode, and see the alternate customs you have purchased.
But, even though the game has all of these plusses, the game really shines in its actual fighting. Every character has three fighting styles: Two actual real life martial arts fighting styles, and a weapon style. For example, with Scorpion, I could start a combo in his Hakido fighting style, switch to Pi Gua after two of three hits, and then finish the combo off in his Broadsword weapon fighting style.
The blood and gore is back, and now it is more realistic and plentiful then ever before. During the now-famed fatalities, heads will fly, body parts will be severed, and bodies will be destroyed in more twisted ways then ever before. As a plus, if you don’t like the immense amount of blood, you can turn it off in the options menu, making the game a pure martial arts demonstration.
All in all, this game delivers the total package= What everyone has come to expect of the Mortal Kombat series, and so much more, all wrapped up in one bundle. This game is a new twist to an old series, and will hopefully be enough to bring the MK series back to the top of the Fighting Game world. All in all, I give this game a 9.5 out of 10, because it does not disappoint in any area, and does not fail to rekindle the fighting passion, that MK once had. -- Anonym. Contributor, PGNx Media
---- Dec 10, 2002
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