The definitively violent
Mortal Kombat fighting game series is re-invented on high-definition consoles in its ninth full production, a plainly titled release that both moves the supernatural combat action forward and returns it to its roots. Rendered in full 3D, the hand-to-hand battles play out strictly on a 2D plane, as in the original
Mortal Kombat games for 16-bit consoles, emphasizing keenly timed blocks, counter-moves, and ranged attacks. More so than in any recent
Mortal Kombat game, the fighting action is designed for true hardcore players, with each character presenting a deep system of special attacks to master and relative weaknesses to overcome. Each character can also execute a full-fledged fatality move, in classic
MK form.
Leaving aside the inter-dimensional diversions of the most recent
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the game's unusually involving single-player story begins after the events of
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but then returns to the events of the first three games to revisit the series' original lore. Gaining a trans-temporal awareness, the enigmatic thunder-god
Raiden is central to the plot, but gamers take the roles of several different combatants as they progress through the campaign. In all, over two-dozen characters are playable in this edition of
Mortal Kombat, each uniquely modeled and individually animated. Multiplayer fighting is thoroughly supported, with both same-console and online options, in a selection of competitive and cooperative modes.
Along with the main game and documentation, the
Kollector's Edition of
Mortal Kombat comes packaged with book-end figurines of
Scorpion and
Sub-Zero and a one hundred-plus page book featuring concept sketches and other art associated with the development of the game. In game extras include alternate costumes for the playable characters and a themed costume for online network avatars.
1st April 2011
Mortal Kombat: Kollector's Edition
