This is one of my favorite video games of all time and it's my favorite of the "Mortal Kombat" series at least for now. One of the things I love about the franchise is how with each new edition throughout the years and even decades it just keeps getting better and you can say the whole franchise has led up to this.
The graphical presentation is great as it is just crisp and well detailed. From the backgrounds each of them is always something different, as each is dark, gritty, and dangerous, which are all the perfect battlegrounds for this game.
One of the things that make this game unique is the fact that you can interact with the backgrounds. The backgrounds provide opportunities from the opportunity to get away by jumping off one of the background pieces. Or even use something as a weapon against your opponent to drain their slight of health or once again gives a little time for you to get away or a momentary window to deliver more damage to your opponent while staggering from the blow of the object.
Another thing is that you have these three gauges that you fill up as you fight more. Once they're filled up, then at the right moment you then press the buttons to unload your secret power weapon at your opponents. It's just cool and gratifying just seeing those x rays of the damage you delivered to your opponents and where, though it can be slightly painful to watch which make you glad you're not the guy/girl getting a major pounding.
And of course, you have your finishing moves but, in this game, they're easy to execute, whereas in most of the past games you almost must be lucky, which sadly doesn't happen enough. And of course, both the music and story are great, for the music there are plenty of memorable tracks to listen to all just sing out brutal bloody honorable combat.
I really like the story; the story mode works to try out all different kinds of characters and help figure out which are your favorite flavors. But I played though it mainly because I honestly wanted to see what was going to happen next which is something I rare to and see and fighting games aren't really known for their story as there's very little. But this game helped break that mode and showed once more how the fighting game genre still has plenty to offer and can be even more.
The story in the game is very well written and crafted in my book; if a story keeps me invested and my interest up it always goes in the books. It honestly felt like I was watching a whole season of a television show; it's you can say a bit like a Shonen Manga/Anime as we see how the plot constantly develops as you fight on but also you got a feel of each of the characters from their personalities and depth.
Speaking of characters, like the roster which consist of both new and old. The old characters we see despite older and changed are still the same; really liked seeing that because it really gave the series a sense of progression and kind of breaks that fundamental problem of arrested development syndrome most fighting game franchises and even comic book series have. But also helps reinforce the sense of mortality in each of the characters reminding us that they're all mortal too.
The new characters don't disappoint as we can easily see how some of them truly are chips off the old block but at the same time, they're their own person, so they're not just another carbon copy of their predecessors. Let alone really like the voice cast which is one of the best ensemble vocal casts in my book as it costs of a lot of familiar cast members like Steve Blum as "Sub Zero/Reptile/Bo Rai Cho" doing all three characters I literally thought it was three different voice actors, but it isn't. Johnny Yong Bloch as "Kung Jin", Phil LaMarr as "Kotal Kann", the list goes on which makes playing all the different characters all the more sweet just to hear the voices and the sweet lines and performances they deliver that all fit like a glove. I'll just say a few characters that are my favorites in the game, yeah there are more but it's a lot, so I'll just simplify by picking out three, others I'll talk about in reviews of other volumes.
Johnny Cage: My main man in the series, he's still the same in persona as his wisecracking charisma along with his rebelliousness is still as fresh and sharp as before. I like we see he's a little more mature now as he's settled and no longer a movie star but you can say is now a real life action hero now as he's now a resistance commander.
There is some good family drama from his wife Sonya and his daughter Cassie, we can see from this there were ups and downs, what family doesn't have them, but this just made you care about him along with his family even more and you can say add to the motivation to win. But other than those things he still has some of the same wicked moves along with a few new ones, really like that green lighting effect on one of my favorite moves the Shadow Kick, I don't know why it just looks really cool.
Sonya Blade: My main woman, she hot as usual and voiced well by Tricia Helfer which is awesome as "Battlestar Galactica" (revival version) is one of my favorite TV show but her voice just fit like a glove. She's also still the same but you sense there is some maturity to her character as well as more balanced as we see she's got more going in her life, but also there is a sense of sadness, despite how far she's come and all she's done it wasn't without certain costs and we see she questions whether she lost more than she gained.
As we see how certain decisions affected her family, she's learned that truth David from "Moonlighting" stated "A good job doesn't love you back." Indeed, it doesn't. In the past she was you could say all business type because she had nothing to lose, but of course she's no longer that person now that she has a family, she has everything to lose. However, if she wins this war and tournament, she also has everything to gain. And of course, she still has some wicked moves, like she sometimes gets to use her gun but also a favorite move the backflip grip which is effectively cool and kind of erotic in a way, don't know why really.
Cassie Cage: This new edition is a nice chip off the old blocks. For one thing she's hot with persona to boot. Really like that she's a balance in both the serious military mindedness of her mother Sonya but also has that sense of fun, rebellious and heart like her father Johnny. Even though she's in the same business as her mother she doesn't let the business consume her life or even get too much into her head. And like her father she's sociable as she has a group of friends that fight alongside her also cool character too and maybe stories for another time. Really like the moves she has mainly when I pull of the moves where she uses those steel retractable batons which I always find cool and very handy.
The legacy of "Motal Kombat" lives on.
Rating: 4 stars.
