Mortal Kombat

"Memories of the man screaming from the top of a car...."

Mortal Kombat. The name says enough. It's a franchise that has spawned everything from movies, to game sequels, to animated series to action figures, t-shirts and comic books. Years ago, when this game was first released, the video game industry was getting nailed by parental groups stating that this game was too violent for the public and that kids across America would be trying to rip each other's heads off, or kill each other in gruesome ways.

Even with that being said, Mortal Kombat hit the arcades like wild fire and gamers across the nation and eventually the world were introduced into the world of Mortal Kombat and it's creative characters. What Mortal Kombat offered was a glimpse into fantasy martial arts, throwing in an ancient dictator, a four armed monster, and martial artists that could do everything from throw ice to fly across the screen with karate kicks.

Given good back stories that told just enough about the contest and the reasons why the characters were there, Mortal Kombat spun gamers into the fight with flashy moves and the gruesome finishing moves that have literally set the standard for games that feature them.

-Visuals 8/10-

While on the grainy side, Mortal Kombat did offer up some pretty good looking character design models that were not only programmed in, but motioned captured for a sense of realism. Each stage is well detailed, and offers movement in the background, while retaining that old Enter the Dragon feel from the Bruce Lee movies.

While some of the characters look like blatant rip-offs and stereo-typical fighters {hence Liu Kang} they all move with a style all their own. Each fighter has a set of moves that range from fire balls, to thrown spears and ice projectiles. Finishing moves are gruesome to look at and the blood is as red and plentiful as ever.

-Audio 8/10-

A distinct form of battle music that intertwines kung-fu movie music and some sort of faint dance beat to it. Each stage has it's own mood and each music selection reflects the idea of the stage. Sound effects range from yips, yelps and screams as opponents either grunt their way through a fireball, or scream when they have their head taken off. The announcer voice is reverberated and deep, giving a bit sense of seriousness while fighting either before or after each battle.

-Control 8/10-

Set up with five buttons, this was a deviation from the Street Fighter series in which Mortal Kombat offers you a high and low punch, a high and low kick, and then a new feature, the block button. Even though the moves are easy to pull of, and the fatalities are easy to perform, the need for practice comes in blocking high and low as well as pulling off the more difficult moves. The control is responsive in most areas except in terms of finishing moves, in which careful timing and distance is needed to pull these infamous moves off.

-Game Play 8/10-

One on one competition through a surreal tournament in which you must stop a power-mad dictator and save the Realm of Earth from being overtaken by the forces of darkness. Each character has a move set that consists of 3 to five moves, all of which can be used, learned, and practiced into turning you into a combative master. As the tournament progresses, you'll find that the opponents get harder and harder.

Deviating from the norm of just fighting one opponent in any one match, you'll be faced with the Endurance Match in which you take on two computer controlled opponents back to back with only one life bar. This adds a little more to the practice needed and keeps the game from turning into a button mashing fest. To top this off, you'll find that there are intermission stages in which you must test your might by slapping the two low attack buttons and then hit block to break anything from wood to ruby stone.

-Overall 8/10-

Mortal Kombat started a trend that hasn't stopped in all of these years. While Ed Boon is living on dream street in terms of the money he makes off of all of the merchandise, gamers are moving into the world of 3D and away from Mortal Kombat, the fact remains that Mortal Kombat is one of the first games that featured the fatality option and got all of the parental groups in an uproar. With unique characters, well designed stages and plenty of action, Mortal Kombat is a well taken game that stands tall in video game history.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/01, Updated 09/02/01