Mortal Kombat Trilogy

"Superb."

Well, if you haven't heard of Mortal Kombat, than you must be living under a very large rock. Since the first Mortal Kombat hit arcades, the world has been taken by storm with this 2-D style fighting game. Maybe it was the blood; maybe it was the gore; maybe it was that this game was so outrageous for it's time. Whatever it was, I know I enjoyed it.

About the Game: Well, to be honest, there's not really much of a story behind this game, or at least not one worth telling. The game itself places you in control of one of over 20 fighters in which you climb your way up a ladder while you kick, punch, and brutally murder your way to the top to defeat the evil emperor "Shao Khan." And that's the basic jist of it.

Graphics: 7/10
Not horrible, but not really good. But then again, there is almost something that is cool and funny about how your opponent has six leg bones scattered about after you blow him to bits. For it's time, the game was gory and bloody. It still is, but you can tell it's fake. But like I said, the fakeness, if you will, is what makes it a novelty - a fun game to play and watch - if you ask me.

Controls: 8/10
Controls very easy and simple to do. One-button taps for kicks, punches, runs, and blocks. You have to tap a combination of buttons to do a super or special move of sorts. And after your opponent is dead, you have to tap a longer sequence of buttons to finish him off in a special kind of way. The only gripe I have is that sometimes the computer doesn't read (so to speak) your button presses and sometimes you will end up stand dead still instead of sending a fireball towards your opponent.

Sound: 7/10
I like the sound. I think it's fine. For the most part it's basic. You don't ever really recognize the background music when you are fighting. The ow's, the ooh's, and the ahh's made by a fighter getting whacked can be a little annoying when heard several of thousands of times, but it provides humor and I don't mind it whatsoever.

Fun Factor: 10/10
This is where the game shines. I don't care what you say, how old you are, or how many times you've been run over by a car, YOU WILL ENJOY PLAYING THIS GAME. What is not to enjoy about doing a 20-hit combo on your opponent, ending in an uppercut that sends him flying in 50 different directions? No matter how stubborn you are, you can't tell me you don't think it's fun to spear your opponent towards you, then send him into a bed of spikes with a nasty uppercut. It sounds gross, and it is, but it's virtual, and it's a game, and it's a fun game. So don't whine about violence and go around saying this game will make kids violent, because i haven't seen any kid who goes to school, freezes the other kids, and smashed them to ice cubes.

PROS
+ There are MANY ways to finish your opponent at the "FINISH HIM/HER" screen. You can now do Fatalities (two per character), Stage Fatalities, Babalities, Brutalities, Friendships, Mercies, and Animalities. What more could you want.
+ Tons of characters, including favorites like Ermac, Nightworld, and Sektor.
+ More fun than most Mortal Kombat games
+ New 9 Player Tournaments are really fun, especially at parties.

CONS
+ The AI is hard at times.
+ Neigh Impossible to beat Motaro on harder difficulties
+ Controls are "sticky" at times

All in all, I think this game is one of the best MK games ever released, and I know that it will always remain a favorite in in my gaming shelf.

Average Score: 8/10
My Overall Score: 9/10
Rent or Buy? Buy it.
Price It's Worth: $24.99

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/04