August 29th, 2014

During the steam summer sale this year, I got a chance to pick up some really fantastic games for even more fantastic prices, one of them being the most recent and available installment of the “Mortal Kombat” franchise, “Mortal Kombat 9.” I was so excited to play it when I bought it, but my lack of advanced knowledge in computers left me hanging with a game that refused to boot up. Six-year-old me was dying on the inside to play this game.

Here is where the magic happens: Steam updated their user interface about a week ago (IT’S GORGEOUS) and BAM!...the game works. And it works smoothly, too! The cut scene sound in story mode is a little…”blippy,”...but no matter! The game rocks. Mind you, this happened two or three days ago...and I am already at 17 hours on this game. I might have a problem...Moving forward, there are a few things to be said about MK9. One: it’s a very back-to-basics game. The fighting spectrum is back to 2-D format (left and right only). And two: the fighting style mimics the first games that grabbed our attention in the 90’s. My third and final observation is that a lot of the level designs are nods to levels from the first few MK releases, but with modern flare (and gore, how could I forget the gore?)

As many gamers are aware, NetherRealm Studios released a very soft (as soft as it could be for MK standards) teaser of what Mortal Kombat X MIGHT look like (Here is the teaser!) When I first saw this...I’m not even going to lie, I was totally erect (Lol, was I?). A classic battle between fire and ice, Scorpion and Sub Zero...depicted in the most brutal way, though, I could do without the Wiz Khalifa tune. This game looks incredible! Since the release of that teaser, new footage, gameplay, and content have been shared, discussed, and most importantly, demo’d at E3. Check out the video for yourself: Here is the E3 Demo! It appears that they are sticking with the same basic game build that they started with, as well as a more refined engine that they used to develop MK9. X-ray moves are here to stay, I think. I love those little cinematics. Nothing gets me more excited than watching my character shatter the opponents knee caps with a well placed side kick. Dat slow-mo...dat bass drop. They are also introducing some BRAND NEW CHARACTERS into the game, one of them being Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Her fatality (finishing move, for those not in the know) is amazing, definitely check it out here!

All-in-all, the game looks to be very promising, brutal, and gory. That is the foundation of all things that are “Mortal Kombat.” What do you, the people, think of the next installment in the franchise? As always, happy viewing and SOUND OFF in the comments section below!

By Chuck Salamone