If Mortal Kombat is to be remembered for, and associated with, one thing for the rest of eternity, and one thing only, it should be this: bloody gore and incredibly violence. Okay, that’s two things. I find it easier to simply acknowledge the mistake and move on rather than edit my opening sentence. That being said, Mortal Kombat introduced a level of brutality and disturbing visuals that has become its trademark and calling card. The combat, characters, and story all came secondary to Mortal Kombat being the game in the arcade that was just badass.
Twenty years later, and that core identity of Mortal Kombat has not changed.
Last year, Mortal Kombat returned to its roots in a big way. Mortal Kombat 9, released and referred to as simply Mortal Kombat, brought the series back to the beginning of its timeline. Raiden sends a message back to the past in order to change the events of the series up until its previously present point. The tournament starts anew. This week, Mortal Kombat makes its presence felt on the PlayStation Vita handheld platform, putting itself in direct competition with already present fighters Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift EXTEND.
youtube::WgsPQrcZcPM::
In much the same fashion as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat does a wonderful job of bringing the console Mortal Kombat experience to the Vita handheld. Not only does it provide handheld gamers with a full Mortal Kombat experience, it gives you the full Komplete edition, including DLC characters like Freddy Krueger. But WAIT, there’s MORE! The Challenge Tower has a brand new 150 challenge buddy for you to tackle, along with wi-fi and ad-hoc 1v1 and tag multiplayer. Did I mention the multiple modes and mechanics that are unique to the Vita version of the game, such as Test Your Balance and Test Your Slice?
[slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157629928416379″ items=”20″]
Mortal Kombat Vita is available on both PSN and on its own physical memory cartridge for $39.99. For the price, you get the best Mortal Kombat experience I can recall in the last decade, at least, with the sharp graphics and mobility of the PlayStation Vita. Throw in extra challenges and both 1v1 and tag online multiplayer via wi-fi or ad-hoc, and you’ve got a great mobile fighter for a reasonable price.
Oh, but Shao Kahn is still a cheap asshole.
Review
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Faithful recreation of Mortal Kombat for handheld play with additional content | Shao mother-frakking Kahn |
| Rating |
For those of you who are the type to stay after the credits, here’s a little something that made its way into the game, so long as you’re dedicated enough to figure it out (I had the benefit of specific instructions in the reviewer’s kit, but what can you do?):
Is it just me, or does that look suspiciously like…this review in the background? Yes, an AR mode exists in Mortal Kombat, but only in the Practice mode. I’ll leave it to you to figure out the rest.
