Mortal Kombat achieves gold as both a technical fighter and a narrative.
The new iteration of MK, essentially a reboot of the series, brings us back to square one, with a tidy roster of characters and a story that starts at the beginning. We follow the original fighters from the first tournament with some additions from the earlier games, including some once-secret characters who are now staples of the series. And surprisingly, this narrative is quite good. MK has always boasted a silly storyline, filled with oddly serious characters, background stories that could be called laughable, and a bravado that makes you wonder if these characters realize they look a little silly. However, over time, the MK mythology has turned into something respectable. This new MK is the pinnacle of that story. The narrative does a great job of conveying our favorite characters in ways that are true to themselves, but without all the silliness that the series once boasted. They're respectable and the story has a great mythology that's entertaining, far more entertaining than any fighter in recent history.
And how is the fighting? Let's just put it this way, I don't like fighting games much, and this one's a hell of a lot of fun. A fighting game doesn't need blood and guts, but they sure do help. While not the incredibly technical fighter of it's competitors, MK makes up for that with sheer brutality. The first time you see the game, you'll most likely get some bug eyes just for the sheer fact that there are some truly ridiculously over the top things going on here. But even with all the pyrotechnics, MK is a fun fighter. The characters are well rounded and there's something here for everyone. There's enough variety in fighting mechanics to warrant varied strategy, and most of all, the fighting is fun. For fans, it will be a welcome return to classic MK, while people new to the series should enjoy it for it's variety of characters and fighting styles.
Overall, MK is everything we could have hoped it would be. It's as bloody and over the top as we've come to expect, but with a narrative that's surprisingly entertaining and worthy of the MK mythology. If you've been looking for a fighter that sidesteps the rest of the pack, look not further.