Tuesday 25 October 2011

Sega Mega Drive: Mortal Kombat

Year: 1992
Genre: Beat ‘em up
Players: 2
Our Rating: 6/10


Mini Review

Mortal Kombat: The game that glorified graphic violence, digitised animation and atrocious spelling. The Mega Drive version is a fair representation of the game although the aficionados will no doubt tell me that they miss the bonus round in the Amiga version or the use of a superior sound chip in the SNES.

After this many years there’s really nothing new that anyone can tell you about the franchise. This simple game escalated in to dozens of sequels, movies, TV series, cartoons, action figures and game crossovers. This is a game that gained recognition through shock value alone. Back in the ‘90s video games were blamed from everything from teen smoking to creating a generation of mass murderers. Every few years it becomes big news, the question “Are violent video games bad for our children?”, the question will never die. Personally I’ve never seen any 12 year old turn in to a dragon and decapitate a lightning God in real life. This first outing seems horribly dated to play, the controls are so stiff I was amazed when I had a recent replay. The game is one that I don’t often return to as all of its sequels offer something a little more. In terms of nostalgia value though the memories of “Finish Him” followed by that chaotic moment of button mashing to get Sub-Zero to rip out someone’s head and spinal column are priceless. You’ve probably stumbled upon this page hoping to read a positive review of a classic. It’s true that the game has much notoriety. However, I would recommend checking out Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat III if you do need a retro gore fest.




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