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Very good game... although there are some... annoyances in it that are very difficult to overlook. One being the complete overuse of the letter K. Never in a game have I seen the complete slaughter of the short vowel sound of C, be replaced by the letter K in a manner that is NOT cool, just annoying. Mortal Kombat, Koins, Konquest, Krypt, etc. are some of the *shudder* uses of the letter K. You would swear they are giving a subliminal message to join the KKK or something. All that aside, very interesting game...

Graphics: 10/10

Great graphics, very detailed motion capturing for all fighters, VERY few MINOR glitches that I can't even think of off the top of my head. Nice particle effects on the acid, fire, and water. Smashing into a pillar or other movable object starts to topple it then eventually it explodes as a combatant is thrown into it.

Impaling an opponent nets excessive blood loss through the wound. (Very funny when they bow to you at the end of Konquest mode and as the camera zooms in on your character. They don't even seem to notice the blood squirting from their stomach and onto your arm.)

Small gripe: When performing a fatality, bodily chunks are tossed about, but they look like pink piles of school cafeteria Jell-O... not very gory.

Audio: 8/10

No complaints here. Not really WOWED either. Sound is fairly detailed, greatly improved from previous games, as technology has improved. Sadistic laughing ensued a couple times from the painful crying out the first few times my opponent was impaled by my blade or a fatality was performed. After a while, you get used to it and don't even notice it anymore.

Music is very well done, fitting well with the arena/opponent.

Difficulty: 8/10

Varying levels of difficulty: novice, easy, normal, hard, max. Haven't tried hard or max yet, but I've heard it fits the description very well... Personally, they could've made novice a bit easier, as I've had very damaging combos still pulled off on me thereby ending the match when my opponent has had a pixel of health left. Granted, it rarely happens, and thus it is a novice level of difficulty. The mini-boss of this game, Moloch, will frustrate beginners to NO end.

Think of someone you've played against in an arcade. They pick the guy with the giant ball and chain. ("Ok, he's slow," you think.) They then proceed to keep you at bay with said ball and chain everytime you go to attack, thus winning. With Moloch, however, he can also grab you in a split second after you pull off a huge, fast combo that isn't as damaging as you'd hope it would be. Very good character to play against a beginner, as his range attack pulls you RIIIIGHT in if they decide to pummel you with ranged attacks. After a while, you may have to continue once in a while when you get to him, so no biggie.

On another note, the computer looooves to use reversals during the latter parts of the game. Reversals stop any attack that is incoming, thus leaving you open to a very damaging counter-attack. They aren't cheap either, as if you screw up in timing, YOU are open to a very damaging attack. However, the computer loves to reverse, and you know they have excellent metronomed timing. As a result, you may lose a match as a result of constant reversals in the heat of battle.

All things aside, very good degrees of difficulty. Note, button mashers will not get anywhere in this game. The battle system makes sure that after every combo there is a slight pause as the fighter stops to catch a 1/2 second breath. As a result, slightly experienced players can easily smack the infamous button masher down to the ground in a humiliating display of skill.

Storyline: 8/10

Storyline in a fighting game? What's that? Very intriguing plotline, unlike some others where it seems half-assed. You have a very vague idea of what is going on when you first start the game. Two kick-ass sorcerers team up to revive an invincible undead army. They kill off the only 2 people that could easily smash them into the ground: Shao Khan (what a shame. no more taunting of "YOU SUCK" after he embeds a huge, spiked sledge-hammer in your skull.) and... Liu Kang. Yes I know, no more holding low-kick at the beginning of a match to link together his flying kicks in a ridiculous show of strength. (with blocking disabled, of course)

Over the course of the game, after beating the game with every character, a very in-depth plot is revealed... which makes just wanna SCREEAAAAM that you aren't able to continue on with the story. Won't reveal what I'm talking about, just the fact that if you know who is mentioned, you will say "Son of a *****." The fact that you can replay character's endings is a definite plus, in case you forget what happens to Kano or Kitana after blasting through the game.

Only REAL gripe about the storyline is the fact that you can beat the game, and your character's ending can still be death. Not griping about the fact that they died, but the fact that it makes it seem like you didn't even reach Shang Tsung and Quan'Chi. (even though you have to beat them as the final two "bosses"). Seems half-assed, but I'm sure it does fit in with the storyline.

Gameplay: 10/10

Very fun/entertaining. Found myself on a Saturday night playing until 3:30 in the morning (started at around 8 at night). Only thing that stopped me from playing was the fact that I DID have to get up the next morning at like 7 a.m.

Huge replayability, as the Krypt holds many unlockable features that are unlocked with Koins. Koins are earned by completeing Konquest mode missions (pretty much a training mode for every character, except you get rewarded with Koins and... a little surprise if you beat it with everyone). How many features are unlockable? Not many. But there are a ton of extras to unlock. Think of a giant 26x26 square. Almost every Koffin is filled with goodies. When I say almost, I mean almost (Yes, some are only filled with cruel laughter as you see "Empty Koffin!").

One gripe about the system, the Koins are easily obtainable, except for the Onyx and Platinum Koins, which can only be obtained in 2 Mini-Games... The maximum setting for how many mini-games you play is one after every 3 matches... which is not a lot in one go.

So if you are a perfectionist freak, such as myself, and want to unlock every little thing there is... you may find your social life trickle down the drain like the excessive use of blood in the game. :)

Overall Rating: 9/10

If you made it to the end of this review, Kongratz!

If you lost faith in the Mortal Kombat series upon the release of 3, this game will most definitely restore your faith. Since I kan't think of anything else to say, please kome again! (Oh geez... this kould be a problem...)

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