Mortal Kombat X

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Mortal Kombat X continues the tradition of excellent 2D fighting mechanics mixed with the series’ signature gore. Projectiles fly, uppercuts are thrown, and blood rains down as the two fighters engage in a fight to the death. The powerful X-ray attacks and hallmark fatalities are as graphic as ever, and the result is a level of violence that can have you wincing one minute and laughing the next. The formula of 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot is perfectly preserved, but with expansions on that blueprint throughout, Mortal Kombat X is the successor I hoped NetherRealm could create.

Overall, Mortal Kombat X isn’t flawless, but its victories far outweigh its shortcomings. With its fantastic story mode, impressive graphics, silky smooth gameplay and violently enjoyable combat, it’s no doubt the best in the series despite some minor issues with content. Some may be put off by the reports of microtransactions, but the truth is they are unobtrusive and are not paramount to your enjoyment of the title at all, except maybe Goro being locked behind a paywall for those who didn’t preorder. Anyone looking for a next-gen brawler with teeth should look no further; Mortal Kombat X is ...

Mortal Kombat X improves upon a classic franchise in nearly every way. From its surprisingly impressive story, to its great new characters, to its expansive amount of new content, Mortal Kombat is a must-play for any fans of the series.

Mortal Kombat X‘s impact isn’t as explosive as 2011, but it’s well polished and a worthy successor. I think with a more reliable netcode it will grow into one of the biggest fighting games of 2015, and as more DLC characters are added to the roster, it will become even more enticing for that Komplete Kollection purchase.

Republished on Wednesday 29th September 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.

Absurd, gruesome, ridiculous fun.

Even so, Mortal Kombat X is a thoughtful leap forward for the franchise – a nice change of pace from what was seen in Mortal Kombat 9. The new and old fighters are all well realized and smartly designed, and their variations help satisfy a wide variety of play styles. The story mode is lacking, but the remaining modes (single player and multiplayer) ensure the game will stay in the disc tray for a long time to come, and the Test Your Luck modifiers ensure no two matches are the same. This is the current-gen Mortal Kombat we all wanted: it’s smooth, mechanically sound, unbelievably gory, and lo...

The best new Mortal Kombat for years, with a fighting game experience that’s as generous with the content as it is with the gore.

NetherRealm Studio’s has pumped this latest installment in the legendary series full of blood, gore and fatalities. A slew of new features are meant to offer players more to latch onto than sheer brutality. There’s now a proper Story Mode and interactive arenas to button bash your way around.

From humble beginnings in the age of arcades to modern day gaming systems, Mortal Kombat has come far. Once seen as one of the best fighting games in existence, the series took a nasty turn for the worst with many mediocre and subpar releases over the past 2 decades. Thankfully, Mortal Kombat X seeks to change all that, and boy does it put up a spectacular fight.

You have to respect the ambition of this series as it tries to juggle so many moving pieces and set the stage for the game's storyline. Unfortunately, it just doesn't manage that task very elegantly, and many characters and beats feel slighted as a result. This series simply lacks the clean, elegant approach of DC's Injustice comic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.