Gaming Review: Mortal Kombat 9

There are some game franchises that will forever be a part of the history of modern gaming.  Super Mario is a family classic.  Resident Evil is a horror classic.  Sonic the Hedgehog is an adrenaline staple.  And Mortal Kombat is the reason we all started catching hell from our parents about what we played.

That "ABACABB" blood code got a lot of us in a lot of trouble.

But it was so fun.

Through sequels, spin-offs and movies, Mortal Kombat has taken some serious turns for the better and worse, but I'm glad to say that this one is definitely a rebirth of what we all loved in the original.  The newest Mortal Kombat brings back every character we grew to love and hate, as well as a storyline that is FINALLY easy to follow and sensible.

Before I tell you what I loved about the game, however, let me hip you to the few things I felt sucked.

The ladies.
I could go on and on forever about the misrepresentation of women in video games and comics, but this was a bit ridiculous.  Characters like Kitana, Mileena and Jade have always been scantily clad, but what upset me the most was Sonya Blade.

Here's Sonya circa 1992

She looks like she spent a little too much time in the Jane Fonda workout gear aisle at Kmart and just polished her new Reebox hightops, but for the most part, she's okay.  She looks like a fighter or at the very least a gym teacher.

Here's Sonya, present day.
 
Notice anything different?  Or...any TWO things?
I'm sorry, can she fight better with her girls on display?  Did I miss something?  Knee pads to protect your legs, combat boots for kicking, leather fighting gloves....and open chest?  How does that work?

She's still one of my favorite characters, and kicks major butt in the new game, but I have to admit that her chest is distracting.  It doesn't fit with the rest of her body actually, and is drawn almost like an afterthought.  Seriously they could lift off her body and fight on their own.  They aren't even the same complexion as the rest of her body in the actual game.

But aside from all that, Mortal Kombat 9 did not let me down.

The game can be played with up to 4 players in person, or up to 8 online.  Through 2 player option, players can choose to fight against one another, or as a tag team against the main story ladder of fighters.  For the solo player, the choices were practically endless.  The Mortal Kombat Wiki explains each in great detail.

As a reader and writer, I was completely satisfied with the storyline of this game and actually quite grateful for the sequel hints at the ending.

I have selected the title for this month's Gaming Alliance Meeting!!  It will be a closed-blinds event, meaning that the windows of our teen room will be shuttered and I'll be putting together a list of great manga's and anime titles to highlight.  I've also downloaded Freddy Krueger and Skarlett as bonus characters to play with during our meeting Tuesday.  I can't wait to see how my teens feel about that!!

I'd definitely reccommend it for any gamer who remembers the love of the original, or any teen librarian's collection.

This game is rated