While I've never been a huge fan of video games, they played an important part in some of my favorite childhood memories. Whether it was staying up late with my cousin to beat the original "Super Mario Brothers" on Nintendo or competing with my younger sister to find all of the hidden surprises in old-school "Tomb Raider," video games have matured right along with me. As I got older, graphics got better, consoles got more expensive, and storylines got downright complex. But even as a non-gamer, the "Mortal Kombat" franchise has stuck with me over the years. *Side note/nerd alert: I was such a fan in middle school that a choir class project when we created a product and its jingle resulted in "Political Kombat," where famous leaders of the past and present duke it out, with a theme song to the tune of "Hakuna Matata." Needless to say, when the latest "MK" title dropped in April, I felt giddy like a kid all over again. (Although this fan-created gem was also a welcome blast from the past!)
"Mortal Kombat X" is the ideal blend for a casual player to get excited about gaming as an adult. The graphics are stunning and practically cinematic, and new gameplay modes and features keep replay from becoming stale. I especially enjoy the ability to interact with the environment. Rather than just moving the characters in front of the background, each fight location has a few objects to use and areas to jump from that keep you on your toes. The controller did take some getting used to, though, especially for someone whose muscle memory takes over whenever he finds the older arcade versions and nearly breaks the joystick remembering the combos. On the other hand, the plot (yes, there actually is one) may confuse people who haven't followed the franchise closely, especially its more modern iterations. Thankfully, there are enough familiar faces and signature moves among the fighters to remind you what you're playing. As an added bonus, Jason Voorhees and Predator are among the downloadable characters, so even after 20-plus years, the franchise isn't afraid of trying something new or taking itself too seriously.
Naturally, the one thing that hasn't changed is the "kombat" itself in all of its gory glory. Blowing off a little steam just got a whole lot more colorful! The game creators joked in a recent interview that the seemingly too-gross or too-implausible finishing moves are what they set out to try programming first. While I dare say that this is the bloodiest game I've ever played, "MK" or otherwise, I honestly don't see the harm in it. Unlike "Grand Theft Auto" and other exploitative titles, the action takes place in a fictional setting that has no bearing on the real world. It's much easier to dissociate this fantasy violence from the gritty, desensitized realism that so many other games seem to be proud of. Plus, the "MK" games utilize strong female characters and characters of color, preventing them from being victimized or minoritized. The only negative aspect of the game is almost embarrassing: I could definitely live without the characters' pre-fight banter in two-player mode. I've seen sharper barbs on Laffy Taffy wrappers. Better luck next time, writers! And next time is practically guaranteed, given the sales and reception of this version so far.
Overall, I guess I really can't complain too much. The wave of nostalgia generated by "Mortal Kombat X" makes it a fun ride. While the franchise was able to expand into movies, TV shows, comic books, and card games -- meeting with mixed results along the way -- it works at its best when you take away all of the commercialized trappings and just enjoy it for what it is: the good, old-fashioned, over-the-top, digital butt-kicking that you know and love after a long day at work.
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