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Mortal Kombat is probably the most recognized fighter in the world. More so than Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, and all our other favorites. The controversy this game brought to the gaming market changed things forever. Now that Ed Boon and staff have accomplished almost every revolutionary thing you could come up with in a fighter, they decided to give the actionadventure genre another shot. This time in a large 3D environment, MKSM is based off the Konquest experiment conducted in their last title, MK Deception. Was the transition from format to format successful For a first shot at it... I would say so.
The Story: 10
The story told in this game is superbly done. The setting takes place right after Lui Kang's victory at the first Mortal Kombat tournament. With Raiden as their guide, he and Kung Lao must fend off an unsatisfied Shang Tsung from taking over Earth realm. Within this story you will discover many things about MK that you have always wondered... or have been too lazy to look up. You find out how Sub-Zero received his facial scar and why Shang Tsung went from an old codger to and younger lad just to name a few. A plot twist was thrown in there, however it is made too easy to figure out, but even then it still has you guessing from time to time.
Graphics: 8
The games graphics are pretty solid. There are a few issues here and there, but it doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the game. The graphics certainly are not as beautiful as the visuals featured in Deadly Alliance or Deception, but seeing as this game required so much more than a standard fighting game, the sacrifices are understandable.
Sound: 7
The sound while excellent in most of the game encounters problems from time to time. In actual game play the sound is clean, smooth and crisp. All your classic MK sounds can be heard from the splatting to the screaming. Shao Khan makes his snide comments in the background throughout the game based on your success, failures, and the size of your combos. This is also well done along with Lui Kangs funky sounds. The problems occur when the game gives you a break as you encounter someone or when Raiden pops in to help you in your quest. The voices during these short conversations sometimes seem to drop out, forcing you to turn up your volume to hear what is being said. This is quite disappointing at times, but can be somewhat fixed in the options menu by turning up the voices over the sound effects.
Controls: 9
The Controls for the game are nicely mapped out. If you played God of War then you will feel pretty much at home on the PS2 version. You have your weak attack, strong attack, high attack, and jump for your basic buttons. Your shoulder buttons feature block, fatality stun, throw, and the most important; special attack button. The only problem you may encounter is if you are a person that hovers your fingers over the shoulder buttons like me. Sometimes you may tap the special attack button and execute a special move instead of weak attack, totally screwing you up. This is only minor and not much to get upset about once you get the hang of the game's flow. Thankfully performing a fatality is more forgiving in this game allowing you ample time to pull it off at your own pace.
Camera: 6
This is probably the only gripe I have with this game. You are given 2 camera angles to switch between in the game. At a lot of points you do not have the option to switch between them because of the area you have entered. I found switching the camera view points to be a pretty useless feature. There are a few parts in the game where the camera angle is pretty bad, especially when you have to make a jump. Even if you have great depth perception, you still can be thrown off by what you see, causing you to miss the jump. On a bright note, this issue only occurred maybe 2-3 times within the game. Another issue which only occurred twice that I can recall is the camera angle switching during a part where you had to jump making your controls reverse. This was quite annoying seeing as you had to jump while holding the analog stick forward and then making sure to reverse it backwards (which would then be forwards) when the camera angle changed.
Gameplay: 9
Shaolin Monks features excellent gameplay that is far from one dimensional. The combos, while very easy to pull off, have much depth to them. You can add a lot of varieties to your combos since none of them are set in stone (create your own, if you will). You can juggle your opponent in the air until he explodes, or end it in a fatality. There are also various puzzles you must solve to move on, some being relatively easy while others flat out annoying. "Test your Might" challenges have been incorporated within some of these puzzles along with a few of the boss fights adding a level of tension that will have your heart racing. The co-op mode is probably the best feature of this game as you can team up and go through the game unlocking secrets that you are only able to unlock in co-op. There is also a vs. mode where several other MK2 characters can be unlocked and used. Countless unlockables are scattered throughout the game, two of the biggest being a playable demo for The Suffering 2 and original Mortal Kombat 2 in its entirety.
Overall: 8.8
An awesome story, smooth gameplay, and a retro MK feel makes this one a solid beat em' up arcade with more depth than you can ask for. The issues with the camera and sound are disappointing, yet it doesn't drag the game's fun factor down. For a first try by the MK staff, this is a lot better than you could expect. It's a very good game that is definitely worth at least a rent. For an MK fan it's a definite buy. Check it out!
© 2005 Midway
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| Graphics: | 8 |
| Sound: | 7 |
| Control: | 9 |
| Camera: | 6 |
| Plot: | 10 |
| Gameplay: | 9 |
| Overall: | 8.8 |
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