Review: Rise of the Argonauts

Welcome to another review on 'Stories of Entertainment'.

Stepping back into my love of mythology, I'll be looking at a game that does a spin on a Greek tale. This is based off of the epic poem, Argonautica, with Jason and the Argonauts going off to fetch the fabled Golden Fleece. This just puts it on a different take and, well, here is 'Rise of the Argonauts'.

(Its like Mass Effect meets Greek Mythology, only suckier)

Developed by Liquid Entertainment, 'Rise of the Argonauts' tells a tale of the hero Jason, with a group of other Greek heroes, going off on an adventure to find the Golden Fleece and resurrect his dead wife. 

Gameplay-wise, lets be honest, you'll be doing a lot more running around than actually fighting. Conversations between characters will be dragged on and boring when you need to repeatedly do them. Combat-wise, the system is pretty different, allowing your character, Jason, to switch between weapons mid-fight to pull off different combos. These weapons have various strengths and weaknesses against certain enemies, which I'm sure you would've found out if you bothered to play the game in the first place.

I don't really see how the story would be able to carry though the gameplay, but lets find out, shall we?

The game starts with Jason's wedding where a group of mercenaries, lead by a Blacktongue (sorcerors who worship the titan Hecate) attack and poison Jason's wife Alceme. Jason, not wanting to let his love pass on, asks help from the Gods to save her. He gets a response from four of them: Ares, Athena, Hermes, and Apollo. They agree that the best course of action is to find the Golden Fleece, giving Jason their blessing to seek it out. Jason, with the aide of his close friend Hercules (pretty much guess who he is), get help from a shipwright named Argos, who allows them to use the newly built shit 'The Argo' for their journey, so long as he helps pilot it due to its rather advance set-up. Jason leaves his island home of Iolcus in the hands of his uncle, Pelias. Before leaving, Jason rescues a Blacktongue deserter named Medea, who agrees to help him stop the Blacktongues from achieving their goal. 

So, Jason and his group reach Delphi, home of the Oracle. He encounters a satyr named Pan, who joins the group near the end of the Delphi run, and gets his will and resolve tested to make sure he'll do what it takes to save the one he loves. Upon meeting the Oracle, Jason is told to find decedents of the gods Ares, Athena, and Hermes (coincidence?) to help open a portal to Tartarus, where the Golden Fleece is stored. So, Jason is given the choice of where to go first: Mycenae (Ares' Island and birthplace of Alceme), Saria (Hermes' Island dominated by wildlife and centaurs), and Kythra (Athena's Island bounded by her strict rules and regulations). The players can choose whichever island to start with, though for this review, I'll start with Mycenae.

At Mycenae, Jason gets thrown in jail for failing to protect Alceme by her father, King Lycomedes In order to win back his freedom, Jason must fight in the gladiator arena. He gets help from the blacksmith, Daedalus, and manages to win his first two fights. His third and final fight is against Achilles, who has never lost a gladiator battle before. Here, the two fight to a draw and Jason is free. However, news of a tournament to replace Lycomedes as king of Mycenae gets Jason's attention, as Achilles wouldn't take part it in it since he prefers fighting over ruling and the rumors of a Blacktongue who is entering. Jason discovers the truth of Docon, the Blacktongue warrior who is entering the tournament, and Patroclus, the head of the arena, are conspiring to take the rule of Mycenae for themselves. So, Jason enters the tournament and, with the of Daedalus once more, reaches the final round against Docon. Achilles makes a surprise reappearance to the fight and, as Lycomedes feeling a bit downer since his daughter's death, invigorates the king. Docon and Patroclus try to seize the thrown, but get killed for their efforts (with Patroclus getting his death at Lycomedes' hands, which is pretty damn awesome). In the end, Achilles, Daedalus, and Lycomedes (who is descended from Ares) joins the Argo to help Jason recover the Golden Fleece. With Mycenae behind them, the heroes venture to Saria.

Saria has a lot of jungle to it, but thankfully a village of centaurs where our heroes can dock. They meet up with the leader of the centaur, Lykas, and get a story about a beast that can disappear from the naked eye. Jason gets assistance from the only human on the island, Atlanta (where later, its explained how her Blacktongue father left the group with a wife and both later died on Saria), who helps lead them to a fruit that should help Jason. It turns out the beast, a manticore, has the ability to disappear from sight by going into a realm of shadows or something of the like. The beast is eventually slain, since it can no longer hide thanks to the fruit, and Atlanta discovers something on its skin: a mark that bears the symbol of a centaur named Nessus. Turns out that he breed the manticore in service to the Blacktongues, who promised him open land and sky if he worked for them. Of course, the corrupt centaur doesn't survive his fight with Jason and his fellow heroes and soon dies after a lengthy battle. In the end, Atlanta decides to join Jason and his group for helping the local centaurs. Its revealed through Hermes that all centaurs bear his blood, with Lykas volunteering to join the Argo as well. With two islands down, its time to head to Kythra.

Apparently, Kythra was once home to the Golden Fleece before it disappeared and when the Argonauts first arrive, just about everyone they see has been turned to stone. As Jason and his friends venture through the island, they discover that it was home to two descendants of Athena, the brother and sister Perseus and Medusa (didn't see that coming, did you?). It turned out that a speaker named Phaedon convinced Medusa to focus more on her beauty and his own goals rather than that of her brother's or Athena's. It resulted in the island turning everyone into stone and Medusa becoming the hideous gorgon monster she was known as in the original mythology. The other inhabitants of the island get returned to normal, and Jason reveals that Phaedon is just another Blacktongue, who promptly gets killed for tricking Medusa. They also encounter Perseus, who asks to help save Medusa by breaking the symbol of her selfish beauty: a golden statue from before her gorgon state. This is about the only time I saw where your choices demonstrated who would come back to the Argo with you. If you decide to destroy the statute, Medusa returns to normal and she joins you willingly. If you decide to kill her instead, the statue remains as what she was before and Perseus joins you in her stead. Regardless, you get your descendant of Athena and make your way back to the Oracle. Unfortunately, a Blacktongue sneaks onboard the Argo and kills Argos, forcing Jason to steer the ship long enough to reach the Oracle's island (at least until Daedalus takes over).

Anyway, Jason and his argonauts manage to breech Tartarus and retrieve the Golden Fleece after battling several Blacktongues, including some enemies they recently killed like Docon and Phaedon. Once retrieved, the heroes head back to Iolcus, where they discover that Jason's uncle has started slaughtering his people. The heroes push through the hordes of Blacktongues and Jaosn himself manages to reach Alceme's resting chamber. In one final clash, he kills his uncle and resurrects his wife with the power of the Golden Fleece. Finally, the two can be married.

...and that's the game. I don't think it should really be called a game. It felt more like a movie: a very long, overly talkative movie. Pacing tends to slow to a crawl in several of the conversations taking place and there is far more of that than combat. When combat does happen, its pretty interesting to say the least, but nothing really worthwhile. The story seems to drag when going to each island and ends with a conclusion that is pretty lukewarm. Overall, if you ever see this at a bargain bin, save your money.

Until next time...

Rise of the Argonauts was developed by Liquid Entertainment.

Review: Lollipop Chainsaw

Welcome to another post of 'Stories of Entertainment'!

Oh, Japan, somehow, you manage to create some strange and wonderful things. From your ground-breaking anime to that tentacle hentai, its hard sometimes to figure out what fits in the 'awesome' category to 'just plain strange'. This is because some things tend to overlap one another, like 'Lollipop Chainsaw'.

(...wha?)

Yes, 'Lollipop Chainsaw' is an action hack and slash game with you playing as a monster hunter with an overly cutesy chainsaw killing zombies left and right. With the colorful cheerleader going around slicing up zombies in such candy coated fashion, it'll probably make you want to puke rainbows...or just plain puke. Seriously, with a lot of disgusting zombie stuff that will happen over the course of the game, I have no hard feelings if you just want to take some time to vomit before continuing.

Anyway, the game starts in the bedroom of our protagonist Juliet Starling (awkward), a cheerleader for San Romero High School, and it happens to be her 18th birthday (less awkward). She talks about her family, the fact that they're all monster hunters like herself and how she is late at meeting her boyfriend, Nick Caryle, at the start of the school day. It gets worse when the zombies come around and Nick ends up getting bitten. To save him, Juliet enacts a ritual by cutting off his head and reviving him. I know, weird.

The pair manage to meet up with Juliet's sensei, Morikawa. He explains how someone has breached a hole to a dimension called Rotten World, home to demons and zombies, with explosives and dark magic. They manage to track down the source, who is apparently a gothic emo guy named Swan. The guy decides that he's had enough of his sucky life and decides to destroy the world by summoning a group of powerful zombie demons known as the Dark Purveyors. Morikawa tries to stop them, but gets his ass kicked. Juliet steps in to take on the first Dark Purveyor, a foul-mouthed punk rocker named Zed. Despite his power, Zed gets cut down and killed, though uttering a weird incantation during his death. Morikawa appears, though id dying from the injuries he has sustained. He warns Juliet about the other Dark Purveyors and how they must all by stopped before passing on.

With Morikawa put to rest, Juliet and Nick continue their fight against the zombies, finding a giant flying Viking ship steered by another Dark Purveyor: the black metal zombie known as Vikke. They managed to get a bit of help from Juliet's older sister, Cordelia, a very talented sniper. Once having boarded the giant flying vessel, Juliet fights against Vikke and tears the zombie apart with her chainsaw. Weirdly enough, he utters the same incantation Zed had said when he was dying.

As Vikke's boat falls after his death, Juliet and Nick run into Juliet's younger sister, Rosalind, who is very dangerous when driving a vehicle. Hitching a ride, the trio try to find the location of the next Dark Purveyor. To Juliet's surprise, she finds Rosalind being possessed by said Dark Purveyor the whole time, launching the trio into an alternate dimension. This Dark Purveyor is a hippie named Marishka, who has taken Rosalind hostage. Juliet manages to fight off Marishka, decapitating her and landing back into the real world. Marishka chants her incantation as well upon death, while Juliet gets a phone call from an autotune guy (the next Dark Purveyor) who explains that he's holding Rosalind hostage now. While trying to figure out how to rescue her sister, Juliet gets a surprise visit from her father, an Elvis look-alike named Gideon.

They both come up with a plan to rescue Rosalind: while Juliet distracts the Dark Purveyor (a funk-loving zombie named Josey) and fight them, Gideon would rescue his youngest daughter in all of the chaos. For awhile, Juliet is successful in taking on Josey, but the funk zombie tries to double back on their deal and warns Juliet about killing her sister if she tries to kill him. Fortunately, Gideon manages to rescue Rosalind in time, leaving Juliet free to kill Josey once and for all. And, like all the other Dark Purveyors before him, he chants some weird chant as he dies. I'm pretty sure Chekov had a hand in writing this.

Anyway, Juliet, her sisters, father, and boyfriend go tackle Swan and the final Dark Purveyor: a rock and roll zombie with a guitar/gatling gun named Lewis Legend. With his death, Swan explains how he tricked Juliet into killing them to summon the lord of the zombies, Killabilly. Swan kills himself to complete the summoning and brining forth a massive, blubbering zombie who resembles a dead Elvis impersonator. With a sacrifice blow to Killabilly by Gideon (he gets better), Juliet manages to stop the monster at the cost of her boyfriend. However, with Morikawa's spirit, he returns alive and in a new body...which happened to by Morikawa's. Still, the world is saved and such...

...also, depending on how many people were saved during the game (forgot to mention that earlier, sry), u get a scene of either the Starling mother being alive or a zombie in a cutscene. Awesome.

And with that, so ends Lollipop Chainsaw. God, what a crazy-ass game.

Until next time, watch out for zombies and cheerleaders with chainsaws.

Lollipop Chainsaw was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture.

Review: Brutal Legend

Welcome back to 'Stories of Entertainment'!

I have always had a spot in my heart for music and many of its genres: classical, rock, alternative, jazz, rap (sometimes) and even metal. Lot of game companies try to work off of this by making games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band that allow people to play some of their favorite songs with color-coded button mashing. There haven't been too many that have dedicated a game towards a genre until this came out. Welcome to the world of 'Brutal Legend'!

(The Age of Metal lives on!)

Channeling the spirit of everything that is 'metal', 'Brutal Legend' pays tribute to the music genre of heavy metal and its various subgenres. The game plays out like a hybrid between action, adventure, and real-time strategy games, with the factions of Ironheade, the Drowning Doom, and the Tainted Coil battling it out for the control of the ancient world of Metal. The only one who could change the course of history (at this point) is a simply roadie named Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black)

In the beginning, Eddie is considered one of the best roadies in the business, capable of building any set, tune any instrument he finds and capable of organizing one hell of a show. The only downside is that he somehow got roped into helping a band that is basically a mix between Linkin Park, Justin Bieber, and the worst aspects of pop rock music. They end up accidentally killing him when they were goofing around with the set, getting some of his blood to drip down to his belt buckle and summoning a metallic beast. The beast ends up sparing Eddie and killing off the band (much to our enjoyment).

Eddie wakes up, alive and well, in the ancient land of metal. He ends up killing off several cultists of the Tainted Coil (demons who have bondage tendencies) with an axe he found and a guitar that manages to summon powerful magic. He also gets help from a girl named Ophelia and builds a hot rod car he called the Druid Plow that helps them escape the Tainted Coil at this point. However, the Big Bad of the Tainted Coil, Emperor Doviculus, learns of that Succoria, a powerful demoness, as returned when he examined one of Ophelia's dropped blades.

Meanwhile, Ophelia manages to lead Eddie to the resistance group, mostly comprised of herself and the brother-sister team of Lars and Lita Halford. Apparently, Lars is an excellent motivational leader, but can't handle the logistics of war planning and the like. Eddie decides to help them out, seeing as they need a roadie to help with the planning to take on the Tainted Coil. They manage to recruit several human factions to the resistance, including a healer named Killmaster (voiced by bass player of Motorhead Lemmy Kilmeister) and the Guardian of Metal (voiced by Ozzy Osborne). They form the army of Ironheade (which pays tribute to the early history of Heavy Metal, mostly the 70s and 80s) and take on General Lionwhyte, a human whose hair allows him to fly, his voice that can shatter rock, and leads an army of human subjects in Doviculus's name (which are basically Ironheade units if they were paying homage to Hair Metal). 

Partway through the war, Eddie somehow sprouts wings and develops more demonic features (albeit temporarily), with Ophelia believing that the Tainted Coil must've poisoned Eddie somehow. Course, this just pops up every now and again as Ironheade recruits more soldiers and takes the fight straight to Lionwhyte's fortress, taking out his army and having the General killed off (though that last bit was his own fault. Apparently, shattering glass with his voice was his own undoing). They celebrate their victory a bit, but know that the Tainted Coil is next to fight.

Speak of the devil, Doviculus comes in to survey the destruction  with Ironheade hiding and watching to see what the demon is up to. Mostly, he monologues about Succoria's reappearance and the destruction of Lionwhyte (though really, he doesn't give a crap about him), saying how she was supposed to infiltrate the humans and take them out. Eventually, Lars has had enough and takes the fight to Doviculus with another speech. The Emperor, in a show of being Genre Savvy, mortally wounds Lars on the spot and summons monsters to take down the rest of Lionwhyte's castle. Ironheade manages to escape, but Lars dies of his injuries. Lita takes her anger out on Ophelia, believing her to be Succoria. Lita believes that the power of the Black Water may've manipulated her into helping Doviculus. Eddie is surprised at this (mostly because he was starting to fall in love with Ophelia) and doesn't like how Ophelia was hiding secrets from them. So, the group abandons Ophelia and heads north to avoid the Tainted Coil until they can replenish their strength.

Cue to several months going by, with Ironheade trying to plan out what to do next. They soon find themselves ambushed by the Drowning Doom, a faction who is inspired by Gothic Metal (not Emo, as many would believe). Ironheade manages to beat them, but discovers that the army was sent by Opheilia, since they bear her mark. When trying to pass over a bridge, Ophelia greets them, though now completely under the control of the Sea of Black Tears. She destroys the bridge, forcing Eddie to retrieve supplies from Bladehenge to build another one. Once they do, Eddie finds some animals to try and recruit to Ironheade, but gets captured by a group of Amazons known as the Zaulia. They try to execute Eddie, but he manages to use his guitar to reveal an ancient relic. From here, he learns that his father, known as Riggnarok, came from the past to the future (modern time) to stop the Emperor. He reveals that the belt buckle belonged to him and how he found it after his father passed away. Seeing this, the Zaulia join up with Ironheade as they continue their journey. 

They end up crossing paths with Ophelia again, this time revealing how she went back to the Sea of Black Tears after feeling so depressed about the group abandoning her. She still launches an attack against Ironheade, which manages to get repelled with some effort. Their next stop: the Sea of Black Tears itself. The army attacks, with Eddie threatening to kill Ophellia to get the Emperor. Ophellia laughs it off, fleeing before Eddie could attempt a finishing blow.

Eddie tries to confront Ophellia again, but Emperor Doviculus enters. Here, its explained that Succoria was the previous Emperor before Doviculus, fleeing to the future and apparently having a kid with Riggnarok, making her Eddie's mother. Just to twist the knife, Doviculus pulls out Ophellia's heart and stores it within his body. Ophellia dissolves (weird) and Eddie heads back to the Ironheade army when Doviculus starts summoning a massive monster from the Sea of Black Tears. Still, Ironheade manages to fight it off, as well as Tainted Coil forces while Eddie takes the fight straight to Doviculus (who happens to be inside of said beasty). In the clash, Doviculus is decapitated and Eddie tries to retrieve Ophellia's heart, but it ends up dissolving as well. The beast collapses and Eddie falls into the Sea of Black Tears, finding the real Ophellia (the other one was just a copy of sorts). He manages to pull her out and they are reunited.

In the end, the Tainted Coil is defeated, Lars gets a statue while Lita gets praise for helping to lead Ironheade, while Eddie just sticks to the shadows as a roadie (something he doesn't mind doing). He decides to stay in this world, with Ophellia as his girlfriend and everyone basically lives happily ever after.

...and that would be Brutal Legend, a video game tribute to the age of Heavy Metal. From what else I learned, the game was supposed to be focused on the multiplayer, with story mode basically being one big tutorial level. Still, I found the whole pretty fun and different in a good way. 

Until next time...

Brutal Legend was developed by Double Fine and published by Electronic Arts.

Review: Ghostbusters the Game

Welcome to another review on 'Stories of Entertainment'.

Even though its been a few weeks since Halloween, I've still got a bit of the spirit in me. As such, I'd like to talk about a game that has plently of spirits...as well as ghosts, ghouls, and various apparitions. That's right; Its 'Ghostbusters' the Game!

(I ain't afraid of no ghosts!)

Possible one of the only movie tie-in games that was good, 'Ghostbusters' the Game manages to capture the spirit of the franchise while also making it something of its own character. With controls that allow you to sling your proton pack like a pro (or at least like the rookie you should be), you'll be able to take on the ghosts with the original Ghostbusters at your side. It helps that they are voiced by the original cast of the movies, even if it has been years since their last movie together. Still, this does put in the possibility of a third movie (though if I'm reading reports right, we might see Peter Venkman return as a ghost. That'll be interesting to see.)

So, does the story of the 'Ghostbusters' game manage to live up to the franchise or is it another failure like so many other movie tie-in games, like 'Iron Man' or 'Transformers'? Lets find out.

Taking place in 1991, about 2 years after 'Ghostbusters 2', the Ghostbusters hire a new recruit (your silent protagonist known just as the 'Rookie' as the newest member to test out new equipment. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler are happy to have a new recruit on the team, but Peter Venkman has his reservations, if only because the 'Rookie' might get an unfortunate accident or scared out of their wits to quit the job completely. Winston Zeddmore is on his night off at the moment, so he hasn't met the new guy as of yet. Soon, a massive PKE (Psycho Kinetic Energy) shockwave blasts through New York, with the ghosts starting to act more wilder than usually. They take a trip to the Sedgewick Hotel (location from the first movie) and encounter many more ghosts than before, including a return of the green glutton Slimer. They manage to capture several ghosts, including Slimer and a nasty Fisherman ghost. A call comes in from Winston, saying that an old friend is making a return. That's right: its the Stay Puff Marshmellow Man!

Now its out of the hotel and into the streets to tackle the return of the god Gozer (as the Stay Puff Marshmellow Man), though it appears that he's on the hunt for something or someone. The Ghostbusters do their best to keep up, but get attacked by animated gargoyles, ghostly opera singers, and creatures made out of burnt marshmellow from Gozer himself. Not your average Ghostbuster's day. They manage to find Gozer attacking a building, where they get an encounter with Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, the curator for the Museum of Natural History. They climb to the top of the building, attracting Gozer and blasting him with the proton packs to send the god falling back down and exploding in a white sticky mess. They managed to convince Dr. Selwyn to come with them just in case (with some playful flirting from Venkman to her).

They take her back to their base (or firehouse, whatever) and try to run some diagnostics on her. She explains that she has been working on a Gozer exhibit for the Museum of Natural History, with the Ghostbusters noticing that they didn't get an invite. Apparently, Peck (snobby 'dickless' guy whose gotten on the Ghostbusters' nerves several times and almost doomed the world in the first movie) did so, still thinking that they're all show and no substance. The Mayor, on the other hand, is pleased that Selwyn is safe, the Gozerian Exhibit is in working order and got publicity from Gozer's appearance in of itself. He also explains that Peck was hired to keep an eye on the Ghostbusters through the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (or P-COC) Its just to keep the city council pleased and helping them keep an eye on the Ghostbusters' activities.

The group decides to split up for their next job, with Venkman protecting Selwyn himself. Egon, Ray, Winston and the Rookie try to head to the museum themselves, but get pulled aside when a call comes in about a disturbance at the Public Library. Ray notes how it was their first assignment, involving the spectre of the 'Grey Lady'. Once at the museum, they do some investigating and discover the 'Grey Lady's origins. Apparently, she was Elanor Twitty, the chief librarian who fell in love with a collector named Edmund Hoover. Apparently, Hoover wanted a book from Twitty known as the Gozerian Codex. She said no and ended up getting murdered for it. He killed others, but vowed to return as Azetlor the Collector before he died. The group manages to find an underground section containing several rare books, among them being the Gozerian Codex. When they try to take it, they get into a fight with the 'Grey Lady', but manage to trap her. However, they also end up in the Ghost World, a dimension that can cross into ours and partially merge with it. They travel through the world, trying to get out and even fight through the spiritual form of the Collector. When they return to the real world, they notice a strange symbol, featuring 4 glowing circles. One of the circles lights off, with the group noting that something important has happened and head to the museum.

Upon arrival, several new ghosts appear and start causing havoc, including ones that can possess other people. One of the ghosts captures Selwyn in the process, with the rest of the Ghostbusters giving chase. After fighting through several exhibits, including Civil War and ancient Mesopotamian, the group learns about how the ghost their chasing is the former Chairman of New York, who was once part of a Gozerian Cult along with the architect known as Ivo Shandor, They know its the same Shandor who built the apartment 55 Central Part West from the first movie. The Ghostbusters manage to capture the Chairman and rescue Selwyn, but Peck chews them out for the damage and being drenches in slime (as he was possessed at the time and slime was needed to free him). He vows to make the Ghostbusters pay, which the group decides to take into consideration just in case things go sour. They meet back in the fire house, studying the image they found at the library, as well as the museum. Winston manages to discover that it fits with a few of the buildings in New York, specifically the museum and the library. They call it a Mandala, with the nodes that transfer the ghostly energy being the museum and the library. They also learn the location of two other nodes: the Sedgewick hotel and something smack dab in the middle of the Hudson river.

The Rookie, along with Winston, Egon and Ray, head back to the Sedgewick Hotel, now under renovations since their last trip. That hasn't stopped the ghosts from visiting and giving the Ghostbusters their money's worth. This includes an appearance from a killer chef who poisoned not only himself, but several others. However, the biggest challenge is a ghost known as the Spider Witch, a professional 'black widow' who worked during the 1920s and it is suggested that she had supernatural powers back then. The group tries to find the ghostly 13th floor, with Egon and the Rookie being the 'lucky' ones. This was honestly the scariest mission for me (could be due to partial arachnophobia) but the atmosphere and set up to the Spider Witch boss fight was very terrifying compared to past boss fights. Thankfully, the Ghostbusters manage to bust the Spider Witch and close the node in the Sedgewick Hotel.

The final node places them smack dab in the middle of the Hudson River. When they arrive at the coordinates by boat, dubbed 'Ecto-8', a massive island rises up from the sea. They soon realize that it was Shandor's personal island. Exploring the places has revealed how far ahead of time Shandor was, having massive tanks filled with black slime and what looked like a perpetual timer for some big event. The group gets split up, but the Rookie manages to bring everyone together. They figure out that the perpetual timer is the node itself, managing to shut it down. Unfortunately, this leads into a big fight with animated black slime. A few careful hits at its weakspot and the slime goes down, along with the rest of the island. The group heads back to the Ecto-8 just in time, thinking that all is well now.

When they make it back to the firehouse, they find the place trashed. They learn that Selwyn has been kidnapped and their containment unit shut down, releasing all their captured ghosts. They also learn of a massive mausoleum that popped up in Central Park, making it clear that Peck would be there to summon another powerful entity. The Ghostbusters manage to traverse Central Park, now looking more like a graveyard than a park, but end up leaving the Ecto-1 behind when it becomes in operable. They enter the mausoleum and find a tied up Selwyn AND Peck. It turns out the actual perpetrator was the Mayor possessed by the spirit of Ivo Shandor. Apparently, Shandor wasn't too pleased that Gozer was as much of a pushover as he was, losing to the Ghostbusters twice. He opts to become a god himself, calling himself Shandor the Architect. Thankfully, the team doesn't want any of that happening and, by crossing the streams, manage to blast Shandor and stop him from conquering the world. All is well now: the Mayor is back to normal, Venkman gets with Selwyn, and even Peck is rescued (reluctantly).

And that brings about an end to 'Ghostbusters the Game.' Pretty short, but still very enjoyable. Its not often you can get the actors who played the characters voice them in a video game. Personality and story is nailed and shout-outs to past Ghostbuster exploits are laid out in different parts of the game. Be on the lookout for that portrait of Vigo when you can.

Until next time...

Ghostbusters the game was produced by Atari and developed by Terminal Velocity.

Mortal Kombat: Follow Up

Welcome to another follow-up on 'Stories of Entertainment'.

Yeah, I still got Mortal Kombat on the mind and I've been thinking about what sort of plans Netherrealm Studios might have if and when they make Mortal Kombat 10 (or will it be Mortal Kombat II?). So, this is just a way to express some ideas I might have or guess at what the company would do for the next game. Of course, this won't be set in stone, things can change in the game before release, yadda yadda. This will dip back into Mortal Kombat 9 to explain a few details, so expect spoilers.

Anyway, time to get this follow-up underway. These are 'Predictions to Mortal Kombat 10'!

Want to get the characters out of the way first so that explaining the story would be a bit easier. As of right now, it looks like the only forces of good alive by the end are Raiden, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage. Shinnok and Quan Chi are expected to be the main bad guys for the next game, so that is a given. Scorpion is such a big part of the studios that he'll make a comeback as well (so will Sub-Zero in my mind, but I'll explain later). I'm thinking Reptile has a shot at coming back, especially if what I'm thinking happens will happen. Not sure about Noob Saibot making a comeback, but there is that possibility. Same with Cyrax and Sektor. I'm guessing Shang Tsung is beyond dead, but you never know with that tricky bastard. All the dead heroes will probably stay dead, though I'm not sure about it. The Tarkatans Baraka and Mileena can also make a comeback, but I'm leaving that up into the air. The Shokans Goro, Kintaro, and Sheeva are interesting, but not sure about their status at this point. There's also Kano, but then again, not sure if he'll be back again. Same with Ermac, but I enjoy the character too much just to drop him.

Lets take a look at any possible new playable characters making a re-appearance. I'm going to assume that Mortal Kombat 10 will cover Mortal Kombat 4, Deadly Alliance, and Deception (also a bit of Armaggedon thrown in). Lets get the obvious out of the way: Hsu Hao, Dhramin and Moloch are basically dead in the water and won't be back at all. If we're lucky, we might get to see them killed off first in a cutscene. Some of the other lesser liked characters (Kobra, Darrius, maybe Kira) would immediately be dropped as well. The DLC characters from the last game, Skarlett and Rain, might be back, though I wouldn't bet on anything just yet. Kenshi is very popular, so his playable status is secure. Nitara is a possibility, though need to do something about her wings in my opinion. Bringing Frost back would also be interesting. Same with Mavado. Blaze might at least get an appearance, if only because said appearance is important to the plot. Kai is pretty popular, so he'll make a comeback (and then some, if I'm guessing right). Personally, I would like Reiko to return. Jarek, however, I could care less and Fujin might just make a guest appearance as well. Tanya is pretty popular (from what I remember), so she has a good shot of coming back. Bo'Rai Cho could use a comeback, same with Li Mei. Shujinko might get his ass canned, depending if he gets a retool or not. Hotaru and Havik are sorta mortal enemies, so they both might return. Ashrah has an interesting story, so she might return as well, same with Dariou. Sareena, despite appearing in Mythologies, is also quite popular and could make an appearance (especially if my idea is right about her). Same with Tremor from Special Forces. Khameleon and Chameleon are a bit of a toss up, but I've got plans for one or the other. Now for the brothers, Taven and Daegon. Daegon has a better shot of appearing, if only because his organization (The Red Dragon) has been a part of Black Dragon history, so he might appear earlier then Taven.

Anyway, I'll compile a list of characters who would make it into the next game, as well as those who I would personally like back. It'll be close to the same number as the last game, though I won't be including any surprise entries until later in the story (that, you'll just have to wait and see):

1. Scorpion
2. Raiden
3. Johnny Cage
4. Sonya Blade
5. Quan Chi
6. Shinnok (though he'll also fill in role of shang tsung's spot in the arcade tower)
7. Kenshi
8. Sareena
9. Bo' Rai Cho
10. Li Mei
11. Reiko (i've got a plan with this guy)
12. Tanya
13. Ashrah
14. Kai
15. Noob Saibot
16. Khameleon
17. Reptile
18. Kano
19. Tremor
20. Kira (cause she has a better chance at being more developed than Kobra)
21. Cyrax
22. Sektor
23. Sub-Zero (again, plan)
24. Ermac
25. Frost
26. Mavado
27. Daegon (Unlockable, kinda like Quan Chi from MK9)

With the characters out of the way, time to talk about the story mode. If anything, it'll play out similar to the original, with each game taking up about 5 or 6 chapters of playable characters. In this case, the MK4 game would take about 5 chapters, MK:DA would take about 6, and MK:D would take about 6 as well. Lets see what we might expect in MK10.

• The beginning of the story would most likely be a recap, detailing the events that transpired in MK9 to anyone who may've not bothered to play it at all (shame on you). Raiden will be explaining the events, wondering if his changes were all worth it in the end. He'll get a visit from fellow God Fujin, talking about how his latest vision is of Shinnok's return.
• They both realize that Shinnok wouldn't just threaten Earthrealm, but all the realms if ever let free. He decides to go on a recruitment drive of sorts. He would need to find worthy warriors to help defend against Shinnok's destruction.
• Start of MK4-ish Story Mode
• At this point in time, Earthrealm is still in a cleanup mode from Shao Kahn's invasion. Johnny Cage is, of course, working to fight any remaining soldiers that are left behind. To his surprise, he comes across a disgruntled Ermac. Johnny Cage manages to beat him, though discovers that without Shao Kahn's control, Ermac is just wandering around aimlessly without a clue of what to do. Johnny Cage, in a show of kindness and intelligence, decides to take Ermac to Sonya Blade and Raiden, believing that he might be of some use.
• Cage meets up with Sonya and Raiden at the Outer World Investigation Agency (something that is still in the making) discussing what to do with Ermac. Raiden explains that Ermac could be a potential boon if they could free him from whatever hold Shao Kahn has over him. Raiden then advises to seek out a potential ally known as Kai, who Raiden would describe as 'on par with Liu Kang'. Johnny Cage decides to be the one to bring him in.
• Johnny manages to locate Kai at the Shaolin Monastery, which is under attack by the robotic Lin Kuei. He manages to fight off Sektor before finding Kai in a fight against Cyrax. Johnny Cage jumps in to help Kai and manages to knock out Cyrax. Most of the Lin Kuei flee, though Cyrax remains unconscious. Johnny Cage tries to coerce Kai to help, though Kai himself is reluctant due to his normally pacifistic nature. Raiden appears and appeals to Kai through Liu Kang's death, saying that Kai is the only one capable of succeeding Liu Kang. Spurned by the knowledge of his friend's death, Kai agrees to help. Raiden is pleased, then states that the unconscious Cyrax might be of use as another ally for Shinnok's return. He believes that they will need many allies in order to combat Shinnok's army.
• Back in Outworld, Bo'Rai Cho and his newest apprentice, Li Mei, investigate the empty palace of Shao Kahn. Since the emperor's death, most of the races that serve under him have split back into their own groups, with Tarkatans and Shokans going at it by themselves. The are now wondering what is Shao Kahn's palace now used for. To their surprise, they come across Reptile, looking more human than before and even able to speak complete sentences. Li Mei steps in to fight him and manages to succeed, though the arrival of Khameleon surprises her. Li Mei beats her as well, but is stopped by Bo' Rai Cho before she could finish them. Bo' Rai Cho asks why they are in Shao Kahn's palace to begin with. Khameleon replies that they are working on restoring their race, the Saurians, back. When Bo'Rai Cho asks how they'll accomplish this, they get a surprise appearance from Reiko, who declares himself the new Emperor of Outworld.
• Li Mei tries to fight Reiko, but Bo'Rai Cho stops her once more. Reiko explains that he is working on unifying the Outworld races once more. Bo'Rai Cho doesn't like the sound of it, though knows that he can't do much about it at this point. Reiko tries to coerce the two to join in, but get interrupted by the appearance of Tanya, who Reiko refers to as his aid. Tanya explains that she has found a Cryomancer named Frost. Bo'Rai Cho and Li Mei leave to try and get Frost on their side before Reiko could. When Tanya asks to pursue, Reiko refuses, believing that Frost is after power and power alone, so an alliance with her seems more likely.
• Bo'Rai Cho and Li Mei manage to track down Frost at an old Cryomancer temple. Frost attacks them, thinking them to be enemies, but Li Mei manages to beat her by herself. Bo' Rai Cho is a bit surprised to find another Cryomancer, believing them to have died off centuries ago. When they go to try and help Frost back up, Scorpion makes a surprise appearance. He declares that he will kill Frost, believing her to be Sub-Zero's sister. Li Mei manages to fight him off, with Bo'Rai Cho questioning why Scorpion believes Frost is Sub-Zero's sister. Scorpion says that Quan Chi gave him the orders before disappearing. Bo'Rai Cho wonders what Quan Chi's plans, while telling Li Mei to bring Frost with them. 
• Back on Earthrealm, we cut to Kano trying to recover what profit he could from the invasion. While doing so, he gets blindsided by Tremor, who wants to exact revenge against Kano for double-crossing him. Kano manages to back himself up and defeat Tremor, forcing the ninja to swear loyalty to the Black Dragon once more. Tremor wonders what Kano is up to now, with Kano explaining he's looking to find another Black Dragon member named Kobra. When they do come across him, they find him dead at the hands of an unknown assailant. Before they could elaborate who did it, they get blindsided by Kira, who sneaks up on them and tries to kill Kano. He manages to beat her, demanding to know why she killed Kobra. Kira retorts that she found Kobra like this and that other Black Dragons are being killed as well. She joins Kano and Tremor, saying that she aims to get back at whoever it is, saying that the assailant destroyed a lot of black market supplies. Kano is reluctant, but agrees to the offer.
• The trio manages to find the assailant, Hsu Hao, trying to contact with his leader. Kira notes that he like he works for the Outer World Investigation Agency, but finds it odd he is tracking down Black Dragons to kill them. Kano won't have any of it, noting that Hsu Hao's cybernetics are similar to his and decides just to flat out kill the bastard. Kano manages to sneak up on Hsu Hao and barely take him down without effort, just plunging one of his daggers into Hsu Hao's mechanical chest piece. Before dying, Hsu Hao remarks how the 'Red Dragon' will have their revenge. Kano doesn't quite understand it at first, but gets interrupted by a surprise attack by Mavado. The two fight, but Kano manages to hold his own until Mavado retreats. Before Kano can give chase, he gets a surprise appearance from Raiden and Sonya Blade. They explain that they require Kano's help to stop Shinnok, but Kano blows them off. Sonya tries to fight him, but ends up losing. Raiden recovers Sonya and tries to coerce Kano, but doesn't end up getting the guy to help them. Raiden leaves with Sonya, while Kano regroups with Tremor and Kira, noting that they didn't 'jump into help' while he was fighting. They replied that they knew Kano was up to the task, but goes about as well as expected. For now, Kano takes them off to try and make a profit somehow to rebuild the Black Dragon, as well as try to figure out what the Red Dragon want with them.
• Back at the main Outer World Investigation Agency base, Sonya asks Raiden why he tries to ask for Kano's help, even though they know he is clearly in it for himself. Raiden explains that they would need a lot of help to try and save Earthrealm, even if it means recruiting their most hated enemies. They manage to get a call from Kenshi, one of their agents in Outworld. He  explains that he is still searching for Shang Tsung (though it could be possible that Kabal told the others about how Shang Tsung was transferred into Sindel, but I could be wrong) and has come across the Emperor's palace himself. As he tries to enter, he fights off Tanya when she tries to prevent him from entering. Kenshi finds himself in the Flesh Pits, noticing a large clutch of Saurian eggs. As he tries to examine them, he gets blindsided by Reptile and Khameleon, fighting them both off surprisingly well. After the fight, they explain that they must protect their young before they hatch. Kenshi seems to reconcile at first, but Reiko appears to see Kenshi himself. The blind swordsman recalls Reiko, having fought him before. Kenshi manages to triumph, but Reiko reveals to be holding back and just wanting Kenshi out of his hair at the moment. He opens a portal back to Earthrealm and tosses Kenshi into it before it closes.
• Kenshi finds himself at the OWIA's main base, meeting up with Raiden and Sonya. He asks what happened to Johnny Cage, with Raiden explaining that he is with the newest recruit Kai, finding energy that bears resemblance to the Netherrealm. Before they could elaborate any further, Emrac awakens in the base and ends up fighting Kenshi. Kenshi manages to defeat Ermac, though Kenshi realizes that Ermac is only acting under the orders of the Shao Kahn and frees him from that control. With his new freedom, Ermac joins the OWIA to pay them back for aiding him. Raiden is pleased by the turn of events and hopes that Cage and Kai are just as fortunate.
• Switching over to Cage and Kai, who have managed to find the source of the energy. They manage to find Mavado and Nitara, discussing how Mavado would need to pull double duty in searching for Black Dragon members to kill and working with the Netherrealm. Cage and Kai interrupt the meeting, with Cage fighting Mavado and Kai fighting Nitara. Kai wonders about Nitara, as she does not have the same kind of aura a demon of the Netherrealm would have. Before he could elaborate any further, Mavado manages to defeat Cage and starts to fight Kai. However, Kai manages to triumph. He goes to help his friend, but gets interrupted by the arrival of Scorpion and Noob Saibot, the latter having survived his dissipation in the Soulnado. Their arrivals heralds Quan Chi, who tells Kai that Shinnok's return is nigh and that death is inevitable. Kai refuses to bow down, prompting Quan Chi to sick Scorpion and Noob on him. Kai overcomes both spectres, but the resulting fight tires him out. 
• Quan Chi reveals how he figured Kai would tire himself out and summons the deceased souls of several Earthrealmers, including Liu Kang. The shock gets to Kai, but before he and Cage could be killed, Raiden appears and teleports Kai and Cage away from Quan Chi and his forces. They meat back at the OWIA, with Sonya and Kenshi working on trying to free Cyrax from Lin Kuei control. Sonya remarks that her mechanical skills were no match to Jax's, though the result ends up causing Cyrax to go berzerk. The cyborg turns his sights on Kai, seeing himself in Kai and believing him to be the enemy. Kai manages to knock Cyrax out and free him from his delusions. Cyrax thanks him, though Kai wishes it would be this easy to help the undead Earthrealmers. Raiden remarks at a possiblity to ressurecting their friends, but get interrupted by Ermac, who reveals that Shinnok has arrived to Earthrealm. Kai resolves to fight Shinnok himself, to free his friend Liu Kang.
• Shinnok arrives to Earthrealm, just as Ermac said, with Quan Chi preparing the undead army for the fallen God. Raiden, along with Kai, Cage, Sonya, Kenshi, Ermac, and Cyrax appear and fight the undead. Kai manages to push himself through and reach Quan Chi. He defeats the sorcerer before approaching Shinnok. The fallen God boasts that Kai cannot stand up to him, but Kai shakes off the self doubt and fights Shinnok. To Raiden's surprise, he manages to injure the fallen God, forcing Shinnok to retreat with his army following suit. Cage remarks that they saved Earthrealm, but Raiden notes how easy it was and that this attack was just to test us. However, he notes that Kai's fight with Shinnok revealed that the fallen God hasn't recovered as quickly as he planned and that they may have a chance at victory.
• Back in the Netherrealm, Shinnok scolds Quan Chi for not eliminating several of the Earthrealm heroes sooner, though the sorcerer defends himself by saying that he was focusing on coercing Shao Kahn at the time. Shinnok does not care, saying how they were supposed to steamroll through Earthrealm and Outworld with ease, and yet they are compiling forces against them. He does say it is fortunate that a partnership as been reached with the Red Dragon. Soon, Mavado appears with his leader, Daegon, who thanks the fallen God for the audience. Quan Chi remarks how the forces of Earthrealm and Outworld will fall to this 'Deadly Alliance'.

(So ends the MK4-style portion of MK10)

• Quan Chi gets approached by Noob Saibot, who explains that the demoness Sareena has escaped the Netherrealm. He explains that they were killed by a strange weapon with a holy aura. Quan Chi decides to investigate the attack to see who helped free Sareena, while Noob Saibot decides to send goes to seek out Sareena, accompanied by some of Quan Chi's undead Earthrealm warriors, including Cyber Sub-Zero. Meanwhile, Bo'Rai Cho tries to make the newly awakened Frost to train with Li Mei, but the female cryomancer is reluctant to admit her weakness to Li Mei. Before they could continue, a portal from the Netherrealm opens, with Sareena stumbling out of it. Frost takes the opportunity to prove herself, but despite the advantage, loses to Sareena. Li Mei steps in to try and show her up, but meets a similar fate. Rather than jump in full-heartedly, Bo' Rai Cho decides to ask what brought Sareena to Outworld. She, however, is more amazed at how she still has her human form, noting that she lost it to Shinnok many years ago. Bo'Rai Cho puts together that she is a demon who left the Brotherhood of Shadows, a group that worships Shinnok. Sareena agrees with Bo'Rai Cho's statement, but asks if he knows of someone named Sub-Zero. 
• Before Bo'Rai Cho can answer, Reiko appears on the scene with Tanya, welcoming Sareena to Outworld. Sareena recognizes Reiko, calling him out to be a former member of the Brotherhood of Shadows. Reiko doesn't deny it and states that its best to put some details to rest. He gets interrupted by Noob Saibot and the undead Earthrealm warriors. They assault the forces of Outworld, with Noob Saibot personally going for Sareena, mocking her inability to free herself on her own or help Sub-Zero before his death. Sareena manages to beat Noob, but before she could kill him, the undead Cyber Sub-Zero intervenes. Sareena is shocked when she believes that the undead cyber ninja is the original Sub-Zero (Bi-Han). She quickly knocks out Cyber Sub-Zero, with Noob Saibot ordering a retreat. While most of the undead warriors escape, Reiko, in a show of foresight, prevents Cyber Sub-Zero from leaving and seals his soul in a gemstone for later use. Sareena demands Sub-Zero's soul, but Reiko offers a trade instead. If she swears loyalty to him as the Emperor, Reiko will help bring Sub-Zero back to life, as well as in human form. Bo'Rai Cho advises against it, but Sareena takes up the opportunity. Reiko is pleased, opening a portal to Earthrealm and advising her to seek out the Black Dragon, a criminal organization that has worked with the former Emperor in the past. When Sareena leaves, Reiko tries to offer the same to Frost, but Bo'Rai Cho steps in to prevent Reiko from getting his hands on Frost. The Emperor and Tanya leave the trio to themselves, wanting no quarrel with them at the moment.
• On Earthrealm, Kano is trying to get Tremor and Kira to find suitable work, but the two don't seem to agree with Kano at the moment. Soon, a portal opens that reveals Sareena. Tremor and Kira decide to take out some frustrations on Sareena, but both end up getting defeated. Kano decides to ask what Sareena's business is, with the demoness replying that the new Outworld Emperor, Reiko, extends an offer to serve him, with ample payment in mind. Kano decides to take up the offer, seeing it as a way to get the Black Dragon up and running again. Soon, a projection of Reiko appears, congratulating Sareena for her service. He gives information to where they could find Cyber Sub-Zero's body: at the Lin Kuei's main temple. Sareena asks how he knows this, with Reiko replying that Sub-Zero's soul helped connect to his original body. Reiko orders Kano and his crew to help Sareena invade the temple, allowing any other treasure present to be in their possession. Kano heartily agrees.
• Back with the Earthrealm warriors, Cyrax explains to Raiden that Sektor and most of the Lin Kuei are far too lost in the cybernetics or far too corrupt to ask for help, preferring to just kill them all instead. Raiden refuses, believing that the Lin Kuei could still be of assistance. Ermac agrees with Cyrax, suggesting that the two of them go to take the fight to the Lin Kuei. Raiden is reluctant, though a recent vision of an alive Sub-Zero leading the Lin Kuei as a force for good appears. He says that with Sub-Zero dead, the Lin Kuei are destined for destruction and allow the pair to take down the Lin Kuei now. The Thunder God teleports the two close to the temple, but discovers it to already be undersiege. Cyrax and Ermac rush in to see Sektor being defeated by Tremor and Kira, with Kano and Sareena venturing further in. Cyrax and Ermac engage the pair, managing to overcome them after a bit of fighting. The two try to follow Kano and Sareena, but Sektor awakens and blindsides Ermac. Cyrax manages to beat Sektor down and declares that the Lin Kuei is now dead. With Ermac recovering the two try to keep up with Kano and Sareena.
• Soon, Kano and Sareena find Cyber Sub-Zero's body in lab, being operated on to try and bring the body back. Sareena is horrified to see Sub-Zero's body treated in such a way, but Kano walks it off and decides to scrounge around to pick up any useful stuff. Cyrax and Ermac arrive on the scene quickly, but Sareena manages to open a portal to the Netherrealm and forcing the pair into it before it closes. When they arrive in the Netherrealm, Ermac is feeling particularly drained by the energies of the Realm. They are soon attacked by Scorpion, but Cyrax manages to fight him off to protect Ermac. The two realize that they must leave the Netherrealm before their presence becomes known to Shinnok. The two find a portal, but see that Nitara, a vampire, appears to guard it. Cyrax manages to hold her off while Ermac jumps through the portal first. Cyrax quickly follows soon after, with the two reaching a city in Earthrealm. Cyrax radios to the Earthrealm heroes for extracting, explaining how the Black Dragon destroyed the Lin Kuei, captured Cyber Sub-Zero's body and teleported them to the Netherrealm. On the other end, Sonya is surprised that Kano would go to all the trouble of getting Sub-Zero's cybernetic body. Raiden is unsure himself, but is worried that the body would be put to terrible use.
• Back in the Flesh pits of Outworld, Sub-Zero's body (with most of the cybernetics removed from the body) is inserted into a tank to keep the body stable. Sareena tells Reiko that she has uphold her end of the bargain and demands Reiko to keep is side. Reiko replies that he hasn't forgotten, but the damage to Sub-Zero's body was extensive and that they require the help of a Cryomancer. He explains how Shao Kahn wiped most of them out during the early period of his reign, though half-breeds still exist that would serve as a viable replacement. Hence, he needs Frost in order to bring Sub-Zero back fully.
• Back with Bo'Rai Cho, Frost and Li Mei continue butting heads with one another, with Frost saying that she is far too powerful to need their training. Li Mei rebuttals how that doesn't reflect her recent losses. Bo'Rai Cho tries to keep them calmed down, but Frost doesn't want any of his and fights Li Mei. She is victorious, leaving the pair while stating that she doesn't need their training anymore. Bo'Rai Cho comforts Li Mei, saying that Frost maybe beyond their hope, but it is clear that she is after something else in Outworld. Bo'Rai Cho orders Li Mei to stay where she is and rest up while he goes after Frost.
• Frost makes it back to the old Cryomancer temple in Outworld, stating that her past should be in here. She starts trekking through the ruins see what she could find, coming across various Cryomancer relices, including a great suit of armor. Before she can claim it as her own, she is confronted by Bo'Rai Cho, guessing that she is looking for a relic that was once part of the Cryomancers.  Frost is a bit surprised at the show of intuition, but doesn't reveal how she knows about Cryomancers and instead fights him. She wins (though Bo'Rai Cho appeared to be holding back), but gets knocked out in a surprise attack by Sareena, Kira, and Tremor. The trio decide to take Frost and any of the Cryomancer relics with them, leaving Bo'Rai Cho to recover by himself. Back at the Emperor's Palace, Kano argues with Reiko for sending his Black Dragon out without his say-so. Reiko replies how Reptile and Khameleon must tend to their young, with the two Saurians agreeing completely. Before it is taken any further, Sareena interrupts them when she brings in Frost. As she awakens, she tries to attack, fighting and knocking out Kano. Reiko manages to restrain her with his magic, noting that she was seeking the power of the ancient Cryomancers. He offers her assistance in this power if she serves him. She accepts, though believes that she would be able to handle Reiko on her own. He takes her to the Flesh Pits, with Sareena, Reptile, and Khameleon following close by. When they approach Sub-Zero's tank, Reiko draws upon some of Frost's Cryomaner blood and infuses it into Sub-Zero, causing the tank to freeze and be covered in ice. Reiko remarks how it will still take time for Sub-Zero to be fully alive, and orders Frost to go to the lost tomb of the dragon king. When asked, he responds that he has sense Netherrealm energy there and it needs to be taken care of.
• Frost, along with Tremor and Kira, head to the Dragon King's Tomb, hiding in the shadows and seeing countless soldiers of the Dragon King's army deceased and standing around. They see Quan Chi with Daegon and Mavado checking over the site, trying to find something. Not wanting to stay in the shadows anymore, Frost steps out and confronts the trio herself. Mavado tries to stop her, but she manages to defeat him handily. As she gloats, she is blindsided by Daegon, who decides to intervene to give Quan Chi time to examine the ruins. Tremor and kira decide to stop in, knowing that the pair would cause a lot of trouble for them if they succeed  Tremor manages to beat Daegon down, with Kira doing the same to Quan Chi. When Frost regains consciousness, she is angry that she was blindsided again. Kira sends a message back to Kano and Reiko, telling them that they managed to stop Quan Chi. Reiko immediately orders them to recover Quan Chi's amulet, saying that its power would benefit them all. 
• The group returns back to the Flesh Pits, with Frost asking what is so important about the stolen amulet. Kira suggests that it must be a powerful tool if Reiko wants his hands on it. Tremor agrees, then fights both Frost and Kira for control of the amulet. When he defeats them, he comments how he'll no longer need to fight for Kano anymore. Speak of the devil, Kano appears himself, saying that Tremor was nothing before Kano found him. Tremor retorts by simply beating the crap out of him. Before he can kill Kano, Tremor is interrupted by Reiko, Reptile and Khameleon. Reiko demands the amulet, with Tremor not giving into his demands. Reptile tries to take it by force himself, but gets defeated just the same. Tremor gloats a bit at how he could easily defeat Reiko now, but Sareena manages to sneak up and snatch the amulet away from him, knocking him aside rather easily. Sareena, with amulet in hand, demands the gem storing Sub-Zero's soul, saying that she will finish his resurrection herself. Reiko obliges, tossing the gem to Sareena. Using the power of the amulet, she fuses Sub-Zero's soul back into his body, the tank storing his body shatters due to the powerful magic used. 
• Walking out of the tube is a revived Sub-Zero, alive and returned to a human state. However, the change from undead to living was difficulty, rendering Sub-Zero unconscious from his efforts. Sareena goes to comfort Sub-Zero, while Reiko retrieves the amulet. Sareena goes to take care of him, while Reiko takes the time to examine the amulet itself. Khameleon and Reptile go to tending the eggs in the Flesh Pits, mentioning how they will be hatching soon.
• In another part of the palace, Sareena is waiting outside a room, actually talking to Sub-Zero (who has regained consciousness at this point) while he changes into some better clothing. She is explained how he is not the same Sub-Zero who helped her before, but his younger brother, the original became Noob Saibot, and how he died trying to save Earthrealm in his cyborg body. Sareena is surprised at how well he is taking this, though he responds that he has a lot to make up for his actions as a mindless cyborg of the Lin Kuei and as an undead slave to Quan Chi. When he comes out, he has donned the Cryomancer armor that was found, asking how they managed to find something that could fit him. Sareena is unsure of it herself, but remembers something important and pulls out a medallion with a dragon on it. Sub-Zero recognizes it as the Dragon Medallion, only given to the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei and capable of increasing one's powers immensely. Frost quickly arrives on the scene, demanding the medallion. Sub-Zero manages to fight and beat her, infuriating Frost to no end. Sub-Zero says that if she learned humility, then she wouldn't lose as much as she had. Frost, to Sub-Zero's and Sareena's surprise, agrees with him and asks to be his pupil. Sub-Zero isn't sure about it, focusing on confronting Reiko about Sareena's servitude. He takes the Dragon Medallion himself and goes to confront Reiko himself.
• Meanwhile, Reiko is discussing with Tanya, who is explaining that a large dragon egg has been discovered in Outworld. Before it could be elaborated any further, Sub-Zero appears and demands Sareena's freedom, but Tanya intervenes on Reiko's behalf. However, she ends up falling short and Sub-Zero is victorious. After the fight, Reiko explains that Sareena became his when she needed help reviving Sub-Zero. So long as Reiko was Emperor of Outworld, Sareena was his. Sub-Zero tries to fight Reiko, but Reiko manages to open a portal to Earthrealm and transports the icy ninja there himself. The Emperor mumbles about how this egg interests him so greatly.
• Sub-Zero finds himself back in Earthrealm, unsure of what to do now since he cannot return to Outworld by himself. He is soon met by Cyrax and Ermac, though not realizing that they have switched sides. He fights both of them and manages to be victorious. Before he left, Raiden teleports in with Sonya Blade, Kai, Kenshi and Johnny Cage. Sonya and Cage recognize Sub-Zero, amazed that he is alive. Sub-Zero explains how Reiko had a hand in reviving him, prompting Raiden to ask what has been happening in Outworld. Sub-Zero recalls some bits of information he heard, about a tomb of a dragon king. Raiden immediately sees a vision of heroes fighting- and failing- to stop the Dragon King's army. Raiden explains how death would only lead to them fighting, though realizes that they require help from Outworld in order to succeed. Raiden mentions how Earthrealm is safe, for the moment, and that they all must go to Outworld to prevent the army from rising.
• When the Earthrealm warrios arrive in Outworld, Raiden advises to seek out Bo'Rai Cho, the master who helped train Liu Kang. Sonya hands out some communicators to keep in contact with one another, before the group separates. However, Sub-Zero gets attacked by Scorpion rather quickly, with the spectre angered that Sub-Zero is alive once again. Sub-Zero manages to fight off Scorpion, saying that he will pay for killing his brother. Scorpion retorts how it was his brother that ended Scorpion's clan, as well as mentioning how Frost is his sister. Sub-Zero denies both accusations, saying whoever told Scorpion this is lying. Scorpion is far too infuriated to comprehend what Sub-Zero is saying and flees back to the Netherrealm. Sub-Zero thinks that this is the work of Quan Chi, remembering him as Scorpion's handler and the one that helped lead his brother to his death. To Sub-Zero's surprise, he is founded by Frost, who managed to find Sub-Zero with the help of Reptile and Khameleon. She offers to be his pupil once more, which Sub-Zero reluctantly agrees to. He soon gets a message from Sonya Blade, saying how she managed to find Bo'Rai Cho. 
• Sonya manages to meet with Bo'Rai Cho and Li Mei, explaining how they came to prevent the Dragon King's army from rising. Raiden quickly appears before Sonya could go any further, requesting to speak with Bo'Rai Cho in private. The old master agrees, asking Sonya if she can spar with Li Mei while they talk. Sonya agrees and starts her fight with Li Mei. In private, Raiden talks about his visions and how Shinnok may be trying to raise the army himself. Bo'Rai Cho mentions that possiblilty, but states how not much of Outworld will side in helping the Thunder God. Raiden realizes that they would need the help of Emperor Reiko. The two head back to Sonya and Li Mei, talking about how they require the Emperor's help. Sonya asks if it is such a wise idea, with Raiden mentioning how if the dragon army is raised, Reiko will most likely be the first target.
• Raiden arrives in the Emperor's Palace with Sonya, Li Mei, and Bo'Rai Cho in tow. Raiden leaves to gather the other heroes to prepare for the assault. As Raiden leaves, Kano appears, surprised to find Sonya in Outworld again. Remembering what he did last time, Sonya attacks Kano and defeats them soundly. Before she could kill him, Sonya gets interrupted by Reiko, with Tanya, Reptile, and Khameleon in tow. Raiden appears as well, with the rest of the Earthrealm warriors in tow. Reiko figures that this is for an allegiance against Shinnok, with Raiden confirms. Reiko decides to help, if only to keep his position as Emperor. He suggests a two-pronged attack, with both forces mixed of Earthrealm and Outworld fighters. Raiden asks how Reiko expected to supply is half, with Khameleon and Reptile confirming that the Saurian eggs have hatched and, with Reiko's magic, have matured enough to help fight against Shinnok. Reiko explains how a few are left behind just in case, while the rest of them take care of Shinnok. Raiden agrees on the plan.
• Back at the Tomb of the Dragon King, Shinnok, Daegon, and Quan Chi go over how they'll start infusing the souls of the dead to the Dragon King's army, allowing them to serve the Fallen God instead. Using his power, Shinnok works on creating a Soulnado to use for the process. Daegon wonders when they can expect a retaliation from Raiden and Reiko, with Shinnok replying that it will happen soon. Sure enough, the combined forces of Earthrealm and Outworld descend on the tomb. Quan Chi and Daegon ready their force of undead, demons, and Red Dragon warriors to fight as well.  With Raiden and Reiko leading the charge, the two forces clash with one another. During the fighting  Sonya watches as Tanya goes in to kill Reiko from behind, but Sonya manages to stop her. Sonya realizes that Sonya has been working with Shinnok from the start. Tanya doesn't deny it, but it doesn't help her beat Sonya. After beating Tanya, Sonya is surprised when Kano saves her skin, saying she 'owes her one'. Sonya tosses him aside when Mavado approaches, reading to kill Kano. Sonya beats back the Red Dragon, saying how she and Kano 'are even now.' 
• Meanwhile, both Reiko and Raiden manage to confront Shinnok, saying how he'll pay for threatening their respective realms. Shinnok states how this has been, for the most part, a ruse. He explains how he is waiting for the return of a being that will ensure Raiden's and Reiko's death. Soon, a mighty roar rings in the tomb, with the fighting stopped. Raiden receives another vision, realizing something terrible: Onaga, the Dragon King, as returned. Shinnok teleports away, along with Daegon and Quan Chi, while the rest of their forces disperse. Raiden orders a full retreat, saying that Onaga is far too powerful to beat at the moment. Most of the Earthrealm and Outworld warriors escape, with Raiden and Reiko following in quick suit. 

(...and that should cover the MK: DA period)

• Back at the Emperor's palace, the group discusses what Onaga will do now that he has returned. Raiden states how the Dragon King will try and take back the throne of Outworld. Reiko is more interested in how the Dragon King returned, with Reptile and Khameleon getting reports from one of their Saurian siblings. Apparently, a few were sent to retrieve the dragon egg discovered in Outworld. When it opened, the egg's energies enveloped one of the Saurian and turned them into Onaga. Reiko orders Raiden and his warriors to leave the palace. Raiden tries to talk him out of breaking the alliance, but Reiko instead fights Raiden off. Only after the battle does Raiden comply and the Earthrealm warriors depart. Kano tries to make a split with the Black Dragon as well, only to be met by Reiko himself. Kano mentions how he doesn't want to bother with Reiko's lunacy, which prompts a swift beatdown from Reiko. The Black Dragon quickly depart back to Earthrealm, leaving Reiko with just Reptile and Khameleon. The two Saurians try to calm down their Emperor down, but Reiko simply beats them away as well. When Reptile tries to calm Reiko down, he gets punched in the guts for his efforts. However, Reptile realizes Reiko has given him the amulet and he leaves with Khameleon in tow. 
• Now, Reiko waits as Onaga comes beating down the door and approaches Reiko. Onaga tells how he has heard of Shao Kahn's death and would give Reiko reprieve if he surrenders. Reiko doesn't agree and states he'll die as Emperor before becoming another's slave. He puts up a fight, but loses to Onaga in the end. The Dragon King kills him and resumes his throne as Emperor of Outworld. Shinnok, Quan Chi, and Daegon appear and grant an alliance with the Dragon King, to which he accepts, thanking them for reviving him and preparing his army. 
• Back with the Earthrealm warriors, the group tries to plan out their next move, with Raiden receiving another vision, this time of Scorpion conquering Onaga. Raiden understands that Onaga can be stopped, but they would need help. Reptile and Khameleon appear, offering the amulet to the Thunder God as a token of allegiance. Raiden thanks them for ensuring that such a power doesn't fall into Onaga's hands. He explains how Scorpion might be a possibility for defeating Onaga, but will need to prepare others just to be sure. Bo' Rai Cho suggests an impromtu tournament, selecting the strongest out the ones willing to face Onaga head on. Most agree, though Sub-Zero, Sareena, Frost, Reptile, and Khameleon stay out of it to prepare their own groups.
• As the tournament plays out, Bo'Rai Cho talks to Raiden and asks if Scorpion is the true victor here. Raiden seems positive, as his visions showed how Liu Kang was meant to win against Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn the first time around, but he lost Kung Lao in the process. Now, he is hoping that whoever wins will be willing to die to protect the realms. The tournament plays out with Ermac winning, having bested Li Mei, Kenshi, and Kai. Raiden explains to Ermac how death is a likely outcome for his fight against Onaga, to which Ermac understands and will still fight the Dragon King regardless.
• As most of the Earthrealm warriors rest for a night, Ermac stands watch for a bit until being approached by Reptile. A short conversation between the two shows how Reptile feels like he switches from one master to another, though Ermac responds how they no longer need to follow anything but their own judgement, being masters of their own fate. Soon, the two are attacked by Nitara, who goes after Reptile for revenge against his race. Ermac steps back in and fights of Nitara, noting how he isn't as weak as he was back when they met in the Netherrealm. Nitara flies off, going to the Emperor's Palace, while Reptile and Ermac warn the others.
• Nitara returns to the Palace and warns Onaga about his enemies regrouping. Onaga applauds Nitara for her loyalty, while Daegon and Quan Chi seem unimpressed. Nitara gets confronted by Shinnok, who also applauds her, but says that they need the amulet back from the Earthrealm warriors in order to help revive Nitara return her realm to existence. Nitara agrees and leaves, with Quan Chi asking if Shinnok intends to keep his word. Shinnok doesn't, planning to use her till she isn't needed anymore. However, Nitara has actually been in hiding and heard of Shinnok's plan. She intends to bring her people back her own way. But first, she needs to disrupt Shinnok's plans.
• Nitara tries to track down the spectre Scorpion in the Netherrealm, but runs into Noob Saibot first. He tries to stop her, but the vampiress manages to beat him before flying off again. She manages to find Scorpion and claims she has information regarding the true murderer of his clan. Scorpion doesn't listen and tries to fight Nitara, but looses. She says that the memories of his clan are confusing him and he could possibly find peace if she helps her. In return, she will endow him with her knowledge. Scorpion agrees, albeit for a temporary alliance.
• They return to Outworld, with Nitara pointing out the location of an orb that she requires. Before he does so, Daegon appears on the scene and questions their motives. Nitara decides to run interference and let Scorpion get the orb while she handles Daegon. She manages to win and Scorpion holds up his end of the bargain, bringing Nitara the orb that she desires. She thanks him for his work and tells him of his real clan's killer: Quan Chi. When Scorpion doesn't believe her, she asks who else would benefit from an undead warrior. She flies off after indulging Scorpion, thanking him once more and telling him he knows what he should do now.
• Back with the Earthrealm warriors, Raiden talks with Ermac and Reptile about Nitara's appearance. Sure enough, she arrives to great the trio. However, Sonya Blade and Li Mei appear to try and fight her, but Nitara manages to hold her own. She tells Raiden that Onaga would soon face his death at Shinnok's hand, with Shinnok being able to take the Dragon King's powers for himself. She says that it wasn't the only deception at work, with Scorpion being deceived by Quan Chi. Before Raiden asks any questions, Nitara smashes the orb she found and disappeared before the Thunder God's eyes. This worries Raiden, as he believes that Scorpion is acting on his own now. This might guarantee Quan Chi's death, but not Onaga's or Shinnok's. Raiden plans for the group to attack the palace immediately  fighting through any forces Shinnok and Onaga might throw at them.
• The heroes launch the assault, attacking the demons, undead warriors, and Red Dragon fighters that guard the palace. Raiden manages to beat several Earthrealm undead himself, though they try to wear down his confidence. However, Raiden tries to sense for Shinnok's presence in Outworld, but can't find it. He leaves for the Netherrealm, finding Shinnok and confronting the fallen Elder God. Raiden realizes that Shinnok is letting Onaga being defeated, letting the warriors tire themselves out before jumping in and claiming the Heart of Onaga himself. He also tries to figure out why Shinnok is doing all of this, before Shinnok says that he has 'seen the future' and that it will be his. Raiden realizes that he sent a message to the past like himself, allowing him to change the timeline to suit his needs. Raiden fights Shinnok, but cannot overcome Shinnok's amulet. He reveals how this is the genuine article, while a weaker one was in the Earthrealmer's possession. Raiden manages to take the amulet from Shinnok during the fallen Elder God's gloating, then fuse him to the Netherrealm, preventing him from escaping again.
• Back in Outworld, the Dragon King is furious at the assault by the Earthrealm warriors and goes to confront them himself. Quan Chi and Daegon decide to watch themselves, but Scorpion arrives claiming to take Quan Chi's head for killing his clan. Quan Chi tries to defend himself, but Noob Saibot steps in to fight Scorpion himself. He reveals himself as the original Sub-Zero, the one Scorpion himself killed, but ends up being killed once more. Daegon gets swept up into the fighting by Quan Chi and gets defeated by Scorpion as well. Scorpion chases down Quan Chi, demanding the sorcerer to beg before his death. Quan Chi refuses, but it doesn't stop Scorpion from killing him. Raiden soon appears, seeing Scorpion over a dead Quan Chi. Scorpion laments how he finally has his revenge, but it wouldn't bring back his family. Raiden offers to help, saying that killing Onaga would benefit him, since the Dragon King has the power to bring the dead back to life. Scorpion agrees without hesitation. 
• However, the Earthrealm fighters aren't fairing any better, with most of them being defeated as is. Scorpion appears on the scene to give it a shot himself. He manages to overcome the Dragon King, but Onaga rises once more, stating he is invincible. However, he starts keeling over in pain, mentioning how the Kamigodu have been destroyed. Scorpion takes the opportunity to kill the Dragon King then and now, tearing off his head. Raiden appears and removes the heart of Onaga, using its power to revive many of the fallen dead, especially fallen Earthrealm and Outworld fighters. Several reunions take place an Raiden is pleased that everything is at peace. One of the Earthrealm warriors mentions how it was smart of Raiden to destroy the Kamidogu, but Raiden denies it, saying he never knew about the Kamidogu. Raiden feels the presence of an individual off in the distance and watches them leave, believing them to be the one who helped the Thunder God.
• Afterwards, the newly-revived Queen Sindel proclaims Edenia to be free of Outworld, with Bo'Rai Cho being chosen as Outworld's new leader (he refuses to take the title of 'Emperor' though). The fighters part ways, with Sindel taking Jade, Kitana, and Liu Kang (who wanted to be with Kitana) to Edenia. Bo'Rai Cho has Li Mei, Ermac, Reptile, and Khameleon, along with the Saurians, to try and reunite the Outworld races once more. The rest of the heroes return to Earthrealm, with Jax and Sonya rebuilding the Special Forces with themselves, Stryker, Kabal, Kenshi, and Cyrax (who decides to let Sub-Zero rebuild the Lin Kuei). 
• At the new Lin Kuei temple, Sub-Zero is busy training Frost while Sareena keeps an eye on both of them. Sub-Zero ends the training when he gets approached by a fully human Scorpion (who somehow still have his hellfire abilities). Scorpion apologizes for his actions against Sub-Zero, saying that the revived Shirai Ryu can consider themselves allies to the Lin Kuei, to which Sub-Zero agrees. 

(...and that brings an end to MK:D story and the story mode itself)

That's the idea for story mode. Course, there are some plot holes in it, but this has been mostly coming off the top of my head and could change one way or another. For now, its best to take what you can get. 

Until next time...

...also, I would like them to see them bring back 'Chess Kombat'. Loved that game from Deception.

Mortal Kombat is owned by Warner Bros Interactive and Netherrrealm Studios.

Mortal Kombat 2011 Review

Hello and welcome to another review on 'Stories of Entertainment'.

What else to say, but its time to look at the reboot of Mortal Kombat!

(One way to make a comeback)

The first game to produced under Warner Bros Interactive Studios and Netherrealm Studios, Mortal Kombat brings back the bucket loads of gore and fighting that has made its mark in the industry before. With numerous character, fighting modes, a challenge tower, and a story mode, the reboot to the Mortal Kombat franchise has been a complete success.

Keep in mind that this Mortal Kombat basically goes through the plot of Mortal Kombats 1, 2 and 3, though greatly altered from what they once were. How great where these alterations? Lets find out.

The story begins, ironically enough, at the end of "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon", where most of the fighters have been killed in very gruesome manners. The only ones that are visibly alive are Raiden, Thunder God and protector of Earthrealm, and Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld. Unfortunately, Raiden is getting his ass handed to him by Shao Kahn, as the emperor starts gloating about his victory before even killing the Thunder God. Before the emperor can deliver the final blow, Raiden casts one final spell, channeling all his power under his final words: "He must win."

Within seconds, we are transported to the years of MK1, but with a substantial visual upgrade. Raiden of this period gets a series of messages that he doesn't understand at this point, but also realizing that his amulet (one that was damaged in his future battle with Shao Kahn) is starting to crack. Before he can contemplate further, the MK tournament starts up.

As Shang Tsung starts explaining what the tournament is all about, Johnny Cage (in his fanciest blue suit ever), tries to make the moves on Sonya, but doesn't succeed. He eventually gets called by Shang Tsung to take part in the first match, fighting against Reptile. He succeeds, though believes most of it is just fancy special effects (says the guy who most people believe uses a lot of special effects himself) He ends up getting another match featuring the Tarkatan, Baraka. Naturally, Cage beats the ugly out of the guy and wins once more.

After the match, he gets met up with Liu Kang and Raiden, who explain that Earthrealm is in great danger due to Shang Tsung. Naturally, Johnny Cage doesn't believe him at first and tries to make the moves on Sonya once more. She doesn't bite and the two end up fighting, with Cage beating Sonya. The two try to reconcile, but Kano interrupts to get to Sonya. Cage beats on Kano, who promptly escapes while Cage helps Sonya. She goes off to try and find her missing CO and friend, Jax Briggs. She comes across an underground prison, where she manages to find him. She also gets caught by Shang Tsung. He sends Sub-Zero to fight Sonya, but Sub-Zero ends up defeated. Raiden appears to interrupt Shang Tsung and Sonya, but sees a vision of Liu Kang beating Shang Tsung. He stops Sonya from fighting Shang Tsung, though gets beat for his interruption. In the end, he helps Sonya rescue Jax by distracting Shang Tsung.

As Sonya tries to call for evac, she gets met by Kitana and Jade. Despite the odds, Sonya beats the pair. While their chopper comes to help, it gets blown out of the sky by Shang Tsung. The sorceror has Kano fight Sonya, but she manages to overcome him. After the battle, Sonya is left alone with the injured Jax, until Johnny Cage arrives with Liu Kang and Raiden in tow. Raiden heals Jax's injuries before explaining about the visions he's been receiving  In the end, its agreed that they let the tournament run its course, for fear of altering the timeline.

On the next day of the tournament, Raiden receives another vision, this time of Lung Kao. As he tries to talk to him(he's in disguise as a guard), Scorpion appears to start his own battles. Fed up by Raiden's talk, Kung Lao tries to fight Scorpion to prove himself, but loses. As Kung Lao is tended to, Raiden sees a vision of Scorpion killing Sub-Zero, who in turn becomes Noob Saibot. Shang Tsung arranges another match for Scorpion, this time against Nightwolf. The shaman tries to coerce Scorpion to find a new purpose, but it falls upon deaf ears of the spectre. Nightwolf loses, though Scorpion still demands Sub-Zero as his opponent. He doesn't get his wish and the tournament takes another break. Raiden confronts Scorpion and offers to help the spectre. If Scorpion defeats Sub-Zero, but does not kill him, Raiden will help find a way to return Scorpion's clan, Shirai Ryu, to life. Seeing a possibility of reuniting with his clan, Scorpion accepts.

As the fight moves into Shang Tsung's palace due to rain, Cyrax and Sektor (yes, we get to see them as humans) discuss the Lin Kuei's ideas of converting their warriors into robots. Before it goes anywhere, the two end up fighting Scorpion. They lose, though the arrival of Sub-Zero makes things complicated. In a fit of rage, Scorpion takes Sub-Zero to the Netherrealm for their fight. Scorpion triumphs and prepares to spare Sub-Zero's life. However, Quan Chi (his 'handler' at this time) uses the visions of his clan's death to spur Scorpion into a frenzy which results in Sub-Zero's death. As Scorpion returns, he shows off the burned skull of Sub-Zero as proof of his death.

Raiden laments over Sub-Zero's death, though his met by Cyrax as well. Raiden talks to Cyrax about the Lin Kuei's terrible actions, which includes turning them into robots. While Cyrax tries to defend his actions, Raiden rebuttals how they are only being used to ensure Outworld's victory. As Cyrax contemplates, he is met by Baraka and the Shokan Sheeva. He beats them both, but questions why Shang Tsung would try to have him killed. He returns, though he starts his fight against Johnny Cage. He triumphs, though he refuses to kill Cage. As he leaves, Sektor confronts him and tries to defeat Cyrax, but also ends up defeated. Cyrax then states he is finished with the clan.

It switches back to inside Shang Tsung's palace, where the sorceror reveals the newest warrior: the dangerous Ermac. Liu Kang becomes his opponent and manages to defeat him, despite Ermac being composed of hundreds of souls. As Liu Kang as his friends leave, Kitana follows to try and eliminate him herself. Meanwhile, Liu Kang and Raiden talk about the visions, with Raiden believing that Liu Kang must defeat Shang Tsung in order to prevent such a cataclysmic future. As Raiden leaves, Kitana confronts Liu Kang and the two end up fighting each other. Liu Kang beats her, though spares her life, despite her saying that she has disgraced her emperor and father Shao Kahn.

Eventually, Liu Kang fights against not only Scorpion, but also Quan Chi. He manage to beat the pair, which leads to the biggest fight: the reigning champion known as Goro. He manages to beat the Shokan, which results in a fight against Shang Tsung. Of course, Liu Kang beats the sorceror, preventing Outworld from invading Earthrealm and becoming the new champion of Mortal Kombat. However, Raiden notices his amulet is cracking even further, making him question what to expect next.

Back in Outworld, Shao Kahn is displeased by Shang Tsung, knowing that the rules of Mortal Kombat prevent him from conquering Earthrealm without first securing 10 consecutive tournament victories. He tries to order Shang Tsung's death, but the cunning sorceror offers another way to try and conquer Earthrealm...

(...and this just covers all of MK1 in the reboot)

As the heroes celebrate their victory, Raiden meets with Jax in private, discussing what has happened to his amulet. Shang Tsung appears, now returned to a younger form, and explains how Shao Kahn has created a new tournament. Here, if Outworld wins, then it will merge with Earthrealm, but if Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn would be forced to give up his plans to conquer it. Raiden refuses, seeing it as another trick, but Shang Tsung opens a portal where a group of Tarkatan appear and start their attack. The heroes try to stop the Tarkatans, but to no avail. Sonya ends up being captured and Raiden is forced to agree to the tournament. However, he sees a vision of Liu Kang being Shao Kahn, meaning that they would win in the end. However, Raiden believes that 'he must win' refers to someone else who must defeat Shao Kahn.

They arrive in Shao Kahn's palace, with Jax unknowingly help kick-start the tournament. He beats his opponent, Baraka. Before he is assigned another match, Shang Tsung is called away and Shao Kahn puts the tournament on hold for now. Raiden receives another vision, this time of Sonya about to be executed. With Johnny Cage and Jax, Raiden tries to teleport close to her location, but due to his status as a God of Earthrealm, his powers are severely hindered and they end up somewhere else. Johnny Cage ends up saying a few un-wise cracks about Sonya, which prompts a beatdown from Jax. Raiden restrains Jax as best he could, but a surprise visit from Jade forces Jax to take her out. Afterwords, Jax and Cage get over what they did before and Raiden manages to find Sonya. They succeed, but run into Sheeva and several guards. Despite the odds, the heroes succeed and manage to free Sonya. She manages to find out a few new signals in Outworld, signs of advanced technology. Raiden and Johnny Cage head for one signal, while Jax and Sonya head to another.

Elsewhere in Outworld, the Lin Kuei ninja Smoke and Sub-Zero(actually his younger brother, known as Tundra) try their best to find Shang Tsung. The two part ways, hoping to cover more ground. As Sub-Zero runs off, Smoke encounters Kitana, but beats her soundly. Smoke continues his search, where he comes across Shang Tsung with Kano in a forest. Smoke approaches the pair, yet Kano steps in to try and stop him. Smoke wins, but Shang Tsung steps forward as well, taking the form of the late Sub-Zero and fighting alongside Reptile. Despite those odds, Smoke wins and tries to get the info her desires. Unfortunately, he is interrupted by the new robotic Sektor. Despite the enhancements, Sektor looses, but a robotic ambush prepares to take Smoke. Johnny Cage and Raiden arrive on the scene and, with a vision explaining Smoke's transformation, prevent Smoke of being captured. Smoke joins with the heroes in order to rescue his friend.

Elsewhere, Sub-Zero is still searching for his brother's killer, but encounters the robotic Cyrax instead. He beats the cyborg, but encounters Jax and Sonya soon after. They learn that this Sub-Zero is his brother, while they tell him that the killer was Scorpion. Before they get anywhere else, Ermac appears. Despite Jax's efforts to stop him, Ermac destroys both of his arms. Sub-Zero intervenes to stop Ermac, though leaves the pair to go search for Scorpion.

He arrives at Shao Kahn's colosseum and sees Kitana win her fight, yet refusing to finish off her opponent. Shao Kahn does it in her stead, while Sub-Zero approaches and demands to fight Scorpion. Shang Tsung takes offense in the place of the Emperor and orders Reptile to fight instead. Sub-Zero wins the fight, which makes Shao Kahn consider his proposal and allows the fight to happen. Scorpion appears, knowing that this Sub-Zero is not the original. The two fight, with Sub-Zero ready to deliver a finishing blow. However, he gets interrupted by Cyrax and Sektor, who capture him and offer their allegiance to Shao Kahn. Raiden, Smoke, and Cage arrive too late to help Sub-Zero and are forced to watch. However, Raiden believes he has a chance at converting Kitana, who has become unwary of her Emperor's goals.

Elsewhere, Kitana gets into an arguement with Jade, who warns her to be careful with her father. When Jade leaves, Raiden, Cage and Smoke appear to meet with Kitanna. Cage and Smoke end up fighting the princess, but lose. Raiden prevents Kitana from killing either of them off, saying that she is more like her deceased mother, Sindel, than Shao Kahn. Soon, Raiden gets another vision, this time of Sindel very much alive. He then tells Kitana to seek out the Flesh Pits, an area in Shao Kahn's palace off limits to her.

Kitana gets into a fight with Jade, winning against her bodyguard and friend. When she arrives at the Flesh Pits, she sees horrid experiments dealing with (oddly enough) flesh and blood. One creation catches her eye, realizing that it looks very similar to her, except for the horrid Tarkatan teeth. To Kitana's surprise, it wakes up and tries to fight her. Kitana wins and tries to end the monster's life, but Shang Tsung interrupts her. He states that it was to help Shao Kahn but Kitana doesn't believe him and takes him down. As she brings him to be judged by Shao Kahn, he lets Shang Tsung to go free, much to Kitana's surprise. Soon, she is the one locked up, with Shang Tsung ordered to bring in the emperor's 'new' daughter, Mileena.

Jade, off in the shadows, manages to hear everything and sets out to try and rescue Kitana. After fighting through the guards Baraka and Sheeva, Jade tries to free Kitana from her bonds. Unfortunately, new guards are approaching them rather quickly and Kitana tells Jade to seek out Raiden for help. Jade tries to flee as fast as she could, but she gets caught up by Mileena. Jade beats the impostor, with Raiden teleporting in with Smoke, Cage, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao. Smoke, misreading the situation, tries to fight Jade, but ends up losing. Jade soon explains the situation with Kitana, prompting Liu Kang to try and mount a rescue. Raiden tries to decline, but Kung Lao brings up the idea of having Cage and Smoke fight in their place while they rescue Kitana.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao try to find where Kitana is being held, yet encounter both Sheeva and Noob Saibot. Kung Lao manages to defeat Noob Saibot, but Liu Kang is too busy with Sheeva to notice. Goro soon appears, yet Kung Lao manages to beat him as well. Defeated, Goro tells the Shaolin monks that Kitana is with Shao Kahn in the colosseum, prompting the pair to return. Upon arrival, both Johnny Cage and Smoke have been knocked out of the tournament, requiring the Shaolin to step in their place. While Liu Kang is worried about Kitana, Kung Lao takes his place in the tournament. He manages not only to beat the team of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, but also the incredibly violent Shokan known as Kintaro. Kung Lao believes he has just saved Earthrealm, but a sneaky neck snap from Shao Kahn kills him before he realizes it. Seeing his best friend killed before his eyes, Liu Kang attacks Shao Kahn in a rage, killing the Emperor himself. At this point, Raiden believes that Liu Kang was the one 'who must win', but sees that his amulet shatters even further, meaning that Armageddon is approaching soon...

(...and that just about concludes Mortal Kombat 2.)

Back in Shao Kahn's throne room, the remaining forces of darkness try to plan out what to do next now that Shao Kahn is dead. To their surprise, Shao Kahn appears, alive thanks to Quan Chi's magic. The Oni Sorceror then explains that Shao Kahn can invade Earthrealm without the Elder God's permission. He explains that it is Sindel's wards over Earthrealm that protect it from Shao Kahn's invasion. Since she is dead, Quan Chi has ressurrected her, though under mind control, and re-opened the way to Earthrealm for Shao Kahn's invasion.

With the invasion underway, Shao Kahn's army starts pushing against Earthrealm's forces. In New York, officer Kurtis Stryker and his partner get into a fight with Reptile, with the former winning the fight. They do some more investigating, coming across Mileena. She tries to fight them, but Stryker takes her out as well. Raiden arrives, though he gets interrupted by another vision and saw a fight between Johnny Cage and the centuar Motaro. The god intervenes, blasting Motaro with lighting and slamming him into the ground. Stryker and his partner just look on in awe, but soon realize they have more trouble, this time in the form of Kintaro. They spread out to distract Kintaro, but the shokan just blasts Stryker's partner with his fire breath. Stryker manages to beat Kintaro down in order to save his partner (who we now know as Kabal), but gets distracted once more when Ermac appears. Stryker wins, then gets found by Nightwolf. Stryker joins him, but when he tries to find Kabal, he has disappeared. Due to his injuries, Kabal couldn't have taken himself anywhere.

We find Kabal being put outfitted with cybernetics by Kano in the Flesh Pits. The two were old friends before Kabal decided to give up a life of crime. Kano tries to tempt him back, but gets beat up for his efforts. With Kano in tow, Kabal tries to find a way back home. In Shao Kahn's throne room, the Emperor sees the deceased Motaro brought forth to him. Sindel offers to go to continue Motaro's work, and Shao Kahn agrees. However, he takes Shang Tsung's soul in order to empower Sindel, killing the sorceror. Kabal tries to fight Shao Kahn, but gets interrupted by Noob Saibot and Mileena. He beats them both and makes a mad dash(literally) to a portal that teleports him back to Earthrealm. There, Kabals both Cyber Sub-Zero and Sheeva, defeating them both. Raiden and Smoke quickly arrive on the scene, with Smoke disturbed at seeing his old friend's new form. They decide to take him in hopes of gaining a new ally.

Cyber Sub-Zero now awakens, no longer under the control of the Lin Kuei. Raiden is unsure of what to do next, as his visions helped create this. Stryker comes up with the idea to plant him as a mole, in hopes of gathering further intel. Sub-Zero tries to blend in, but Sektor manages to call his bluff and the two fight. Sub-Zero wins, getting intel on several captured soldiers and decides to rescue them. He finds the soldiers, as well as Kano, Kintaro, and Goro. He manages to freeze all three of them and breaks the soldiers free of their shackles. As the soldiers flee, Kintao and Goro free themselves, but are no match for Cyber Sub-Zero. Ermac appears to try his luck as well, but it ends up being futile. Eventually, Sub-Zero encounters Noob Saibot and Quan Chi casting a powerful spell, relaying the the information back to Raiden and company. Raiden sees another vision, referring to the spell as a 'Soulnado', which would capture all the souls of Earthrealm when completed. Sub-Zero tries to intervene, but gets blocked by Noob Saibot, who explains that he is the Elder Sub-Zero given new form. The two fight, with Cyber Sub-Zero winning, but Quan Chi has already completed the spell.

With the Soulnado fully active, Nightwolf arrives on the scene just in time. After ordering Sub-Zero back due to not having any protection against the Soulnado, Nightwolf takes on Quan Chi and defeats the evil soceror.  Before he could try an stop the Soulnado, Nightwolf gets interrupted by Noob Saibot. With one kick, Nightwolf launches Saibot into the Soulnado, his corrupt soul effectively shutting down the spell in a matter of moments. Quan Chi makes a hasty retreat as Nightwolf heads back to the others with news of his success. Meanwhile, the heroes are busy talking about Raiden's visions, wondering if they are more of a hindrance then helpful. When Nightwolf returns saying the Soulnado is destroyed, Raiden is shocked to see his amulet damaged even further. He goes to see the Elder Gods with Liu Kang, with Nightwolf being left in charge. Soon, the Lin Kuei attack the remaining heroes, with Nightwolf himself defeating Cyrax and Sektor. Before they have a time to rest, the heroes encounter Sindel. Try as they might, the heroes fight Sindel, but end up either killed or knocked out. Nightwolf manages to survive long enough to face Sindel head on, but it isn't enough. Meanwhile, Raiden tries to convince the Elder Gods to help, but they refuse to budge (personally, i think they're a bunch of idiots) When they get back, they see Nightwolf sacrifice himself to kill Sindel. Seeing no alternative, Raiden decides to travel to the Netherrealm for assistance, despite Liu Kang's objections.

In the Netherrealm, Raiden gets confronted by Scorpion, though manages to beat the spectre in his own realm (even remarking how he sacrificed his clan for Quan Chi's servitude). When Quan Chi himself appears, Raiden tries to get him to help Earthrealm by offering the souls of defeated Earthrealm warriors. Quan Chi laughs off the offer, revealing he already has said warriors when he aligned himself with Shao Kahn. He sends several of them to fight Raiden, but the Thunder God manages to prevail. Quan Chi mocks the Elder Gods' lack of action, which help remind Raiden of the Elder Gods' decree; only through Mortal Kombat may Shao Kahn merge Outworld with Earthrealm, lest he face terrible judgement. Raiden returns to Earthrealm to where Shao Kahn is to arrive, but gets interrupted by Liu Kang. They argue over whether Raiden's plan would work or not, with Shao Kahn inching closer into entering Earthrealm. Liu Kang tries to stop Raiden, but fails. When Cage and Sonya arrive, Liu Kang tries to kill Raiden, but ends up severely injured in Raiden's self-defense. Liu Kang dies, cursing his former mentor and friend. As Raiden mourns Liu Kang's death, Cage and Sonya try to stop Shao Kahn themselves, but end up getting defeated rather easily. When Raiden confronts the emperor, he just bows and doesn't fight. Shao Kahn then just goes to town on him, casually beating the crap out of him while mocking the Elder Gods' incompetence. Before the Emperor can deliver the final blow, the Elder Gods finally intervene, imbuing Raiden with their powers and enabling him to kill Shao Kahn once and for all. Raiden checks his amulet once last time, seeing it fully repaired and knowing that the future is saved, despite such a terrible cost. Raiden, with Cage and Sonya conscious after their scuffle with Shao Kahn, leave with Liu Kang's body to give him a proper burial. After they leave, Quan Chi arrives and checks on Shao Kahn's corpse, commenting on his master's plan working perfectly. Soon, an apparition of Shinnok, former Elder God and ruler of the Netherrealm, states how both Outworld and Earthrealm will soon be his, thanks to both lacking in combat-able forces.

(...and with that, MK3 ends, and so does this reboot game)

Wow, was not expecting this when they rebooted Mortal Kombat. Kinda makes me wonder what they might do in the next game. Actually...

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...until next time. I've got something on my mind.

Mortal Kombat is owned by Warner Bros Interactive and Netherrealm Studios.