Saturday, October 20, 2012

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.

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