Mortal Kombat

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 631 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 530 out of 631
  2. Mixed: 68 out of 631
  3. Negative: 33 out of 631
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  1. Captiosus
    Apr 24, 2011
    5
    Growing up, I spent tons of quarters - and later dollars - on Mortal Kombat 1 and 2 in the arcade and for consoles. Couldn't get enough of it. When Mortal Kombat 3 came out, however, the entire method of the game switched from one of mastering special moves to learning how to cheese with unblockable combo chains, with or without special moves, that would juggle your opponent to the pointGrowing up, I spent tons of quarters - and later dollars - on Mortal Kombat 1 and 2 in the arcade and for consoles. Couldn't get enough of it. When Mortal Kombat 3 came out, however, the entire method of the game switched from one of mastering special moves to learning how to cheese with unblockable combo chains, with or without special moves, that would juggle your opponent to the point where they COULDN'T do anything. They spend a quarter and maybe get one button press before they were down and out. I adapted and got pretty decent at it, but I didn't have fun. Not like the past. Afterwards, Mortal Kombat just went on a downhill skid. And that's the biggest problem with the Mortal Kombat reboot - it goes back to the Mortal Kombat 3 style of play, not Mortal Kombat 1 or 2 where timing and skill mattered as opposed to picking a character with the cheesiest juggle combo. And that's all the new MK is about - juggling your opponent(s) into combos that can't be blocked and can't be broken and then unleashing a 9-10 hit string that takes down their life to near dead.

    Sure, giving the beat down is fun (at first), but if you're constantly being beaten on simply because someone chose a specific character, it's not fun. I was hoping for a return to timing and skill, not a return to the MK3 combo cheesefest.

    Story mode is OK, not really the greatest but probably the best in a recent fighting game, however the game loves putting you in 2v1 situations that are disgustingly hard (see combo cheesefest) even on Medium difficulty. The voice over work is some of the worst in recent game memory. X-Ray mode is interesting, but it gets old after the first few times while the characters' signature special moves are less powerful than many of the simple two-button combos themselves. Graphically, the game is OK, but nothing to shout about and looks dated by a few years.

    I'm sure people who only started playing MK when MK3 or UMK3 were out will be in love with this game. But as someone who grew up with MK, who remembers learning the moves, the skill and timing of how to deploy them, this game is an utter disappointment. Just another bland fighter where people are rewarded for learning how to play at the cheesiest, cheapest level.    … Expand
  2. jl0329
    Apr 22, 2011
    6
    No doubt this would be a 10 game for all the MK fan boys. From the perspective of a non-MK fanatic, this game is decent but definitely not deserve a perfect score. Please note that my review does not apply to the fan boys because I understand why they would get all pumped up for it. The things I love about this game - bloody, fast paced, AWESOME single player story mode (Best story modeNo doubt this would be a 10 game for all the MK fan boys. From the perspective of a non-MK fanatic, this game is decent but definitely not deserve a perfect score. Please note that my review does not apply to the fan boys because I understand why they would get all pumped up for it. The things I love about this game - bloody, fast paced, AWESOME single player story mode (Best story mode for a fighting game I've ever played), a lot of playable characters.The things I don't like - special moves of most characters look gay & animation is sub-par, x-ray attack animation takes too long (they are exciting to watch for the first couple of times, but after that, it just drags the pace of the battle), graphic is ok (looks like a 2009 game). To sum up, a decent fighting game that would be appreciated by its fans and accepted by most.… Expand
  3. deskrit
    Jun 30, 2011
    6
    Mortal Kombat is a feast for the senses. Its without doubt the best looking fighting game released, and has a fascinating story mode with great voice acting. Story mode is basically the original 2d mortal kombat' retold as an interactive movie, with the storyline cleaned up and made coherent, and its very well done. Its pure camp, but its damn good camp, and the hamfisted delivery ofMortal Kombat is a feast for the senses. Its without doubt the best looking fighting game released, and has a fascinating story mode with great voice acting. Story mode is basically the original 2d mortal kombat' retold as an interactive movie, with the storyline cleaned up and made coherent, and its very well done. Its pure camp, but its damn good camp, and the hamfisted delivery of certain scenes is purposeful, and wonderful. Dont mistake this as a cheesy comedy experience though, as the story is well told and has a "serious" tone. Its by far the most interesting and best told fighting game story ever, made all the better by the distinct and wonderfully modeled and animated characters. The AI is competent, and the superbosses are well designed and mostly avoid the super cheapness of the old games. Unfortunately, when you go up against another player, everything falls apart. This game's online component, as of this writing, is completely and utterly broken. The matchmaking barely works, the lag is stunningly bad, and the overall experience is barely functional on a technical level. I would estimate ~70% of your online games will end with a "desync" or will simply never begin due to instability in the handshake protocols. If you stick with it though, you will get the occasional lagfree, functional match, or if you have a community of local folks to challenge in person of course. Unfortunately, the balance as it currently is, is nonexistent. The overwhelming majority of characters are useless, due to the way the game calculates combos, priority, and frames. Roughly half a dozen characters are competent, and its less because they are balanced and more because they have 1 or 2 broken moves that are either unavoidable or get such high priority in match ups that they simply will not fail to connect unless your opponent is using one of the other broken fighters. Some characters can pull off combos that will remove over half of your opponents life bar using only two buttons and a couple of the DPAD directions, regardless of timing. Others struggle to pull off maneuvers that remove even a tenth of the lifebar, while requiring thumbcrushing finger dexterity and feline timing. Needless to say, you will rarely encounter anything but those handful of "working" characters online. In over 300 fights online I have only seen about half of the roster in action.

    There are issues that have been resolved, but at a snails pace. I do not know if the developer will be able to fix and balance this game before the playerbase moves on to something else or goes back to other, more stable and reputable fighting games. Right now, this game is worth it for the phenomenal story mode alone, but I would be hesitant to recommend it beyond that, given that the multiplayer component is so utterly broken. My advice would be to get it if the idea of a well made, interactive Mortal Kombat movie appeals to you, but if your looking for a solid, well built fighting game, then look elsewhere. A good base exists here for a great, long lived fighter, but as of right now, its nowhere near ready to claim that accolade.    … Expand
  4. Bosniac
    Jul 11, 2011
    6
    I enjoyed this game for the nostalgia factor. Being in my 30's I grew up with MK and I owned all of them including Trilogy on N64. I must add that the game is not the best looking. Some characters look way too goofy, like Sonya. She looks almost like a dude with breasts. Not a big fan. The game plays like a mix of MK2 and MK4. Not necessarily a bad thing. My only problem with this game isI enjoyed this game for the nostalgia factor. Being in my 30's I grew up with MK and I owned all of them including Trilogy on N64. I must add that the game is not the best looking. Some characters look way too goofy, like Sonya. She looks almost like a dude with breasts. Not a big fan. The game plays like a mix of MK2 and MK4. Not necessarily a bad thing. My only problem with this game is that it feels and plays old. The combos are nothing special and the Finishing moves are way too bloody and gruesome even for my tastes. It almost as if NetherRealm wasn't trying to make good satisfying Fatalities, but go overboard as much as possible. Online is fun WHEN you get into a lag free match. Ranked games have not connected me recently. The story mode is long and pretty decent. With of stuff to unlock. This is a solid 9 for fans, but I actually enjoyed MK2, and UMK3 much more. Rent before you buy.… Expand
  5. Getchasome
    May 9, 2011
    7
    After playing the demo, I was skeptical... kombat was stiff and it didn't really impress me visually. Then I saw a commercial with Kratos and was sold. Way to go marketing. The story mode was epic and with seemingly endless collectables and challenge tiers the game has a lot to offer.
  6. golden31
    Apr 26, 2012
    7
    I liked Mortal Kombat, and i think it's definitively worth buying for a fighting game fan, but for someone that rarely plays fighting games, it can be a little over whelming. The story mode in Mortal Kombat is challenging, with only one difficulty, the game missed a big chance to welcome new comers to the mortal Kombat franchise. There also is just a ladder challenge mode in which youI liked Mortal Kombat, and i think it's definitively worth buying for a fighting game fan, but for someone that rarely plays fighting games, it can be a little over whelming. The story mode in Mortal Kombat is challenging, with only one difficulty, the game missed a big chance to welcome new comers to the mortal Kombat franchise. There also is just a ladder challenge mode in which you fight 10 characters to win, and the difficulty to changeable. That is the most fun i've had with mortal kombat. The game looks great, it plays well, and is a Good Game, but too many frustrations hurt it.… Expand
  7. onewarmslime
    Mar 31, 2014
    6
    This is a decent fighting game. The most important aspect of these games is the gameplay and it’s very nice. There’s not a ton of moves to learn (that’s a good thing IMO). Unfortunately, a lot of them are pretty useless, particularly more than half of the regular kombos; they’re too hard to execute and they don’t deal any more damage than the simple uppercut (in fact one issue with thisThis is a decent fighting game. The most important aspect of these games is the gameplay and it’s very nice. There’s not a ton of moves to learn (that’s a good thing IMO). Unfortunately, a lot of them are pretty useless, particularly more than half of the regular kombos; they’re too hard to execute and they don’t deal any more damage than the simple uppercut (in fact one issue with this game is that you’re probably better off repeating uppercuts than performing the majority of the other kombos). Tag kombos are nice however and the addition of the “super meter” adds a lot of strategy to the fight. There’s a story mode which is basically training mode with cheesy dialogues (the plot is a joke of course but that’s only to be expected), although sometimes it’s pretty frustrating as you often find yourself having to fight 1v2 battles (why oh why??) or fight against overpowered characters that break the rules of combat (for example they can’t be grabbed/held). There’s also the challenge tower which apparently has hundreds of stages that you can beat (most are simple tasks like execute a move X number of times or mini-games). I didn’t get much into it but I’m sure you could spend many hours on that. The biggest issues with this game is lack of characters (less than 20, and some of them feel more like variations of other fighters rather than unique characters), repetitive battle backgrounds (there’s about 15 stages to fight in and only some of them are interesting) and lack of good music. Like all fighting games this is great for party play but I can’t say this is a must-buy.… Expand
  8. Courageismight
    Apr 15, 2015
    5
    From what I've seen and heard this game is just a gross repulsive looking ripoff of Street Fighter IV and THAT is I believe a rip off of Smash Bros from Nintendo so its like a rip off of a rip off of a rip off.
    Then they tell me this game is full of input lag and characters that look disgusting as well as especially bad female characters and those characters are already badly made enough    From what I've seen and heard this game is just a gross repulsive looking ripoff of Street Fighter IV and THAT is I believe a rip off of Smash Bros from Nintendo so its like a rip off of a rip off of a rip off.
    Then they tell me this game is full of input lag and characters that look disgusting as well as especially bad female characters and those characters are already badly made enough in Street Fighter without making them worse.
    The game might have depth but so does Street Fighters's combat this game has enough blood and gore to cause mental damage besides that gore is not even needed Street Fighter manages all of that violence without the gore.
    Don't believe me try facing Seth on HARD in arcade mode and make ANY mistake or even get near him or even not block him correctly and he WILL rip you apart or you money back.
    I would not recommend this game it does not sound like its worth the money but there are fans of everything and it seems that there are a lot of fans of sick twisted shallow games that are more annoying than street fighter so there you go    … Expand
  9. Kostas101
    Oct 17, 2021
    7
    Fun fighting game, although it's a bit slow for my liking, but the story is surprisingly good for a Mortal Kombat game, and the character roster is great.
  10. lesiuML
    Jun 5, 2023
    7
    Very solid game with grate difficulty balance, Except for the last boss fight... It was a nightmare and I had to lover the difficulty and I'm glad that there was an option to do so. Story is long, engaging and creative. Graphic is very nice there is a lot of characters as well as many different locations. Recommend for every fighting games enthusiast.
  11. PaddysPub
    Aug 18, 2022
    7
    Played the game on a friend's PS3 after i played the MKX and MK11 on PS4.
    The story is a lot of fun, the fighting feels polished enough even after a decade. A shame it is not available on PS4.
  12. HuevoAlce
    Jun 27, 2022
    7
    Mortal Kombat delivers on its grotesque and violent combat. The story also is revitalized.

Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best PS3 Game of 2011
18
#18 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
26
#26 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 60
  3. Negative: 0 out of 60
  1. DailyGame
    Dec 12, 2011
    90
    The silky smooth combat combined with the classic twists on the fatalities in the game, of which there are at least two per character not including stage specific ones, and naturally some hidden things that I don't want to spoil here.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 20, 2011
    85
    A very good reboot for the series. 3D-arenas have been axed, so the combat system is simpler and at the same time more refined. [May 2011]
  3. Eurogamer Portugal
    Jun 2, 2011
    90
    Mortal Kombat is a great service to fans, but not only fans. It's also a great proposal for anyone who is interested in fighting games.
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