Intro:
If there is one game I review that doesn't need an introduction its Mortal Kombat II. The game was a super huge success in 1994. It took the gore obsessed motion captured fighting of the first one and added a lot more depth and balance to it, making it one of the best 2D fighters of all time and now we got it here in its pure Arcade glory on the PSN. And note this is a review of a classic game, im not reviewing this like a game made from today because that would be stupid, so without further ado here is my Mortal Kombat II review.
Controls:
The controls here are just like they were on the Sega and SNES back in the day, except they have the speed and response of the Arcade version, if your using a Joystick youll be good here. Those of you new to Mortal Kombat here is the low down. L1 and R1 are block, Triangle is High Kick, Circle is Low Kick, Square is High Punch, and X is Low Punch. All easy to access, all responsive i give controls a 9 for simply standing the test of time.
Gameplay:
The gameplay here was intense, fast paced, and took a lot of on-the-spot thinking. Every character has the same basic attacks and performed them all identically but what made them different was they add had Strengths and weakness at standard moves like uppercuts and jump kicks and most importantly they all had an arsenal of 3-5 special moves. The special moves were all fairly balanced for the most part and are all a joy to watch and to really tick your opponent off when you defeated them you had the choice of doing either 1 of 2 Fatalities which are moves that mutilate your opponent in the most gruesome of ways, or perform a non lethal Friendship or the ridiculous Babality which turned your opponent into a baby. There isn't a perfect balance mind you but it is fairly balance and it has aged quite well, its still a blast to play competitively especially since this PSN version now has the ability to play this truly great classic ONLINE!. In my opinion this game has the most balanced gameplay in the series so I give it an 8 in this field.
Graphics:
At the time these were top notch 2D visuals, and they still don't look all that bad today for a 2D game. The animations are fluid, the gore is plentiful, and fatalities will still make everyone laugh and cheer when you pull them off after embarrassing you opponent. Not much depth to go into here, the only real negative aspect i can say is that the two female Ninjas are identical for the most part but its no biggie considering one is supposed to be a clone of the other and they play 100% differently. I also liked the artistic style of this one the most because it kept its Asian themed more consistent than the other games in the series. I give visuals about a 7.6 they've aged but not too bad, I have seen much worse looking games for this area in this genre. But on this particular arcade version i will point out that the menus are kind of bland before getting into the game and if your not on a standard TV, your going to have press select and stretch the game out if you want it Full Screen since this definitely is not an HD title. Regardless, my score stands.
Sound:
The sound in the game is pretty much in tact, it still sounds great like it did way back in the day. The announcer is still dark and ominous, the yells and grunts are still over-the-top, and music is still something you'd expect to hear a low end Chinese buffet. What can i say its Mortal Kombat. I say sound for the game it self deserves an 8 but the sounds for the Menu and whatnot before you get started get a 7 for the simple fact that they are much much louder than those in the game, but for some reason all of Midways PSN Arcade titles are like this, so if this isn't your first you know exactly what I am talking about.
FINAL VERDICT:
What can i say its Mortal Kombat II in all its bloody over-the-top arcade glory and now its on our PS3 with Online support. There is no reason why anyone here who likes fighting games or has a competitive bone in their body should not go and buy this classic for 4.99. It may not be a feature packed remake and the menus may not even be all that great, Its five dollars and its online Mortal Kombat. What do you have to lose?
one more pic for old times sake.
