Mortal Kombat 1 | Review Thread

John Elden Ring

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5 Jul 2022
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Game Information:

Game Title
: Mortal Kombat 1

Platforms:
  • PC (Sep 19, 2023)
  • PlayStation 5 (Sep 19, 2023)
  • Nintendo Switch (Sep 19, 2023)
  • Xbox Series X/S (Sep 19, 2023)
Trailer:
Developers: NetherRealm Studios, Shiver Entertainment, Saber Interactive, QLOC

Publisher: Warner Bros. Games

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 86 average - 100% recommended

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Metacritic - 85 average based on 5 reviews

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100 - VGC
Mortal Kombat 1 is the best Mortal Kombat game to date. It looks stunning, has a brilliant Story mode, its new Invasions mode will keep solo players busy and, above all else, it's an absolute joy to play. Thoroughly essential for die-hards, lapsed fans and newkomers.
100 - Gaming Age
Overall, Mortal Kombat 1 is a polished, beautiful work of art that is a remarkably innovative entry into the long running franchise. You can feel the love and care that went into recrafting existing characters in a way I never knew I would love.
95 - Press Start Australia
Mortal Kombat 1 is a joyful reinvention of a series that is continually hitting its stride. A strong and varied roster is bolstered by an ingenious Kameo system that offers up a great degree of player flexibility unlike anything else. While it’s a bit off an odd choice to not have crossplay at launch and the approach to gear is bound to be divisive, Mortal Kombat 1 feels like the most complete Mortal Kombat experience so far. And perhaps even one of the best fighting games I’ve ever played.
90 - COGconnected
Mortal Kombat 1 refines and improves on its solid foundation to deliver a devastating tag-team blow. The Kameo system opens up new possibilities which allows you to experiment with offensive and defensive maneuvers. In terms of single-player content, the story mode kicks ass and Invasion gives you the incentive to keep playing. With its solid online net code and wonderful tutorial, Mortal Kombat 1 is a flawless victory.
90 - CGMagazine
Mortal Kombat 1 is an excellent entry point for new comers and returning fans. It outshines every previous Mortal Kombat in almost every way, with intuitive controls and interesting modes. NetherRealm cranks the gore up to 11 and I cant wait to see what else they have in store for us.
90 - VideoGamer
With gorgeous next-gen visuals, spine-wringing combos, and new Kameo fighters, Mortal Kombat 1 is less a reboot and more an accessible yet fulfilling return to form.
80 - VG247
Mortal Kombat 1 is a generally positive step in a new direction. I find myself frustrated with Liu Kang's decision to allow live service DNA to creep into his new universe, and I long for some of the features left behind (like the Krypt). Mortal Kombat 1 sets the stage for a new era of MK that you can't help but get pumped up for. NetherRealm, like the characters in its ultraviolent universe, is staring right into the face of a brave new world and locking eyes with the future. Keeping those eyes in its head, though, may remain a challenge.
70 - Screen Rant
As someone's first Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1 is a perfectly adequate but not ideal place to start (that would still be Mortal Kombat 2011). For returning players who just want to see their favorite characters again, or for anyone itching to hear Johnny Cage come up with great jokes like "Reminds me of a terrible B-movie I was in called The Flesh Pits," while walking around a room that looks just like the old MK level The Flesh Pits, this game will be a must-buy. If you were hoping to see The Great Kung Lao of myth, however, or an entirely new cast of characters, Mortal Kombat 1 isn't essential, and brings very few truly new ideas to the table.
 
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Bryank75

I don't get ulcers, I give 'em!
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18 Jun 2022
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Pretty good, they're fun games but not my type of fighter.... I'm more into Tekken and SF.
 

Evilms

Graph Master
21 Jun 2022
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As expected, not as good as SF6.
MK is all about graphics, but in other respects, the franchise is no longer progressing.
 

ultimateFF

Veteran
29 Jun 2023
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As expected, not as good as SF6.
MK is all about graphics, but in other respects, the franchise is no longer progressing.
MK1 loses the moment all they can showed from single player contents is just story mode lol 🤣. Netherrealm studio must be shocked when they learned SF6 brimmed with SP contents lol 🤣.
 
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Nym

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21 Jun 2022
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Save 70 bucks and watch the movie on youtube, then play Street Fighter 6

 
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ksdixon

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22 Jun 2022
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Save 70 bucks and watch the movie on youtube, then play Street Fighter 6

Ex and I had to do this for MK11 Aftermath DLC story. The controller inputs wouldn't work no matter what we did.
 
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ksdixon

Dixon Cider Ltd.
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22 Jun 2022
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Rinsed the story mode last night to avoid Youtube spoilers. I'll have to cross reference all the timey-wimey shit across MK9-MK1, but there's plot or at least logic holes in here for sure. Sullies the overall package from a lore perspective.
 

ksdixon

Dixon Cider Ltd.
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22 Jun 2022
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Random spoilers for story points, also some game design ideas.

Really, really, disappointed at the lazy mashup characters for the pyramid scene. Could have had crazy lore/fanon characters appear from across timelines, like Hornbuckle, Hyrdro, Scorpion as "Monster", Great Kung Lao, Krypt Guy, Shang T'sung Island wolf mask guard, Blaze. Something like MK95 movie Raiden skin or Carey Shang jumping in on the pyramid steps would have been better than "lazy female version of ninja outfit" or "these two already in-game fighters smashed together in a horrific color pallette.

You could have used the chaos of the pyramid to interchange 1v1 matches, kameo matches, tag mechanic matches say for Noob/Saibot, 2-fighters-after each other like Deadly Alliance team up, two-characters-in-one-fighter like Ferra/Tor, could have fought 3 opponents at once like Screena and the other 2, or Jade/Kitana/Meleena. So that the framework for each match type is in the game.

Could have "Imported" MK9/MKX/MK11 versions of those characters, different visual styles be somewhat damned, given the timeline invasions gimmick - I mean you have that visual disconnect anyway, with classic ass timeline kameos running in on current versions. That'd have been better than "new" Titan variants of in-gamers, whom mostly just seem to be wearing power armor.

Imagine doing last run sequence, but it's seeing different people's attempts for different portions of the chapter. MK1 Smoke vs Midway Cyber Smoke like in the game, but, only to then get Triborg from NRS timeline. It could have been a precession of missing 3D characters just to get a model made for a fighter without needing full movesets; for future use as kameos, dlc fully fleshed out characters, or as a base for inclusion future games.

If they're saying that every fighter has the opportunity to become a Titan within their own timeline, or a death means little when you can pull the person back from an alternate timeline?