Mortal Kombat Demo Impressions

The demo is just around the corner for the PS3 and Xbox 360 jimmys will be getting it soon after that. But is it worth the download? Has Mortal Kombat truly gone back to it's roots and become a good fighting game again or is it time to bury this classic.

I got my hands on the demo last night and I played it for a little over an hour. Mortal Kombat has always been about the gore and violence. The original 3 (MK, MKII, and UMK3) were some of the best fighting games around. Which is saying a lot with games like Street Fighter II, Fatal Fury, and Samurai Showdown to compete with. We all know Mortal Kombat has fallen off with it's latest release Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, which was a teen rated game, and offered no real fatalities or gore.

Well NetherRealms Studio and Warner Brothers have brought Mortal Kombat back to life and the demo proves it. The demo lets you choose from Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Mileena, and Sub-Zero. It offers 1-2 players and the traditional Arcade Ladder, where you fight one opponent after another until you defeat Shao Khan at the top. Although the demo only allows you to fight 4 out of the 10 opponents in the ladder it is more than enough to get the feeling of the game. Classic stages like The Pit II and The Living Forest return for the demo, and they are looking better than ever. Everything you remember about these stages are there and brought to life with the new 3D graphics. You can even see other characters from the recent games fighting on the other side of the pit. I noticed Frost and Kenji fighting it out, but a game that just looks nice isn't everything. How well does it play?

The new Mortal Kombat has gone back to it's roots with 2D gameplay and it has paid off big time. The controls are fluid and respond better then they ever have in a Mortal Kombat game. The combos are there and they work well. At first the game will feel slow and clunky, due to playing so much SSF4 and MvC3, but onces you play a few matches you'll feel right at home. The game now has a new Special Meter bar at the bottom of the screen ala SSF4, where you can build meter and perform enhanced special moves (EX Moves), combo breakers, and now the new X-Ray moves (Ultras). The enhanced special moves are just stronger versions with added differences to make them better. Take Sub-Zero's Ice Ball, if you enhance the move, then it becomes an Ice Beam and can't be jumped over. X-Ray moves are new to the series and are not only cool to look at, but they are great for huge damage. Although they can be blocked fairly easy, in just my short time with the demo I found a ton of ways to combo into the X-Ray moves for massive damage.

How well do the characters play in regards to there original counter parts? Almost exactly like they did before. The characters look amazing and play like they should play. Scorpion has his classic Spear move, Sub-Zero has his Ice Ball, and Johnny Cage still packs a Nut-Punch move. Speaking of the Nut-Punch, back in the day you couldn't perform this move on female characters. Johnny would just do the splits when fighting a female, and unless Mileena's secret is out of the bag, this move can now be performed on females. From what I've played so far, it seems that Johnny Cage is a beginner character, he has fast and easy combos while only doing little damage. I got 7 Flawless Victories with him during my ladder run on Hard. Sub-Zero and Mileena are advanced characters, their combos aren't as easy, but do more damage. So far I'm really liking Johnny Cage and Scorpion. In the demo each fighter gets 1 fatality and a stage fatality for the Pit II, and the full game has a minimum of 2 fatalities per character and I think every stage has a fatality.

Overall I love what they have done with Mortal Kombat. They brought back one of my favorite franchises and it looks and feels better than ever. I was worried that the gameplay wouldn't live up and I would have to say goodbye to Mortal Kombat, but now all of my fears have gone out the window. I can't wait for this game when it drops April 19th. Anyone else who was worried about the gameplay fear not. Go pre order this game it's going to be amazing. Everything you remember about Mortal Kombat and more. FINISH HIM!!!!

Be sure to check back in April for the Review of the full game. Tell us what you think in the comments. Don't be a Jimmy!