Thanks to the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot, the iconic (ikonic? ikonik?) fighting game franchise might finally get the modern twist it’s been looking for. Moreover, with Mortal Kombat 11 weaving various timeline inconsistencies across the games, a new film might pave way to a more cohesive take on the franchise’s lore. And for newcomers out there – yes, NetherRealm‘s hit franchise isn’t just about kombat.
Unfortunately, new players of the franchise might feel overwhelmed with the number of games they have to play just to prepare for the upcoming film. Thankfully, some fans consider only a handful of games extremely relevant to appreciate the series as a whole. However, which games should newcomers play to fully relish in brutal kombat?
10 Mortal Kombat 4 (1997)
Despite the primitive visuals, Mortal Kombat 4 set the bar for the series as the first title to boast 3D Graphics. However, the game also serves as the final MK entry to ever make it to the arcade. In turn, players might want to play Mk4 for the nostalgia effect. After all, it’s always entertaining to see MK‘s live-action cast get “translated” into a 3D format. This time around, players can see an “upgrade” to existing costumes such as Sonya Blade’s, which now have a more tactical feel to it.
Interestingly, the game also incorporates new elements that will become staples in the franchise. For instance, Mk4 finally introduces weapons to the game, albeit in a limited fashion. Moreover, the game also introduces a “3D” component to fighting, albeit for now limited to side-stepping.
9 Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe (2008)
Fans of both Mortal Kombat and DC Comics might feel surprised to see a story where fighters of the two worlds somehow face each other in kombat. In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the Justice League and the Kombatants find their worlds merging when Darkseid and Shao Kahn merge with each other after their defeats, respectively.
Sadly, reception-wise, MKvDCU doesn’t have that much “oomph” compared to its predecessors. However, this does show the potential of the series to just “go crazy” with their Kombatant rosters. Some also consider this game to be the direct inspiration for Injustice, the DC Universe-specific fighting game from NetherRealm that also boasts the same brutal gameplay of Mortal Kombat.
8 Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005)
Players consider Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks as the best non-fighting game title in the series. Despite its age, the 2005 title does an impressive job implementing MK‘s signature combos and Fatalities in a multi-directional format. Moreover, players can even perform Fatalities on multiple enemies at once – this time called a Multality.
In terms of story, lore fans criticize Shaolin Monks for unnecessarily retconning some parts of the MK story. In fact, others consider Shaolin Monks as non-canonical in this regard. However, the game does an excellent job expanding series lore – especially for “natives” in the realms such as Tarkatans and Onis.
7 Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996)
Despite bearing the “trilogy” name, Mortal Kombat Trilogy takes the best elements of existing MK games in the 90s and brings them all together in a huge fighting game. In turn, the game has all-new characters from MK2 and MK3, 3-on-3 simultaneous battles, and 11-combo Brutalities that force enemies to explode.
Interestingly, the game’s story also offers a more concise take on the events of MK2 and MK3. In turn, this title serves as a decent way to tie-in the classic MK stories after the first MK game and prior to MK4.
6 Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004)
Newcomers who say Mortal Kombat doesn’t have a concise story should probably try Mortal Kombat: Deception. Despite being a 2004 title, the game aged decently in terms of both its straightforward story and gameplay mechanics. Essentially, Deception fleshes out the lore further by introducing a common enemy in the form of Dragon King Onaga. Moreover, the game’s exploration-based Konquest Mode tries to bring the current “rebooted” 2000s storyline to full circle.
It’s also this game that introduced interactive stages in MK. Stages now have instant-death traps, breakable boundaries, and even multiple levels. Moreover, the game now features Combo Breakers that enable players to interrupt an enemy’s combo.
5 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002)
Midway considers Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a full “reboot” of the acclaimed series. After all, not only does Deadly Alliance mark the end of MK‘s arcade era, it also heralded its switch to full 3D. In terms of gameplay, this title also marked the first time most characters had two unique martial arts stances as well as a weapon-based stance. These modes can help distinguish characters such as the popular ninjas like Sub-Zero and Scorpion who looked very much alike in previous games.
Interestingly, the story also tries to have a more in-depth take on Mortal Kombat lore. In Deadly Alliance, sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung form the aforementioned alliance to control Outworld through an ancient army. And considering the two halves of this Deadly Alliance are comprised of scheming, backstabbing sorcerers, everything ended well.
4 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006)
Fans of comic books can treat Mortal Kombat: Armageddon as the series’ version of the DC Universe’s Crisis On Infinite Earths. Essentially, the game’s plot recognizes the insane amount of Kombatants in the series and aims to fix things by forcing everyone to clash in a battle royale to achieve ultimate power.
In terms of gameplay, this game boasts the most number of Kombatants in a single title. In fact, minus Wii’s Khameleon, the base PS2 and Xbox version of the game has 62 fighters! Aside from this, the game has a Kreate a Fighter mode wherein players can create their own Kombatant – and customization is always a plus in any fighting game.
3 Mortal Kombat (2011)
Players see NetherRealm’s full attempt of revitalizing Mortal Kombat for a modern era of fighting games with 2011’s Mortal Kombat. Interestingly, the devs chose not to include all 60+ characters in another convoluted storyline. Rather, this Mortal Kombat essentially retells the events of the first three games – this time with a time travel twist. In terms of visuals, the game also provides more obvious differences to popular costumes – such as Scorpion’s iconic yellow garb versus Sub Zero’s blue attire.
Story-wise, the game canonizes Shao Kahn’s victory in Armageddon – where Future Raiden uses the last of his lifeforce to send a message to Past Raiden in the hopes of correcting the timeline. In turn, Future Raiden’s interference rewrites the events of the first three games – this time with lasting consequences. Interestingly, this game will open the minds of players that the MK reboot will likely skip introductions and go straight into the action.
2 Mortal Kombat 11 (2019)
As the most recent entry in the franchise, Mortal Kombat 11 remains a must-play thanks to its superbly-brutal graphics and a more customizable approach to builds. Essentially, this time players can create their “ideal Kombatant” by building even combos that suit their playstyle.
In terms of story, MK 11 expands on the “rebuilt” lore as reestablished by 2009’s MK. This time around, Raiden’s merciless approach to Earthrealm’s protection prompts even Kronika, the Titaness of Time herself, to interfere with events. Essentially, this game closes the Armageddon saga of timeline “adjustments.” At the end of its story, characters from old and new timelines establish a new status quo for MK stories moving forward.
1 Mortal Kombat (1992)
Nothing beats the original – and the same goes for the Mortal Kombat franchise. Midway’s Mortal Kombat in 1992 has the same premise as that of the upcoming reboot and the 1995 film. Essentially, Earthrealm’s warriors need to win the 10th Mortal Kombat tournament to stop Outworld’s conquest of Earthrealm.
Despite the dated graphics and the cheesy story, the game did revolutionize the fighting game genre. Unlike Capcom’s Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat an eight-way joystick system that accompanies a 5-button system. It’s also the first game to introduce juggling as a fighting game mechanic and even became very controversial for its gory Fatality finishers.
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