In the early 90s, gaming was given a bloody jolt when Mortal Kombat was unleashed on arcades. While the 2D fighting was nothing new, the ability to literally kill your opponent in gory ways was anything but old. Over the next couple of years MK would receive two sequels, adding more characters, more stages, and more gore. Much to the dismay of parents and politicians, the Mortal Kombat franchise was building an empire soaked in blood.
While 2011 saw a brand new Mortal Kombat hit shelves to great fanfare, it’s made some older MK nuts long to go back and relive the roots of the franchise. NetherRealm Studios and Warner Brothers have delivered the goods, launching the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. The collection is the original Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, remastered. It’s one hell of a collection that will bring gamers back to the bloody, gory days of MK glory.
All three games are updated ports of the arcade versions of the games. All of the visuals, sounds, and features of the arcade cabinets have returned, with digital enhancements and HD touches, of course. Gameplay is thankfully untouched; as I played I continually felt like I was warped back to the arcades of my youth, only I didn’t have to pay 50 cents every time I was forced to continue.
Each game did receive one major addition: online play. You can play any of the three games against any other player in the world, bringing the arcade “I got next” mentality into the living room. I had some trouble connecting to other players if I went straight online after booting the game. I played some single-player, then went back and tried online, however, everything worked as it should. Either way, once I did connect lag was an issue.
If you want to bring back the old arcade feel even more, that’s where one of the coolest features of the package comes in: arcade filtering. Players can set different visual filters for their televisions, including old rounded-corner arcade cabinet style. I turned my 47″ LCD TV into an arcade cabinet, complete with the old screen borders from the original cabinets. While this is purely aesthetic, there’s no denying how nostalgically cool it is.
Klassic fighting gameplay returns with Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. All three games will give players the sights and sounds of 90s arcades, allowing them to relive gaming excellence while allowing a brand new generation of gamers to see what all the fuss was about. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection is an excellent return to form for a legendary franchise, and anyone who enjoyed the newest Mortal Kombat should make sure to download and experience this collection firsthand.
