Let me start of by saying that I am a big MK fan. However, even though Im an MK fan. Im a bigger fan of just good games.
Anyways...............
Presentation: As a whole, the presentation of MK is mainly very well done with some odd choices here and there. The Main Menu is setup well but nothing to fascinating here besides the animated fight in the background. Animated may not be the best word either. Its more of like a stop motion after you pass Title Screen. However, the fighters do appear very well detailed and the new damage system is a very nice touch.
The kicker for the presentation is the backgrounds during the fights. These things are amazing. Some arenas have your simple back drop but then ones like City, Rooftop, Armory, and others have multiple things going on in the background. The overall effect makes it more of a scene instead of your basic fighting background/arena.
Story: Surprisingly enough, there is actually a pretty well done story in the game. Sure it may be kind of cheesy at times but you're playing a fighting game that has ninjas, mutants, gods, elder gods, and other random creatures. What do you really suspect?
The Story Mode varies in length depending on how good you are at fighting games and how quickly you can come up with a winning strategy. This mode will have you switching between the "good" guys throughout the game in chapters. These chapters serve as good training tools for using a variety of character but you're bound to get frustrated at times. With multiple 1v2 matches and even a pair of 1v3, it can seem to be a little cheap at time. Especially when you fight the top villian, Shao Khan. He seems incredibly cheap and can really only be beaten by using cheap spamming tactics against him. Overall though I had a good time playing through the Story mode.
Controls: MK has returned to original setup for controls from the first two games. No dial-a-combo from MK3 will be found here. At first the controls seem to be tight and responsive, but the more I played the more I found some flaws. These flaws dont necessarily lye with the controls but more with the playability of the game. There were far to many times in high tension moments where I would land an uppercut without even hitting my enemy and vice versa. The range on the hit boxes just seem off at times and while most people wont even care, it may become an issue with competitive play.
Lasting Appeal: There's a lot to do in this game. From the story mode to online may be enough for some but NetherRealms has also gone and added in the standard Arcade ladder, where each fighter has their own ending, a Challenge Ladder which consists of around 300 challenges and The Krypt. The Krypt is somewhat a waste though. Sure, they're a ton of unlockables in it to spend the MK points you earn from winning matches on. It just doesnt seem necessary though when more than half the unlocks are just concept art and music that is forever stuck on the game and inside the games viewing area. Overall though, MK can keep your average fighting pleased for quite some time and may even bring in some new players with its more accessible design then the likes of SFIV or TEKKEN.
OVERALL:Presentation: 9/10 (The Devs really wanted you to notice this game and it shows, even with my hate of the Unreal Engine the game still shines.)
Story: 8.5/10 (While fun and enjoyable for the most part. I cant deny how cheap Shao Kahn feels to fight against. Its one thing to have really good A.I. It another thing when you just make a cheap character and boost his health and damage.)
Controls 8.5/10 (Tight controls that are scarred by some odd hit-boxes.)
Lasting Appeal: 8/10 (Online, Arcade Ladders, and the Challenge Ladder will you keep you going for a while. The Krypt though is just stuffed with pointless things you'll have to grind to get.)
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10
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