Zero Punctuation: Mortal Kombat

[Nate Corran]

Lol M.U.G.E.N. I was thinking exactly that, Yahtzee you precognitive hat-wearing son of a gun you

 

[Stabby Joe]

I really like Mortal Kombat...

...what? Should I explain why? Well I'm not getting paid for this and no one here really cares but hey, it's a comment section after all.

 

[emeraldrafael]

(though cyrax is my favorite obviously... i wish his backstory wasnt crap).

Who?

OT: It was arlight, I suppose. Wasnt expecting anything thought provokng when I saw it it was Mortal Kombat, though I have left to wonder how Yahtzee gets all these illegal games. Is it legal to own if you do them for work? Or ifsomeone ships one to you from outside the country?

 

[vortexgods]

Backula would definitely win.

Yes, but after he won, he would have to go on and fight... Dracula!

Dracula versus Backula! Who would win!

 

[vortexgods]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/05/npd-mortal-kombat-helps-video-game-industry-fight-to-bullish-month/1

Spoiler

"Mortal Kombat struggles for relevance", huh?

Yahtzee's opinion on fighting games should be taken with Everest amounts of salt. He never talks about the gameplay as much as he should, which always weakens his arguments. Not that he doesn't have some good points, but he doesn't care to expand beyond mentioning them before he goes back to the story plotholes or another forced set-up for another tortured joke.

I find it strange that Yahtzee has celebrated games of mindless action and violence in the past, but to suddenly say Mortal Kombat's gore is "boring". However, he also said it gave him a feeling of great uncomfortableness because of how intimately gruesome the x-ray moves are. That doesn't make any sense. That's the very opposite of boring.

If Yahtzee wants to be taken seriously as a reviewer all the time (which I think he is sometimes but only when he gives a shit), he needs to focus on describing the gameplay as much as possible, especially about a fighting game. We get it, the story is many boatloads of ridiculous, now talk about what matters. If you thought the actual mechanics of the game sucked, point out which ones and what about them felt unnatural or inane.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Yahtzee made some good points but he's too busy being pretentious most of the review.

If you watch a Yahtzee review of a game type he doesn't enjoy, which includes most primarily multi-player games, he will give it a bad review and you will get no useful information.

Also, he's extremely harsh on "Expansion Pack Sequels," sequels which are essentially just more areas of the same game. Sometimes, that's what I want.

 

[Zorpheus]

This review is why I hope Yahtzee never reviews Starcraft II. It's quite obvious he isn't a fan of the genre, as he rarely reviews any fighting game talking about the actual gameplay, which is one of the most important aspects of a fighting game. It just takes me out of the whole experience.

But hey, I liked the opening segment where he starts the review based on the first game.

 

[Mechanix]

Yahtzee doesn't like Doctor Who, I must now cry for 3 hours in the corner of my room.

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

You know how in Extra Punctuation you used to answer questions? I realize that it was just an off-hand comment, but I'm really curious as to what you don't like about the new Doctor Who. Care to elaborate?

 

[Reptiloid]

I'm surprised he didn't mention the awful, atrocious ear-shattering soundtrack with all that horrid dubstep bullshit. I'll just assume he played though it muted.

 

[instantbenz]

Fairly sure the answer to the who woul;d win a massive fight between efeveryone was;

Mr Rogers in a bloodstained sweater!

Good flash, I haven't been round newgrounds for a while. Just don't watch the alternative version of that ... little wrong, that vid.
If it's been his job for over what? Three years now? to review what the majority are playing, he's got whatever connections he needs to obtain and play the game. Either way, thank goodness for netflix having Doctor Who.

 

[Teh Ty]

Another hilarious review. I played Mortal Kombat, but I like to more complex fighting games. I'd rather play Street fighter where I have to watch out for everything and have to use everything, instead of just a slower game. :/

 

[daxterx2005]

Decent review as always, I kind of disliked how you insulted us at the end.
Insults are expected at this point though so I didn't take it to heart.

 

[mmaruda]

So where the hell is the "review" part in this video?

 

[Jezzy54]

I'd love to know how you got it. Please?

 

[Grabbin Keelz]

It's definitly not the most mature game, but it's a hell of a lot more fun than games like Tekken or Soul Calibur.

 

[Mxrz]

I dunno why you would bother when you dislike fighting games in general, no? Now it'll just be pages of folks wanking off to how fighting games are so beneath the totally-awesome-super-important RPGs or some such.

Anyway, this MK has been a solid homerun. Fighting mechanics are surprisingly good, graphics & animation are top notch, and the game is flooded with unlockables and hidden bits. The gore is mostly there to appease the youngsters. When you really get into game, you barely notice it. If you'll notice, in most of the tournaments so far people don't even bother finishers.

My main gripe is Xrays are both a bit too strong, and the animations do get repetitive after a while. And Liu Kang is still a giant asshole.

 

[BoredDragon]

The funny thing is I'm playing Mortal Kombat while listening to this review

Anyway you made some valid arguments against the game, but that hasn't stopped me and my friends from having fun with it. I look forward to you massacring the Brink single player in the near future. The AI is pissing me off beyond all belief.

 

[Dfskelleton]

I said to myself when I was playing Mortal Kombat "Man, Yahtzee is going to tear this to shreds when he review- oh wait it's banned where he lives. Works for me, I freaking love this game!"
Maybe I foresaw the future a bit...
Either way, I did also notice how a lot of these X-Ray moves are impossible to survive. I mean, look at Baraka! He impales them, puntcuring both of their lungs, stabs through their neck at an angle which destroys their main arteries, and then stabs STRAIGHT THROUGH THEIR HEAD THROUGH THEIR EYE SOCKET.
Well, some games are meant to be art, and some games are meant to be outright fun. Are either bad? No. Silent Hill, Portal, Shadow of the Colossus, all excellent games that fit into the first category. Doom, Duke Nukem, Painkiller, and Mortal Kombat are also excellent games (except for a few of the Mortal Kombat games and Duke Nukem spin offs), they all fit into the 2nd category. There's a time for depth and there's a time for fun. It just depends on what you like.
EDIT: How the hell did you not mention Shao Kahn for being the outright cheapest boss of all time? And how did you just give PRAISE to Sakura and Rufus?

 

[CardinalPiggles]

i never have liked mortal kombat, always seemed a bit rubbish to me. i was into tekken 2 too much

Also, why is it spelled Kombat, with a K?!

bekause thats kool man

 

[zidine100]

wait... your complaining about getting to beat on Johny cage? I thought that would be a reward.