Video Game Review: Mortal Kombat XL - Christmas in October

Developer NetherRealm Studios
Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Distributor Ster Kinekor Entertainment
Where we got our copy Ster Kinekor Entertainment
Genre Fighter
Game modes Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Reviewed on PC

Available on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One

Constantine104

Published October 24, 2016

Okay so here’s a review for a game that I never thought I’d be writing, Mortal Kombat X, or rather the ‘new and improved (ahem rather the FIXED) XL’

Now I really love fighting games, and part of the reason why I have this love for them is because I just don’t think about them much.

I just don’t feel like I have to, the recipe is tried and true, I want a 2D style arcade fighter and enough combos to make me feel like a veritable badass when I button bash and accidentally activate one.

I don’t really put much more thought than that into it, by default I just sort of expect it to work.

So does most of the gaming world apparently because when MKX initially launched for PC and it didn’t just work? (keep in mind the console versions launched at the same time were FLAWLESS) Well, lets just say ‘No Man’s Lie’ got off easy.

But seriously, the reception was bad – and rightfully so, it was so bad in fact that even NetherRealm Studios didn’t want anything to do with it anymore and it soon became abandonware, with seemly no light of resurrection at the end of a very bleak tunnel.

So needless to say I wasn’t exactly heartbroken when I missed out on all the frustration that everyone else was sharing, and gave the game a skip.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play it, it’s just that I didn’t want to pay R500 (excluding DLC’s) and then STILL not play it.

But now? Now things are different, a year later we are back here again, with the launch of MKXL! Which is basically a bundle of everything that the console players have been enjoying since the game launched, a working title and DLC’s for days.

It’s like Christmas… in October… a year overdue.

But Christmas is still Christmas so… Without further ado, and without looking to the past let us dive right in:

Here we go, earlier this month the XL version of MK arrived like a mystical present for the PC (considering the game has been abandonware for MONTHS before this launch, it really is a mystical present).

This means that at long last not only do we get access to all the DLC packs that we have missed out on (there are many and they are WONDERFUL) but they also gave us patches. Not just any patches either, but the patches that the game should have had straight from the start, the patches that not only make the game playable – but make the game the flawless experience it was meant to be.

Now lets talk about the DLC packs first (because it’s pretty and shiny and I am like a crow). My favorite DLC is the inclusion of both the Kombat packs, you can play as Jason Voorhees (my bae), Leatherface, Alien and Predator (there are other characters too just none that made me jump up and down, but they are there).

Then you also get costumes for days, new fatalities, new brutalities, and some balancing fixes, although balance wise the game still felt very broken to me and this is definitely something that still requires further fine-tuning in my experience, but it’s also not game-breakingly bad.

And then the biggest fix of all, they created an all new Netcode. And this time it actually works.

As far as fighting games go MK is still one of my favorites, since day one, through all of the changes, and all of the years it has still managed to keep the feeling of excitement you get when you play exactly the same.

The fighting system is easy to grasp, yet impressive and challenging to master, just as you’d expect from a good MK game.

The characters each have their own unique fighting style and feel, and although I would never recommend it for any fighting style game, you can play it with reasonable ease on a keyboard (although if you struggle with the default bindings remapping your keys is an effortless process)

I was also quite impressed with the story mode, it’s not overly long but it offered just enough to get me fully HYPED to play the rest of the game.

While it may be very late, the game and the online version as it stands now, even if it is still a tad unbalanced, is defiantly worth the ride.

Everything that the critics were fawning over when the game launched is finally here, the game runs smoothly, it does what it’s supposed to, it has enough content to keep you busy and playing with or against your friends is bound to make you stick around.

MKXL is quite simply exactly what you would expect from a MK game, it is good ol’ fashioned fun.

Okay so here's a review for a game that I never thought I'd be writing, Mortal Kombat X, or rather the 'new and improved (ahem rather the FIXED) XL' Now I really love fighting games, and part of the reason why I have this love for them is because I just don't think about them much. I just don't feel like I have to, the recipe is tried and true, I want a 2D style arcade fighter and enough combos to make me feel like a veritable badass when I button bash and accidentally activate one. I don't really put much more thought than that into it, by default I just sort of expect it to work. So does most of the gaming world apparently because when MKX initially launched for PC and it didn't just work? (keep in mind the console versions launched at the same time were FLAWLESS) Well, lets just say 'No Man's Lie' got off easy. But seriously, the reception was bad - and rightfully so, it was so bad in fact that even NetherRealm Studios didn't want anything to do with it anymore and it soon became abandonware, with seemly no light of resurrection at the end of a very bleak tunnel. So needless to say I wasn't exactly heartbroken when I missed out on all the frustration that everyone else was sharing, and gave the game a skip. It wasn't that I didn't want to play it, it's just that I didn't want to pay R500 (excluding DLC's) and then STILL not play it. But now? Now things are different, a year later we are back here again, with the launch of MKXL! Which is basically a bundle of everything that the console players have been enjoying since the game launched, a working title and DLC's for days. It's like Christmas... in October... a year overdue. But Christmas is still Christmas so... Without further ado, and without looking to the past let us dive right in: Here we go, earlier this month the XL version of MK arrived like a mystical present for the PC (considering the game has been abandonware for MONTHS before this launch, it really is a mystical present). This means that at long last not only do we get access to all the DLC packs that we have missed out on (there are many and they are WONDERFUL) but they also gave us patches. Not just any patches either, but the patches that the game should have had straight from the start, the patches that not only make the game playable - but make the game the flawless experience it was meant to be. Now lets talk about the DLC packs first (because it's pretty and shiny and I am like a crow). My favorite DLC is the inclusion of both the Kombat packs, you can play as Jason Voorhees (my bae), Leatherface, Alien and Predator (there are other characters too just none that made me jump up and down,…

Video Game Review: Mortal Kombat XL – Christmas in October

2016-10-24

Constantine104

Total - 8

80 8

You can pick it up through steam for R409 if you don't already own MKX, and if you do you can just upgrade your game for R306 - I would defiantly recommend picking this up of you haven't already

User Rating: 4.5 ( 1 votes)

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Constantine104

Arielle "Constantine104" Pieterse, is a walking, talking, breathing contradiction to the age old insult that girls can't game. Yes she's for at playing The Sims, but she's also pro at other games... Or so she's said. She is a co-host of the NAG podcast and the full-host of a YouTube channel that can be found somewhere on the Internet machine. Her mother is her biggest fan, and her only viewer.

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Article Tags: Constantine104 · Mortal Kombat · mortal kombat x · mortal kombat xl · NetherRealms · warner brother interactive

Article Categories: Video Game Review