Videogame Review: Mortal Kombat 11
Now that all of the DLC characters are out I can give a verdict on this one: It’s lame. It’s not terrible but it is pretty lame. The basic combat isn’t bad. Graphics are nice too. It’s also very very cool to be able to play as the Terminator, the Joker, Spawn, Robocop, and Rambo. However I take it as a bad signal when a third of a fighting game’s roster is DLC. MK11 has the look and feel of a good Mortal Kombat game. It just isn’t one due to several poor design choices. The story mode has strong production value, but the story itself is dumb. Timey-wimey Endgame nonsense devoid of any real tension or drama. The character customization system is a mess. There is no simple way to unlock the things you want. You have to grind for hours and hours for the hope of maybe unlocking a desired costume, accessory, or even character moves like fatalities and intro poses. Literally the majority of the game’s content is locked behind some form of digital slot machine.
Having to unlock things isn’t necessarily bad. Smash Bros. Ultimate did it in a satisfying way. MK11 does not even make it easy to pay them for the stuff you want. Even if you were willing to pay $10 through PSN to get some costume for Raiden, you can’t. Instead you can only buy some in game currency that gives you a few pulls on the slot machine. Much like Injustice 2, MK11 tries to throw you a bone by letting you create AI fighters that can blaze through 20 match marathons for you while you browse Reddit. This is an indictment of the basic game structure. Good games don’t encourage you to turn on autopilot and let it play itself.
Best advice if you are really itching for some Robocop vs Terminator action? Get it as cheap as possible on PC and use mods to save time with their BS digital casino.
Grade: C-
