Mortal Kombat was well received by fans and critics shortly after it's release which sold over millions of copies and featured new graphics, new worlds, as well as the old ones of the classic MK games. This game also has various DLC's as well such as; Kenshi, Cyber Sub-Zero, Skarlet, and everyone's favorite nightmare boogeyman Freddy Krueger.
Plot. Following the events of Mortal Kombat Armageddon, the forces of good and evil have all been wiped out. Only Raiden remains but is defeated by Shao Kahn. Just as Kahn is about to deliver the final blow, Raiden sends a message to his earlier self saying, it is He Who Must Win. Then we flashback to the events of Mortal Kombat 1, where Raiden experiences a premonition from a cracked amulet, and must now change the course of events that will come to fruition.
There are new types of gameplay modes such as: Arcade, Ladder Tag, Story Mode, Challenge Tower, and so on. Players in tag mode can choose a partner, and play against the CPU, or against friends and family. Also, MK9 includes online versus, where players could fight other players. Challenge Tower is where players compete in 300 different challenges of varied difficulties. With the points they earn in winning matches, players head to the krypt to purchase new upgrades for characters and many other cool things.
Concept. Players can choose to fight in Arcade, Arcade Ladder Tag, or in Story Mode. Story Mode of MK9 is actually a retelling of the three classic games in the series. Players in story mode play as all the good guys who fight against the evil forces of Outworld led by the Emperor Shao Kahn, who is aided by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.
Design. The game's design was unique in merging 2D with 3D rendered characters. Mortal Kombat runs a heavily modified version of the Unreal Engine 3, similar to the engine used by its predecessor, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The new Mortal Kombat game increased not only in characters but in different arenas and speed.
Sound and Music. Dan Forden returns once again as the lead sound designer. He was known for being such in the classic games. Music themes such as The Screaming Forest, The Subway, and so on have been rearranged and are more epic than before. Sound effects such as punches and kicks landing on opponents are better than ever, and voice acting is way better than the one it had in Mortal Kombat 4.
Downloadable Content. When Mortal Kombat was released, characters from the classic MK Trilogy were in, and also added new DLC's. Skarlet (a red female character based on a rumor of MK2), Kenshi (first introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance), Rain (first seen in Ultimate MK3), and from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, Freddy Krueger.
Rantings. Now, I believe that they should have added at least some more story into it. For example, Kratos and the rest of the DLC should have had one, but at least they had their endings. Also, if Freddy Krueger appeared in this game, then why didn't Jason Voorhees appeared as well, because it would have been cool to see the two horror icons duke it out once again. Freddy should have had some dialogue, but that is just me.
Good Aspects. The game's replay value is very high, also, my favorite parts of playing with different people were playing online as well as with friends when this game was released last year. MK9 happened to also put the series back to it's former glory after games like Armageddon and DC Universe nearly led it to it's downfall. I love this game so much that it turns out to be in my list of the best of 2011 games. MK9 is a game I'd definitely recommend if you love fighting games.
Overall. If you people have not played MK9 yet, you can buy the recently released Komplete Edition on your local GameStop, Best Buy, K-Mart or you can rent it online at GameFly. Mortal Kombat 9 gets a 10 out of 10.