As a big fan of the Mortal Kombat series, no matter how poor the writing can get, I really enjoy the fact that this is purchasable here. I do wish though that this was the Dreamcast version, which went under the name of "Mortal Kombat: Gold" MK Gold being an experience which gave a few extra arenas, a few extra classic characters made it back in, and allowed you to choose your characters weapons prior to starting a match. This is nowhere to be found on modern hardware aside through emulation, which I'd rather be able to purchase a genuine port. Aside from getting that out of the way, let's talk about how this particular game functions: The gameplay is jank and stiff. Which let's be real, every single MK game is jank and stiff but once you get used to the unique way the fighting mechanics flow within that then it's always a blast. Like many 3D fighters in this series, there is a way to step closer or farther away from the camera but instead of being able to do it with ease you must hold a button down prior to pushing up or down. I'm not particularly sure if this is something that may sour you on the 3D space being used here, but it can be a little bit better than the ps2/GC/OGXB era of titles seeing as you may step far or close when just trying to duck, jump, or input for attacks. Aside from this key difference, it is mostly identical to those games. I think the biggest draw to this game is the cheesy 3D rendered Tower finishes, while every other title used a player card with some written bio text. Plus, it brought quite a few characters that became huge fan favorites like Quan Chi. However, on the flipside of that there are a few character choices that are forgettable. Like Kai, who has not returned in any MK game aside from the 1 title that boasted having every character (That being MK Armageddon). If you've played the Nether Realm Studio take on MK4, which was MKX, but never played this then no matter what I highly suggest giving this a spin for a laugh
