Mortal Kombat - PlayStation Vita

I've been waiting to get my hands on this game since it was announced for the PS Vita and I'm glad to say, this game delivers. If you bought the console (PS3) version last year, then the Vita version will make youf feel at home; the main menu looks exactly as the bigger console counterpart,Scorpion punching the snot out of Sub-Zero. The Vita version offers an array of new modes. All classic costumes are included, some other costumes are unlocked by completing challenges. All 32 fighters are included in this version including DLCs from the console version such as Rain, Skarlet and Freddy Krueger. Of course, Kratos is there.At the main menu you will see:FightStory Mode : A retelling of the arcade classics from MK1 to MK3)Challenge Tower: Konquer Hundreds of Challenges from The Tower of The Elder Gods.Bonus Challenge Tower: Master an all new set of challenges. Touch, Slice and balance your way to the top)Training: a way to learn and master the moves.Versus: online and localExtras: Krypt, Nekropolis, Kredits.Options: Controls, GamePlay, Audio/Video (including contrast and brightness)Select "Fight",there you have:Ladder (just like the console cousin)Tag Ladder:Tag team tournament using 2 players. (tagging done with the R stick)Test Your Balance: where you use the Vitas motion to keep your balance or dieTest Your Slice: think of fruit ninja, but with body parts...bloody good time!Test Your Luck: Slot machine wheelsTest Your Might: fill up the meter and smash through difficult objectsTest Your Sight: Find the object under one of the heads or dieTest Your Strike: Just like test your might, but precision is the name of the game.The game runs at a smooth 60 FPS without any hicups. I was able to perform special moves/combos/fatalities without much effort; and just like the original version, you can pause at any time to look at the list of commands. X-Ray moves are performed by pressing LB+RB at the same time, if you want to do an enhanced super move, simply press RB while performing the move, simple. Fatalities are easy to pull and we can now use the touch screen, which by the way, is freaking sweet. I'm sure many of you saw the trailers where players had to wipe blood off the screen; luckily, this is only done during challenges.Touch Fatalities: This is a new feature that makes the game that much more enjoyable for Vita owners. The way you do it is, simply look at the moves needed for the fatality, for example, foward, back, down, down (not an actual fatality), then simply swipe your finger in those directions and voila! The sweet, bloody mess is all yours to enjoy.The AR Feature: it is sweet! BUT, as of now, can only be used in practice mode. I hope in the future a patch is released to be able to use it during actual fights. This is how to do it: In "Practice" at the fighter selection screen, press the TRIANGLE key, this will take you to the arena selection, once you're there, scroll to the arena of your choice (but do not press anything to chose it)then press LB+RB at the same time, you will hear a loud laughter, indicating AR has been unlocked; next chose your figthers, the game will load, the arena you wanted will now have AR backgrounds, enjoy the view!Some have complained about the game's graphics, and I have to admit, the characters look a bit out dated and blocky, but that was a sacrifice needed to have a fluid frame rate. Don't be fooled though, the game still looks good, considering the limitations. I know the Vita is supposed to be a powerful system, but you have to take into account the complexity of this game, if you owned the the PS3/360 versions, you know how detailed the game was; trying to cram all that info into a small flash based card is a challenge on its own. I have been playing the game for many hours now and I can tell you, THIS IS NOT A LAZY PORT. The game's controls and mechanics have been re-done from the ground up, to fit the PS Vita's needs and capabilities. The adition of touch/balance features is something every Vita owner will appreciate and will keep you playing for a long time.MP was also a breeze. I was able to connect without any issues and in no time I was getting my ass handed to me online.If you want to enhanced the experience, I suggest you get a PS Vita grip such as this CTA Digital PS Vita Hand Grip . That grip makes it much easier to play, due to its ergonomic design, that makes you feel like your holding a PS3 controller.In conclusion, if you are a true fan of the series, this game won't disappoint you, so do NOT SKIP this one. It comes packed with tons of extra content and modes that take advantage of the Vita's features. It is worth every penny of the $40 hands down. Players new to the series will enjoy it and long-time fans will rejoice having bloody fatalities in the palm of their hands. Peace.

Written by my son, the gamer:"Being new to the Mortal Kombat universe, I bought the game because of the good reviews the game received, and I was not disappointed. Upon starting the game, I noticed how creative the main menu was; an animated scene with Scorpion punching Sub Zero was certainly original, and is certainly high quality in its excellent graphics. Reflecting the menu, the game quality was fantastic, and will be a game to keep forever, for these reasons:Story Mode:The story mode begins with Raiden and Shao Kahn in the future, without much context. So, this made eventually building up to that event all the more interesting.Pros - The story portrayed from 16 different perspectives was immersive; the beautifully constructed storyline makes this game as good as it is. For the seven hours or so the story mode lasted, I couldn't put it down.- Each cutscene lead into every fight smoothly and without loading, adding to the fluidity of the game.- The fight gameplay, with a smooth framerate of 60 FPS, came out to be everything I hoped for. The graphics and textural contrasts of everything in the scene were nothing less than five stars. Also, the wide array of moves for each character proves the depth and production value of the game.- Finally, in collaboration with what I said directly above, I wanted to comment on the scenes on which the fights were staged. This is the only fighting game I have come across that has moving backgrounds, sometimes with a dragon nesting on a building, or a subway running its route.Cons - The only real drawback to the game was, in my opinion, the jumping around between characters. it felt monotonous and seemed like an effort to introduce a wide array of characters, and not to develop and focus on the main ones, like they should. Personally, it would have been much more interesting had they shown the story from the perspective of maybe three characters, and spend time connecting the storyline between them.Fight:The wide array of game modes makes the experience endlessly fun, and not another game to put back on the shelf.Pros - The fight quality is of course the same in Fight mode, but this time you can pick from a decent lineup of characters. The diversity of the possible moves for each character and the number of characters makes an expansive environment that is sure to keep you busy.- Possibly my favorite part of the game is the different game modes. Although Ladder and Tag Ladder are fun modes, they add several more such as Test Your Might and Test Your Balance that bring out the best qualities of the Vita itself, as well as being extremely creative in these addicting game modes.Cons - The only possible bad thing I can think of in Fight Mode is that you must unlock each individual level in each game mode from the Challenge Tower and the Bonus Challenge Tower, which makes unlocking all the levels long and tedious.Bonus Challenge Tower and Challenge Tower:Containing a huge amount of levels, with a fun and unique premise to each one, the creators of the game were infinitely creative with this idea.Pros - As stated above, each level is different from the next, having you do anything from juggling Sonya with rockets, fight by throwing your limbs at your opponent, and even having you base the fight by your pull on a slot machine. It's fun that never ends.Cons - I didn't think this was possible, but I think they included too many levels in each tower, which made beating the tower and unlocking levels a long process.Extras:Containing two modes named Nekropolis and Krypt, here you can buy music, art, codes for different Fatalities and perks within the game, and look up Bios for your favorite characters.Pros - The Krypt is where you buy extras within the game, and in case the reader hasn't seen the theme here, the way in which they constructed this was creative and made you play for hours. The Krypt is basically a wide plain, covered with different sections such as humans on torture or execution devices, humanoid figures in purple/pink bulbs hanging from trees, and several more. The objective is to buy all the extras, and to do so you must "destroy" each human in each area, which keeps you earning Kurrency until you unlock it all. Pure marketing genius.- The Nekropolis is a circular room with the Gallery in the center, where you view art and music bought in the Krypt. and fanning to the right and left are all the characters in the game, offering Bios, a rotatable figure of them, stats for them in gameplay, and a mini cutscene for each character that offers the events that took place after the close of the main campaign. I couldn't have presented it any better myself.Cons - Nothing to be said here.Versus:Because of Wifi issues, I have only been able to play a few games, certainly not enough to construct a decent interview, but from what I experienced it lived up to the bar set by the other game modes.Pros - The gameplay was fantastic. I'm not sure there's much else to be said.Cons - I was having some connectivity issues, even with my Wifi problems aside.All in all, in my humble opinion, this is the best PS Vita game to date, aside from maybe Uncharted GA. The well-constructed storyline combined with the diversity within the gameplay truly makes Mortal Kombat endlessly fun."