Graphics: Not as detailed as one might hope,but fairly adequate in quality...nice touch with the creators' names on tombstones. This game was obviously designed with the male gamer in mind--all the female fighters have tiny, tight outfits hardly practical for physical exertion--especially Sheeva, in essentially a bikini--so little wonder there are few female players into this game. I am a Xena fan, so nothing fazes me... but I must say, these chicks all look like sluts. It's a sad commentary on the sexual politics of gaming industries. But I digress...
Sound System: Having heard from Justice (see links section) that on her edition of Kombat, the characters all sound the same--male *and* female--I guess things could be worse. I especially like the animal sound effects on the Animality (which I shall include in each review, as I find them). The screaming during Fatality is *really* horrid and sickening, so it got a definate Slash from me! (Hey, we've all got that evil spot somewhere...heh heh heh)
Difficulty: Depends on what level you choose. There are several: Novice, Master, Warrior, and Champion. Not too hard to defeat. Until you get to the Centaur guy, Motaro. I have yet to beat Motaro. My sister has...even the end guy...but not me. (sigh) I suck.
Individual Reviews of Characters: OK all. I decided, instead of seperate pages for each character review (which sucks up power on my site anyway)I'm gonna give all reviews on THIS page! Innovative, huh? Not really. So, I'll stick with personalized reviews for individualiy. That oughta float your proverbial boat. Whatevah.
Baraka: Scary Edward-Scissorhands-like guy.
Cyrax: Soulless Rob-inator.
Ermac: Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man...
Jade: Speak softly and carry a big stick. My personal favorite character, because of the staff. Her cossie is designed the same as Mileena and Kitana, but green.I love green! Her Animality is a leetle purple kitty that jumps on you and scratches your eyes out. Her Fatality throws you into the air and shish-kabobs you on her long, steel staff. Love it! In her Friendship, she uses the staff as a Pogo-stick. Cute. She's my favorite because she's quick and flexible if not possessing the brute strength of the male characters. Slash! The Plot: Jade was essentially appointed by Shao Khan to track down Kitana and hand her over to Khan. The catch is,she's Kitana's former best friend. Nice. So now she either protects Kitana and risks treason, or she hands a close friend over to have god-knows-what done to her. Doo doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo...(Jeopardy theme) Choices,choices...
Jax: Beefy bionic guy, Sonya's partner-in-law. Major Jax Wilson apparently lost an arm in the Outworld, so he got himself a nifty bionic one. Hey, it could happen! He prefers the topless look, with purple pants. His Animality is a big green lion. His Fatality pounds you into the ground.
Johnny Cage: George Clooney wanna-be.
Kabal: The boy in the plastic cartridge. Very strong, despite a huge, encumbering oxygen tank. Hideous costume lowers him to a Tear, but a solid character nonetheless. His Fatality just slices you to bits...and he enjoys it. "I like a guy what takes his time...", oops, 'scuse me was that out loud?
Kano: Wipe that grin off your face, young man...
Kitana: Mileena's twin. My second fave...maybe a tie with Scorpion. I love the razor-edge fans--a very unique and interesting weapon, rather Oriental in design. Her Animality is a white bunny that claws you to death. Her Fatality is,she takes the fan and lops your head off. Or chops you into little pieces. Her outfit is the same style as Jade's, but a purty blue. The Plot: Kitana has been accused of murdering her twin sister Mileena. So naturally Shao Khan (her father) hires some warriors to, e-HEM, take care of her, eh? In revenge,Kitana plans to go to Queen Sindel and rat on Khan about...something (the details are a little fuzzy. Sorry!)
Kung Lao: Mistah Bond, meet Oddjob.
Liu Kang: Signature character, classic underdog. Ver entertaining, albeit a bit odd at times. He alledgedly employs traditional Asian fighting techniques (snort, yeah right), most notably the tradition of bowing after he kicks your ass, but all it looks like is a bunch of weird movements accompanied by shrill ululations. Good for a laugh of two, though he can be efficient at times. His Fatality flies at you and kicks your head off. Haven't seen his Animality yet; my money is on some sort of Oriental creature, like a tiger, or a panda that falls out of the sky and lands on you. Most unlikely, but hey! It's a game! Anything could happen! Lui's backstory is, he was in the previous Kombat game, assigned to kick Shao Khan's ass. He evidently succeeded, this got the baddie more than a little pissed, so now Lui's being hunted by Khan's henchmen.
Mileena: Kitana's twin. Why did it hafta be PINK?
Nightwolf: Nice flaming green ax!
Noob Saibot: My sister's fave...ooh, creepy!
Rain: Isn't It A Lovely Day To Be Caught In The...
Rayden: Greased Lightning (ooh yeah). Kombat klassic. He's the resident magician/wizard dude with some nifty tricks up his huge poofy sleeves. His Fatality commands lightning to come down from the sky to strike his victim dead.
Reptile: Jade's loyal servant...yeah, and I'm the Queen of the Amazons!(oops, let that one slip...)
Scorpion: Handy with a hatchet.
Sector: Robby the Robot is back and he's pissed.
Shang Tsung:
Sheeva: Oh, Great Goddess Kali...I mean, Octo-chick. She looks a tad like the infamous Hindu goddess, only somewhat sluttier...and uglier. She's got a teensy red bikini the size of a chewing gum wrapper, four arms, and green blood. She has the most brute strength of any female in the game. Her Fatality pounds you into the ground.
Sindel: Totally Hair Barbie meets Xena. Far and away the wackiest character in the game. Her grab move is, she uses her hair as a whip. Snaps it round the torso, throws you to the side. Barbie on acid! It's great, man! Her Fatality screams above high C, you bleed from the ears, then fall down dead. She's got a nutty rock-star quality...unreal, man!
Smoke: "I told ya, man. Cut back to two packs a day..." A grey-silver robot that looks as though someone filled him with a tankful of water--he's constantly steaming gaseous matters, hence his name. Very appropriate, I would say. His Fatality rocks! After he beats you to a half-conscious bloody pulp--which in and of itself is cool--he drops a little pile of bombs onto the ground. Then there's an outside shot of the earth, and the whole furking planet blows up. It's GREAT, man! However, I don't like to play the robots very often, because they're too slow, and don't have enough cool weaponry :) heh heh heh. Haven't gotten to his Animality or Friendship yet, but I'm sure they rock too.
Lt. Sonya Blade: All-American street-fighting bimbo. A peppy blonde cheerleader-type, she and her partner Jax caught wind Earth would be taken over by an evil force (sure, they publish it in the *Times*).So she picked out a lovely look favoured by Triatheletes, and set out to Fight Evil. Her Animality is a big green eagle that picks you up and drops you to your death. In her Friendship, daisies grow 'round her.
Stryker: When Hockey Players Go Bad...next on Fox!
Sub-Zero: Frosty the Snowman, Part XII: Death on Ice: What are you betting his Animality's a polar bear?
NEW! I'm including the character's official biographies in addition to reviews. Meaning I'll have all of the characters mentioned. Happy day, calloo, callay.