Flawless Victory? The "Mortal Kombat" review.

When I was a kid, there was a huge controversy over an arcade game: Is "Mortal Kombat" too violent? What are kids playing a game where you rip out someone's spine for? Is this going to affect them in some evil way? How could game makers be so cruel? Won't somebody please think of the children?! This was back in the day when we didn't have games where a mask tells the person wearing it that his girlfriend is having sex with an evil scientist, while you fight a room full of blood thirsty monsters, ripping their lungs out of their gaping neck wounds.

Yet, today, I haven't heard, "What are kids playing a game where you beat someone so hard, you see an X-Ray of their bones shattering?" cry at all. Perhaps we should, but that doesn't detract from the ray of sinister light from "Mortal Kombat: "Yeah, but it's fun." The fact that "Mortal Kombat" is intensely gory is only a sidetrack to the game play. While story mode is put in to explain why the reboot was even going on, most people will want to jump in and murder each other with Kung Fu.

The newest thing to show up are "X-Ray Moves," hits that drain your three-tiered power bar completely, but pack a powerful punch, enough to break bones (or, in Johnny Cage's case, balls). Each character only gets one move, though, which diminishes the variety, especially considering that each character has anywhere from two to four fatalities. It takes time to charge up, as well, unless you vary your style. Usually, the computer will beat you to it, and use it in cheap ways to give itself an edge. That would be bad, except, trust me, you'll do the same damn thing.

That's where the main problem lies in "Mortal Kombat;" the fights really aren't fair. If you use your X-Ray move, you pretty much guaranteed a win. If you have a slightly faster character, you'll win. If you're fighting a faster character with more moves than yours, they've won. The worst offender is Shao Kahn, with the strategy of "don't touch me." The final fight of a game should not be one where you hide and throw fireballs from the opposite side of the screen, as the boss points and laughs at you. It's like playing tennis with Venus Williams, except she's using a golf club; if you know the match isn't fair, you can bend the rules and win by essentially cheating.

The game itself is "pretty" to look at. The graphics are top notch, save for the cinematics that look too patch worked. Animation flows seamlessly, and the music is all around fitting for the levels. The krypt returns, now allowing you to torture people, and explode corpses when buying collectables. Thankfully, NetherRealms didn't put in stupid extras such as photos of developers, replacing them with images of concepts for characters, levels, damage, and even finishing moves, as well as various unlockables.

"Mortal Kombat" is the faithful reboot it should be. But, sometimes the game play just seems unpolished. Unfair fights aren't fun, even if you're on the winning side. But, if you're willing to look past it, "Mortal Kombat" is a must not miss title.

Overall: B

+ Fun to play

+ Great looking

- Except for cinematics

+ Good music

+ Concept art and meaningful extras

- Unfair matches

- Cheap tactics