Mortal Kombat and its bloody fights returned this year with the reboot of the story and renewal of the mechanics, and the time has come to go back in time and rank the games in the franchise to find out from the worst to the best considering gameplay, history, and everything else.
Before mentioning the games in particular, Mortal Kombat was the best-selling fighting series in the world of video games, always carrying its reputation for high levels of graphic violence.
12. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Last place isn’t much news, as Armageddon is mediocre to this point. The good parts of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon were the large cast of fighters and perhaps the Kart minigame, but on the other hand, the mechanics did not evolve from the previous ones as they should, and the fatalities were “created by the player”, a good idea badly done since it only consisted of ripping off parts of the opponent’s body without any personality, and that was it.
11. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Being so far behind on the list is due to the decision to maintain the 3D style, which we will talk more about in other positions, but Deadly Alliance insisted on this and consolidated that era as the most lost in the franchise. The game added fighters that ranged from good like Li Mei to generic like Mavado and also contributed by inventing Krypts and constant damage, but that’s it.
10. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
After six sequels, ideas ran out, and NetherRealm Studios thought, “What if the characters from Mortal Kombat fight with those from DC Comics?”. Thus was born Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which arrived with little force thanks to the robotic and locked movement, which takes away everything cool about the gameplay and also removes the absurd violence; after all, they were comic book heroes.
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The game would be a total disaster if it didn’t have the charismatic appeal of the Justice League heroes and especially the revolutionary story mode, which got tired over time but transformed fighting games into cinematic pieces. Despite being bad, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was very important.
9. Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat 4 is, of course, the fourth title in the series that arrived in 1997 for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Arcade, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast. The franchise came in a sequence of classics, but this was the first one that disappointed, being very visually inferior for the time and only having the merit of presenting crucial characters like Shinnok, Quan Chi, and Fujin and the complicated command of pulling weapons with each fighter.
8. Mortal Kombat: Deception
We start to rotate the spectrum since Mortal Kombat: Deception is the favorite, at least in the 3D phase of Mortal Kombat, of many, including Ed Boon himself. This title was responsible for expanding the incredible mythology of the MK universe through the great Konquest mode, despite falling behind with crude characters and stolen traps that ended the fight in the first round.
7. Mortal Kombat X
This is the first of the examples from the two main trilogies of the franchise, and unfortunately, the worst of them. It is not such a notable demerit since Mortal Kombat X evolved the mechanics coming from Mortal Kombat (2011) and invested heavily in the new tradition of including guest fighters from every corner of pop culture.
On the other hand, the new fighters varied in public interest but ended in an unsatisfactory balance and also featured a story mode supported by the already tiring zombie versions of the characters.
6. Mortal Kombat
Coming halfway through the list, it couldn’t be further in the past than the first Mortal Kombat, from 1992 for Arcade, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and more. It all started here, with super basic but at the same time super fun commands. There isn’t much to compare with its evolutions, but the original has its appeal for having started it all with its humble set of characters who, when fighting, changed the world of video games forever.
5. Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II arrived a year later, in April 1993, for the same systems as its predecessor and was not ashamed. The second game introduced the franchise to new players and added classic fighters like Baraka, Kitana, Mileena, Jax, Kung Lao, and Shao Kahn, guaranteeing success. There are small problems with the artificial intelligence that has an advantage over players, but it doesn’t overshadow the all-important nostalgia of the sequel.
4. Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat 1 arrived recently on September 14, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. On the positive side, Mortal Kombat 1 only elevates the mechanics, visually improves the scenarios, characters, and effects, and brings the new Kameo Fighters system.
On the other hand, this year’s release was left behind because its story was almost unanimously unsatisfied, promising a reboot that in the end becomes another great multiversal battle that doesn’t explore the characters and their stories as it could and should. We will have to wait and hope that this opportunity is taken advantage of in the following games.
3. Mortal Kombat 11
Remembering and choosing between Mortal Kombat games is difficult without leaning towards nostalgia for the classics, but it must be recognized that recent titles have evolved, as well as the mechanics of bloodthirsty combat.
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After all, gameplay improved over 20 years can be nothing more than practically flawless, while the story brought a freshness by merging two timelines and dealing with time travel, which is always very complicated, but also fun. Although it still falls short of the grandeur of epic combat, MK11 leaves the door open for great narratives in the future.
2. Mortal Kombat 3
Even more so, counting on Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, in MK3 the blow combos became more elaborate, pressing specific buttons in specific sequences and specific times to merge special moves and create unique combat, which is the essence of the series. For all these elements that made Mortal Kombat what the franchise is, the third game reaches second place.
1. Mortal Kombat (2011)
What else could be here other than what remade the franchise and brought it back to the spotlight of the gaming world? The concept of Mortal Kombat revolves around uniting all of the first three games into one title with a different ending and ultimately going back to the 2D roots. After Armageddon and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, this game managed to bring the series from the ashes into an iconic story. In terms of weaknesses, Mortal Kombat only lacked attention to the balance of some fighters, but it is still a major milestone in the history of video games.
What is your favorite Mortal Kombat game? What would you change in this ranking? Let us know in the comments!
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