Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition was originally banned in Australian due to the excessive graphic violence of this fighter. Back then, Australia didn't have an R18+ rating but now, the game has finally been released and even though it is slightly dated, it's still one impressive fighter. Developed by the makers of Injustice Gods Among Us, players of Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition can easily see where their inspiration came from. Although not as strong as Injustice, Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition definitely takes the franchise to the 21st century... they had me at FULL HD GRAPHICS!

The "9th" game in the series, this game is a reimagining of Mortal Kombat 1 to 3 as the developers link the characters together to tell an intricate clichéd story. It's basically a tournament held by Raiden to help save Earthrealm. Although clichéd, over the top and sometimes laughable, there's something refreshing and enjoyable about the Mortal Kombat series, especially poor old Scorpion. However Mortal Kombat has never been about the story telling but rather the combat or kombat. The game also contains all the DLC from the original release of this game in 2011 with new characters such as Skarlet, Freddy Krueger and Rain.

At its heart, this game is a pure fighter as you pummel the absolute daylights out of each character. Thankfully the controls have been perfectly mapped on the DualShock Controller so whether you're kicking, punching, grabbing, blocking or performing a special manoeuvre, everything feels very fluid. The game also contains a variety of gameplay modes from traditional 1 on 1, including online to a plethora of new modes, team modes and practice which is ideal for practicing your fatalities. You could literally play this game for hours upon hours. It's also great that the developers have streamlined the fatalities

As Mortal Kombat was originally declined classification in Australia due to the new fatality system of the game, this excessive violence goes beyond any fighting game that Australians have had the pleasure of playing. Although the original fatalities in Mortal Kombat were quite comedic with their over the top violence, The Komplete Edition takes this to a whole new level thanks to the X-Ray move. The X-Ray move basically enhances the gore of your fatality so opposed to just seeing the outside damage, you actually get to see each bone break and each sinew snap, including internal organs. Other fatalities also look more realistic and I remember that I had to look away when one opponent was about to be buzz sawed in half.

The roster of Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition PS3 contains a wealth of characters that include fan favourites like Johnny Cage, Raiden and Mileena... I also love how the developers have included a couple of new characters such as Freddy Krueger who drags people into the dream world and for PS3 owners, Kratos the God of War who literally stabs his opponents to death thanks to the Blades of Exile. It doesn't end there because as the opponent tries to stop the bleeding, Kratos basically rips them in half... very graphic. There's also a cool Medusa fatality as well. The full roster of this game is as follows;

With that said, the game contains both local and online play and adds Co-op arcade mode, Challenge Tower and King of the Hill to the mix. Playing online is fun but nothing is more fun than playing this game on a 50" LED with a friend or friends which allows for some great trash talk. This game even sees the return of other fan favourite modes such as Test Your Might, Test Your Luck and Test Your Strike which is classic button mashing at its best. Once you have finished the story and tested your skills online, this game offers so much more to the player like the incredible 300 level tower which will take gamers hours upon hours to complete... or maybe never because as you progress, so does the difficulty.

Graphics/Audio

Graphically, the Komplete Edition is still a very impressive game on the PlayStation with some exceptional character models, animation and background environments. All your favourite Mortal Kombat characters look amazing in FULL HD and when matched with the new "mature" fatalities, it's definitely a very impressive looking game. Sound effects work hand in hand with the gameplay to enhance your experience as does the classic music and corny one-liners from the characters. I must admit that I loved the backgrounds in this game from the evil monastery, subway to Shang Tsung's Throne Room... there's lot of arenas to fight in.

Final Level

This game might be a few years old but if you're a fan of Mortal Kombat, this game is a must have title for your PS3 or 360. It's classic fighting at its best with almost flawless controls, outstanding gameplay and even though it's not a 3D fighter, it still provides plenty of tactics for the gamer to learn and excel. Brilliant! Oh... and the game is affordably priced at under $40AUD (May 2013)!