MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAT! Bet you can hear the techno remix of that in your head right now. After Mortal Kombat 1 did a lot of things right, yet failed to hold the interest of the fighting community due to some flaws, it’s time to rediscover the “klassics” once more. And not just the original trilogy, for once. This is XboxEra’s review for Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, tested on Xbox Series X!
I’ve been here before
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is easily the most packed collection the franchise has received yet, albeit its long list of games may be a tad misleading as there’s a lot of repeats. Here’s the list of titles found in this package – in parenthesis, the ports that were brought back:
Mortal Kombat – 1992 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear)
Mortal Kombat II – 1993 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, 32X)
Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Arcade, SNES, Genesis)
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 – 1995 (Arcade, WaveNet Arcade, SNES)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy – 1996 (PlayStation)
Mortal Kombat 4 – 1997 (Arcade)
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero – 1997 (PlayStation)
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces – 2000 (PlayStation)
Mortal Kombat Advance – 2001 (Game Boy Advance)
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance – 2002 (Game Boy Advance)
Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition – 2003 (Game Boy Advance)Needless to say, that’s a lot of kombat for your buck, but over a dozen of them are just slightly different ports of the first 3 games. Those 3 games have been done to death at this point. Sure, they’re excellent games – the 3rd one, especially. But at some point, having even the Game Boy or Game Gear version of a title feels a bit useless. Especially when this “kollection” barely extends upon what we are used to see. Still, unleashing a 2D era Fatality on our opponent is one of those core satisfactions in gaming. Certainly up there with hopping onto a Koopa in Mario games, or clearing 4 lines at the same time in Tetris.
A forgotten era
To its credit, however, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection does allow us to revisit some less known titles in the series. One such game is the arcade version of the somewhat divisive Mortal Kombat 4. It was the first to feature 3D models, a game that simplified the combo system, toned down some of the comedic violence. I’m a huge fan of game preservation, and while this ain’t the best Mortal Kombat by a long shot, it’s still a relic worth revisiting. And, well, it’s still fun! And speaking of forgotten “klassics” that were lost to the shadows of time…
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is one of the weirdest games in the entire franchise. It goes back to the digitalized actors of the classics, featuring some incredibly cheesy FMV cutscenes. But most importantly, it tries to take the controls and combat model of the original fighters and turn it into a sidescroller brawler and platformer. Not a great result, I’ll say. There’s even Mortal Kombat: Special Forces the similarly cheesy yet more enjoyable top-down brawler with Jax as protagonist. These games were never brought back before, and while they’re relics of their time, I’m glad they can be revisited.
Kung Fu (Re)Master
Regardless of how unmissable some of these games are, the remastering (or emulating) job is great. From the arcade ports to the GBA ROMs, everything seems to run and look as it should. For better or worse, even the framerate and such remained the same, though at least the loading times are basically non-existent by now. The player can choose between various borders for the screen, apply a CRT filter, have the controls on screen, turn on a few cheats. Even the very handy rewind feature is present. Trust me, you’ll need it in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero‘s punishing platforming segments! Most of the games can even be played online, which is quite massive.
Last but not least, the game features a massive history of the franchise. Similarly to the also Digital Eclipse-developed Tetris Forever, there’s a whole encyclopedia of content here. Tidbits of history. Exclusive interviews with series creators like Ed Boon. Data about the game’s sales, success and ventures beyond gaming. I only started playing Mortal Kombat in the 2000’s, so I missed out on some of the iconic moments of the 90’s. With this “kollection”, I really feel like I caught up with the ins and outs of this stellar franchise. Now, let’s hope that the next generation of Mortal Kombat games will be re-released in a similar compilation. Deadly Alliance (and not the GBA port!), Armageddon, Shaolin Monks… please?
All roads lead to Kombat
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection goes back to the first decade or so of this iconic fighting game series. Revisiting the original trilogy is still a blast, especially online, despite many other collections already exploring those games. Padding out the title count with many ports of the same goes is a bit futile, but a good exercise in game preservation. Some of the more divisive first 3D titles of the franchise have been brought back, but I wish they’d have included some of the 6th generation classics as well. The emulation job is sound, and the documentaries at hand are fantastic, which makes this “kollection” a must have for fans of the franchise. If you already played the “klassics” to death, however, the steep price point (50 USD/EUR) may be a bit too much to swallow.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- These "klassics" are still a blast
- Multiple forgotten games are playable again
- Great emulation job and various extra options, such as rewind
- Sensational documentaries and behind-the-scenes content
- Online play!
CONS
- The list of games is padded with many ports of the same titles
- Only the GBA port of Deadly Alliance, and no other 6th generation title
- Steep price
