Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks (Xbox)

[JustLikeHeaven1]

Since the critic already bashed this game and so did another person I would offer another perspective on this game.

The game is basically a MK fantatics dream come true.  You get to play out the storyline from the end of MK1 to the beginning of MK3 (arguably the best time period of the franchise).  After you watch a killer opening sequence depicting Lui Kang as the victor of MK1 you begin the game.  You can play as either Kang or Kung Lao and both play very differently.  You start off with some pretty basic moves as well as the characters signature special moves.  As you gain experience your character will learn more special moves and deadly combos.  These are very important to utilize if you are to advance quickly.  Unlike most action adventures the very first batch of enemies aren't weak and pathetic.  Rather, they can take awhile to kill if you don't use the combos listed in the pause menu.  With a little practice you will be maiming foes left and right with the greatest of ease.  This game is meant to be insane action at all times.  Enemies will swarm you and you have to learn to fight certain enemies and launch others into deathtraps to even out the odds.  For those complaining that the enemies are too strong why not pick up some weapons?  Kamas or a sword can dishout some insane damage in very little time.  Not to mention you can slice multiple foes in half!  The trademark MK violence is here in spades and you will giggle as you launch minions into spikes, hooks, fans and even the living trees!  There are also exciting moments where you must do the test your might endurance mini game and these fit in perfectly with the on-screen action.  The game is simply a blast to play and I for one could not put it down.  The boss fights are enemies from the MK II era (Baraka, Reptile, Scorpion) with a few exceptions (Goro, Kano).  They are all challenging and they all end in a violent and satisfying fatality for you or your oppenent.  The story helps create a vivid image of what took place after the first tournament and in the realm of Outworld.  If you have ever wanted to dig deeper into the MK lore, Shaolin Monks is the way to do it.  Even if you simply enjoy games like Onimusha or Devil May Cry this might be worth your time.  It can be found only $20 these days and its well worth the price of admission.

The Good:  Easy to learn fighting engine, non-stop visceral action, MK gore well intact, tons of info on classic characters, hidden treats galore, unlockable characters

The Bad:  Average graphics, initial length is very short (I beat it in 5 hrs)

The Grade:  B+

[Linkdude]

I was sort of harsh about the game, but I didn't think Shaolin Monks was that good. Camera problems, repetitive enemies, short length, not a lot of interesting things to unlock, and a really bad frame rate on co-op makes it look...Blah. I'll rerate it.

[IronKnux]

repetetive enemies and short play time are, dare I say it, clichés in beat-em-ups. Remember Streets of Rage? Every baddie looked the same, and it could be easily beaten in at most 2 hours. It's just the way the genre is.

[JustLikeHeaven1]

Linkdude is right about the framerate.  I forgot to mention how it can slow down to a crawl during very hectic moments, but it never made the game unplayable.  Also I don't really care about graphics too much, but I thought the game captured the MK setting perfectly.  In the end thats all that really matter to me.

Ironknux - You are very correct about how brawlers have been the same since the 2D Streets of Rage days.  MK:SM reminds me of the old 16 bit classics because of its simple design.  It doesn't try to be the most complicated. It simply tries to be a 3D brawler in the MK universe and I think it succeeded.  I love the 16 bit era beat em up and those games are repetitive as hell, why bash a game for staying true to the roots of the genre?  The game has great replay value because playing as each different character is completely different.  Plus its worth finding all the hidden characters and fatalities.  Right now I am plowing through the game as Scorpion and its vastly different than when I was Lui Kang.  Seriously for $20 bucks this game was worth every cent I paid for it.

[Linkdude]

Yeah, the part where you climb up in Outworld sucks badly with the frame rate. Somehow, I only like the single-player. The bad thing about Scorpion and Sub-Zero is that they have the same dialogue as Liu Kang and Kung Lao. And I was hoping for Sonya, Raiden, Shang Tsung, and some other characters (Ermac, Mileena) to get into the versus mode.

[bluemonkey1]

Games like this are all about the 2 player.  I haven't played it.  But to bash a game like this for having repetitive enemies is just wrong.

[JustLikeHeaven1]

The two player action is pretty solid in this game.  I actually got my girlfriend to play and she was able to the hang of it pretty quickly.  In fact she even pulled off some fatalities!  The camera is a little problematic because you could be kicking the crap out of an enemy and when they fly off screen the camera doesn't pan out.  This wasn't a problem for me because again this happened all the time in Streets of Rage, Final Fight etc...Shaolin Monks is simple enough for a novice gamer to enjoy (like my girlfriend) yet intricate enough to keep an everyday player happy.

[bluemonkey1]

Sounds like I'll have to pick it up sometime .

[JustLikeHeaven1]

[QUOTE=bluemonkey]

Sounds like I'll have to pick it up sometime .

[/QUOTE]

If you like the older MK games (I & II) and you find 16 bit beat-em ups fun than check it out.  I fit perfectly into this category and I loved the game.  I seriously don't know what the critic was thinking when he reviewed it. This is the best 3D brawler to come down the pipe in a long time.  Truly old-school stuff.  If you can find it cheap go get it.

[a1]

After reading your post I decided to go look at the Critic's review of the game. I had two problems with the review. My first was this line:

Quote: "At its best, the game lets you delve into the world of Mortal Kombat like you never could before, but at its worst, it feels like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

What it should have said is: "At its worst, the game lets you delve into the world of Mortal Kombat like you never could before, but at its best, it feels like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
Because Ninja Turtles games are more fun than Mortal Kombat games (unless we're talking about the recent ones).

My other problem was the grade. I've never played this game so I don't know if it does deserve higher, but after reading the review, the game didn't sound that bad. The critic gave a game a D+, but the review made the game sound more like a C+. Maybe it's just me.