One of the best Vita games to date and a note-worthy fighting game of today is Mortal Kombat for the Vita. Also known as Mortal Kombat 9, this close replica of the console version continues where MK: Armageddon left off.

It is difficult to ignore the fact that this game is impressive. Though it is a close match to the console version, the developers at NetherRealm decided to keep in mind quantity of sixty frames a second over the quality of the characters. This is a perfect game for fighting fans and Vita lovers alike and you’ll know exactly why.

The content included with MK is incredible for Vita games and including any console game for that matter. It has more content than the console version as well. Right out the box you get the game with all the DLC characters that were released for the Xbox 360 and PS3. These characters are Rain, Skarlet, Kratos from the God of War series,  Kenshi, and Freddy Krueger. All the characters come with the console’s DLC costumes too. Allowing you to pick how you want to look when you are annihilating your opponent. Also included is a whole new Bonus Challenge Tower along with the original Challenge Tower. This consists of well over 50 different challenges mainly using the touch screen or accelerometer. As you complete these challenges you earn Koins and unlock the next challenge in succession. There are new “Test Your” mini games as well. Test your balance is where you must balance your character over a very deep pit of death for the required time. As it gets more difficult you will have items thrown at you to throw off your balance and if you fail, you watch a very rewarding death of giant spinning blades, piranhas, a giant saw, a rocky bottom, and more. Test your slice is a cousin of Fruit Ninja’s screen swiping action but instead of fruit there are body parts. There are many hours of fun with all the brutal features aside from the main game play it’s almost overwhelming.

Now many people who seen any game play already probably notices the visual quality of the game play dulled down a decent amount. Meaning with a closer look the character models are jagged, blurred at the seams, and missing in a lot of detail. It still looks appealing for a portable system, but compared to the console version, it is painful. As I have stated before the developers at NetherRealm knew they had to go with one or the other – Keeping the stunning sixty frames a second with dulled visuals, or same visuals but dulled the smoothness of game play. In my personal opinion they made a good choice. Keep the smoothness with sacrificing graphics and I can’t complain. Other than that the visuals are pleasing and nothing is missed from the console version.

The audio is above average but not close to special. The soundtracks from the original Mortal Kombat are playable in-game which adds a sense of nostalgia for all time fans. Noises cross over one another successfully and do not cut each other out. There is no lag in the visuals matching up with sound, providing in a crisp experience for the senses. X-Ray attacks have that same dramatic sound and all the grunts and voice overs are greatly fused into the entire experience.

Online offers the same experience as the console version but with a guaranteed ½ second of lag in every match. It is online so it isn’t that surprising, but depending on each player’s connection, the lag could be worse. At times there could be a twitch or surge of extra lag for a moment messing up your combos. Even sometimes the match can become desynchronized and just end with no apparent reason. Aside from lag, the matches are the same as the console version, ranging from tag to single, ranked to unranked. There is no king of the hill in this version though so beware if you were a fan of that on the consoles. You can host matches and invite your friends to them along with utilizing mic support in the middle of a match for ultimate trash talking. AD-HOC is also included, in single or tag matches with less lag than online matches. You can also view stats of yourself making it very competitive. The online experience gives another area of this game to be played and played again regardless of its minor faults.

The extra features can vary from in game to altering the arena. One secret feature when selecting an arena allows you to view the old MK arcade setting with whatever your Vita sees out its back camera as the backdrop. Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh? Also, if need be, you can touch the X-Ray icon at the bottom of the screen if you wanted to activate your special move. This is interesting, but for some people useless, but something different none the less. Upon earning more Koins and beating different challenges, you will be able to go to the Krypt, which is an interactive area where you can buy concept art, new fatalities, songs, and more goodies of the like with the hard earned currency you acquired.

Arcade mode offers tag or single one on one versing a total of ten different opponents which vary every time you start the arcade. The selected difficulties can range from beginner to expert with hard, medium, and easy in between. The difficulties are exactly what they say they are, being fair in the difficulty you select. As you progress through the ladder your opponents will become more difficult to defeat regardless of what difficulty you selected. At the end of defeating any character’s arcade you will watch an artistic cut scene of their story after being an all-powerful champion. Now this brings us to the main story of the series. It is a separate mode from the arcade mode that changes characters every 4 fights or so. It is a plot of earth realm trying to stop Shao Kahn’s forces from total control and preventing him from becoming a god himself. You will play many characters and as the cut scenes are shown you will notice they aren’t too boring or too exciting. They are a perfect bridge for a fighting game in between fights. The story cannot be beaten in one normal sitting as it takes a decent length of time to complete. Though some might disagree with the length of the story, it is enjoyable at the least.

Controls for this game are great. They are fluid, smooth, and accurate. When you are playing there is a small buffer with entering combos where you can put in the combo as fast as you want and basically sit back and watch the character do the work. This little buffer has helped me and it is a very interesting way of playing. The controls online are delayed about ½ second so you would try to enter them in a little earlier than normal. This isn’t how anyone would want to play a game, even a fighting game at that. Some may even have an issue with the placement of the tag in/out button, which is actually the right joystick. I see no problem with this considering they mapped every other button perfectly. You might get that occasional and accidental tag out, but where else do you expect that is any better? You can change the layout of the buttons with different presets which will sit well with people who play differently than others. Overall, very good and nothing to complain about except for the online controls and odd placement of tag control.

During training mode things seem to slow down. You obviously aren’t trying to defeat anyone so you have all the time in the world to observe what combos can be done and what punches end up where. During a punch or kick, the body part will glow red to indicate an attack from that limb. It will also say how much damage was done and if it was a high, medium, or low attack. You can also record short clips of your training mode, and play them back. You can even edit the stance and attacking or wake up moves of the opponent you are practicing on. Also there is a fatality practice mode. This allows you to select a character, choose who you want to demolish, and your opponent will be in a dizzy stance. With this, a box is located on the floor to show you how far or close you need to be to perform the specific fatality. It even shows the specific button combination to do so. These modes are more than helpful when trying to hone a combo or skill to perfection.

Overall this game is a handheld masterpiece. The subtle conversion from console to portable is highly impressive and is worth the forty dollar price tag. The addictive game play leaves me no choice but to recommend this game to anyone who has a Vita or anyone who enjoys a quality game regardless of how competitive they are. So far this game is a major success and even with its faults there is no denying this is a must buy!

FINISH HIM!

9/10