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Get your monk on!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The Mortal Kombat team wanted to try something new, and I sure am glad they did. I have not beaten the game yet or even come close to unlocking all it's secrets, but I feel I have played enough to write a review as I am halfway through the Soul Tomb.

My favorite part of the game so far has been fighting the three leading ladies of MK, Mileena, Jade, and Kitana, all at once! They look beautiful and they are hard to get through if you are playing the game without a partner.

As other reviewers have said, the opening video is amazing and you got to love the way Reptile goes after Johny Cage.

I play as Liu Kang and I am having a blast whipping my hat around and doing slice fatalities, and the mutality is great when you have a room full of Barakas to fight.

The graphics are awesome, the sound effects are top notch, and it has a great 'Mortal Kombat' feel. There is no other way to describe it but for that way. MK enthusiests will know exactly what I speak of. I look forward to playing this game for weeks to come and will probably play it again and again. The versus mode is great and I can't wait to unlock Kitana.

An MK fanboy's dream game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Can Mortal Kombat still be relevant after all these years? With "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks," Midway did a fine job proving that it still Kan (um, sorry about that).

The fighting system is smooth and responsive, similar to games like "Devil May Cry," "Ninja Gaiden," "Legacy of Kain: Deception" and "Zone of Enders." It's fast paced, combo-oriented and very, very violent. You dispatch wave after wave of bad guys, but there's enough variety to keep it from going stale, especially when you learn how to string together 100-hit custom combos. Throughout the 6-10 hour quest, you can use weapons scattered around, interact with the environments and find secrets and unlockables in every single area of the game. Yes, you read that right.

"Shaolin Monks: takes place from the end of the original game to the end of "Mortal Kombat II." You play as Kung Lao or Liu Kang, who each play completely differently. As you fight your way through various locations from those games, you learn new abilities and fatalities (you know, finishers), buy moves, solve puzzles, and fight boss battles with popular characters such as Scorpion, Reptile, Baraka, Goro, Shang tsung and the final two bosses from "MK 2."

The boss battles are particularly impressive. Each one is completely different and you dispatch these bad guys in some imaginative ways, similar to games like "Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy" or the "Metal Gear Solid" series. Of course, each battle also has its fair share of straight up flying fists and boots to the face. As a nice bonus, you finish each fight with a unique situational fatality. Beware, since your enemies could do the same to you. It's worth losing at least once to see how your opponents can dismember you.

The single player mode is great, even though the story may seem stupid to "Mortal Kombat" newcomers. For fans, this game deserves another half star or more toward its rating. Expanding the series' storyline and freely exploring memorable environments from the old games in 3-D is nostalgic and awe-inspiring at times.

Of course, not every game is perfect. There are brief periods of tedium coupled with a lot of back-tracking and instances of the "revisiting-an-old-area-with-a-new-ability" formula that so many games seem to use. You may also get tired of seeing the same fatality over and over again at first, but that should be in incentive to discover some more (each fighter has quite a few if you take the time to find hidden icons or look them up on the internet). There are also some glitches, occasional slowdown, and voice acting that is so laughably bad that you somehow grow to love it.

The next section is for "Mortal Kombat" fans, meant to recall memories and spark some interest (But let's face it. Nearly any long-time gamer has a soft spot for Mortal Kombat). Characters you interact with or fight include Raiden, Sub-Zero, Sonja blade, Jax, Kano, Kitana, Mileena, Jade, Smoke, Ermac, Johnny Cage and Noob Saibot. Places you get to visit include Goro's Lair, the Living Forest, the Dead Pool, the Pit (1 and 2), the Soul Tomb, the Portal, Shao Kahn's arena and the Wasteland. If any of these characters or places brings a tear to your eye, you should go play this game.

The quirky humor, over-the-top gore and general weirdness are still intact. Johnny Cage starts asking if Kitana, the princess of Outworld who tried killing his allies, is hot. Then Kung Lao starts teasing Liu Kang about her being his girlfriend. There's even an homage to the "thumbs up" scene of "Terminator 2!" It may seem out of place in a game where you throw mutants onto spikes and jump off their carcasses to reach a ledge (expect plent of puzzles similar to this), but the MK universe is so screwy that nothing seems impractical.

If you have a friend who likes games, your enjoyment of "Shaolin Monks" will dramatically increase. In the Ko-op mode (lot's of stuff is still spelled with K's), you can find more secrets, use team-specific moves and have the most addicting co-op experience this side of "Halo." In the Vs. mode, you duke it out using the main game's engine. Weapons, environments and trash talk will give you the edge in fights that are basically what "Mortal Kombat II" would be like in 3-D.

Speaking of "MK II," a full version of it is unlockable by beating side quests known as "Smoke Missions." There's all sorts of other "Kontent" available, including concept art, hidden fatality button combos and secret characters. There are two unlockable fighters for the main game and six combatants and levels available for VS. mode (and each fighter does indeed play differently). In a nutshell, there is a lot more to do than just beat the game quickly and shelve it away. The main quest is also worth beating several times because of the hidden characters and different difficulty levels. The replay value is insanely high.

The graphics aren't jaw-dropping, but they do the job and are never bad to the point of distraction. Music and sounds are classic MK, with world music and electronic rock playing behind exaggerated grunts, screams and "Toasty" yells. The sinister-sounding announcer is also prevalent. The load times are quick and welcome, considering the fact that you'll want a break from the intensity one in awhile.

"Shaolin Monks" completely redeems the series. It proves that Midway can finally make an impressive "Mortal Kombat" game outside of the fighting genre. There is still room for improvement, so an inevitable sequel should be even better, but "Shaolin Monks" is a successful experiment that should entertain for hours and hours.

fun game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

the numerous combos and ways of attacking the enemies are fantastic. playing co-op with a buddy or son is also a big plus. the fighting action is highly exaggerated which can be a good thing. It does fall under the Mortal Kombat historic style. there are numerous amounts of hidden items in the game that keep you coming back for more. I highly recommend

FUN FOR COUPLES OR PAIRS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME IS GREAT FOR TWO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PLAY TOGETHER. MY HUSBAND AND I PLAY IT ALL THE TIME!

A MUST BUY

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Excellent Game. A definate must buy for all you gamers. No regrets getting this one.

Great Adventure Fun with Blood and Fighting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat continues in its series of bloody death matches with Mortal Kombat - Shaolin Monks. However, this game is more adventure a la Gauntlet.

You get the signature blood - one character throws a spinning hat of doom at his enemies which literally chops their heads right off. Your enemies can hit each other by accident and get into a side war. You are jumping, comboing and special-moving your way to your goal.

There are multiple characters to use through the game, each with different abilities and attacks. There's also co-op if you want to play with a friend, and a head to head arena style combat area as well.

The environments are reasonable quality graphics - hanging vines, textured walls. It's a bit of a let-down from their stunning, long intro movie, though. That's got to be one of the better intro movies I've seen on the XBox!

The sound is OK - there's little background noise, and the monsters and characters grunt and groan while the metal sword CLANG sounds. You can always play your favorite iPod mix in the background on your stereo if you want something more interesting.

You even get a full copy of Mortal Kombat 2 in this game, if you want some old school fun!

If you are solely a person who loves the raw fighting of the regular Mortal Kombat series, then you might not like this one. There's walking and platforming involved in here. However, I really suggest you at least rent it and give it a try. It's a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the weapons, monsters, and moves.

Me and my husband loved it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: April 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing mortal kombat since i was small and my mom bought me that first one i have been playing it ever since so i was a bit iffy just playing with only 2 people from mortal kombat when my husband bought it home for us to play together, we're just use to the straight up one on one fighting but i gotta admit playing it was great, fun and playing it with my husband made it even better...

I like the missions having to go through the protals to and from the other mortal kombat players you meet along the way it was a good game no complaints from me...

A better version of MK2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game makes an action/adventure twist to Mortal Kombat. You can go on an quest to kill Shang Tusng. Or you can play VS mode ane play with these characters (Youll have to unlock all of them except Kang and Lao) Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Cage, Kitana, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, and Baraka. Also, you are able to unlock the original MORTAL KOMBAT II. So you should buy this game and prepare the next bloody fight of the Shaolin Monks Liu Kang & Kung Lao. Q-Ball OUT!

A Worthy Game In The MK Franchise

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of Mortal Kombat since the first game was released and have bought ever game in the series ever since. After the weak action/adventure MK game about Jax, some of you probably didn't even know about it, fans worried if this game would live up to the MK name. Why not just make another fighting game? Well, all of those fears are unfounded and this game is excellent.

I'm really happy about it since we finally get to play my favorite character Liu Kang. The game is fun and challenging, the graphics are great and should please all fans of the series. Like I said, this game is challenging, this can be a good or bad thing. At one point of the game; you have to fight Shang Tsung, Kintaro and Shao Kahn in a row with the same health and really no chance to regain health. So this game ain't easy, but it is still fun. There are some continuity problems with the story, but only hardcore fans would notice.

One of the coolest parts of the game is just to see some of our favorite locations revisited. It adds a story to the fighting games, especially MK2 which is what this game really is. Overall fun for fans that should be enjoyed, because it rocks!

Midway presents Mortal Kombat DISCRACE! (LOGO) SMK

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 14
Date: January 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is bad news. It sucks compared to deception and deadly alliance. Mortal Kombat is a fighting game not an adventure game! Konquest was fun in other MK games but this game sucked compared to any other adventure game, wait excuse me I mean every other adventure game. Well looks like MK did it again! This game has a bad storyline and only two people to be on an adventure. I hate this game so much that I took it back and said this game sucked. Midway better come up with another (REAL) MK game before the franchise gets flushed down the toilet! This game myswell take a seat next to MK Mythologies. If you would like to see any of my other reviews look for my logo which is SMK that should be at the bottom of the review and might sometimes be at the top. OUT!

(LOGO) SMK

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