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I'm going to break up this review into two parts, since there are effectively two items in this package: the game, and then the extras that come with the Tournament edition.
The Game:
As my title sort of alludes to, it's far, far, far easier to talk about the gripes I have with this game than to talk about the parts I enjoy. However, just to give you an idea of how many things there are for me to talk about that I love about the game, let's put it this way: it has friggin' co-op. It's a fighting game ... that has co-op. In arcade mode (called ladder mode, here), and in four-player versus, and in ranked/unranked online matches... I mean, if that doesn't give you at least some basic idea of how much sheer content there is to rave about, I don't know what would.
So, on to the gripes:
Here's the biggest kick to the teeth that I can give MK: the cutscenes are not skippable in story mode. Yep. In one mode out of ... *tries to count* ... I think about 12-15 offline modes (I'm not counting online just yet because I haven't gotten there), there are cutscenes that I can't skip even though I've already watched them.
I mean, don't get me wrong; I did get kinda annoyed from time to time. The worst part is that the game only saves after each fight in story mode, so if you watch a cutscene, get to the next battle, and then quit before winning the fight, you'll have to sit through the same darned cutscene the next time you start to play. That can get tedious, and remembering to quit the game after it saves, but before it shows you the whole cutscene, is part of what made me play it until 1:30 (in the morning) two days in a row I kept trying to stop, but ended up at the next fight thinking, "Shoot, I can't quit now I'll have to watch that same cutscene again."
But, all of that said, let me emphasize this for those unaware: Mortal Kombat is a fighting game. Most of those have only a half-assed story mode, with picture-based cutscenes, or with no coherent reason for anything. Mortal Kombat has a full fledged, 10ish hour campaign, complete with full cutscenes, halfway decent voice acting (for a fighter), and usually a coherent reason for the fights to be 1v1 (or 1v2, or 1v3, or 1vShaoKahn).
Speaking of Shao Kahn, here's the other big one: at the end of story mode (seeing a pattern yet?), you have to beat the horrifying Shao Kahn with Raiden. Now, I used to like Raiden as a character, but throughout the story, I started to lose my respect for him, and then I got to play as him. I swear, I cannot, to save my life, play Raiden well. But I was forced to beat Shao Kahn with Raiden. Alluded to previously: fighting Shao Kahn is roughly equivalent to fighting 4+ other people at the same time. That, alone, didn't bother me every freaking fighter out there has a cheesy final boss; but being forced to fight him using a character I wasn't good with and (due to the story) didn't care about, in the least? That sucked.
Short of those two complaints, I've got nothing worth mentioning. The short tutorial and lack of training modes to help us figure out the 15+ hit combos are mildly annoying, but I get the reason for not having it I mean, this is a hearkening back to the golden days of fighters, which means everyone has to figure out their own combos. No training, no manual, nada. You get some basic combos handed to you, most of which are very similar across all characters, but the truly differentiating ones are quite a bit harder to pick up. Let's see ... other annoyances ... yeah, nothing that bothered me, specifically.
So, on to the Tournament Edition extras:
This fight stick is awesome. I just plain don't have any gripes. I mean, honestly, when I saw how much money the TE of MK was, I winced I really did. I thought I was fine with a gamepad, and was not sure I was willing to shell out that much cash for a fight stick. To cut a long story short, the only reason that I ended up getting it is that I first realized that having the stick would be nice for precise movements (even with the PS3's gamepad, it's hard to pull off some moves, no matter the game), and I second found that it would cost a ridiculous amount of money (far more than the TE) to buy the raw materials to build an equivalent fight stick (not to mention all the other ridiculous crap I'd have to go through to make it work with the PS3, if I'm even capable of it something I have very little confidence in). Now that I have it, I'm realizing how much the fight stick actually helps and it actually helps more with the face buttons than with the directions.
When I first noticed how often I was using other (non-thumb) fingers on my right hand, it hit me (suddenly) that the value of the fight stick wasn't necessarily the accuracy of the stick, it was also that a significant delay between attacks was removed I no longer have to move my thumb an eighth of an inch every time I want to press a different button. I had no idea how much delay that would remove. Apparently, a lot. The biggest example is with Kung Lao he has a combo that has a specific note next to it, about needing to press the buttons very rapidly. I have no problems, ever, hitting that combo with the fight stick. I cannot, no matter how hard I try, hit it with a gamepad unless I put the right side of the gamepad on my lap and use my pointer finger and middle finger (at which point, I'm pretty much using a makeshift fight stick, except that I can no longer reach the block button).
You try it. It's triangle, square, triangle, square, triangle. Just put your hand on your desk and try to tap on the desk: ring finger, pointer finger, ring finger, pointer finger, ring finger; as fast as you can that is how I pull off the combo on the fight stick. Now curl your pointer finger and try to, with your thumb, tap the knuckles of your pointer finger, back and forth first, then second, then first, then second, then first (or, you know, just do the combo on a PS3 controller with your thumb); again, as fast as you can that's the gamepad way. Tell me which one ends up being faster.
So yes. In the end, I have come to the realization that fight sticks are better, put simply, and the one that came with the tournament edition of Mortal Kombat is of ridiculously high quality. It really feels like a good, sturdy arcade machine had been gathering dust, so someone cut out the controls from the arcade machine and turned them into a PS3 controller. I mean, the sheer weight of the thing, alone, is surprising. It's a good unit, for sure, and I'm thinking about ordering a second.
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I'm a joystick enthusiast & collector. So with that in mind....This joystick's awesome! Not because it's super accurate (it's decent). Mainly because of the features & quality control as well as the best bang for your buck. I'm not a lap player however, even I can appreciate the memory foam velvet covered bottom of this thing. It's actually rather comfortable on my lap even after 30+ mins. of playing MK. Quality control's VERY good to say the least (this coming from a guy that has a Hori VLX top dog joystick!). I don't use the inner storage to hold the game however, I do put the USB cable in there. In terms of accuracy & precision, it's no Sanwa JLF with OBSF-30 buttons but it's good enough. If you want better precision & accuracy then I highly recommend replacing the Happ Comp stick with an iL Euro stick though. If you don't like the concave buttons (Happ Classics) then you can always swap them out for convex buttons (Happ Comps) although I recommend buying the Happ button wrench at the same time to save a couple busted knockles, LOL! It only takes 16 18 screws to get to those parts. I bought this joystick for nostalgia (just like playing at 7-11 back in the day) yet I find myself liking it more & more as I use it. Also, it's very heavy for a joystick (since the case's made out of wood) at roughly ~10-pounds (in comparison, a Madcatz Tournament Edition stick weighs ~6.25-pounds & a Hori V3-SA weighs 4.8-pounds). The heavier, the better so it doesn't move around as much.
I think everyone knows how the actual game plays so I won't repeat what others have already stated other than to say this game's truly a rebirth of the series. IMO, the best single-player offline fighting game out there currently!
As for the bonus DLC content (Ermac classic costume/fatality, avatars & themes), I could care less for them so I just sold them on eBay (w/the Amazon-exclusive Reptile costume & fatality) but they're cool if you're into that type of stuff. Also, the only item I really wanted from the Kollector's Edition was the 110+ page artbook which I got lucky & got for dirty cheap on CAG. IMO, this should've been included in this bundle but I can't really complain since it's already a great value as it is.
If you're still debating on buying it then only other thing I can say is that this bundle is a great deal considering you're basically paying only $90 for the joystick. In comparison, a quality wooden joystick (w/Happ parts) from a reputable custom arcade builder (Arcade-In-A-Box, etc.) would cost $150+ for the joystick itself. Go ahead & checkout their website if you don't believe me, LOL!
Anyway, to sum it up, great game + great joystick + great price = great bundle!
Buy Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition Now
The latest iteration of Mortal Kombat is the first version of a game from the long running series that I've ever played, so I am not coming at this review with simply nostalgia. I have bought a lot of the current generation fighting games since the revival of the genre spurred on by Street Fighter, so I am comparing this game to its peers. The single player campaign of this game blows every one of those games out of their packaging, then cuts the discs they came on, and then puts the pieces in the microwave. Just the first few chapters of story mode are more than anything ever provided with the competitors, and you are only about a quarter of the way through by then. Add to this the ladder mode, the challenger tower, and the crypt full of unlockables, and this is the best single player fighting game in a long time (may be ever). The fighting engine seems robust in the collision detections, the inputs are approachable on their simplicity, yet quite deep when you look closer. The fight can turn on its head at any time due to the super meter, allowing you the chance to mount a comeback from the jaws of defeat. The X-Ray attacks are like mini fatalities, and I never tire of watching them (especially when I am dishing out the bone crunching damage). The game is challenging, but not frustrating, and one of the funnest to play. There is just a great blend of seriousness and camp in here. I am yet to try the online matches, but with one on one, 2 on 2, and king of the hill mode, there will be no shortage of ways to beat each other senseless.
I ordered the tournament edition on a whim, and the fight stick that came with it was definitely worth the added cost. In fact it was a downright bargain considering what I got. I already own a modded Street Fighter IV SE, and a modded HRAP 3, and the stiffer feel of this joystick and springier feel of the buttons make this a bit of a different experience than those Japanese sticks. The button layout here is very different, but is perfect for the game that it is meant for. If in the long term I don't like the stock parts, this looks like a piece of cake to mod further to my liking. The official art of the stick is superb to look at, and I am very happy that I splurged, and got the full package. My only regret is the lack of the art book that came with the KE. Had they included that, it would be the best collector's edition of any game, ever.
Read Best Reviews of Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition Here
As stated by everyone, this is the ultimate mortal kombat game. I spent hours on the exclusive playstation plus network demo early this year. This is an overview of the product as we all know that the game is nothing less than perfectj especially with the added 3d capability feature. After seeing the listing for the tournament edition, I immediately pre ordered it for the arcade stick which i thought would be an additional add on to the book ends from the kombat edition. The bookends of scorpion and subzero are not included in the tournament edition nor is the artwork book. The tournament edition only includes a 6 foot usb cable, the arcade fight stick, the game disc with box and booklet, the kombat pass to access all online features, the ermac classic character costume online code and the avatar and theme download game add ons insert codes. So you will not receive the kombat edition items to be clear. The arcade stick is well made with extensive detail.It is very heavy and big but after using it for an hour on my lap, it did not become uncomfortable. As mentioned in the product description, the underside of the arcade stick is well padded with a durable soft foam. Please be aware that for the ps3 edition of the arcade stick, it is not wireless which means that you will have to have it plugged in with the provided cable. (i have not tested the xbox 360 arcade stick). I hope that this is helpful to you as the tournament edition was sold out shortly after its release and now selling for almost double the price.
Want Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition Discount?
If you're a true Mortal Kombat fan and want the best experience playing this highly acclaimed and reviewed game then the Tournament Edition is definitely for you.
Numbers of this special Tournament Edition in a limited production have been put at 20,000 Worldwide, whether that is for PS3 and Xbox360 combined is another matter entirely, regardless this is a highly collectable piece of gaming history. As a proud gamer who grew up playing Mortal Kombat at the various Arcades that swallowed my pocket money in entirety the Fight Stick which is the main draw card of the Tournament Edition gives an almost nostalgic feel to this awesome game.
The multiple extras include a number of DLC's but without going into to much detail most gamers will want this edition solely for the custom Fight Stick and its quality presentation.
The Fight Stick itself is ergonomically perfect, it may not be the best Fight Stick to ever exist, however the beautiful artwork and quality of the piece easily make up for any lacking features and give an ambient sense of excitement to the already adrenaline filled gaming experience.
Overall this is a 5 Star piece of equipment without a doubt, in saying that though you should try and get it for the right price...
I managed to secure a pre-order when these were selling for $140, however this has gone up to over $220 and is getting on the expensive side as surplus begins to dwindle and the Tournament Edition becomes a staple to any serious Mortal Kombat fan and collectors alike.
Taking all that into account if you're able to get the Tournament Edition for under $200 I would say go for it, you won't regret it!
