TEST: Is Mortal Kombat X deadly? Our verdict

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With Street Fighter IV , Capcom was able to update the 2D battle and conquered the public, already amateur or more neophyte. Since then, many studios try to walk in its wake but, in the end, very few manage to really convince. Among them, the Mortal Kombat 2011, sufficiently dusted, had managed to pull out of the game. Does the millet 2015 repeat the feat?

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We will not dwell on the fact that the title is as beautiful as gore. All the more gore that he is beautiful. QED. The sets, varied and provided, teeming with details and animations of all kinds. The characters enjoy fine textures and very fluid movements (there is no longer this rigid side of the series). Various visual effects regularly punctuate the courses, others appear on the fighters. Salis, bruised, they take full face and it shows on the screen. It even feels, some attacks giving downright cold in the back. And I do not even talk about X-Rays , Fatalities and other Brutalities, simply trashy, sometimes at the limit of the bearable. Proof that things have not been done halfway, the developers at NetherRealm Studios have gone so far into the hardcore delirium that they have tweaked the product. So do not go around in circles, at this level, Mortal Kombat X is square.

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Here come new challengers

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Here, let's talk about the combatant victims . Numbering 25 (with obviously paying DLC coming soon - sigh ...), they gather several known heads but especially many newcomers. Most of these are also the offspring or affiliated former participants of the tournament (this 10th episode takes place indeed twenty years after the last events told in the universe Mortal Kombat). Alongside aging Kano, Liu Kang and other Kung Lao, we meet Jax's daughter, Jacqui, son of Kenshi, Takeda, or Cassie, the fruit of the union between Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Speaking of it, it is funny to note that she has not suffered too much from the weight of years, unlike her gray ex-husband (yes, yes, the Story mode has some elements straight from the Fires of Love !). Same for Kitana, as fresh as the first day. Of the inequality of the sexes ...

We are therefore entitled to a real generational shock, in which have come to interfere spoilsports. The most notable remain, in my opinion, the insectoid woman D'Vorah, the unlikely duo Ferra / Torr and Erron Black, the ninja cowboy (!).

One regret: I find it unfortunate that all the actors of the last part were not implemented. It remains quibble, however, since there is already plenty to do with this cast, thanks to a major redesign of the palette of moves and a system of variations, which requires a real learning of each of the protagonists. Especially since Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter , Scorpion and especially Sub-Zero, are for the moment adopted by the majority of the community. You're going to eat up to the disgusting online!

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Kanada Dry

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To discuss the gameplay, I will discuss a character that I know well and that I already used in the reboot 2011 Mortal Kombat , Ermac, the mummified ninja (or mummy "ninjaïfiée" to choose). When I spoke of rehandling, it is the perfect example. His name is Ermac, he looks like Ermac, but he's not really playing Ermac anymore.

First, his mode of travel has changed dramatically. Like his look (from a dark warrior to a dark magician), he no longer moves his feet on the ground and now floats in the air. It does not seem like anything, but the feeling can be confusing.

Then you can forget all the combos you had learned so far. They just do not work anymore! The reason is simple: most basic moves have undergone major changes. This implies a new way of thinking Ermac. I now find that he is more turned on the counterattack than before. To be honest, I had a tendency to rush with him in MK9 . In my opinion, he had in his arsenal enough starters/ launchers and chains effective to attack the opponent. In MK X , we will be more likely to zone and stall countersin response, then chained to the maximum of course. At least, for its Mystic form, because if you decide to take it in Spectral or Master of Souls, you will have other tools to handle it still differently.

The Character Variations bring a real richness in the gameplay and allow to discover the fighters in other facets: more offensive, defensive, traps based, use of sidekicks, etc. In the end, we find ourselves almost in front of 3 times more characters than expected!

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A block!

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Added to this are all the subtleties of the Block key, and you will quickly understand that you will spend time in the Training Mode (and in the different sets too, just to learn the location and the usefulness of the interactive elements , to get the best of them once against an opponent). Training Mode which would have also gained to be more pointed. We would have liked to be able to practice all the available moves as well as tame some sequences. Here, it will be necessary to be patient, judicious and look for oneself. Fortunately, the frame datas are available and can greatly help in the construction of his own style.

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Returning to the Block, Mortal Kombat is one of the few franchises to press for a button to protect itself. Is. In the ninth iteration, it also allowed to improve the special attacks and to break enemy combos. It's always like that. But here, he has been given other functions. For example, the race of the third component is back and it is necessary to press 2 times forward then on Block, consuming endurance (in the passage which is also used to dasher and to make back-steps ). It is also possible to cancel a projection with in order to surprise his opponent. Finally, it's used for Faction Kills(final moves specific to online clans - see below). In short, the Block is good, eat it!

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Fashions and men

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Rich in his learning, Mortal Kombat X is also rich in his content. The Story Mode, despite kinematics a little "kitschouilles" (with very silly faces and sometimes funny situations), will keep you in suspense for 4-5 hours (taking into account all the cutscenes). Not bad for a fighting game. Especially since there are QTE script to keep awake, and especially it is an opportunity to become familiar with many characters, since you will play several of them in turn.

The system of turns (succession of opponents to overcome under particular conditions - poison, commands and / or inverted decorations, traps of all kinds, life options, modified speed, etc.) to climb meets again. These classic tours are still there but we will be more interested in Living Towers. It's pretty much the same except that the format changes depending on when you play. Thus, there are three distinct types: one that varies each hour, another each day and finally a Premium that is changed each week. In fact, according to the chosen Living Tower, the number of enemies, modifiers and challenges varies.

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Beside that, we find the good old Krypte - labyrinth seen in the first person - where we will unlock many treasures with the money accumulated during the games: skins, music, artworks, finishes , credits to pass the battles of the Story Mode, etc. During your adventures, from time to time you will come across enemies who will try to surprise you, a successful QTE later and they will be nothing more than gold coins. And hop in the pocket! But hey, we will have to hang on and save a lot because the map, huge, will require a max of resources.

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Choose your destiny

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The salt of the product remains: all the online part! When you log in, you are asked to select a clan among 5. By fighting under a banner, you will earn experience points to your faction, with bonuses depending on the modes played, the fights, the opponents encountered, the challenges identified, successes achieved, etc. Whatever your part, you will make a contribution. There is a real sense of involvement and gratification very pleasant in the process . At the end of the week, the balance sheet is drawn up and the faction with the most points wins various awards. Note that joining a clan, you access new fatalities, the famous Faction Kills , history to vary a little more sadistic pleasures late in the game.

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Once a group is chosen, you have the joys of Versus (ranking or not), Team Battle, and other options such as King of the Hill or Tower, which I find particularly well thought out. In the first mode, several players end up in a common room and the winner stays after each fight. The goal, of course, is to stay on the throne for as long as possible and gain the respect of your peers. Indeed, at the end of the duels, spectators can award a score to the winner, which will serve as a reputation. We can also react via emojisduring the fights. Pretty cool. The second, meanwhile, opposes several people facing the same obstacles of a tower, and at the end of it (or once the time has elapsed), the results are calculated according to the performance of each (time taken for complete the tower, remaining life, special moves used, etc.). Once again a very competitive mode.

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Dosing is good, lack of dosage, less..

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If there were negative points, I would say that the online part is not quite developed. There are still some server problems that sometimes make some options disappear. More serious, the delay between each mode selection or waiting of opponent is incredibly long. We have time to do something else next door. A height! As for matchmaking, it still seems very random: in ranking, it does not seem to stall our list. As a result, we face everything and everything from the player who has just landed to the one who has squatted until death. Not very balanced all that.

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Speaking of balancing, I make a point of pestering the X-Rays . Just like the Critical Finishes appeared in SoulCalibur IV , I find these attacks totally WTF. They really seem to spend almost any time and seem to be able to counter everything: aerial assaults, projections, at the top, at random ... We can cook them all the sauces, and I do not find it necessarily deserved , especially that just press 2-3 keys at the same time (depending on the shortcuts used). And it still pulls a lot of the bar of life! The risk / reward ratio clearly lacks consistency, which is a bit of a task in a title that is more and more technical ... They change at least the manip!

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Just a few tweaks for the Mortal Kombat X experience is really excellent: stabilize the network server to avoid ending up with unavailable options (this said, the fighting is pretty good), reduce waiting times online , optimize matchmaking and especially review the concept of X-Ray. This special graphic coup certainly has its place in the franchise, but in the state, it can end up becoming unfair and downright disgusting of the game It would be a shame considering the final product, which is still very good, as well the form as the bottom. Come on, I'm going to burn candles on Raiden's head

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Dense, with a cast of old and new stars, Mortal Kombat X follows in the footsteps of Street Fighter IV by proposing a cleverly orchestrated formula. Except the X-Ray (and also a few minor problems online), much too easy to release for such a fighting game, the general gameplay is quite well prowl. Coupled with content as rich and diverse, the title of NetherRealm Studios will satisfy most of us. And the specifics online have the potential to ensure a very long life in the game A fighting game that is good to take ... in the teeth!

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WE LIKE	WE DO NOT LIKE
* The many modes and game options.	* Training Mode not pushed enough.
* The roster and the Character Variations.	* The waiting time online.
* The system of Factions.	* The X-Ray, a calamity!

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THANKS FOR READING, ALSO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS TEST ON TEST of World of Warcraft Legion: Blizzard still has reserve?

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