Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Review

So what does a Nothing Burger taste like? Because for everything that this could have been (and it could have been a lot) this was at least in my opinion, the very definition of a Nothing Burger. I've been very lenient with the recent "Mortal Kombat" games, even giving "Mortal Kombat 1" an 8/10, I still consider "Mortal Kombat 11" to be the weakest entry and "Mortal Kombat X" to be the most wasted in terms of potential...but this...this is...*sigh*...this is unforgivable. Listen, I'll defend the concept of a the multiverse until I'm blue in the face because I think that any writer worth their salt to take a concept like a multiverse/timeline whatever and actually make something really awesome with it (take a look at Stephen King) so use of a multiverse isn't exactly lazy in and of itself as I've written before here, BUT when you do this with it...well...let's just dive in;

Mortal Kombat 1 Story Mode Review

So here we are folks, after rebooting the series again for the 2nd time we are here at "Mortal Kombat 1"...yes "1" as in "1" not "Mortal Kombat: New Era" or any other subtitle they could possibly think of, nope, "Mortal Kombat 1"...which I imagine will confuse many people in the future. And while we're on the topic, what the hell is up with franchises not numbering sequels after a while or not even giving them subtitles? It's like after 5 movies they can't number anything anymore. Topic for another day. So "Mortal Kombat", ya know, "Mortal Kombat" has come a LONG way in a LONG time. I remember being a young lad when I first laid eyes on "Mortal Kombat" for the Sega Genesis, learning about the Blood Code and that one time my brother and I accidentally managed to unlock Reptile, all good times, but now "Mortal Kombat" has entered into the modern era and as such I've been able to see this series evolve and take many different forms from feature-length movies to web series, to Saturday morning cartoon and each time I've wondered how far can this series go? 

Well, here we are. After reintroducing the characters and rebooting the series in 2011 with "Mortal Kombat" after "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" the series was set to start from square one while adhering to bits and pieces of the previous continuity with a twist. 2009's "Mortal Kombat" managed to condense the storylines of "Mortal Kombats 1, 2, and 3" into a single game, and by the end of it, Liu Kang was killed and the only remaining heroes were Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Raiden. Next was "Mortal Kombat X" which was a retelling of "Mortal Kombat 4" with a much better story and better new characters like Erron Black, D'Vorah (who although I hate is unique enough to warrant existing), Ferra/Tor who although the fan loathed I found interesting enough and (design wise) my personal favorite Kotal Kahn all poised as new characters, and among the heroes we saw Cassie Cage (whom I absolutely adore), Takeda, Jaqui Briggs (who can't stop getting redesigned, like her father) and Kung Jin, 3 new heroes with unique abilities. "Mortal Kombat X" ended with Raiden shifting to the dark side after acquiring Shinnok's amulet and sought to take a more proactive approach to defending Earth, ie, destroying threats before they became threats...which meant destroying The Nether Realm forces led by now Nether Realm ruler Liu Kang.

Then came "Mortal Kombat 11" is to say the ballsiest "Mortal Kombat" game in the series. "Mortal Kombat 11" introduced us to the wider cosmology of the "Mortal Kombat" Series by introducing us to the grand mastermind behind all of "Mortal Kombat", a Titan, a being even greater than The Elder Gods themselves (although greater than The One Being is anyone's guess) Kronika, Keeper Of Time. "Mortal Kombat 11" had the craziest storyline of all the games as it established that every single ending in "Mortal Kombat" history IS IN FACT CANON. It did this by making it clear that Kronika has been erasing and resetting the timeline CONSTANTLY when the balance between good and evil wasn't perfect. This character's introduction is literally game-breaking. Since the conception of the series it's been established that the most powerful beings in the series were in fact The Elder Gods, hence why since the series' long history we've only seen a total of 2 Elder Gods: Shinnok and Cetrion (Raiden didn't become an Elder God until "MK4"), however, Kronika is the mother of Shinnok and Cetrion thus making her the literal big bad of the entire "Mortal Kombat" series.

Kronika's plan in "Mortal Kombat 11" made no sense and in the end, saw her bested by Liu Kang and Raiden merging into one being thus transforming Liu Kang into a god and after besting Kronika and taking her place, Liu Kang became THE ONLY BEING IN EXISTENCE AND THUS THE LITERAL FIRST AND ONLY GOD IN THE SERIES! "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" saw a continuation of that story Shang Tsung returning and attempting to steal Kronika's crown (ie, her means of controlling The Hours Glass) for himself, and at the end of "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" the player is allowed to choose who the victor is, be it Shang Tsung or Liu Kang. Should you choose Liu Kang he restarts time and greets The Great Kung Lao to prepare him for the tournament, if you choose Shang Tsung is establishes his rule and gives glory to those who are cunning and bold and shun the meek. Since the outcome is decided by the player neither outcome can be considered canon...right...right? WRONG! And with all of that outta the way, let's get to the review proper.

"Mortal Kombat" Review

Very few things I can speak authoritatively on, among them is "Mortal Kombat". I'm a 90s kid and as such, I was born into "Mortal Kombat", molded by it (to quote Bane). I've always been a huge fan of "Mortal Kombat", I've consumed a lot of the media, from the cartoon, to "Mortal Kombat: Conquest", all of the games (with the exception of The Subzero Mythologies and Special Forces) so needless to say I know my Mortal Kombat lore, from retcons to original lore, I know my lore. Back when the "Mortal Kombat" movie came out, I remember renting it quite a bit back in the day, and then shortly after my uncle took my brother and me to see "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" (also where I first heard the word "merger") and I remember enjoying both. As an adult, while the 1st "Mortal Kombat" movie is still a decent watch, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" has not withstood the test of time, proving itself to be laughably bad and considered one of the worst movies ever made. To be completely honest, I still enjoy "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" as a movie so bad it's good.

After "Annihilation", "Mortal Kombat" was all but dead in any other format aside from video games. Then "Mortal Kombat: Rebirth" came out, a short film that took a far more realistic approach to the Mortal Kombat mythos, I didn't care for this, because some Rasta lookin' former plastic surgeon named Allen Zane decides to insert blades into his forearms is suddenly codenamed "Baraka"...yeah, no, thanks. "Rebirth" was dumb and while casting Michael Jai White as Jax and Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion was inspired the concept was not. Then "Mortal Kombat: Legacy" came out a several-part mini-series that for the most part did justice to some of the "Mortal Kombat" lore (except Raiden being in a mental institution, Liu Kang fighting FOR Shang Tsung, and that bitch ass looking Shoa Kahn, the f*ck was that all about...) again this series was a NO, for me, despite giving us an incredibly hot Mileena. So after 2 aborted attempts at reviving "Mortal Kombat", we finally come some years later, and NOW a NEW "Mortal Kombat" movie is out and about.

I'm gonna be honest, I was never excited for this movie...not really. I looked at the cast and saw who they had for Mileena and simply from that alone, I knew the movie wasn't going to be good. As more details came out, I got less and less excited about the film. After having watched it, I can honestly say...I like "Annihilation" better than this movie. I know a lot of people will jump on me about that, but I'm being completely honest, I had a better time watching "Annihilation" because I completely forgot that this "Mortal Kombat" movie was a "Mortal Kombat" movie. This movie reeks of studio mandates, weird choices in story-telling, and just an overall disregard of what makes "Mortal Kombat" work as a series and story. If you wanna watch a GOOD "Mortal Kombat" movie, I suggest you watch "Mortal Kombat 9's" story mode, for my money that is basically the best "Mortal Kombat" movie you'll ever get. With that outta the way, let's dive into the break where you can get spoilers and I can really give this film the Fatality it deserves.

What If...?: Mortal Kombat 11

So let's talk about things. As you may recall in my previous Strange Log I mentioned "Mortal Kombat: New Era" or "Chaotic" as it's called gave me an idea, lo and behold this is that idea come to fruition. "Mortal Kombat 11" for all its fanfare is a pretty divisive game, what with its storytelling, choices, and character designs or redesigns rather and (for me) the fact that it basically ended in a reboot. I'm a huge fan of "Mortal Kombat" the franchise and its one of the very few things I can speak authoritatively on as I have knowledge of the canon and a bit of the expanded universe stuff ("Mortal Kombat: Conquest", "Defenders Of Earth Realm" and both films). So in this article, I'm asking the question "What if Mortal Kombat 11" was good? No, like, really good? Join me if you will for "Mortal Kombat 11"

Afterthoughts on "Mortal Kombat: Aftermath"

They did it again...they did it a-freakin'-gain. So here we are, friendos. The day is May 27, 2020 and I just finished playing Nether Realm Studios newest release a DLC story to "Mortal Kombat 11" titled "Mortal Kombat: Aftermath" a story that featured Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Fujin and Sheeva as main characters. In this storyline, Liu Kang now God of Fire & Thunder has won but in order to restore time they need Kroinka's crown, luckily Shang Tsung knows how and when to get the crown. So the unlikely team of Shang Tsung, Nightwolf and Fujin venture out to save reality. Given how "Mortal Kombat 11" ended (with the literal death of everybody) the next step was anyone's guess so when "Mortal Kombat: Aftermath" was announced, it seemed like Nether Realm Studios had a plan all along, that the DLC characters weren't just window dressing they actually had a purpose and all things were gonna lead to this DLC story. Well, let's just say it sucked and I'll explain after the break.

Pre-Thoughts on "Mortal Kombat: Aftermath"

So its come to this...that's about as a dramatic opening as I can muster. As of yesterday (today being at the time I'm writing this Friday May 8 2020 DQ (during quarantine)...) I discovered that Mortal Kombat will have a DLC extended storyline titled "Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath" which will tell the story of what happens after Liu Kang defeated Kronika and became a Fire God...or Titan considering at this point he's the only God...since Kronika killed...erased...destroyed...the Elder Gods...either way they're gone so Liu Kang is the only God currently in existence. That being said let's dive into the trailer and see what we can see. Shall we?

Mortal Kombat 11 Story Mode Review

So it's been a while since the game's release but better late than never, right? Now that I've had time to sit and let everything marinate and listen to a few perspectives on it, I think I'm ready to talk about "Mortal Kombat 11". I've said in my review of the previous game I was disappointed with "Mortal Kombat X"s story but I was interested to see where things were goings; new characters were introduced, new relationships were established and very different things were happening that altered the "Mortal Kombat" universe from the one we're familiar with. This game...*sigh* let's dive in.

Early Thoughts On "Mortal Kombat 11"

There are very few things I can speak authoritatively on, "Mortal Kombat" happens to be one of them. Despite my disappointment with "Mortal Kombat X's" story mode (let's face it, it was just a rehash of "Mortal Kombat 4" with some new faces), I did say that it bridged the gap to between established continuity (ie, the original "Mortal Kombat" timeline and the current/new MK timeline) and timelines as we'll see is something that becomes very apparent in this game. Let's dive in and see where we go!

Project Canceled: Mortal Kombat: Conquest

Holy crap! This is one of those SUPER 90s shows from back in the day! During the rise of "Hercules: The Legendary Journey", "Xena: Warrior Princess", "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" was the epitome of the 90s! From here on out I'll call it "Conquest" for short. "Conquest" came out in in the fall of 1998 after "Mortal Kombat 4", before "Mortal Kombat: Gold" and (more importantly) AFTER "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" being completely generous was a box-office bomb, Ed Boon going so far as to say the film was "the worst moment in the franchise's history.". To be completely honest, I enjoy "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" as an unintentional comedy but I digress. With 2 films under it's belt, a TV show was more than the obvious next step and thus "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" was born.

Prior to "Conquest", "Mortal Kombat" enjoyed a brief foray in the animated realm with the series "Mortal Kombat: Defenders Of The Realms". While I never watched the show completely, I do remember catching an episode here and there, and one of the most notable things about this series (at least to me) is that this show features the first and (only time) where Rain is seen without his mask. "Defenders Of The Realms" lasted for 13 episodes before being canceled. "Defenders Of The Realms" wasn't well received considering the show was animated for children and while having a large child fan base (after all I was 8 when I played "Mortal Kombat"), "Mortal Kombat" is NOT meant for children. The brutal nature of the game could never be reflected in a Saturday morning cartoon style.

"Conquest" was live action and instead of being about Liu Kang and the story we're familiar with, "Conquest" would tell the story of The Great Kung Lao, Kung Lao's ancestor and his journey to become the 1st Earth Realmer to win Mortal Kombat. "Conquest" aired on TNT and was featured after WCW Monday Nitro. "Conquest" oddly enough did enjoy popularity despite in latter years being called a "wire-fu disaster". TNT ultimately made the decision to pull the plug on "Conquest" and from research it looks like it was primarily for budget reasons rather than the over all quality of the show. There are very few things I can speak on authoritatively, "Dragonball Z", Writing, Quentin Tarantino and a few others but "Mortal Kombat" is definitely on that list. I've seen a few episodes here and there but never watched it entirely.

One of my main reasons for avoiding this series is the fear of the brain aneurysm I'd have with the glaring continuity errors of the series fall out of sync with the actual "Mortal Kombat" timeline. As an example, there is an episode titled "Noob Saibot", however we know Noob Saibot wasn't created until the current Mortal Kombat timeline as he was the 1st Sub-Zero, Bi-Han. Bi-Han fought in the tournament during Liu Kang's time and was turned into Noob Saibot after his defeat. The series takes place a good 500 years BEFORE Liu Kang, which would either mean that Bi-Han was never Sub-Zero and always Noob Saibot or that Bi-Han managed to die as Noob Saibot, come back as Sub Zero and then die and become Noob Saibot again. Both are dumb.

Likewise characters like Scorpion are mentioned and while on the surface it may seem like that's no big deal considering Scorpion's a specter, what you're missing is the fact that Bi-Han was a grown man prior to killing Scorpion, which would mean Bi-Han would have to be upwards of about 600 years old for Scorpion to have been killed 500 years prior to Liu Kang. In Mortal Kombat Scorpion's been dead for roughly 2 years before the tournament. So while his being in the series is nice fan service, in actual continuity this makes absolutely NO sense by anyone's imagination. But you see the level of care I have for "Mortal Kombat" so no need to press that further.

 "Conquest" lasted for 1 Season of 22 episodes (a full order) and enjoyed more success in The U.K. & Australia, which is odd considering Australia bans "Mortal Kombat"...and "Power Rangers" for that matter. So for Project Canceled we're gonna dive into the entire series of "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" and see what's what.

Mortal Kombat X Story Mode Review

 So at this very moment (March 3rd), the trailer for Johnny Cage and his now ex-wife Sonya Blade has just been released. I figured I should start writing my thoughts on this game before it's released so I don't have to try and remember the time when the game wasn't released. I have never been more excited for a game in my life! And this includes wrestling games. "Mortal Kombat" for me was a coming of age almost, not just for the graphic violence but for the middle school watercooler talk of having beaten it. I have been madly in love with "Mortal Kombat" since 1992's Home Console release (via Sega Genesis), I loved the characters, the violence and more importantly, the storyline!

Why "Mortal Kombat" Is The Greatest Fighting Game Ever

There are VERY few things I can speak about authoritatively (Dragonball Z, DC Comics, Quentin Tarantino movies, Star Wars and a few other things) but when it comes to "Mortal Kombat", I'm that guy you NEED to talk to. I remember when I first saw "Mortal Kombat" when my Uncle bought a Sega Genesis and we (my brother and I) were urged NOT play it, out of fear of us becoming wanton violent criminals, of course, that didn't happen. What DID happen was I gained a new found respect for storytelling, graphics and the over all coolness of grandiose characters. So in this article, I'm going to explain why "Mortal Kombat" is quite possibly the GREATEST FIGHTING GAME EVER!