Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

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Review The Mortal Kombat series has always been fairly story-oriented. The series' storyline was augmented through the MK movie, and to a lesser extent, the MK cartoon. Mortal Kombat Mythologies sets out to further enrich the series' plot by narrowing the focus down to one character. The first (hopefully of many) MKM game focuses on Sub-Zero, and it details his past with Scorpion and how he eventually came to be involved in the Mortal Kombat tournament. The story also sheds quite a bit of light on Midway's newest addition to the fighting series, MK4, specifically the new characters Quan Chi and Shinnok. Basically, MKM plays like an MK game except that instead of fighting in the confines of an arena, you are free to run around and hop on platforms. The controls are identical to MK3, except that a button for picking up items and turning around has been added. Sub-Zero's MK3 combos remain intact. His special moves are also in there, but they must be earned through experience points. In the first level, you'll likely learn the ice blast and slide moves. Later on, Sub will gain the ice clone, a diagonal ice blast that freezes jumping enemies, a running ice move that freezes enemies on contact, and more. But you can't simply freeze people over and over again - each special move takes up a little bit of your ice meter, which recharges at a fairly slow rate. Some of the later special moves take up nearly all your meter, so use them wisely. The graphics in MKM look really nice. The characters maintain a very MK3-like appearance, but the backgrounds give the game a good feel. Also, this game is a prime example of what good FMV sequences should be. They give insight into the story and - surprisingly enough - are well done from an acting and production standpoint, especially Rich Divizio's stunning portrayal of Quan Chi. The game's soundtrack is also a big plus. The music in the Mortal Kombat series has always been terrific, and this game is no exception. I only have a few complaints about MKM. First, in a few spots (Shinnok's Bridge is a perfect example), you can't see the next platform. Instead, you're expected to make a blind-faith jump into the unknown to find a platform that is below the screen's line of sight. Second, the game is a bit too short, relying instead on a set number of lives, while continuing to provide the game's high level of difficulty. Beyond those two problems, MKM is a pretty amazing meld of fighting and platform jumping and is sure to please fans of MK and platform games alike. --Jeff Gerstmann --Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc. -- GameSpot Review