--Mortal Kombat 1 Review: A $120 Cash Grab, Wrapped in 135 GB of Disappointment--

Where do I even begin with *Mortal Kombat 1*? Oh, I know—how about the fact that this bloated, 135-GB monstrosity of a game is an absolute disaster, especially if you're playing on PC. For a game that eats up more space on my hard drive than a full season of a Netflix series in 4K, you’d think it would run smoothly, right? Wrong. It’s a slideshow masquerading as a fighting game, with optimization so bad it makes you wonder if WB even cares. Spoiler: they don’t. Why? Because they’re too busy counting all the money they’re squeezing out of their fanbase with microtransactions that rival Ubisoft's worst efforts.

------------- Graphics? Sure. But Everything Else? Just No.
Yes, I’ll give it this: *MK1* looks *beautiful*. The visuals are stunning, characters are detailed, and the special effects are downright gory in the best way possible. But you know what? You can slap a fresh coat of paint on a dumpster, and it’s still a dumpster. That’s this game. The only thing that works is the graphics, and once you get over that shiny surface, the rot underneath is impossible to ignore.

--------- Microtransactions and Greed: WB’s Favorite Fatality
Do you like grinding for hours just to unlock a second fatality? Or maybe you'd prefer to drop another $50 on microtransactions after already shelling out for the base game? Because those are your two choices if you want to unlock anything meaningful in this game. Gone are the days when you could play Mortal Kombat and feel rewarded for actually playing. Now it’s just another soulless cash grab.

The Khaos Reigns bundle is a whole new level of scam artistry. $120 CAD down the drain, and for what? Not even getting the content I paid for. How the **hell** did the Premium edition get overwritten by the Khaos Reigns edition, which costs *less* and offers *more*? Are you telling me I paid extra for an early access ticket to disappointment? **Ed Boon better fly down here and personally apologize**, because WB just mugged me in broad daylight.

--------- The PC Port is a Dumpster Fire
Do you have a gaming PC? Great! You still can’t run this thing. I’ve got a solid rig that handles *Baldur’s Gate 3*, *Starfield*, and *Final Fantasy 16* with no problem, but *MK1*? Nah. The moment you pull off a fatality, your game turns into a PowerPoint presentation. The frame drops are horrendous. Forget about buttery smooth finishers—you’ll be lucky if you get through the whole match without it freezing like someone pulled the plug on your PC.

Oh, and if you’re like me and decided to reduce the graphics settings to bare minimum, prepare for the "smooth" stutter to continue. Doesn't matter if you're playing at 720p or looking at the game like it's a 1990s arcade fighter on dial-up internet.

------------ Story Mode: From Great to Utter Garbage
*Mortal Kombat* has always had pretty decent story modes for a fighting game, and at first, I thought *MK1* was no exception. I was having a blast—until they pulled the old "multiverse" nonsense in the last couple of chapters. Suddenly, nothing mattered. Every decision? Pointless. Every outcome? Meaningless. There’s no emotional investment when you can just undo everything with some lazy multiverse explanation. WB took what could’ve been a strong narrative and flushed it down the toilet in the last chapters. The story had me, and then they dropped me off a cliff.

------------------ Kameo System: Who Asked for This?!
Ah yes, the new "Kameo" system. Because *clearly* what Mortal Kombat fans have been crying out for is a half-baked assist mechanic that forces you to watch your favorite characters awkwardly tag in, then tag out, with no flow. I don’t want to see Scorpion team up with whoever’s available. I want to *play* Scorpion. This new system feels like a gimmick, an unnecessary one that detracts from the core 1v1 combat. It's like they threw it in just because they needed something "new." Well, guess what? It doesn’t work, and it’s a massive letdown.

---------------- No Krypt? More Like No Fun.
Remember the Krypt from previous *MK* games? Yeah, they got rid of that and replaced it with loot boxes. Want a skin or some cool gear? Too bad. Now you get concept art—*concept art*, seriously? If you want anything remotely interesting, get your credit card ready. Loot boxes are the epitome of lazy design. WB isn’t even hiding their greed anymore.

---------------Customization: From a Gold Standard to a Joke
MK11 set the bar so high with its customization. You could mix and match gear, change colors, and really make your character your own. In *MK1*, customization is such an afterthought it’s insulting. You can change tiny pieces of an outfit and call it a day, but if you want anything cool? Prepare to grind your soul away—or better yet, just buy it. Because what’s the point of rewarding players with content they paid for when you can squeeze a few more bucks out of them, right?

------------------ The Grind is Real—And Not in a Good Way
If you don’t want to spend real money, good luck unlocking anything worthwhile. Want that sick fatality or brutality? Be ready to sink hours into the game just to get a few cosmetics, and that’s if the RNG gods favor you. Otherwise, you’re grinding for nothing. In previous games, you’d play and unlock content as you went. Here, you just get frustrated.

---------------------------- Conclusion: Wait for the Komplete Edition (And a Sale)
Honestly, I can’t recommend *Mortal Kombat 1* to anyone in its current state. Between the ridiculous microtransactions, unoptimized mess of a PC port, the half-baked new mechanics, and WB’s relentless greed, it’s just not worth it. Even if you’re a die-hard fan of the series, do yourself a favor: wait for a sale, wait for the inevitable “Komplete Edition,” and save yourself the headache of dealing with this overpriced, underwhelming game.

Until then, WB can keep their $60 DLCs and overpriced skins. I’ve already made the mistake of supporting this cash-grabbing, half-baked excuse of a game, and I’m not doing it again.

Verdict: 4/10. And that’s generous.

--Mortal Kombat 1 Review: A $120 Cash Grab, Wrapped in 135 GB of Disappointment-- Where do I even begin with *Mortal Kombat 1*? Oh, I know—how about the fact that this bloated, 135-GB monstrosity of a game is an absolute disaster, especially if you're playing on PC. For a game that eats up more space on my hard drive than a full season of a Netflix series in 4K, you’d think it would run smoothly, right? Wrong. It’s a slideshow masquerading as a fighting game, with optimization so bad it makes you wonder if WB even cares. Spoiler: they don’t. Why? Because they’re too busy counting all the money they’re squeezing out of their fanbase with microtransactions that rival Ubisoft's worst efforts. ------------- Graphics? Sure. But Everything Else? Just No. Yes, I’ll give it this: *MK1* looks *beautiful*. The visuals are stunning, characters are detailed, and the special effects are downright gory in the best way possible. But you know what? You can slap a fresh coat of paint on a dumpster, and it’s still a dumpster. That’s this game. The only thing that works is the graphics, and once you get over that shiny surface, the rot underneath is impossible to ignore. --------- Microtransactions and Greed: WB’s Favorite Fatality Do you like grinding for hours just to unlock a second fatality? Or maybe you'd prefer to drop another $50 on microtransactions after already shelling out for the base game? Because those are your two choices if you want to unlock anything meaningful in this game. Gone are the days when you could play Mortal Kombat and feel rewarded for actually playing. Now it’s just another soulless cash grab. The Khaos Reigns bundle is a whole new level of scam artistry. $120 CAD down the drain, and for what? Not even getting the content I paid for. How the **hell** did the Premium edition get overwritten by the Khaos Reigns edition, which costs *less* and offers *more*? Are you telling me I paid extra for an early access ticket to disappointment? **Ed Boon better fly down here and personally apologize**, because WB just mugged me in broad daylight. --------- The PC Port is a Dumpster Fire Do you have a gaming PC? Great! You still can’t run this thing. I’ve got a solid rig that handles *Baldur’s Gate 3*, *Starfield*, and *Final Fantasy 16* with no problem, but *MK1*? Nah. The moment you pull off a fatality, your game turns into a PowerPoint presentation. The frame drops are horrendous. Forget about buttery smooth finishers—you’ll be lucky if you get through the whole match without it freezing like someone pulled the plug on your PC. Oh, and if you’re like me and decided to reduce the graphics settings to bare minimum, prepare for the "smooth" stutter to continue. Doesn't matter if you're playing at 720p or looking at the game like it's a 1990s arcade fighter on dial-up internet. ------------ Story Mode: From Great to Utter Garbage *Mortal Kombat* has always had pretty decent story modes for a fighting game, and at first, I thought *MK1* was no exception. I was having a blast—until they pulled the old "multiverse" nonsense in the last couple of chapters. Suddenly, nothing mattered. Every decision? Pointless. Every outcome? Meaningless. There’s no emotional investment when you can just undo everything with some lazy multiverse explanation. WB took what could’ve been a strong narrative and flushed it down the toilet in the last chapters. The story had me, and then they dropped me off a cliff. ------------------ Kameo System: Who Asked for This?! Ah yes, the new "Kameo" system. Because *clearly* what Mortal Kombat fans have been crying out for is a half-baked assist mechanic that forces you to watch your favorite characters awkwardly tag in, then tag out, with no flow. I don’t want to see Scorpion team up with whoever’s available. I want to *play* Scorpion. This new system feels like a gimmick, an unnecessary one that detracts from the core 1v1 combat. It's like they threw it in just because they needed something "new." Well, guess what? It doesn’t work, and it’s a massive letdown. ---------------- No Krypt? More Like No Fun. Remember the Krypt from previous *MK* games? Yeah, they got rid of that and replaced it with loot boxes. Want a skin or some cool gear? Too bad. Now you get concept art—*concept art*, seriously? If you want anything remotely interesting, get your credit card ready. Loot boxes are the epitome of lazy design. WB isn’t even hiding their greed anymore. ---------------Customization: From a Gold Standard to a Joke MK11 set the bar so high with its customization. You could mix and match gear, change colors, and really make your character your own. In *MK1*, customization is such an afterthought it’s insulting. You can change tiny pieces of an outfit and call it a day, but if you want anything cool? Prepare to grind your soul away—or better yet, just buy it. Because what’s the point of rewarding players with content they paid for when you can squeeze a few more bucks out of them, right? ------------------ The Grind is Real—And Not in a Good Way If you don’t want to spend real money, good luck unlocking anything worthwhile. Want that sick fatality or brutality? Be ready to sink hours into the game just to get a few cosmetics, and that’s if the RNG gods favor you. Otherwise, you’re grinding for nothing. In previous games, you’d play and unlock content as you went. Here, you just get frustrated. ---------------------------- Conclusion: Wait for the Komplete Edition (And a Sale) Honestly, I can’t recommend *Mortal Kombat 1* to anyone in its current state. Between the ridiculous microtransactions, unoptimized mess of a PC port, the half-baked new mechanics, and WB’s relentless greed, it’s just not worth it. Even if you’re a die-hard fan of the series, do yourself a favor: wait for a sale, wait for the inevitable “Komplete Edition,” and save yourself the headache of dealing with this overpriced, underwhelming game. Until then, WB can keep their $60 DLCs and overpriced skins. I’ve already made the mistake of supporting this cash-grabbing, half-baked excuse of a game, and I’m not doing it again. Verdict: 4/10. And that’s generous.