Mortal Kombat 1 Review in Progress

ign.com:

I just got my hands on Mortal Kombat 1 a few days ago, so a full review won’t be ready for a little bit, but it’s already making a strong impression.

If there’s one thing you can applaud Netherrealm for with regards to the gameplay system of each new Mortal Kombat game since MK9, it’s that each one plays dramatically different from the last without sacrificing that very distinct Mortal Kombat feel. So it’s not surprising that, even before we get to the crazy Kameo system, Mortal Kombat 1 makes some drastic changes from MK11 that really set it apart. For starters, it returns the meter management to just one meter that governs enhanced special moves, breakers, and now jump cancels out of uppercuts; fatal blows are still around, but are no longer invincible on start up; krushing blows are gone completely; character variations are gone; wake up attacks and wake up rolls are gone; every character is now able to do much more damage without even spending any meter thanks to a new air combo system; and thank the lord, blocked crouching jabs are now punishable with crouching jabs of your own, making them much less spammable than before. These are all good, smart changes that make the action in MK1 feel fresh, yet familiar, while addressing some of the pain points that the fighting game community had developed with MK11.

The biggest new addition, though, is that Kameo system. For the first time in a Mortal Kombat game, you choose a second character that you can call upon as an assist in every fight. Your Kameo is governed by their own meter, and every time you call them in you use up half their meter (or in some cases, like Goro’s powerful unblockable stomp assist, the whole thing). And it’s great that every Kameo has at least