THE HUB

OMG!!!

FEATURED MEMBER

DoctorIrish

DoctorIrish

The Doctor is in.

QUICK POLL

Grand Theft Auto IV: does it live up to the hype?

ASK THE PROS

THE GAMEPROS

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Sign up now to receive weekly or daily updates on your favorite games, stories, and more!



Playstation | Action | Mortal Kombat: Special Forces | Review

There is no Boxart for - Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces 3 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 2.5
  • SOUND: 2.0
  • CONTROL: 2.5
  • FUN FACTOR 2.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 1.4
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 1.5

Review: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces

Review by THED-PADDESTROYER | 12/31/2004 | 11:17:16 AM PST

Why? Why, after the fiasco that was MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero, would they make another Mortal Kombat-based action game?

Why? Why, after the fiasco that was MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero, would they make another Mortal Kombat-based action game? While Special Forces improves over its predecessor in terms of gameplay, it seems to be nearly devoid of any sort of fun whatsoever.

Git Some Suka
The mysterious story behind the hatred between Jax and Kano has apparently been a burning issue for MK fans, because that very animosity lies at the heart of Special Forces. You play as Jax, Special Forces commando extraordinaire, and you use your huge metal cyborg arms to fight for truth, justice, and the Mortal Kombat way. As you play MK Special forces, you'll battle tons of boring, faceless bad guys and hone your skills for the final confrontation with Kano. Every guy you knock over gives you experience points toward your next level, and whenever you level up, you gain a new combo. Got it so far?

Special Forces is so brain dead in execution that the otherwise slick mix of action and RPG doesn't get a chance to shine. Your enemies are even more boring than the main character, which says quite a bit, and you're stuck in dark, drab locales that hearken back to the glory days of the mid-to-late '90s in PSX graphics. The sound consists mainly of grunts, smacks, gunshots, and your thudding footsteps as you wander aimlessly through the uninspired levels. Control comes down to performing the combo you just learned over and over on bad guys until you reach the next level and learn another combo. You have access to some of Jax's more awesome moves, but they're limited by a blue bar at the top of the screen that only refills when you level up. If you got into this game hoping for white-knuckle action, you're sadly mistaken. The only exciting fight you'll get with MK Special forces will be the scene you make when you try to return the game to get your money back.

Special Fiasco
Fans of Mortal Kombat who really care why Jax hates Kano might want to pick this up, but you're better off making up the story yourself. MK: Special Forces is a bargain-bin game for a reason, folks. There's no hidden diamond in this lump of coal.