Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks [PS2]

We've been burned before by third-person Mortal Kombat. In fact, the announcement of a new action game based on the franchise is now met with a roomful of groans and rolled eyes. But perhaps Midway has had some nefarious plot in mind all along. Maybe those earlier, crappier efforts were like meat tenderizer, meant to soften us up. Because now Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is here, and it's a monster.

Rewinding back to the chronology of Mortal Kombat 2 the story in Shaolin Monks is one filled with intrigue, deception and characters in disguise. Raiden is leading Liu Kang and Kung Lao in an attempt to capture the fleeing Shang Tsung, and the path winds through pretty much every classic MK locale. Initially, Liu Kang and Kung Lao are the only playable characters, but many others can be unlocked; over time, nearly every face from the first three games will make an appearance in one context or another.

Levels in Shaolin Monks are large areas full of traps, secret pathways, and areas available only to players working in tandem. In fact, much of the coolest material can only be accessed through the co-op mode. But in a grand misstep, Midway elected to keep the solo and co-op modes segregated.

That means there's no way to begin a single-player game, then add another character by plugging in a second controller. When Lego Star Wars can do it, why not MK? Some people will simply never have another person handy to play the entire game, and it's a shame that the best content will therefore stay hidden from them. Midway's message to gamers: Get some friends, losers!

Even to solo players, however, there's simply a ton of content, much of which revolves around the very accessible combat engine. Initially, combat is a simple button-mashing affair. Heavy and light attacks can be effortlessly chained together, then modified with throws and power from a special meter that quickly refills. But as the game goes on, extra moves, combos and skills can be unlocked. As this happens, Shaolin Monks becomes far more complex and satisfying to those willing to learn each new move.

Of course, fatalities play a part, too. Much of the mystery around each arcane killing method has been removed, which will please some and consternate others. All that's necessary is to pound enough enemies to fill a bloody meter, then punch a still-living piece of evil with the fatality button. This unleashes the famous screen wherein spines are torn, heads kicked, and so forth. Dozens are can be unlocked; some are great and very funny, others are more routine.

And lest anyone think this version of MK is all shock and no strategy, consider this: With every enemy there are half a dozen ways to end the fight, each with a different benefit and drawback.

Pummel evil into the ground, and you'll be rewarded with health and some small experience points. More XP can be gained by stringing together multi-hit combos, which deliver an XP modifier. Or use a fatality, which gives no health but lots of XP. Kick an enemy into any of the many environmental traps, and it's bye-bye bad guy, with no health or XP. But some of those traps also fling enemies into barricades, opening previously closed areas. Then there are secrets hidden in each level, many of which can only be obtained by killing an enemy in the right place.

When playing in tandem, new moves open up that allow juggling enemies between both players, or involve duo combos. Unfortunately the controls, normally quite fast and very responsive, can be overwhelmed by the intricacies of these moves, making some very difficult to pull off.

All the mayhem is punctuated by a healthy dose of cutscenes, very few of which can be skipped. The story is entertaining enough, but most of the voice acting is dry and silly, and the scenes themselves do tend to go on. All are built from the in-game engine which features visuals that are none too stunning. Every area is a bit blocky; to keep framerates optimized, the character models are all sketchier than we'd like to see in a brawler like this. And the camera, while frequently in just the right place, occasionally sticks in a corner, leaving the action hidden behind a wall.

What the graphics lack in detailed punch they make up for in color, variety, and brutality. At any one time, there's a tremendous amount of stuff onscreen, much of which is lethal. And while the dialogue is forgettable, the combat sound effects and plethora of nasty crunching sounds are pure Mortal Kombat.

For what Shaolin is trying to achieve, however, the ropey graphics and cheesy cutscenes are quite suitable. Just think of the great kung-fu cinema of years past. No one will ever accuse Master of the Flying Guillotine of being a great-looking film, much less an acting tour de force, but it's no less fantastic. The same goes for Shaolin Monks.

The question is what exactly is the game trying to achieve? In a word: fun. It's not overly deep or terribly long, but for anyone looking for simple, cartoonish blood and brutality, this is very definitely the place. The combat in Shoalin Monks is so accessible that the players who will get the most out of it might just be those who could never master Mortal Kombat in the past. Yeah, it's Mortal Kombat for dummies, but being dumb has never been so much fun.