I used to love the original MK on the Megadrive and other platforms, I have since bought the latest instalment of the franchise on Steam: Mortal Kombat 11, and it's great, if a little over-embellished.
Each new version, they up the ante in terms of gfx, blood, gore and various kill moves, along with a great selection of characters. Want to play Robocop vs Terminator? Yeah!
So why go back one version to MK X (10) or XL? Released in 2015?
(btw, X and XL are the same game, XL includes all the dlc and extras. Make sure you get XL if you can)
So, firstly, the complete XL version with all characters unlocked was £5.99 in the steam sale, which is just an incredible price for such a high quality game.
Secondly, MK XL, is considered the finest game in the franchise, better even than the more recent MK 11, though not as comparable as the iconic original. MK 11 has some flaws, MK XL is closer to perfect.
Finally, and this is what drew me in, and this is a huge advantage over MK11 - I can play MK XL on Steam Deck.
It's not just the best MK game on Steam Deck, it's arguably the best fighter game, and in fact one of the best titles available for Steam Deck.
Normally, it's £16 for MK X and £35 for MK XL, but right now, they're £3.99 and £6.99 respectively, with another offer on both MK XL and MK 11 for £11.98 (normally £56)
Honestly it's well worth the full price if you miss the sale and can't wait for the next one.
There are 33 characters available, all the MK favourites, Scorpion, Sub Zero, Reptile, Raiden etc.
But also, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Alien and Predator!
The control system is easy to learn, and difficult to master. The basic controls are the same for each character, but the full selection of moves are different and have to be learned per character. So it's best to focus on a single character and learn to master it.
My choice is usually Raiden.
This gives the game a very long lasting appeal, you can spend years mastering this game.
It's also the perfect showcase for the Steam Deck, probably the biggest, most power hungry AAA game it plays without heating up too much.
Note that MK 11 isn't Steam Deck compatible, I like to run MK XL in the Steam Deck and MK 11 on the desktop. I will review MK 11 separately.
Currently available on Steam
Featured in my Best Games for Steam Deck
Buy the xbox version here
Buy the ps4 version here
Featured in my Best Games for Steam Deck
Buy the xbox version here