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Dreadful garbage with no attention to detail.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 9
Date: September 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I agree with the "Helel" reviewer in that this could have been much better if they had spent more time in development. The graphics are poor and the characters themselves look awful and much like shop manniquins. Voice acting is dreadful and the music such as it is is poor and unremarkable.

Another failure in this tired franchise, and an attempt to make a quick buck. Don't fall for it. Get the much better Genji - dawn of the samurai instead.

A very second rate devil may cry.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game could have been good if they had taken more care with it and spent a few more months in development. It has almost no depth as there are no items to buy, and exp is used soley to buy small move improvements. The voice acting is awful and ruins any sense of atmosphere. The graphics are lazy and the models are blocky and not lifelike. It also takes hardly any time to complete. Co-op mode is better and more fun, so it's not all bad news.

There are far better games to spend your money on.

A little change coming your way....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: October 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat!
Sure its neat that they have the good movies, etc. And the background, etc. has been developed quite nicely, but you have to unlock everything in this game. I mean everything. You only have Liu-Kang and Kung Lao to start with for either Single, Ko-op or Vs. You have to unlock the other characters for Vs.
You also have to unlock all the character's abilities, from their combos to their special abilities, by defeating enemies and getting EXP points (aha... so it's a RPG like X-men Legends you say?). Plus you can get other special special abilities such as wall run, swing, etc.

The best part is the interaction of the environment and ALL the fatalities to choose from. Very gory good fun.
It's a shame that you cannot pick from more characters to do the story, and if you're playing Ko-op, you cannot continue with just one character, you need both players to continue. So you pretty much need two games going to be able to finish the game. You cannot unlock everything with just one player either, there are special things that require Ko-op to complete.

While its fun to work with a buddy on Ko-op, it's not available online, and you have to work together. If an enemy is outside the current area of the sceen, you have to wait for your friend to move enough to be able to attack it. This becomes extremely annoying when trying to unlock things and requiring an enemy to do so.

Overall: It's a fun game and will take a long time to play and get everything.

The best MK spin off game to date

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: November 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is hands down the best "Mythologies" title in the MK Universe. After having two rather poor spin offs (Sub-Zero and MK: Special Forces), it seemed as if MK could only do well in it's core series... until now.

MK: Shaolin Monks is a re-telling of Mortal Kombat 2, through the eyes of Kung Lao and Liu Kang. The game starts at the end of MK 1 and runs all the way up to the climatic finish where you battle the great Shao Kahn. Along the way you will utilize the game's somewhat unique combat engine, which is basically a hybrid of a platformer like Devil May Cry and the MK "Kombat" engine. What is so great about it though is that it is not stiff like the "Kombat" engine, and allows pretty much free movement. You still have "kombos" and special moves, but they are all easy to execute and chain together, giving even a novice player an easy chance to get in the game and start kicking butt. You also have the ability to pull off fatalities on just about every enemy (even bosses, when you beat them!)

The game also features an "RPG" like experience point system, which you can manipulate heavily depending on how good you get at killing enemies and keeping your combos going without getting knocked down. As long as you keep hitting enemies and killing them, your combo will increase. With each kill or 10 hits, you receive a multiplier point. After your combo ends, the points you earned depending on a number of factors, including your combo and kills, are multiplied. You then receive experience points based on that multiplication. The experience points then can be used to purchase new moves and combos in the status screen. The only downside to this though is the fact that the game has only so many combos and moves to purchase. You will easily have purchased every move available well before the game is over (for me, it was half way before the game was complete!)

The graphics for MK: Shaolin Monks are kind of bad in places (especially in the cinematic cut scenes - everyone pretty much has the same face!) The in-game graphics are good though for the most part, although they seem gritty and un-finished in places. The dynamic lighting and the blood makes up for it though... if you like your violence red.

Sound-wise, MK: Shaolin Monks is like any other MK game. The soundtrack is not at all that impressive, but it fits the atmosphere of the game, especially in the areas that are straight out of MK 2. The only qualms with the game's sound are probably with it's voice acting... but we'll get into that further in a bit.

The story telling of MK:Shaolin Monks is another hamper on the game. While the game features some great MK action and appearances from just about everyone's favorite characters, the way they appear (or die) is somewhat non-sensual at times. Also, with the way certain things happen in the game, you will be left with your head scratching, wondering if you recall things being that way in MKII's story. To top it off, the game has some really BAD voice acting (best example is Shao Kahn... instead of using the MK announcer voice, they used some other random voice.)

Despite the shoddy voice acting and rather butchered storyline, MK:Shaolin Monks is still the best MK spin-off game to date. It features a combat engine that is arguably better than the regular MK fighting engine, and it gives the gamer more things to do (tons of stage kills and environmental manipulations.) You also have a couple secret characters to unlock, as well as plenty of extra "kontent" to find along the way (including a hidden port of the arcade version of Mortal Kombat II!) MK: Shoalin Monks is highly recommended for any MK fan or just about any action/platformer fan.

Medicore game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 10
Date: October 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is just average. A very medicore effort. Im a Mortal Kombat fan but Im putting that aside for this review.

This game is similar to God of War, Devil May Cry, and Ninja Gaiden. The action is pretty good. However the graphic is very average. For a game with such simple graphic, its shocking that a 360 degrees adjustable camera don't exist. The sound effect is good but the music is crap or non-exist. The stages are generic and lack details. Some puzzles are very annoying. The cut-scene is lame and boring, the voice acting is horrible. There are only 2 playable characters and 2 more unlockable. SHOULD be at least 10 to 15 like the fighting game!

The good part about this game is the bloody violent animation. Cutting people in half, pieces of meat flying, decapitation, etc... all with blood are just some of many moves that can be executed. However the ten extra fatalities feature is disappointing. Newer fatalities are basically same as starter ones but more people get killed off. The fatality 'scene' is always the same one, same angle. It should be different 'scene' with different views related to the angle of approach.

Overall don't buy this game. Get X-men Legends II instead or wait for the new Castlevania.

MK

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: October 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game is fun but its not the same old stuff because u can tell by the front it not online like the one before (deception)
but the game is how ever is different playing style because u dont use man people mainly the 2 on the cover. The game can be better or worse to differnt people.
BADS
1. its not online.
2. Not many characters to choose from.
3. Its like the others and many people like the oringal style better
GOODS
1.its a brand new different style playing and to people how didnt like it before might like it now
2.Many more moves and differnt stuff for the characters.

Well thats about all i can say for this game.
all in all i think this game is worth buying with the previous Mortal Kombats

Good diversion

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 8
Date: October 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you are looking for breath-taking visuals, awesome gameplay, involving story, and suberb voice-acting, play God of War because Shaolin Monks is neither of those. However, it is very, very fun. The different combos that you can execute are fun to watch, though they get very repetitive real fast. The puzzles are...unique...but very frustrating because the cutscenes tell you absoltely nothing that you need to know.

About those cutscenes....the voice acting is HORRIBLE. It is amazingly cheesy and lame. However, most cutscenes only last 30 sec to one minute, so the agony is not that bad.

I rented this game a few days ago, and I am already 50% done. That might not sound so impressive, but I work two jobs and go to school fulltime...meaning that I only play like 1-2 hours per day. So that means that by putting in about 4.5 hours, I am halfway done. As you can tell, Shaolin Monks is a very short game.

Despite its mediocrity, Shaolin Monks will probably keep you entertained until that one game that you have been waiting for all year. Give this game a chance and play it. But don't buy it until you play it...trust me.

interesting

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: August 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Basically, your Liu Kang/Kung Lao and you have to fight your way from the end of Mortal Kombat 1 to the end of Mortal Kombat 2 in a NON-CANON story. The fighting is cool and Kung Lao's air juggles are awsome, but that's about all I can say for this game.

Easy with friends and very hard by yourself. With a friend you can beat this game in a day (I did). Alone, if your anything like me, you'll get bored and frustrated after a couple of hours and say "Forget this game! Deseption is better anyway!"
But if you do manage to beat it you'll be rewarded with the added characters of Sub Zero and Scorpion, who don't work well in a free roam environment.

Old school beat-em-ups are back

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - Circa 2005

GOOD:
- Lots of combat in a Devil May Cry style, which is challenging but not too easy or too difficult (for most video gamers)
- Two players Co-op, now you and a friend can beat the game together (actually it's more fun that way)
- Cool combos and fighting moves help make sure the game doesn't get stale (beat the snot out of enemies and even use weapons as well the environment to defeat enemies)
- This game even has a versus mode (which plays sort of like power stone)
- Plenty of unlockables

BAD:
- Graphics are sub-par, but okay (similar to Blood Owen 2)
- Some parts of the game can be annoying (like some puzzles or cheap enemies)
- When you unlock other characters in the game (like Sub-Zero and Scorpion) and play as them, you still get the same story (involving Lu Kang and Kung Lao)
- Some unlockable content is really difficult to get
- Might be too Bloody or violent for some people

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- This game (like all Mortal Kombat games) is pretty bloody and gory, so I would suggest it's not for small kids or people sentient to that sort of stuff
- Simple combos strikes and small puzzles like Devil May Cry or God of War make up most of the combat, but unlike God of War or Devil May Cry these combos can be teamed up with a second player (on Co-Op mode) to take the damage to another level
- You have to unlock most of the game through hidden secrets hidden in each stage
- A must play for die-hard Mortal Kombat fans

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- God of War
- Devil May Cry
- Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
- Final Fight

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- There are some nice unlockables in this game including a full version of the classic Mortal Kombat 2
- This Story fills the gap from Mortal Kmobat to Mortal Kmobat II
- This is the third Action/Adventure game set in the Mortal Kmobat universe, the first was Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, the second was Mortal Kombat: Special Forces (staring Jax)

Shaolin Monks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: September 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, is the new MK game on store shelves. I myself usually purchase MK merch when it drops, so I thought i'd give this game a try without even bothering to rent it first. And in a small way, i'm relieved that it didn't disappoint too much.

MKSM is by far probably the goriest Mortal Kombat in the series, to date. So if you're looking for a game full of blood and guts, this game is right up your alleyway. It also strays away from the norm, of the MK genre. It isn't a fighting game. It's an action/adventure game, with somewhat of a comparison to God of War, and Devil May Cry. Though gorier than DMC, it isn't quite as fun as DMC. As per God of War...it beats both of these games, hands down.

Anyways...yeah. This is a game full of violence, bloodshed, fatalities (ten per character), multalities (fatalities that kill multiple enemies on screen), and ofcourse, brutalities. Brutalities are basically the same as multalities, but the screen doesn't fade during brutalities, and you're actually able to control your character while doing them.

The storyline of MKSM is pretty much that of MK2, but...the events that lead up to it, and a few events DURING it. Such as the final boss fight (wont give anything away).

Like all games though, MKSM comes with a few (minor, and at times major) flaws.

-The battleing is pretty...repetative and at times, aggrovating and boring.

-The game itself is extremely short, clocking in at about 10 hours of gameplay (maximum), if you're experienced enough.

-Some of the puzzles in the game will annoy the living crap out of you.

-Fatality and multality sequences all happen in the same position (infront of the enemy), and never with the actual stage scenery in the background (the screen just turns black and that move is done...just like in the past 2 PS2 MK games).

-The game secrets (such as unlocking the MK2 fighting game) are at times, really hard to get, and MOST require ko-op gameplay to obtain.

-The characters at times can look really choppy (not alot, but you can really notice it, after comparing the Tarkatan warriors to other character models such as Kitana. Kitana looks better, whereas the Tarkatan warriors look like crap.)

-And to top it all off...the voice acting in the cutscenes is horrible. Cheesy as all hell. Even some of the dialogue itself is pretty stupid and pointless.

But despite all these flaws, I found Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, to be a pretty enjoyable game. It sure isn't the BEST beat em up action/adventure game on the market (I leave that title to God of War), but it's still a pretty enjoyable game nonetheless, if you're a fan of the MK series.

In the end, i'd only suggest this as a buy, to dedicated MK fans that have to have everything MKwise. Otherwise, only rent this to see if it suits your tastes.

By the way, this game is TEN TIMES better than the 2 absolutely disgraceful action/adventure MK titles that came before it, "Mytholigies: Sub-Zero", and "Special Forces." Those sucked, and weren't enjoyable in the least. Whereas "Shaolin Monks" proves enjoyable.

Give it a try...judge it for yourself.

I give MKSM 4/5 stars, due to the flaws the game contained that didn't seem to really effect the fun factor of the game at all. If the fun factor would've been effected, i'd have only given this game 3/5 stars.

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