Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks for Xbox Reviews by Gamers

This game is NOT the old/original MK's nearly at all. In a sense it reminded me of Onimusha Warlords. More killings=more experience. Sure MK dipped into a "action/adventure/RPG" before, but not as it's main source of gaming. Now we have a whole game dedicated to an 'action/adventure' feel. It's main gaming is an adventure game in which "test your might", weapons, and even fatalites get showcased at some point in time. You can also play co-op for the first time. You won't hear the familier "FIGHT", tho you will hear "FINISH HIM/HER" at some point. It's all open in a 3D world running around killing the outworld villans. If you're a hardcore/diehard MK fan (or fighting game genre) then you may not take to this game well. But if you don't fall into those catagories you should enjoy it. Keep in mind it's got blood, guts and sliced/ripped limbs, most with fairly good detail. I admit it's more fun to play in co-op if you have someone decent to team up with, but the camera work can get frustrating. Another slight downside is there is not a lot of replayability. There is only a maximum of 4 playable characters for the 'story mode'. So if you beat it in co-op mode, that only makes one more playthru and you're done with new characters. The other small problem is the storyline (which takes, loosely, after MK2 or 3) is exactly the same for all characters used (it only involves Kung Lao and Liu Kang, it can seem pretty silly when you have Sub Zero and/or Scorpion, they their voices ARE Liu's and Kung's). "Versus" will only pit you against another human player (the tournament, one-on-one feel is completely done away with). All in all pretty fun, the replability could be much better and extra characters skill pools could be much deeper too, but all in all a pretty fun game.

This game is a fun fast paced RPG. It's not what you would expect from a Mortal Kombat Game. It just don't seem like a Mortal Kombat Game. To me a MK game is a brutal, bloody, violent fighting game that makes you say OOH and Ah and this game don't have that. It does have a lot of game play though, I had this game for a while and I still didn't finish it. Not only is it long but it's difficult to pick up. The controls are complex and the Tests are even harder. It is a good game just not one of the best the MK series has to offer. If you want a real Mortal Kombat Game go for MK Deception or wait for Armageddon to hit shelves.