With the upcoming release of Mortal Kombat XL as well as the planned release of Street Fighter V, it’s time to look at the latest installment in one of gaming most famous fighting franchises: Mortal Kombat X. Released for next generation consoles in April 2015, Mortal Kombat X provides a new spin on the classic arcade fighting game.

The game is the 20^th in the Mortal Kombat series and the 5 main game not counting spin offs. As far as the story goes the game is a sequel to the 2011 game Mortal Kombat which rebooted the series. Since the early 90s, Mortal Kombat has been one of the major fighting game franchises in the video game industry as well as of the best-selling fighting franchise of all time. It was actually the original game and its violence that led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board which determines the rating on video games.

The storyline follows a similar formula to other games in which several of Mortal Kombat’s classic characters such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Raiden as well as new characters such as Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, and Kotal Khan are put up against several other fighters in the game. Each fight is separated by cinematic cut scenes that can be watched as well as the occasional quick time event in which the player is able to interact with the scene and change the outcome.

While the story is an important part of the game, one of the most famous features of the Mortal Kombat series is the ability to fight one on one against your friends. This game doesn’t fail to deliver that game mode. This game allows players to not only select their favorite Mortal Kombat fighters that have been around since the classic arcade games such as the iconic ninjas Scorpion and Sub Zero, the Shaolin martial artist Raiden and the series recurring villain Quan Chi, they are also to select new characters such as gunfighter Erron Black, Government agents Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs, and archer Kung Jin. Not only does the game feature new characters, they also included several special guest characters including horror icons Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13^th film series and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not only are those two in the game but the game also features the famous action movie characters Alien and Predator.

As far as the gameplay of the game, it follows a similar gameplay that the series has made famous, but with the improved gameplay to fit next gen consoles as well as a few new features.  One thing the game did improve on from the past game was the addition of multiple move sets per character allowing players to play as characters in different ways than before. The gameplay also includes new fatalities in more brutal ways than before. Add that to the improved graphics of the game and the fatalities would satisfy any fan of the series.

While one negative to the game is the online mode, online mode allows players to take on other players across the internet and while the gameplay is the same as on 1 vs 1 mode, the servers tend to lag. This is across all platforms of the game and makes fighting online difficult due to the constant lagging during matches. While online games occasionally deal with lagging problems in any game, this game has lag servers nearly all the time. Also due to the lag it makes disconnection during the match happen more frequently which leads to matches ending earlier.

As far as the overall game, this is a must play for fans of fighting games. While recently Mortal Kombat games have been lacking in gameplay as well as have been mixed as far as the reception, this one provides something new to the franchise as well as the fighting genre as a whole. While Mortal Kombat XL is due out this month and Street Fighter V is set to be released later this year, if you are looking for a fighting game to play pick up Mortal Kombat X.