Mortal Kombat (PS Vita)

Review

Common Sense Media says

Very violent and graphic fighting game now on handheld.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning1
Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
Very Good: Engaging, very good learning approach.
Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
Not for Learning : Not recommended for learning.
Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parents say

AGE
11
QUALITY
 

Kids say

AGE
12
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) is as gory and bloody as console versions of the game. The gameplay is centered around violence. Using your fists and feet, weapons, or magic, you must inflict as much damage on an opponent as possible, including a fatality (finishing) move that can explode someone, set them on fire, slice them in half, or shatter their insides. The cut-scene sequences in the story mode are equally as gory, with people seen dead and mutilated. Parents should also know there is partial nudity, strong profanity, and players can talk to one another online in an unsupervised setting.

  • Positive messages0
    There are no positive messages one can take away from this brutal fighting game.
  • Positive role models0
    There aren't any positive role models in this game. While there is a story mode about characters who team up to defeat evil, they all use fighting to accomplish their goals. Plus, these characters compete in a "Mortal Kombat" fighting competition, most of whom enter voluntarily.
  • Ease of play3
    This PlayStation Vita version of Mortal Kombat employs a few different kinds of controls. On one hand, it takes a while to master them as there are a lot of options. But on the flipside, using the touchscreen for fatalities, X-rays, and more is comfortable and intuitive.
  • Violence5
    This game is extremely violent, gory, and bloody. It is a fighting game with brutal moves -- be it hand-to-hand combat, weapons, or magic -- and with deadly finishing ("fatality") moves. It's possible to snap someone's body like a twig, shoot them in the head, or slice them multiple times using your fingertip on the PS Vita. The X-ray mode means you can see the damage you're inflicting on someone -- from the inside. Cut-scene sequences are very gory, too, including images of people ripped in half, decapitated, and even a vulture eating someone's entrails and licking a pool of blood.
  • Sex3
    The game depicts women in very sexy outfits that reveal large amounts of cleavage. Some men fighters talk suggestively to the women, while waiting to enter the tournaments and in other scenes. One female fighter in particular is only wearing thin strips of cloth that blow in the wind, revealing cleavage and some buttocks, but there is no full nudity in the game.
  • Language4
    The game has occasional -- but strong -- language in the dialogue sequences, including words like "f--k," "s--t," "damn" and "hell."
  • Consumerism2
    The game "features" a cameo from Sony's Kratos character from the God of War games.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety1
    Creates privacy and safety concerns. Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) is playable online as well as local wireless play, and players can chat at the same time via the PS Vita's built-in microphone. There is no one monitoring or filtering what can be said or heard.
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What kids can learn

1

Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

Subjects
  • Arts
  • Hobbies
Skills
  • Emotional Development
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Responsibility & Ethics
  • Tech Skills
  • Health & Fitness
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What's it about?

As with previous Mortal Kombat games, this new PlayStation Vita version is an intense fighting game that pits two well-matched but unique characters against one another. Along with a lengthy single-player mode, this handheld version includes an all-new Challenge Tower mode (based on last year's version), featuring 150 new missions, as well as head-to-head matches against the game’s tough artificial intelligence or a friend via ad-hoc (local wireless) or Wi-Fi play. MORTAL KOMBAT (PS VITA) also folds in touchscreen mechanics for deadly fatalities (finishing moves), seeing inside characters via the X-Ray zap feature, and more, and takes advantage of the fast processor to deliver a 60 frames-per-second experience.

Is it any good?

 

It’s fast, frenetic, and fun –- but certainly not for young players. Those who enjoy intense fighting games, like the best-selling Mortal Kombat series, will appreciate having console-like graphics and control in a portable system. While the touchscreen mechanics on the 5-inch OLED screen take some getting used to, it is a nice touch, if you can pardon the pun. The game ships with multiple solo and multiplayer modes to keep things fresh, and all the classic warriors have returned – including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Jax, and Johnny Cage -- as well as Kratos, from Sony’s God of War series and others like Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger. As long as you take heed to the “Mature” rating, if you like fighting games you’ll enjoy the new, portable, and brutal Mortal Kombat for PS Vita.

Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about whether this amount of violence and gore should be available in handheld form, where parents aren't able to keep as close an eye on what kids are doing as compared to viewing a game's content on a stationary television. Did you realize that a portable game like Mortal Kombat can also be very graphic?

  • Why are women in video games frequently represented in scantily clad outfits showing a lot of cleavage? How do these images affect boys' and girls' attitudes about girls' bodies?

This review of Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) was written by

What kids can learn

1

Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

Subjects
  • Language & Reading: following directions, storytelling
  • Math:
  • Science: physics
  • Social Studies:
  • Arts:
  • Hobbies:
Skills
  • Thinking & Reasoning: strategy
  • Creativity:
  • Self-Direction:
  • Emotional Development:
  • Communication:
  • Collaboration:
  • Responsibility & Ethics:
  • Tech Skills:
  • Health & Fitness:

What's it about?

As with previous Mortal Kombat games, this new PlayStation Vita version is an intense fighting game that pits two well-matched but unique characters against one another. Along with a lengthy single-player mode, this handheld version includes an all-new Challenge Tower mode (based on last year's version), featuring 150 new missions, as well as head-to-head matches against the game’s tough artificial intelligence or a friend via ad-hoc (local wireless) or Wi-Fi play. MORTAL KOMBAT (PS VITA) also folds in touchscreen mechanics for deadly fatalities (finishing moves), seeing inside characters via the X-Ray zap feature, and more, and takes advantage of the fast processor to deliver a 60 frames-per-second experience.

This review of Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) was written by
Adult
June 22, 2012
AGE
18
 
Learning0
18+ only
Mortal Kombat is a fighting game that shows extreme blood and violence. One character can rip out someones spine and stuff like that.
What other families should know:
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Helped me decide (20) | Had useful details (19) | Read my mind (21)
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Parent
August 19, 2012
AGE
11
 
Learning0
Fun
Parents need to know that this game is very fun, but gory. It has some partial nudity and strong language.
What other families should know:
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Helped me decide (17) | Had useful details (14) | Read my mind (13)
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Kid, 8 years old
August 26, 2012
AGE
8
 
luv
its very bloody and unapropriate.......i like it.not for very little kids
What other families should know:
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Helped me decide (10) | Had useful details (8) | Read my mind (11)
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Kid, 10 years old
August 24, 2012
AGE
10
 
Learning0
Good game
Ok it is a good game and the language you turn of the volume and it is violence but only the fatalities and if you don't like violence don't do the fatalities
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (10) | Had useful details (10) | Read my mind (9)
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Teen, 14 years old
December 23, 2012
AGE
18
 
MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!
Mortal Kombat is one of the most controversial game franchises in history. So, it would make sense that the newest edition is just as gory and disturbing as past titles. While this game is definatly bloody it is also a good 2D- Fighter. The graphics are amazing, the voice acting is superb( for a MK game) and the gameplay..Oh man the gameplay is just fantastic. All female characters have cleavage but hey it's a MK game what do you expect? Mortal Kombat 9 is a great game but it's probably suitable for ages 15 and up.
What other families should know:
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Helped me decide (2) | Had useful details (1) | Read my mind (2)
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Parent
January 7, 2013
AGE
3
 
Learning3
Here It's a FAN STORY.
Do you really have to be so mean all the time? P.S. JAPAN DOES NOT APPROVE
What other families should know:
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Helped me decide (1) | Had useful details (1) | Read my mind (1)
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This review of Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) was written by
Topics:magic and fantasy, sports and martial arts, superheroes, adventures
Platforms:PlayStation Vita
Available online?Available online
Genre:Fighting
Developer:Warner Bros. Games
Release date:May 1, 2012
Price:$39.99
ESRB rating:M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language (PlayStation Vita)
This review of Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) was written by

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