I was a teenager when the arcade was in its heyday. I can't even begin to count the hours spent in front of game cabinets or watching other players show their mastery of games. Fighting games were the center of this experience, with lines of players placing their quarter on display to indicate their position as next challenger while a mob of people watched as skills were tested and champions emerged. No game was more brutal in this competition than Mortal Kombat, which upped the stakes of the common fighting game with a virtual bloodbath during the fight and the humiliation of Fatalities ripping a player's character to shreds before the audience's anxious eyes. Generations have passed, but Mortal Kombat is still the pinnacle of fighting games, and Warner Bros. Games' new addition to the series is living, bloodied proof.

Simultaneously a new chapter in the story and a rehash of all of the previous chapters, the singularly titled Mortal Kombat offers something for every kind of player. There's the nostalgic factor of the classic game play, setting, and characters. There's the competitive edge as you take on other players - either in your own home or online. There's even tutorials to help more casual players master kombos and fatalities. If you are into fighting games, Mortal Kombat has it all.

Unlike the last few installments of the franchise, Mortal Kombat returns the gameplay to a 2D frame. Players only have to worry about moving backwards and forwards, although the environments include the depth of a 3D game. The result is a game that feels true to the 2D roots of the franchise, but still capitalizes on the development of technology with awesome backdrops for the fight. As a player who was always fascinated with the fight settings, this actually feels very faithful to the original Mortal Kombat titles - moreso than the attempts at making a 3D fighting game like Tekken.

The game design here makes the game very accessible to casual players, with tutorials to help players learn basic game play and moves. The controls can be a little challenging, particularly playing with a sense of timing in order to string hits together into "kombos". If there is a weak spot in this title, the controls are it, with some inconsistency as to when a button press does or doesn't count towards a kombo. I found that even playing through the tutorials didn't help with this as much as just playing the game and getting into a good groove with button presses. Still, having a tutorial as a warm up is a really player-friendly feature.

Even more player-friendly is a "Fatality Tutorial" which spells out the proper key combo to execute a character's Fatality. It used to be that you had to figure out the key combinations yourself (or find a game guide that listed them), and then you had to defeat your enemy in order to get the chance to practice. The result was an embarrassing period of time where your foe was defeated but you were fumbling with button combos in hopes of finishing them off. Often, the embarrassment was furthered when you only managed to smack your opponent instead of giving them a proper finishing move. Now players have plenty of opportunity to easily learn the Fatality moves and practice them so such embarrassments can be avoided. Oh, and the Fatalities are as beautifully bloody and gory as ever, so they are definitely something you want to be able to pull off.

For more casual players, the storyline mode of the game may be of the most interest. The story leads the player through the events of the first three Mortal Kombat titles, with Raiden the Lightning God attempting to stop the destruction of Earthrealm. The basic storyline is faithful to the story players will be familiar with, but modifies the story enough that playing through the story is still a lot of fun. You do become limited as to who you are allowed to play through the story mode, so the player does give up some freedom while playing this mode. Ultimately, it's a lot of fun, and offers an element of the game for players who may not like facing off against online opponents.

Of course, the heart of Mortal Kombat is the fighting, and that will be the part of the game most players are drawn to, with several different options ranging from straight fights to tag-team modes and the classic Challenge Tower marathon of single-player fights. Players have access to 26 classic Mortal Kombat characters, with more intended to become available through future downloadable content (additionally, Kratos is available exclusively for PS3 players). Essentially, if you have a favorite character, you're going to have access to him or her. These characters have never looked better either, at least, at the beginning of the fight. As the blood sprays and splatters as the fight goes on, all of the characters start looking rough, but the graphics are absolutely brilliant regardless of how much blood your character is covered in.

As technology has changed, most long-living game franchises have undergone some big changes, but this new game finds its success in remaining faithful to what made the game line popular in the first place. With breathtaking graphics, the classic feel of a 2D fighter, and easily accessible mechanics, this is a title for any fan of the series: from the most skilled, dedicated gladiator to the casual player who is more interested in reliving the story of the saga than taking on some trash-talking rivals. Mortal Kombat has it all.

Final Score: A+