Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

AceGamez

A shining triumph of beat 'em up glory, spinning off from the traditional MK one-on-one gameplay and showing us all just how excellent the old-school beat 'em up can be in this current generation of gaming.

Gaming Target

The 3D beat ‘em up I have been waiting a long time for. The fighting engine just feels fantastic.

VGPub

Unfortunately, this game is not online, something that would have significantly boosted replay value.

Gamer 2.0

The game flows extremely well, and is just a complete blast to play. Seeing your favorite MK landscapes come to life is a total joy and the story provides some insight into the strange MK world.

Play Magazine

The fighting - and there's tons of it - never grows laborious or monotonous... [Nov p.76]

Stuff

While the nutball MK mythos is annoying—click through those windy speeches by Raiden as quickly as possible—it's all good once disembodied heads are bouncing around like popcorn.

Game Informer

I haven't had this much fun with a co-op game in quite some time. [Oct 2005, p.122]

Gamers' Temple

A good mix of an action/adventure game and a traditional fighter. Fans of either genre will find something to enjoy and MK fans will especially enjoy the references to MK lore.

Worth Playing

The combat system is easy to learn but has enough depth that it will take time to master.

Next Level Gaming

It's a really nice combination of old and new Mortal Kombat.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Far from the dodgy cash-in we expected, Kombat dwarfs the likes of Beat Down and offers genuine improvements in the formerly stagnant scrolling fighter genre. [PSM2]

GameZone

A little bit of "Final Fight" and "Devil May Cry," and an even littler bit of "Prince of Persia," Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is a must-have for MK fans. It's repetitive – what did you expect? You fight the same enemies repeatedly.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

The game's simplistic look and occasionally spotty camera might be a turnoff for some, but the pure fun the game provides easily overrides these shortcomings. [Nov 2005, p.91]

Yahoo! Games

It's not overly deep or terribly long, but for anyone looking for simple, cartoonish blood and brutality, this is very definitely the place.

Computer and Video Games

The mighty "God of War" is a little more deserving of your action cash if you've only got the funds to buy one game where you run around killing stuff. But Shaolin Monks is a very close second-best in the heaving action sector, thanks to its good looks, decent play and a gory, blood-soaked style that's well in keeping with the Mortal Kombat legacy of pain. [PSW]

Maxim Online

The creators get points for keeping the combos, juggles, air attacks, and instant-kill fatalities, not to mention the chopsocky feel and cameos from familiar faces like Baraka and Reptile.

1UP

It offers a stellar single-player adventure mode experience, a ton of unlockables, a comprehensive two-player versus mode, and best of all, the original freakin' "Mortal Kombat II" arcade game. For all of these different modes in a single game, the price tag is practically a steal.

IGN

Midway has done a great job of taking a very popular, well-entrenched franchise and moving it over to another genre with success. Shaolin Monks isn't without its faults, but the game's tenets are good, the moves, the fighting, the unlockables, and its surprising level of depth all count for so much. And all of this is topped off with the superb co-op mode.

GamePro

Shaolin Monks certainly has its problems, but the action at its heart is the most enjoyable the series has offered in ages.

WHAM! Gaming

The Mortal Kombat transition from fighting game to action-adventure experience is handled exceptionally well in Shaolin Monks. As Scorpion would say, "Get over here!"

Cheat Code Central

If you're looking for a fight you came to the right place. If you're looking for something more than just a fight you've also come to the right place. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks puts the mental fun back in fundamental.

Thunderbolt

What you get out of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks depends on your familiarity with the series. The more you know, the more you’ll like.

Adrenaline Vault

While it ventures into new territory,it does so in an interesting way.

PSM Magazine

It's a game that gets back to the basics and is chock-full of Mortal Kombat goodness, especially for two players simultaneously. [Dec 2005, p.84]

Total Video Games

It's a game that will certainly appeal to MK fans thanks to its self-referencing details, but more than that, Shaolin Monks will appeal to action/adventure fans in general thanks to a very solid combat system that surpasses previous attempts at multi-directions 3D combat.

PSX Extreme

If you don't understand Mortal Kombat, this isn't the game for you. But if you do get it, especially if you loved the first two arcade games, this IS the game for you.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

Reinventing Mortal Kombat was risky, but Shaolin Monks rams home the action with style, guts and excitement to spare. [Nov 2006, p.138]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Were it not for the sometimes-unclear objectives (coupled with a tough-to-follow map); puzzles that almost always involve throwing an enemy into a wall, spikes, and the like; and some minor annoyances, this one would be award worthy.

GameSpot

Apart from actually putting together a completely decent gameplay engine, Shaolin Monks is so ridiculously chock-full of hidden goodies and subtle wink-and-nod-style in-jokes that anybody who professes to have a degree in MK will be hard-pressed not to come away entertained.

Gaming Age

The story is weak, boss fights are hard, but the action is extremely enjoyable and in a game where the main focus is the action, which is all that counts.

GameBrink

This game has a lot of things to keep you coming back. You can play the single player or Ko-Op mode again with a new set of characters (we will keep them secret for now) and the unlockable arcade version of MKII is a nice addition for the fans.

Games Radar (in-house)

If you love all things MK, you'll see Shaolin Monks as a special milestone in the franchise and a reward for your loyalty. Otherwise, it's just a fun brawling diversion with lots of gloopy blood and two unlockable characters. Either way, it's good stuff.

GameSpy

The advantage is (once again no surprise) the Dual Shock controller. Instead of having to strain for the white and black buttons, fatalities and throws reside on the shoulder buttons, where they belong.

Computer Games Magazine

The generous slathering of nostalgia for the locations and characters of the old arcade games is a treat. [Dec p.93]

PALGN

It won’t win any game of the year awards, but for a piece of brainless action, you can’t really go wrong with Shaolin Monks.

Eurogamer

If there's a rhyme or reason to it, perhaps it's that the violence and gore are still satisfyingly novel, but that this time it's more show-and-tell than learn-and-apply.

Gamer's Hell

Fans of the series will be satisfied by the amount of secrets and unlockable features in the game, but for the non-fans, this might be worth a rental instead of a purchase.

Game Revolution

A fairly impressive beast. It might not be smart, polished or new, but it's wonderfully violent, varied and bloody. Plus, it’s proof that two heads are better than one.

TotalGames.net

Despite there being a massive selection of attacks at your disposal, you won't use them, and after battling through your seventeenth batch of Oni bastards, you'll soon settle for the simplest and most effective means of disposal and trade any style for progress.

G4 TV

Shaolin Monks' replay value could use a jump-start or two from Raiden’s fingertips. Despite an arcade port of Mortal Kombat II and a two-player versus mode, there’s simply not enough "kontent" to justify a purchase for most.

games(TM)

It’s a non-offensive way to while away a few hours digging up the past, but the core gameplay doesn’t hold a candle to the title it’s so fondly remembering. [Nov 2005, p.108]