Acid spit, torn limbs, ice ninjas, action heroes and brutal finishing moves called fatalities are all commonplace in the many “Mortal Kombat” games. The gory superpower of the fighting genre is back at the top again with its newest version of “Mortal Kombat” developed by the brand new NetherRealm Studios.

Some of the newer installments of “Mortal Kombat” fool around with a 3D platform and less blood and gore to appeal to a younger audience and ultimately losing track of what makes “Mortal Kombat” the king of fighting games: senseless violence combined with unreal aesthetics. In the newest installment, NetherRealm Studios brings “Mortal Kombat” back to its roots in a 2D platform and reattains their rightful “M” rating for blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language.

The single player story mode takes the player on a challenging journey as the player fights through tournaments as different fighters in order to save the earthworld from being destroyed by an ethereal power. The story itself is cheesy at best, but the story isn’t what makes the game great; pulling off an 8 hit combo and cracking the opponents skull with your knee in a flurry of button combinations is.

The multiplayer mode brings back the classic one on one fights on a 2D platform allowing the players to choose from dozens of fighters, each with unique abilities and, of course, fatalities. “Mortal Kombat” adds a brand new game type to the series with its two on two tag team matches. The idea of these matches is to work together with your partner to counter the opposing team with a combination of the chosen fighters as players “tag out” their fighters and allowing their partners to fight instead.

Every “Mortal Kombat” game is produced with a unique soundtrack with different songs inspired by arenas or characters. In the 2011 “Mortal Kombat” the soundtrack “Songs Inspired by the Warriors” contains some unique tracks that identify well with the characters in the game.

There is only so much innovation a classic fighting giant like “Mortal Kombat” can endure without ruining the gameplay that makes “Mortal Kombat” different and superior to other fighting games. After several mediocre “Mortal Kombat” games that strayed too far from the characteristics that make it great, it is refreshing that NetherRealm Studios came out with a “Mortal Kombat” game that returns the franchise to its bloody roots.