Its hard to believe that its been 15 years since Mortal Kombat IX was released on PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Mortal Kombat IX was developed by NetherRealm Studios and published Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. Mortal Kombat IX was considered to be the ninth main installment within its series following the Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe game which came out in 2008. The Mortal Kombat vs DC crossover game felt like a step down from entries that preceded it like MK Deadly Alliance and MK: Armageddon. However, the Mortal Kombat game from 2011 felt like a fresh reboot of the original MK trilogy that we go back in the 90’s. Mortal Kombat IX had amazing graphics that looked more rich and vibrant compared to its sequels from ’15-’19. The story for Mortal Kombat IX revolved around Raiden’s future counterpart trying to change history by sending cryptic messages to his past self to prevent a catastrophic timeline from emerging.

While Raiden does everything in his power to change history for the better he ultimately becomes inadvertently becomes responsible for the deaths of some of EarthRealm’s greatest warriors. The storytelling and cinematic cutscenes in Mortal Kombat IX was better than and more accurate the two MK movies from the 90’s. Mortal Kombat IX featured familiar faces like Liu Kang, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Jade Sonya Blade, Kitana, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Jax, Mileena and many others. In Mortal Kombat IX Shang Tsung was a primary antagonist while Shao Khan was the main villain similar to the original MK trilogy from the 90’s. The combat system in Mortal Kombat IX was praised for its smoothness and fluidity and fast-paced gameplay. Mortal Kombat IX had various game modes including Story, one on one, tag-team along with Challenge Tower. Mortal Kombat IX also had online gameplay options which involved Ranked Matches and King of the Hill. Mortal Kombat IX was one of the best fighting games from 2011 along with Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Not only did Mortal Kombat IX make the series more relevant than it was during the 00’s decade but was also a major commercial success.

After Mortal Kombat IX was released the game managed to sell more than three million copies worldwide. Mortal Kombat IX leaned more towards blood and gore and was a departure from the watered town teen rated violence that we got in the MK vs DC video game. It should also be noted that MK9 marked the beginning of the trilogy of Mortal Kombat games that we got during the 10’s. Despite, Mortal Kombat 9 selling less than MKX and MKXI many would agree that it was a more memorable game than MK1 from 2023. Mortal Kombat IX was the reboot that the series needed because the franchise started to lose its mainstream appeal during the 00’s decade. Mortal Kombat IX was on par with Super Street Fighter 4 from 2010 in terms of mainstream appeal and offered a darker more violent alternative for more adult gamers during the early 10’s. Mortal Kombat IX is one of the many fighting games from the early 10’s that stands the test of time today despite not having the same levels of success its sequels did.