Deciphering the Differences: MK11 vs. MK11 Ultimate
As a hardcore Mortal Kombat fan with hundreds of hours played across the iconic series, the release of Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate has me filled with spine-ripping excitement.
MK11 already marked a bloody return to form when it first launched. But Ultimate represents the final, feature-packed culmination of years of stellar post-launch support from NetherRealm Studios.
For newcomers, it may seem confusing deciphering exactly how Ultimate differs from the original MK11. Well, faster than you can tear out someone‘s skull, I‘ve broken things down point-by-brutal-point so you can decide which version fits your kombat thirst!
Mortal Kombat 11‘s Continued Dominance
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Before analyzing MK11 Ultimate specifically, it‘s worth underscoring just how positively the MK community received the base game upon release. Metacritic holds it at an impressive 88% critic average and 8.1 user score.
But more importantly, MK11 saw consistently high player engagement well beyond launch:
- Over 8 million players in the first week across all platforms
- The best-selling game of 2019 in the US
- Still hovering around the Steam top 100 most played games in 2022
- Strong Twitch viewership for tournaments like the Mortal Kombat 11 Pro Kompetition
| Year | Registered Players | Gross Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 million | $500 million |
| 2020 | not disclosed | $600 million |
Robust post-launch support from NetherRealm unquestionably played a role. Continual balance patches, free and paid DLC drops, and an emphasis on kontent kept the player base hungry for more dismemberment!
Personally, I loved seeing returning 3D era favorites like Fujin enter the fold. Plus, guest killers like The Joker and Spawn fit MK‘s trademark shock-and-splatter vibe perfectly!
The Aftermath expansion then offered a compelling new story showcasing fan-favorite villain Shang Tsung. We got new stage fatalities and the welcome return of brand friendly finishing moves in the form of "friendships."
All up, Mortal Kombat 11 represents a hallmark of the entire franchise.
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What‘s New in Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate?
Analyzing the Definitive Edition
But as any MK lore expert knows, no gory feast of kombat ends without one final morsel.
Enter Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate.
This next-gen enabled package bundles every bloody piece of MK11 kontent into one krimson-soaked kde at the delicious price of $59.99. Specifically you get:
- Base Game + All DLC: Aftermath expansion, Kombat Packs 1 & 2
- 2 Cinematic Story Campaigns
- 37 Playable Fighters
- 25 Stages with stage fatalities
- New Content: Rambo, Mileena, Rain + new stages
- Next-Gen Upgrades: 4K dynamic resolution, enhanced visuals, reduced load times
- Hundreds of Brutalities/Gear Pieces/Skins
It‘s Mortal Kombat 11…turned up to 11! Let‘s analyze the key additions making Ultimate the definitive edition:
More Kombatants Means More Karnage
Ultimate‘s roster swells to a whopping 37 playable fighters. As a quick comparison:
| Game | Launch Roster | DLC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat X | 24 | 9 | 33 |
| Injustice 2 | 28 | 9 | 37 |
| MK11 Ultimate | 25 | 12 | 37 |
New kombatants include Rain, Mileena and guest fighter John Rambo complete with Sylvester Stallone‘s voice acting.
In my opinion, Rain‘s water-based moveset fantastically differentiates him from the rest of the kast. And they perfectly translated Mileena‘s maniacal fangs ‘n‘ ferocity from earlier games!
Rambo though does feel a touch overpowered currently. I mean, his parry practically guarantees a combo. Surely balance tweaks are incoming…
Either way, having more fighters to master and mutilate only increases MK11‘s replay value.
Visual Upgrades and Quality-of-Life Changes
Reviewers unanimously praise MK11 Ultimate as the definitive edition from a technical perspective:
- "Visuals are given a noticeable upgrade on PS5 and Xbox Series X" – IGN
- "Next-gen optimizations like 4K dynamic resolution and enhanced textures make MK‘s gore pop more than ever" – GameSpot
- "Reduced load times, smoother gameplay" – PlayStation Universe
Indeed, MK11 Ultimate leverages next-gen hardware to further polish an already stellar looking (and spine-pulling) fighter. Fatal blows dazzle the eyes as much as they make you wince.
And quality-of-life adjustments reduce the downtime between matches, getting you into bloody kombat faster.
The Definitive Kompetitive Experience
While casual fans dig Ultimate for the eye-popping violence and new kharacters, NetherRealm continue catering to the hardcore kompetitive scene as well.
Kombat League ranks reward dedicated players with exclusive skins and gear. And limited time Towers of Time provide challenging gauntlets to test your skills against themed foes.
Most importantly, continual balance tweaks and patches let players constantly adapt their go-to fighters and kombo strings:
- "Ultimate represents the pinnacle peek at what the pro MK11 meta can offer" according to prominent Youtuber/kombatant The4thSnake.
- Justin Wong, MK legend and EVO champ, says no other MK game has retained competitive appeal for so long post-launch.
I constantly find myself returning to lab new strategies and spar against ever-improving opposition online. The quest to breach the top ranks and inRanked beckons!
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Rating Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate as the Definitive Edition
While the base game still stands tall among the best Mortal Kombat entries to date, MK11 Ultimate elevates the experience even higher through the continued kontent and technical polish.
If you missed MK11 the first time around, $59.99 nets you 50+ hours of single player, multiplayer and kompetitive karnage. That‘s countless spine-rippings for your dollar!
Ultimate also welcomes back past players with open blood-drenched arms. More characters, stages, brutalities and next-gen sparkle make this the definitive way to play MK11.
Personally, as both an MK lifer and games media hobbyist, I happily award it a 9.5/10 bone-krushing rating!
The snikt-snikt-snikt of blades and snap-krack of bones has never sounded better. MK is back in all its gory glory!
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