Return of a Klassic

I feel like such an old man right now. The return of classic games is making me say things like, "I can't believe [insert old game here] has been remade" and then I get really excited over the crappy/seemingly try-hard graphics of yesteryear.

This time I'm excited about Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. Only 800 MSP (or circa $10 on PSN edit: currently not available on AU PSN) it brings the glorious crap of the '90's direct to your console. In one simple download you can add Mortal Kombat 1, 2 and 3 to your collection and relive your forgotten youth.

For me it's been about 18 months since I last played a Mortal Kombat title (MK vs DC Universe) but before that it was years and I probably haven't played the original since it's inception. The nostalgia and memories it stirred up from the moment I selected each game was amazing. Everything from the backgrounds to the mountain all came flooding back to me. It was also nice to be able to play with, and past, Liu Kang (after i modified my copy I had issues with it. I somehow lost the file that showed Liu Kang and when ever he was due to fight, the game would crash).

Anyway, the graphics are inspiring. Rather than the highly rendered masterpieces of today or the artistic and beautiful animations of the Street Fighter series, Mortal Kombat appears to be photos of people throwing kicks and punches then strung together to form a coherent sequence.

Overall it's a pleasure to play, even the menus are impressive. Rather than just select text to allow you to choose which title you want, you rotate through the images of the arcade machines each game was originally played on. It's a cool reminder of where the games started and ties in nicely with xbox live arcade.

Demos are available now allowing you to sample the awesomeness of each game. When did you last play Mortal Kombat?