Mortal Kombat is back and looking as bloody as ever for its 11th installment. It packs a lot of the things the series has become famed for in its stories 25 years history photorealism, blows you can practically feel, and a LOT of guts as well as a few new twists. There s a bit of a use it or lose it approach to the combat sorry, kombat . You start with a full offensive gauge for weapons and super attacks as well as a full defensive gauge for dodgerolls and combo breakers, and they ll recharge after use. Similarly, once you re getting close to death s door you ll unlock a phenomenally powerful fatal blow attack that might turn things around for you. The emphasis, then, is not on hoarding resources but on using them, making for an allout balls to the wall fighting experience. The story picks up from the end of 10, which series fans will remember ended with things in a bit of a mess. Most of the characters were kaput and Raiden was ready to wreck the universe over it. Don t worry, though there s a time travelling baddie called Geras in the mix to ensure that we get a full complement of fighters and an even more screwy timeline than we had before. The lineup, if you were wondering, looks something like this: Baraka Cassie Cage Cetrion Dvorah Erron Black Geras Jade Jacqui Briggs Jax Johnny Cage Kabal Kano Kitana Kollector Kotal Khan Kung Lao Kronika Unconfirmed Playable Liu Kang Noob Saibot Raiden Scorpion Skarlet Sonya Blade SubZero Yep, it s going to be big, bloody and involve a lot of broken bones!