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May's Best Games: Mortal Kombat 11, Anno 1800, and Katana Zero


This May, we slow down time to deflect bullets with our katana, transform a tiny village into an Industrial Age metropolis, and rip the spines out of our enemies in glorious mortal kombat.


Mortal Kombat 11

“Mortal Kombat 11” improves upon everything that made this franchise so legendary.

The 1-on-1 fighting game retains many classic mechanics, and introduces new ones that add far more depth to the gameplay. There’s Fatal Blow, a powerful new move you can perform when your health is extremely low; Crushing Blows, which are more lethal versions of special moves that are activated when specific conditions are met; and the two separate meters that can grant fighters game-changing abilities and buffs, such as enhanced damage, combo-breaking counters, and so much more. The result is a more technical fighting game that rewards tactics and thorough knowledge of your character’s tools.

“Mortal Kombat 11” is also amazing online, thanks to exciting modes and almost nonexistent lag.

You can customize your characters courtesy of hundreds of skins, additional techniques, and gear that can be fitted with ability-boosting Augments.

Unfortunately, unlocking these items requires a lot of grinding for in-game currencies needed to open random chests in the Krypt. Items can also be acquired from the regularly updated Towers of Time, but the mode’s barrage of modifiers grows frustrating quickly.

As for “Mortal Kombat 11’s” story mode, it’s a lot of fun, thanks to a ridiculous premise revolving around the crossing over of multiple timelines. Many characters meet their older selves, leading to juicy and, in the case of Johnny Cage, hilarious interactions. Each character is also given enough to do to give their inclusion in the roughly 6-hour story campaign justice.

“Mortal Kombat 11” is also exceedingly beautiful, boasting amazing-looking characters and highly detailed gore that’ll make your stomach churn.

All in all, “Mortal Kombat 11” is the best game in the series yet, thanks to its complex and rewarding combat, extensive character customization options, excellent netcode, entertaining story, and gorgeous visuals. Developer NetherRealm is already fixing the grinding issues, so there’s a lot to look forward to in the game’s future.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Anno 1800

“Anno 1800” is a rich, complex city-building and economy management strategy game that takes you to back to the Industrial Age.

In “Anno 1800,” your goal is to develop your island community. To this end, you’ll be recruiting workers, gathering resources, and erecting buildings. Of course, you’ll have to use your resources wisely and keep your people well-fed and happy to encourage any sort of growth.

In time, you’ll be able to upgrade workers, opening up new opportunities for more complicated jobs, technological and societal evolution, the expansion of your community from a tiny village to a sprawling city, and more.

With growth come new needs so it pays to be prepared for challenging developments: contending with pollution, disease outbreaks, and disasters like riots and fires. 

Trading plays a crucial role in your city’s growth. Once you’ve acquired the ability to sail the seas, you can establish trading routes which will allow you to acquire resources you’re short on from neighboring islands.

But not every neighbor is friendly. It therefore helps to build up your navy in case war becomes unavoidable. Not only will this boost your city’s defense, it will also let you ransack rival islands for resources and fight off pirates.

Eventually, you’ll be able to find the New World. This will give you access to even more options, including new relationships and resources.

“Anno 1800” also benefits from a great interface and lovely graphics that’ll take you back to the 19th century. There’s even an intriguing story that’ll keep you hooked.

An addictive strategy game packed with intricate mechanics and engrossing options your thing? “Anno 1800” won’t disappoint!

Platforms: PC

Katana Zero

“Katana Zero” is a side-scrolling action platformer featuring fast-paced samurai bloodletting and stylish retro visuals.

In “Katana Zero,” you’re a sword-wielding assassin whose clients task you with eliminating various marks. Your job will take you to varied locations, each one boasting unique ideas to keep you on your toes.

Every area is composed of a number of smaller sections often filled with enemies. By slaying these enemies, you move from one section to the next until you reach your target.

A single hit from an enemy will kill you. Thankfully, you re-spawn quickly at the start of the section you died in, and the action is so fast the repetition rarely feels tedious.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to try out different tactics to see what works. You can rush into the room and cut down everything that moves, or you can pick up a beer bottle and toss it at an enemy before throwing down a smoke grenade to confuse the others. You can drop down from the ceiling to take enemies by surprise, or roll past an enemy to stab them in the back. You can even slow down time to deflect bullets.

You’ll sometimes have to resort to stealth to clear certain areas. For example, early in the night club level, you’ll have to sneak past security by dancing with the crowd. In the prison level, you can hide in empty cells.

“Katana Zero’s” story proves riveting thanks to a mystery that gradually unravels with your progress. Several characters you’ll meet along the way are fascinating, too.

“Katana Zero” is a short game, but its excellent combat, compelling tactics, engaging story, and amazing presentation make its 4 to 6 hours of play worth it.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Switch, PC

— LA, GMA News

Tags: gaming
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