In this edition of the MeinMMO format “What we are playing this weekend,” MeinMMO editor Caro reveals her guilty pleasure title on the PS5, which has fully taken over from her girlfriend – even more so than it has for herself.
This is what I am playing this weekend: Since the sequel to the Mortal Kombat movie was approaching (which premiered on May 7 in German cinemas), my motivation to beat my opponents on the PS5 again has also increased. It is a typical 1v1 fighting game where you aim to take down your opponent through combos and special moves. The kicker in Mortal Kombat: It does not hold back in its brutality and is especially known and loved for its overly dramatic finishers.
Mortal Kombat has accompanied me since my school days when we used to go to a friend’s house during free periods to hold our own MK tournaments. Even to this day, I catch myself wanting to relieve my frustration on particularly dumb days by devouring my opponent’s face off as Mileena. Yes, Mortal Kombat is a guilty pleasure, but it’s a very effective one.
However, the one who is even more in love with the game is my girlfriend. And this is despite the fact that she is not really a gamer. At the start of our relationship, I showed her some of my favorite games, believing that they might excite her as well. The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, and similar gaming legends she found quite “okay,” but she never felt the urge to dive in a second time. Nothing could really impress her – until I finally showed her Mortal Kombat.
Even though she is definitely not a pro in fighting games, Mortal Kombat is a piece of her childhood and past forbidden fun. The creatively brutal finishers and the absolutely ridiculous yet perfectly insane story surrounding the recurring tournament still accompany and excite her to this day.
Mortal Kombat has unlocked something in my girlfriend that couldn’t make me prouder
I don’t know what switch has been flipped in her – but it happened quickly. Mortal Kombat completely captivated her, mainly because you can somehow be effective even with frantic button-mashing. Also, the admittedly simultaneously deep yet dull story, plus the characters and bad one-liners, simply took her by surprise. Rarely have I seen her smile so much through a video game, whether it was through the nasty X-Rays or the even more glorious fatalities.
While I prefer to cannibalize my opponents as Mileena, she loves to play Johnny Cage to ruin her opponents’ day with the legendary move “Nutcracker.” What he does, you can surely imagine.
To clarify how serious she is: If your “non-gamer girlfriend” asks to play on the PlayStation after work, instead of the other way around as usual – then it’s true love for a game. How wonderful that it is precisely Mortal Kombat. I really cannot comprehend it, but I am proud that I do not have to enjoy my guilty pleasure alone anymore. However, she is about to finish me off in co-op.
Our recommendation: Mortal Kombat is not a narrative masterpiece, but it is so. Much. Fun. Whether alone or especially in co-op with friends, whether they are gamers or not: Even without great skill, you can have a lot of joy in the fights. Maybe even particularly so when a heavy combo accidentally works through panicked button-mashing. My girlfriend absolutely loved it, and maybe your friends or partners will too.
Do you have any guilty pleasures that keep bringing you back? Let us know in the comments!
If you want to read another piece from the MeinMMO format “What we are playing this weekend,” I recommend the opinion of our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz from last week: I have high hopes for a new MMORPG on Steam, now I get to play it for the first time
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