Evolution of a Gamer, Part 2: Tarkata/Tarkatans/Whatever

I relate to the Tarkatans. Like Freddie Mercury, I’ve always been self-conscious of my front teeth because they’re big, and before braces, they protruded. I had the worst overbite. I wish Milena’s face-scarves would have been a thing in elementary school. I would have been like, “I’m Tarkatan. Don’t mess with me.”

While I love Milena, Shao Kahn’s alterations to her appearance, to make her look more like Kitana, also make her weaker than the average Tarkatan. If you want to kill someone quick, Baraka is your man.

If you’re looking for finesse, Baraka is not the character for you. He will fuck shit up, though. I mean, look at those blades. He has this move where he scissor-cuts his opponent, and 29% life is gone, just like that. Do that three times and throw a few spears at them, and boom, flawless victory.

When Milena fails to kill Katana, Baraka is sent to assassinate her. The fights between these two are epic. Milena is a character of finesse. She has a teleport kick, where she falls out of the sky onto the opponent’s head. I love that move. I also really love her “I’m gonna throw you over there” move (the quote is Scorpion’s, but in Deception, most characters have a throw). Her boots are on full display when she wraps her legs around her opponent’s neck and flips, tossing him or her to the floor.

What’s nice about the later MK games, like Deception, Shaolin Monks, and the PS3/XBox 360 Mortal Kombat reprise (some call it MK9) is that they tell a story, and you learn more about the characters. I am a huge fan of the Tarkatans, even if they are Shao Kahn’s minions. I’ve always been a fan of the villains. I married a Sand Trooper, after all. 

Which leads us to the next video game I love: Star Wars: Battlefront. That will be Part 3, coming Tuesday.