3. Mortal Kombat X (2015)
As a direct sequel to the 2011 reboot, Mortal Kombat X not only maintains the excellent standards set by that game, but in many ways surpasses it. The storytelling is the best the series has even been. While it continues to remain just as ludicrously cheesy as it always has, it manages to actually contain some genuinely effective twists and turns, even though the story itself ends up being underwhelming. The gameplay is better than ever. While the formula isn't changed too much in Mortal Kombat X, it's fine-tuned to near perfection. The return of different fighting variations adds a ton of variety for each fighter and speaking of which, Mortal Kombat X introduced a large number of new characters, many of them being worthy additions to the mythology. Sadly though, once again, this comes at the cost of the inclusion of
several fan favorites. It does have a few niggling issues though. The online multiplayer isnt nearly as robust as the previous game, and is framed with the confusing and superfluous Faction Wars. It also contains obscene amounts of microtransactions and DLC characters, which only frustrates. These problems are negligible when compared to the overall quality of Mortal Kombat X. It may not be perfect, but as a fighting game it is an absolute joy to play, and its success ensures that the next Mortal Kombat wont be too far away.