New Mortal Kombat FAQ
So, what do we know about the new Mortal Kombat game that is supposed to revitalize the franchise and draw us back into the world of fatalities and oozing blood?
I was on hand at E3 in Los Angeles earlier this month and, after lining up for almost an hour, I was ushered into a small room for a brief overview of the new Mortal Kombat game. Ed Boon is still involved, but the new title is flying under the WB Games banner.
1. What Characters Are in Mortal Kombat?
During the demo, only eight characters were playable: Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Mileena, Nightwolf, Kung Lao, Sektor,and Reptile. They’ve all been redrawn with a 3D-rendered look and they’ve taken great pains to make Reptile look more different than just a “green” Sub-Zero. That’s good.
Based on the selection screen, there are slots for at least 26 different characters, as well as a slot for a random selection and another slot for DLC. Does this mean that more characters will be available as premium content? Or is there a create-a-kombatant mode?
2. What Are the New Gameplay Elements?
They’re going back to their roots with over-the-top violence, blood, and gore. That means “real” fatalities are back, not like the muted versions we got in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. But that’s not where the violence ends.
We’re also going to see “enhanced” moves that are similar to the EX moves in Street Fighter IV. These use up one segment of the new super meter at the bottom and are more powerful versions of regular special moves. Sektor’s missile, for example, becomes a heat-seeker.
The other new element is the X-Ray move. You can do this when the super meter is completely full at the bottom and it’s akin to a Super or an Ultra in Street Fighter IV. The difference is that the move goes into slow-motion and shows the inner damage as it happens, including crushed bones, smashed tendons, and other internal damage. That’s why it’s called an X-ray move. Brutal. Johnny Cage’s version, for example, has him crushing nuts multiple times.
3. What’s This About Team Battles?
Borrowing another page out of Capcom’s playbook, the new Mortal Kombat will have team battles too. These are 2-on-2 fights where the characters can be tagged in and out at will, including in mid-combo. This makes for pretty crazy multi-character combo combinations.
4. What Else?
Other highlights include custom animations for each character, combo breaker maneuvers, a 2.5D presentation style, visible body damage that persists through the match, and the ability to link together whatever moves you want to create combos.
Looks crazy and it really does come back to what made Mortal Kombat so great in the first place. Blood, gore, and gruesome, gruesome violence.
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