The last time we saw Midway attempt to produce a Mortal Kombat game, we ended up with Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, a game that crossed over characters from the bloody combat game with superheroes (and villains) from the legendary comic books. The results were somewhat mixed. The fighting controls and presentation were top-notch, but some fans felt betrayed by the Teen rated shenanigans, expecting something more from the long-time violent series. Well, don’t worry, folks. Come this April, you’re going to get the gory stuff once more. Mortal Kombat is a reboot of the franchise, brought to us by series co-creator Ed Boon and his team at Netherrealm Studios. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel with an articulate 3-D engine and ridiculously out of place characters, they’re sticking to what works – traditional 2-D combat, the kind that players first grew up with when the series made its debut in the 90’s. That’s right, while the visuals will be in stunning 3-D, the fighting will take place on a 2-D plane as you punch, kick and execute special moves on your opponents.
Controls should work similarly to past Mortal Kombat games. You’ll have access to various punch and kick attacks, as well as the ability to throw and execute special moves, including projectiles (like Reptile’s acid spit) and area-effective attacks (Jax’s ground pound). There are some new additions this time around, however. You can actually go in and do mega damage on an enemy, where you get an up-close view on the bone-breaking action. No, literally, the camera zooms in to an X-ray effect and shows you the shattering bones, whether they’re in the skull, upper half or lower half. In addition, the game will feature a new tag-team tactic, similar to that of Tekken Tag Tournament and Marvel Vs. Capcom. You’ll be able to select a team of two warriors (from a cast of over 20) and then take to the Kombat ring, switching them out for some interesting combo attacks. We have yet to play the game to see how well this will work, but we should have a hands-on test soon enough to see how it holds up.
Finally, what would Mortal Kombat be without some over-the-top fatalities? And oh boy, does this game have them. You’ll be chopping off heads and arms with ease, as the development team doesn’t hold back on flying limbs and buckets of blood glopping on the ground. Perhaps the most vicious one we’ve seen to date is Kung Lao’s. He throws his razor hat on the ground, keeping the blade spinning, and literally drags his defeated opponent through it, effectively cutting them in half. Gruesome, but oh so good. Area fatalities will also return, so you can knock an enemy into a spiked pit or the Dead Pool. Visually, Mortal Kombat features some splendid 3-D backdrops. Some will be recognizable, like the Haunted Forest and the Desert, while others are new additions. The character animation looks great, though some characters, like Mileena and Johnny Cage, are a little more cartoonish than we would’ve expected. Not a dealbreaker, though.
The music is in the traditional MK setting, complete with a slew of great fighting tunes, and Shao Khan returns to make his announcements, including “FINISH HIM!” and “Fatality!” The only downside is that the Xbox 360 version isn’t set to receive any exclusive character like the PlayStation 3 version. Last month at the Spike Video Game Awards, WB Games announced that Sony’s God of War, Kratos, would be added exclusively to the PS3 version. Sadly, Microsoft doesn’t have a character planned for its version. Still, if you’re an MK fan, you should more than appreciate it. Kombat begins April 19th, and we’ll be back with the full review to let you know if it’s worth knocking a block off for. In the eyes of fans, though, it should be a flawless victory.
