Mortal Kombat X had the best presentation at rAge by far. A roughly 10 meter long stand with over 10 screens to play, it was the most noticeable and the most recognizable. Especially with Scorpion covering half of the exterior and the best part; a Mortal Kombat logo right in the middle that emitted smoke periodically.
Luckily, the game itself matched the cool factor of the stand. Combat Kombat will be a breeze to sink back into for those who played the previous game in the series, and enough additions have been implemented to make the series feel fresh, such as a run button and being able to play characters in three different styles.
The only returning characters in the demo were series mainstays Scorpion and Sub-Zero, with four newcomers being D’vorah(a completely new character), Kotal Kahn (son of main villain Shao Kahn), Kassie Cage (Daughter of Sonia Blade and Johnny Cage) and Ferra/Tor( a pair-up of two new characters). As mentioned before, all six characters can be played in three different ways, for example, Scorpion can be played in the “Ninjutsu” style, where he uses his dual blades, in the “Inferno” style, where he can summon hellspawn demons to help him in the fight, or the “Hellfire” style, where he uses fire based attacks primarily. This means that the game has the most variety in the entirety of the series.
Fighting felt great. While the combos are new, the same system has been carried over to next gen with some new features such as being able to interact with your environment or being able to run full speed across the screen using the aforementioned run button. I quickly fell into my old groove, juggling my friends around the screen with ease, and we can’t talk about Mortal Kombat if we don’t talk about X-ray moves and Fatalities.
If any parts of the game have benefited from the jump to next gen, its bone breaking X-rays and the cringe-inducing fatalities. Be warned, the following is not for the weak of heart! Scorpion’s fatality involves him kicking his opponent in the air and piercing his skull, before pulling him headfirst into the ground, snapping his neck. Sub Zero finishes his opponents off by punching their stomach out, snapping their spine, and splitting them in half. These are easily the most gruesome moves we’ve seen in the series and I can’t wait to see the rest.
Mortal Kombat X is shaping up to be one of the best games of the year when it launches in April next year. The gameplay alone made me more excited to play the full game than any other game at the expo, never mind the great presentation Warner Brothers showed with their stand. Oh, and did I mention that the awesome song from the first trailer was blasting throughout the stand?
