The latest addition to the popular fighting series has all the right moves on PlayStation 3 to hit harder than ever before.
Whether you're a hardened fan of or totally new to the Mortal Kombat series, one thing is immediately clear when you set your eyes on the latest instalment in the adult fighting game - if you thought you'd seen everything the brutal fighter has to offer, it's time to reassess that hasty judgment.
"Basically Mortal Kombat is a return to form," explains NetherRealm Studios producer Hector Sanchez. "Over the past few years we've had a few requests from the fans to return to 2D presentation. It's allowed us to do a lot of things differently to what we've done before."
Fresh elements come in the shape of glossy High Definition graphics, improved game modes, gameplayfeatures new to the series... and a large dollop of the visceral moves and humour that Mortal Kombat is famed for.
Round one...
The visuals are the first thing to impress from the early demonstration. "We took the characters from previous Mortal Kombats and gave them a High Definition upgrade," says Sanchez, who shows off the impressively detailed characters. From the wealth of fighters available - many who have yet to be revealed, although Sanchez promises plenty of old favourites - some of the series figureheads make their appearance alongside a few of the battlers from the first three games.
In the demonstration, the likes of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Sektor, Mileena and Nightwolf all duke it out, eachin their recognisable costumes made all the more striking through their own set of unique animations, even down to the fleeting flourishes of victory between rounds. "We wanted to create a sense of personality, and really make those traits stand out," says Sanchez.
It's an individuality which shines through the constant visual battle damage - another new addition to the main Mortal Kombat series. Thetoils of the fight are displayed on the bodies and faces of the combatants, as clothing tears, cuts open and even more grisly effects are revealed.The backgrounds also benefit from the visual power offered by PlayStation 3, asdemonstrated by The Pit. A real showpiece for the game's ethos of frantic and bloody action, it has another fight raging on in the background while you take on your foe, and gives you the gruesome chance to finish off your opponent on a bed of spikes below - just like in the earlier games.
A fight to the finish
And, of course, there are the Fatalities. Bloodier and more grisly than ever before, these finishing moves are a mixture of old and new, with flying body parts, explosions and more shown, acting as a visceral final blow to the larger number of gory special moves on offer. However, it would be a mistake to think this is the only thing Mortal Kombat is about.
Along with the fast paced fighting, there's a lot of depth added to the game through the inclusion of a Super Meter that builds up over the duration of a bout. Depending on how long your Super Meter is, it can be used to break combos, increase the power of certain special moves and - at its highest stage -enable X-ray special moves which slow down the action and show you the brutal internal effects of your literally bone-crunching blows.
There's also the addition of a Tag mode, which lets you pick another character to be on your team and swap them in and out during the bout, either to keep your opponent on their toes or chain combinations between the two partners. Better yet, if you've chosen your team wisely, you can use one fighter's special ability to set up an attack for the other. Meaning picking two characters which complement each other's special attacks is much more than just choosing a favourite - there's strategic thinking behind it, too.
"A true service to the fans"
There's plenty more to come from Mortal Kombat as it punches its way towards an early 2011 release date, including news on the character roster and how it looks in stereoscopic 3D. Warner Bros and NetherRealm Studios are just itching to reveal details in due time. "This is all stuff we wanted to do before and now we're able to," smiles Sanchez. "We wanted to make sure this Mortal Kombat was a true service to the fans."
Keep checking back with eu.playstation.com for more on Mortal Kombat soon.
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