Just when you thought the best-selling fighting game of all time couldn’t get any better, NetherRealm Studios announced the development of the Kombat Pack 2 DLC which is set to debut for Mortal Kombat X sometime early next year. The new content will include at least four new playable characters, a few skins to swag out your fighter, and a new environment in which to rip your opponent’s body limb from limb. Yes, it is hard to imagine that the developers can even come close to topping the recent July additions of Jason Voorhees, Tremor, and perhaps the greatest early 90s villain, The Predator. However, if the flagship fighter has one thing going for it, it’s that its creators always produce mind-blowing content that continues to keep it fresh and enjoyable.
Gamers can’t help but geek out about the addition of four new characters to wreak havoc with. If the photo released by the studio’s Creative Director Ed Boon on Twitter was an indication of who’s coming to the pits of death next, then some much needed speculation, and a little outlandish ambition, is in order. Personally, I would love to see the developers bring back either Cyrax or Smoke from the previous versions and then add in a kicker with either Batman or Superman. Oh yeah, I just went there!
Calling at least one of DC’s greatest superheroes to the arena is something I definitely want to see happen. Let’s put the whole Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe discussion component aside for a moment, because we all know that’s going to get ugly. Rather, let’s think about the absolute pure destruction Batman or Superman could deal out if they were molded into the constructs of MKX. I’m losing my mind just contemplating this. Batman’s finishing move could include just about anything contained within his utility belt and Superman’s incredible strength could definitely be leveraged into an impressive moveset.
The downside to this totally awesome possibility is the potential change in the public’s perception of the characters, which is bad for business. Imagine seeing Batman’s head get ripped off by Scorpion, both awesome and potentially destructive for the brand. However, the counter argument for me is simple – they permanently killed off Robin in the comic book series a few summers ago. If you can kill Robin, you can kill Batman in an equally destructive manner.
I don’t want to speculate on the potential new skins that will be offered, because that’s about as difficult as buying your mother a birthday gift, but I will offer my assessment on the new arena. Unfortunately, no concrete information has been released about the new environment, which could mean that we are going to get something entirely new come early next year. I know, that’s a total bummer if you’re looking for one of the classic environments resurrected and altered for the next-gen consoles. Just imagine one of the original arcade and Sega landscapes juiced up with next-gen graphics and interactive components. Performing finishing moves in front of your kids on the same platform that you destroyed their uncle on some many years ago – oh, how the days of pure satisfaction would roll right back in.
The good news, for those of you uninterested in reconstructing dinosaurs, is that NetherRealm Studios has yet to disappoint with their DLC offerings, especially after the successful release of the most recent pack. Either way you look at it, the franchise is continuing to move forward in a positive direction, which will only force them to continually produce topnotch content. Regardless if you’ve hated every DLC released since the title’s launch in April, it’s highly encouraging to see the developers attempt to reach every gamer within their core group of players with such a unique array of content.