Replacing the letter C with K in completely inappropriate places is just one of the reasons to love this game!
There is nothing that gives me a nostalgic overload more than hearing the “GONG” sound of Mortal Kombat ’s title screen. I literally cut my teeth on this fighting franchise (which in my estimation made Street Fighter its bitch). The mid ‘90s was such a fun time for a preteen kid like me to hang out at the arcade, and I have to credit a large part of that to the buzz generated around these digitized fighters. Even the home ports (some being better than others) were cause for many kids to beg their parents to buy them a whole new gaming system. I know, because I was one of those kids.
After Warner Brothers acquired the rights, co-creator Ed Boon brought us a delightful romp back into the realm of spine-pulling, head smashing action with a remake, simply entitled Mortal Kombat . This game was a virtual love letter to loyal fans. Picking up where Mortal Kombat: Armageddon left off (arguably the worst to date), the reboot decided to reinvent itself. Instead of just scrapping everything we know and love about the series, it instead pulled a page from Dr. Emit Brown’s playbook. After the opening sequence, we travel back in time and get to experience the events of the entire original trilogy, but this time with a twist. Raiden has been given information that he must use to alter the course of the tournament, resulting in an alternate timeline arising. Certainly a fun and unique way of breathing new life into a beloved classic. The gameplay was also top notch. It saw a return to a 2D style, while still utilizing three-dimensional backgrounds. The move sets, combos and all around fun-factor was off the chart! Just about everything you’ve ever loved about an MK game was all right here.
Now, rumors have circulated that a second reboot is in the works that will pick up with Mortal Kombat 4 (the last MK game to hit arcades before the most recent crash). After Netherrealm Studios did such a good job with their last outing, here are just a few key elements I hope make a return in next year’s Mortal Kombat 2 (that release date is unconfirmed by the way).
Weapons Kombat:
This is one of those features that some gamers either love or hate. We first dabbled with the idea in Mortal Kombat 4 . Being able to pick up giant hammers or edged swords from the ground (and subsequently throw them if you choose) was a fun mechanic. Sequels like Deadly Alliance took this one step further, allowing you to not only boost your combos with them, but actually impale opponents for continued damage. Done in the right way, a return to weapons (much in the way Marvel Super Heroes did with their gems) could be interesting.
Kreate-A-Kharacter:
I personally hated Mortal Kombat: Armageddon . In what amounted to a second attempt at a Mortal Kombat Trilogy compilation (which was awesome), Armageddon was simply a mishmash of characters and poorly written storylines. Intriguing plot twists and interesting back-stories is a corner stone of MK ’s history. This game’s script, however, reads like a junior high kid half-assed it five minutes before study hall ended on Friday afternoon. Although, one neat idea that should be revisited is the Kreate-A-Kharacter mode. Allowing you to play the story mode or battle through the arcade ladder with a legit version of yourself (like in the WWE Smackdown series) is something I’d LOVE to do!
More Secrets, More Secrets and More Secrets:
Right from the start, Mortal Kombat has always been about hidden stuff. This is one of the many reasons I feel the franchise is much more interesting overall than an arcade standard like Street Fighter . In the early days, each game possessed hidden treasures that fans would spend countless hours trying to uncover. It was so prevalent, even rumors of secrets that never existed began to spring up (like Nudalities). Eventually, some actually made appearances in future games (the character Ermac, Animalities, etc). In the next release, I’d love to see a return to these roots beyond just the standard “Krypt” inventory system we’ve relied on for so long. The hunt for these types of things is much more exciting than just dropping DLC on us every few months.
While I’d love to see just one (if not all) of my suggestions make the cut, what do we actually know for sure regarding what’s next from Boon’s team? As of this writing, nothing. All we’re working with is rumor and speculation. However, the latest tidbit comes in the form of a newly redesigned dragon logo that has popped up on all the studio’s social media pages (which I’ve included above). We’ll know more on June 2 nd , but Mortal Kombat Online speculates that a more aggressive redesign points to a return of the Elder God Shinnok (as many had always expected).
I have to admit, before the 2011 reboot turned the franchise on its head, I thought the series best days were behind it. Boy was I wrong. Now, could a second game bearing the title Mortal Kombat 2 end up being one of the best yet?