So I have a PS3 not a PS4 (again while I do have money, I refuse to squander it left and right), so I'll have to wait for Mortal Kombat X to come out by June 2, 2015. On the other hand, I have the option to pre-order but... I prefer to try and wait for a discount before I get jealous of people who are able to get it at a lower price. At the same time, I will have ample time to self-study the game before sitting down or two, I might consider going head to head against my peers. Meanwhile, the game itself looks pretty good if you ask me.
Twenty five years later, we get a Mortal Kombat version of The Avengers... the new generation warriors are here!
The story of Mortal Kombat X takes a span of 25 years (shades of Tekken 3). After the tragic events of Mortal Kombat 2011, a lot of the good guys were reborn as members of the Brotherhood of the Shadow. It seems like an Avengers movie... only bloodier which I hope Marvel Comics will be with Netherrealm Studios. We have a bit of Avengers here and there and the new generation feels like an Avengers team. Kung Jin would be Hawkeye (it's somewhat hinted he used to be a woman in his past life), Cassie Cage would be Black Widow, Jacqueline Briggs would be like Danielle Cage (Luke Cage's daughter) and Takeda would be well... Shang Chi or Dragon Fist. It's like an Avengers movie especially with Raiden and Shinnok playing the roles of Thor and Loki while Scorpion is the Ghost Rider of Mortal Kombat. The game has some new characters and some old ones... while maybe those that didn't make it from MK4/Gold weren't popular enough to be added into this badass looking game.
So my first impressions for the game were on the new characters. There was Ferra/Torr which was a pretty ambitious character (Ferra is the small lady while Torr is the main fighter, sort of like Tusk in Marvel Comics), Erron Black (who looks like Gunhawk from Marvel Comics), D'Vorah (who looks like a female version of Swarm in Marvel Comics), Kotal Kahn (who I believed was going to be the sub-boss because he looks like Ogre from Tekken 3, the Mayans call him "Buluc" who gets a Marvel-based character) Cassie Cage (daughter of Johnny and Sonya who looks like a SHIELD agent), Kung Jin (an archer, reminds me of Hawkeye) and Takeshi Takeda (who I mistook for Liu Kang so I panicked Liu Kang may not be playable). The whole new roster looks pretty impressive for me. In my case, Takeda would be my favorite next generation character.
The game itself tries to become content-rich, taking advantage of the PS4 and PS3 systems. I am yet to see the differences between the two systems but somehow, the basics of the two are there. It's not just the bare minimum like the Arcade Mode, you also get other modes which were inspired by other games. While Tag Team Play was removed for a reason (I guess fans didn't like that much), there is the Living Tower (which updates itself with Internet), the Challenge Tower is back in a new way, Survival Mode and Endless Mode (we're getting more Tekken-ish which is no surprise, Ed Boon LOVES Tekken). Meanwhile, the Brutalities are back as combo enders, not that ridiculous long button combination but one used to end a second round match like the Ultra Combo from Killer Instinct but less flashy, more bloody. You might want to study through Tutorial Mode first or you won't get to play the Story Mode. At the same time, you have the Krypt still intact, with some great content you might want to have like more than one alternate costume. Too bad Ed Boon hasn't used Tekken's customization mode.
Mortal Kombat X will have deeper gameplay where you can choose three different variations. A character may play differently depending on which variation, which was taken from Street Fighter Alpha 3 with X-Ism, A-Ism and V-Ism but with a twist. Each character has three variations to suit for the gameplay style. Above is a video explaining how Liu Kang functions in his different variations. You may see how Dualist Liu Kang, Flame Fist Liu Kang and Dragon Fist Liu Kang will play differently from each other. Each of the variations allow different outcomes. One may consider seeing which mode fits him the best vs. which one doesn't fit him the most. In my case, I might want to challenge myself with Dualist Liu Kang's gameplay as of late.
So what would be the challenge of having three variations per character? It would mean, you would have to see which style fits you best. Dualist Liu Kang has offensive fireballs (in light mode) but when he goes into evil mode. Flame Fist Liu Kang will have a different animation for his fireballs and an added multiple punch move. Dragon Fist Liu Kang will probably be the most familiar to Mortal Kombat players like me, though I'd like to see other variations.
Unlike Mortal Kombat X, the sub-boss and the final boss are playable. Doesn't that remind you of Mortal Kombat 4/Gold? In Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, Shinnok was readily playable while in Mortal Kombat X, you must unlock him first. You also have Goro who is readily available on pre-order (though later versions will require DLC) and he serves as the sub-boss. As far as the clips of Goro's gameplay is concerned, he is depowered and more balanced than the unplayable versions he had like Mortal Kombat 2011 and it's more like an improvised Mortal Kombat 4/Gold version of Goro. Goro even gets his own variations, fatalities and well, ending which he never had in Mortal Kombat 4/Gold but he had one in Mortal Kombat Deception and Mortal Kombat Armageddon.
Inferno... is that YOU?!
Apparently, we will have this NPC known as Corrupted Shinnok who I dub as "Inferno Shinnok". While Shinnok based on gameplay footage has some nasty moves, better than his Armageddon moves, we have this. Corrupted Shinnok is when Shinnok absorbs the Jinsei life energy into himself, going as far as to look like Inferno in the Soul Calibur series. I was thinking Ed Boon must have been reviewing Soul Caibur III and Tekken 5. This non-playable final boss will only have one round so it becomes pretty much a challenge to defeat him, aside from his ridiculous combos. It will take lots of patience to defeat the lord of darkness. Just imagine Loki having a more badass form by absorbing Mephisto's powers. Again, Shinnok feels like he's a combination of Loki and Mephisto. I look forward to actually facing this ridiculously difficult fighting game boss.
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