[TCN Guest Submission] Mortal Kombat X Rumors and Leaks

mortalkombatX

Written By: Thomas Nguyen

If you’ve watched E3 this year, you saw a ton of games being announced. A new Legend of Zelda coupled with a Dynasty Warriors game with LoZ elements, A new Assassin’s Creed, A new game from the developers of Demon/Dark souls and a new Monster Hunter. One game that took the cake for me was a game like none other. A game that implemented the ESRB system, brought gore to fruition and made people love violence in a video game. Yes, I am talking about Mortal Kombat, a game which took fighting to new heights and yes, they are back with an iron grip coated in blood.

The fatality that brought in the ESRB.
The fatality that brought in the ESRB.

Mortal Kombat first released in 1992 with only seven characters; Liu KangRaiden/Rayden, Kano, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The plot usually consists of Shao Kahn, the ruthless emperor of Outworld wanting to rule over Earthrealm with Liu Kang stopping him each time. The game eventually led up to an armageddon and a brutal war between good and evil.  With the Release of MK 9 in 2011, it retconned and retold the entire timeline in a different way. Raiden, in his last moments, sent a message to his early self to prevent this from all happening. Raiden fixes and royally messes up things at the same time to a point where Shao Kahn is permanently eliminated.

Here we are at Mortal Kombat X, a game that has been controversial even before it is released. Taking place twenty-five years after MK 9, it will feature a new cast with only 10-15 old favorites. The game itself will bring back X-Rays, enhanced supers and breakers all introduced in MK 9. It will also bring back the stamina meter which was first introduced in the third MK. The game also has shown off four newcomers and they are: Cassie Cage (I won’t spoil who she is), Kotal Kahn, D’Vorah, and Ferra, who rides a huge brute named Torr. Features aside, let’s talk about the meat of the game (literally!), the fatalities and gore. 

What next gen gore looks like.
What next gen gore looks like.

We all love cartoony violence and MK has been a prime example of that. Ripping the spines of your enemies, spinning them around with a blade and slicing them as they spin, screaming until their skin rips off…that’d be MK alright. MK X is no slouch to gore, since Netherrealm Studios (Formerly known as Midway) has an Unreal Engine to work with. Ed Boon (Lead designer), promised that MKX will run at 1080 and 60 fps, so the gore will look stunning and well, gross. The X-Rays in X include newcomer Cassie Cage punching the enemy in the testicles so hard they explode, pistol-whipping them on the side of the head and putting a bullet through their eyes and that isn’t a fatality! Players have inquired about Scorpions fatality shown in the Sony E3 conference video because it wasn’t a full fatality. It has Scorpion conjure a fire-ball that blows a hole in the enemy body, as they fall to the ground with their still beating heart, he slices their face off and at the end it shows their brain and frontal lobes. Click here to watch the video, but viewer discretion is advised.

The game is still in development with a 2015 release date slated, but more leaks and news will come soon. Check out the launch trailer below:
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