Why The Next Mortal Kombat May Not Suck!

The Mortal Kombat franchise has seen it’s fair share of transitions over the years. From digitized sprites to hand drawn characters, from 2 dimensional gameplay to 3D, and from over the top blood and gore to boring fatalities. The changes have been gradual, but some say they have killed the franchise. Warner Bros is attempting to change that with a new entry into the franchise.

Warner Bros. claims  it’s taking the best features of previous games and lumping them together for this latest installment. We have the atmospheres (some of the popular backdrops) from the second Mortal Kombat and the speed of Mortal Kombat 3, plus all new individual character animations. Even Sub-Zero and Scorpion act differently, a first for the series. Characters will not only bleed when they are injured, the blood will actually splatter onto opponents, and clothing will rip as the fights progress.

Behind closed doors at E3 we were also shown a number of new features, one of them included Tag Team mode. Now you can play two of your favourite Kombatants at the same time. The characters can jump in and out of the match on the fly. You can also pull off super combos with signature moves from both characters.

Of course you can’t talk Mortal Kombat without talking Fatalities. They’re back, but this time with a more Mature look and feel. The blood flows freely in the new animated finishing moves. Warner Bros showed off a few to us, including one where Kung Lao threw down his blade-edged hat into the ground to create a makeshift table saw which he drags his victim across. Johnny cage meanwhile has perfected not only his infamous uppercut which knocks his victims head off, but he now rips his opponents torso in two.

Another new feature is X-Ray mode (temporary name). Here the camera zooms in when you activate a special combo to show an X-Ray of your victim. The view reveals bones breaking, spines shattering and teeth smashing. It’s not quite as gory as one might think as it’s a bit cartoony, but the feature is still being tweaked.

The game is still in its early stages but it’s already looking promising. Can this title bring the franchise back from the brink of destruction? It just might. Look for the new Mortal Kombat to hit consoles in Spring 2011.