Mortal Kombat X
Mortal Kombat X | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | NetherRealm Studios High Voltage Software (PS3 & X360)[3] |
Publisher(s) | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
Director(s) | Ed Boon |
Producer(s) | Hans Lo[4] Adam Urbano[5] Shaun Himmerick[6] |
Designer(s) | John Edwards[7] Paulo Garcia[8] |
Artist(s) | Steve Beran[9][10] |
Series | Mortal Kombat |
Engine | Custom modified Unreal Engine 3[11] |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS, Android |
Release | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS & Android April 14, 2015[1] PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 June 2, 2015[2] |
Genre(s) | Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mortal Kombat X (pronounced "ex"[12]) is an upcoming fighting game currently in development by NetherRealm Studios. It is the tenth main installment in the Mortal Kombat video game series, to be released on April 14, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, and then to be ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by High Voltage Software at a later date. NetherRealm's mobile team is also developing a mobile version for iOS and Android devices.
Gameplay
Like previous entries in the series, Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game in which two players fight against each other using a variety of attacks, special moves, and gruesome Fatalities. The energy meter, first introduced in the previous Mortal Kombat game, allows players to perform techniques such as "X-Ray" special moves.[13] Similarly to NetherRealm Studios' previous title, Injustice: Gods Among Us, fighters are able to interact with the environment, bouncing off areas to reposition themselves or using parts of the environment as weapons.[4] In addition, each fighter has three different variations, each featuring a different set of moves they can use during the fight: for example, the character Scorpion features a Ninjutsu variation in which he wields dual swords, a Hellfire variation which relies more on fiery special moves, and an Inferno variation which allows him to summon hellspawn minions to aid him in the fight.[12] The sprint gauge, which was last seen in Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, returns in this game. MKX features two new types of Fatalities: Quitality, which will instantly kill a player's character if they quit during a multiplayer match;[14] and Faction Kills, finishing moves tied to each of the game's five factions. Brutality finishing moves make a comeback from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the form of enhanced versions of certain moves that are triggered when they are used to give the opponent the last attack in a round.[15]
The game's play modes are to include Story, 1 vs. 1 Ranked, King of the Hill, Survivor, and Test Your Luck. A new addition called Living Towers is an evolved form of Mortal Kombat's Challenge Tower where the play conditions will be changing every hour. Another new mode is Faction Wars, where the players will have to choose one from the five factions (Black Dragon, the Brotherhood of Shadow, the Lin Kuei, Special Forces, and White Lotus) to align with and join a persistent online cross-platform competition with the others, winning points for their faction to contribute in the conflict between them, ranking up personally, and earning special rewards such as faction-specific finishing moves if the player's faction win at the end of any given week.[16][17]
Plot
The game is said to include a new, original and non-linear[12] storyline "showcasing some of the game's oldest characters including Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while introducing new challengers that represent the forces of good and evil that tie the tale together."[13] It was announced the story would begin at the end of the previous game and then eventually transition to 25 years into the future, placing emphasis on aged veterans, new characters, and the next-generation offspring of the previous fighters.[18]
Following the defeat of Shao Kahn, Shinnok attacks Earth with his army of Netherrealm forces, including the resurrected Earthrealm warriors who were killed during Kahn's invasion and are now under Quan Chi's control. After fighting their former comrades, a strike team led by Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi open a portal to the Jinsei Chamber, the source of Earthrealm's life force, where Raiden and Fujin are battling Shinnok. They distract Shinnok long enough for Raiden to steal Shinnok's amulet and imprison him inside it, but Quan Chi manages to escape.[19] when he kills scorpion
Characters
New characters are listed in bold.
Character | Gameplay variations | ||
---|---|---|---|
Cassie Cage | Spec Ops
|
Hollywood
|
Brawler
|
D'Vorah | Brood Mother
|
Swarm Queen
|
Venomous
|
Ermac | Spectral
|
Mystic
|
Master of Souls
|
Erron Black | Marksman
|
Gunslinger
|
Outlaw
|
Ferra/Torr | Ruthless
|
Vicious
|
Lackey
|
Goro1 | Tigrar Fury
|
Kuatan Warrior
|
Dragon Fangs
|
Jacqui Briggs | Shotgun
|
Full Auto
|
High Tech
|
Jax | Pumped Up
|
Heavy Weapons
|
Wrestler
|
Johnny Cage | A-List
|
Fisticuffs
|
Stunt Double
|
Kano | Commando
|
Cutthroat
|
Cybernetic
|
Kenshi | Possessed
|
Balanced
|
Kenjutsu
|
Kitana | Mournful
|
Royal Storm
|
Assassin
|
Kotal Kahn | Sun God
|
Blood God
|
War God
|
Kung Jin | Ancestral
|
Bojutsu
|
Shaolin
|
Kung Lao | Hat Trick
|
Tempest
|
Buzz Saw
|
Liu Kang | Flame Fist
|
Dragon's Fire
|
Dualist
|
Mileena | Ethereal
|
Piercing
|
Ravenous
|
Quan Chi | Summoner
|
Sorcerer
|
Warlock
|
Raiden | Master of Storms
|
Thunder God
|
Displacer
|
Reptile | Noxious
|
Deceptive
|
Nimble
|
Scorpion | Inferno
|
Ninjutsu
|
Hellfire
|
Shinnok | Impostor
|
Bone Shaper
|
Necromancer
|
Sonya Blade | Covert Ops
|
Demolition
|
Special Forces
|
Sub-Zero | Grandmaster
|
Cryomancer
|
Unbreakable
|
Takeda | Shirai Ryu
|
Lasher
|
Ronin
|
Tanya2 | TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
Tremor2 | TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
Guest character | Gameplay variations | ||
---|---|---|---|
Jason Voorhees2 | TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
Predator2 | TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
- Available as a playable character via pre-order bonus
- Available as part of the Kombat Pack
Along with incumbents such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, several new fighters are added to the series' roster: D'Vorah, an insect-like woman who controls insects; Ferra/Torr, a pairing consisting of an armored dwarf-woman and a giant masked brute; and Kotal Kahn, an Aztec-inspired "blood god" described by series creator Ed Boon as the new emperor of Outworld.[20][21] With the game's story mode spanning 25 years, the game is set to include the offspring of several established characters, such as Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade; Takahashi Takeda, son of Kenshi; and Jacqui Briggs, daughter of Jax. Other series newcomers include Kung Jin, cousin of Kung Lao and an archer;[22] and Erron Black, a Western gunfighter-style character. The game's main antagonist has yet to be revealed but is said to be, according to Boon, a "surprising returning character."[23]
Development
NetherRealm Studios began publicly hiring for the eighth generation development in April 2012.[24] In July 2013, it was confirmed that a new Mortal Kombat game was in development and was said to be released alongside the film series' reboot in September 2015.[25][26] At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, Lance Sloan, producer of the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, confirmed the next Mortal Kombat game to be in production, and that there were intentions of a simultaneous release between the game and a new Mortal Kombat film.[27]
In February 2014, actor Kiefer Sutherland claimed he was participating in this "huge game" in an unidentified role,[28] although the following June, Sutherland's involvement was denied by series creator Ed Boon.[29] According to the resume of Karen Strassman, who voiced Kitana and Mileena in 2011's Mortal Kombat, the game's working title was Mortal Kombat 2.[30][31] The game's poster was leaked and an updated version of the series' iconic dragon logo was revealed on May 28, 2014. Boon posted daily riddles on his Twitter account that constituted a countdown suggesting a June 2 announcement date,[32][33] hinting at the game's title being Mortal Kombat X.[34][35] One of the Twitter clues left by Boon teasing this title was the image of a Lincoln MKX emblem posted with the comment, "I wonder what the X stands for?"[36]
On June 2, 2014, the title was indeed officially revealed as Mortal Kombat X, alongside an official reveal trailer featuring a fight between the iconic characters Scorpion and Sub-Zero.[37] The game made its first public appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014,[38] starting on June 10, where four new characters were revealed, apart from the two already revealed by the trailer.[39] With over eleven million views, it was the third-highest viewed trailer on YouTube in the second quarter of 2014.[40]
NetherRealm Studios said they are only working on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game.[12] The game, which will run at 1080p screen resolution display and 60 FPS,[11] has been said to feature the most brutal finishing moves in the series. Boon said: "We have these meetings and everyone comes up with ideas for Fatalities. The ones that people say ‘there’s no way we can do that’ – they’re the first ones we work on."[41]
The return of Raiden was confirmed at EVO 2014.[42] Before it was officially announced, GamePro Germany revealed that Kano would be another returning character from the series.[43] Goro was confirmed as a playable character for those who pre-order the game,[44] and Quan Chi was officially revealed during the annual PlayStation IgroMir event.[45] Kung Lao was revealed by Finnish video game magazine Pelaaja.[46] Kitana was confirmed in an official trailer released on January 13, 2015.[47] Reptile was confirmed in another trailer on January 27.[48] Ermac was revealed only two days later during a Twitch stream.[49][50] It was also confirmed that Jade would not be returning, with her move set given to Kitana as one of her variations.[51] On March 3, IGN revealed a screenshot of an updated Kenshi from the upcoming mobile version of the game,[52] though he was not seen in the simultaneously-released trailer for the port.[53] Two days later, Johnny Cage was confirmed for the roster in an interview with NetherRealm Studios senior producer Adam Urbano.[54] Mileena was later confirmed when character artwork of her and Cage were seen in an Amazon.com listing for the game, as reported by GameSpot.[55] A new trailer released on March 12 sees the return of Sonya Blade as part of the roster.[56] Later that day, it was revealed by IGN that Shinnok would be returning as a playable character for the first time since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
On March 2, 2015, NetherRealm Studios announced that their mobile division would release an iOS/Android version of Mortal Kombat X in April 2015. The mobile version is described as a "free-to-play fighting/card-battler hybrid" and players will be able to unlock content in the console version of the game by playing the mobile version (and vice versa).[57]
Release
Mortal Kombat X is to be released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 14, 2015; on March 13, 2015, it was announced that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports had been delayed to mid-2015.[58] Four characters, including two classic Mortal Kombat characters and two guest characters, as well as character skins, will be released as downloadable content, either individually or through the game's season pass ("Kombat Pack"), which will also offer early access to the content.[1][58] The game's Kollector’s Edition will include a figurine of Scorpion and character skin based on it, as well as the season pass.[59]
Other media
DC Comics has published a comic book series based on the game, with the first issue released on January 6, 2015.[60] The official television commercial and launch trailer for the game were directed by System of a Down member Shavo Odadjian and featured the band's 2001 track "Chop Suey!"[61][62]
Downloadable content
On March 13, 2015, Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise was announced as the first downloadable bonus character in the downloadable "Kombat Pack" season-pass bundle.[63][64] One week later, Predator, from the eponymous franchise, was revealed as the second DLC guest character after he was inadvertently leaked by the Xbox Games Store,[65] with Tremor from Mortal Kombat: Special Forces and Tanya from Mortal Kombat 4 later rounding out the cast of the Kombat Pack.[66] The pass includes fifteen additional character skins and costumes, including one of Jax based on the likeness of actor Carl Weathers from the first Predator film,[67] while Goro was offered as a pre-order bonus, with additional plans by the developers to make the character itself available for purchase.[44]
References
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External links
- Android games
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