When Warner Bros. revealed their Mortal Kombat: Kollector's Edition back in 2011 - it was a revelation. Stuffed with extras; the various packaged specials helped make Mortal Kombat the highest selling installment in franchise history!
Fans clearly remember it fondly.
With the announcement of Mortal Kombat X: Kollector's Edition - one key omission from the extras line-up has sparked a groundswell for change from within the fan kommunity - and beyond it.
Mortal Kombat Online has learned from reliable sources that various project artists were disappointed their work would not be immortalized in print for the current project. This echoes a chorus of cries from vocal fans - eager to hold a physical record beyond in-game and online images.
When asked by a fan about prospects of a book, long time Moral Kombat Designer John Vogelnoted: "... it would be a shame if there wasn't one".
The Art of Mortal Kombat collector's book set a simple but effective benchmark, taking players deep inside the creative process by showcasing the work of various NetherRealm Studios conceptual artists.
Across the many fighting games - Mortal Kombat has demanded some of the most aggressive design revamps of any series. Despite the iconic status of many of its characters, few remain visually similar, undergoing sometimes radical aesthetic changes from game to game. This adds even greater value to the visual record published in art book form, capturing a snapshot in the evolution of the various fighters. It's a quality many fans of the series respond to - and something Mortal Kombat Online can also get behind.
Cyrax & Shao Kahn Featured in The Art of Mortal Kombat (2011)
If you would like to see Warner Brothers and NetherRealm Studios release a Mortal Kombat X Art Book - we urge you to make your interest known on the forums! Register to add your voice to the kommunity forum. Help spread the word and gather support for the idea by sharing this story's link around the web, and via @MK_Online & Facebook.
The action is heating up in Mortal Kombat X as the Outworld Civil War escalates in an exclusive preview posted by Bloody Disgusting. Kotal Kahn is marshalling the troops in Chapter 7 of the DC Comics series, which has a healthy dose of romance just in time for St. Valentine's Day!
As the Outworld civil war reaches its breaking point, Emperor Kotal Kahn sends his most trusted warriors to take down the would-be Empress Mileena. But what happens when a surprise kombatant joins the fight? Enter GORO, the Shokan prince!
Written by Shawn Kittlesen
Art by Igor Vitorino, Oclair Albert & Veronica Gandini
The Emperor means business in Chapter 7, summoning his father Kotal K'Etz to personally enter the fray in possession of the Wrath Hammer of Shao Kahn! The true threat isn't would-be Empress Mileena - but rather the cunning warlord general Reiko who has allied himself with Kahn's adopted daughter in the wake of the Emperor's demise! As the charismatic Kotal notes, history is written in blood, but before the day is done he may come to regret sending his kin.
Also this issue: Prince Goro marches into kombat on behalf of Mileena, but it sounds as if the Shokan warrior may be missing in action very shortly. The pre-order warrior won't be gone for too long. As the trailers promise - Goro Lives, and will be playable from April 14th!
During the latest Kombat Kast live stream, NetherRealm Studios showed off a gallery of concept arts. Here are some of the designs for Reptile [click to enlarge]:
We looked forward to designing Reptile. With all the possible reptilian elements the character could possess, it gave us a huge amount of ideas to explore.
We began pursuing a more primal-influenced look, featuring bones as a main element of the look. His vicious nature makes this pairing feel right.
Over the years, Reptile has undergone some pretty radical changes. The finished primary look for MKX surprised with its relative familiarity. In the images above, you'll see some more varied designs for one of MK's original palette swaps. Look even closer, and you might even recognize some work in the style of MKOmmunity users like EmperorKahn!
Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick recently confirmed a plethora of opportunities for additional DLC skins for Mortal Kombat X. Could one of these be Reptile's? Register to discuss your favorites on the forum!
During the latest Kombat Kast live stream, NetherRealm Studios showed off a gallery of concept arts. Here are some of the designs for Kitana [click to enlarge]:
Kitana is a signature member of the Mortal Kombat roster, so we wanted to come up with something exciting and fresh for her look in Mortal Kombat X.
Past incarnations have tended to favor the royal qualities of the character over the warrior aspects, so we decided to reverse that for her costume. She has a stealthier, more ninja inspired design with blue as an accent color against the black parts of her costume.
Apparently past designs have focused on Kitana's "royal qualities". That's certainly an interesting way of putting it. We might argue that's what's been missing from Kitana's usually pared down designs, especially in the last few games.
Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick recently confirmed a plethora of opportunities for additional DLC skins for Mortal Kombat X. Could one of these be Kitana's? Register to share your favorites on the forum!
Mortal Kombat X Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick (@lover_of_tacos) has been fielding questions from fans via social media micro blogging site Twitter. The result is a raft of new details about the April 14 release, including character "unreveals" and DLC specifics.
Another 2nd Generation Fighter Coming From the outset, Mortal Kombat X has touted the potential for two generations of kombatants to do battle across a 25 year timespan. So far, that distinction has belonged to Cassie Cage, but Himmerick promises at least one more "son or daughter" will make it to the final roster.
The tie-in comic books have already thrown up two convincing next gen candidates: Takeda - Scorpion's apprentice and son of Kenshi, and Jacqui Briggs - kickboxing junior Olympian and daughter to Jax. There's no reason to think both can't find their way into the final playable roster, but equally there's no guarantee it's either of them.
Goro Lives Day 1 & Beyond There will be no escaping Goro come April 14th! The executive producer confirmed Goro will be playable from Day 1 and fully available for on and offline modes.
While Goro is being touted as a pre-order bonus for all versions (including digital) -- the four-armed Shokan will also be available to players beyond the incentive period. Furthermore, Himmerick confirms Goro is not part of The Kombat Pass.
More info on Goro and his kin below. Read on!
The Kombat Pass Fans who've pre-ordered Mortal Kombat X Kollector's Editions know to expect The Kombat Pass among their swag of bonuses.
As widely speculated, this functions similarly to previous NetherRealm Season Passes - guaranteeing the player 4 additional characters post-release and 15 character skins.
This time around, two of those downloadable characters will be "iconic" guest fighters. Ed Boon has been teasing a reprieve for 2011 near-missSweet Tooth, raising fresh questions about console exclusives in the process. Boon told IGN there was a chance for more than one console exclusive fighter, last August..
God of War mascot Kratos appeared as a PlayStation exclusive in Mortal Kombat (2011), later joined by Season Pass download and Nightmare on Elm Street slasher: Freddy Krueger. NetherRealm's 2013 DC Comics fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us included a soft crossover appearance by Scorpion. As in those previous examples, guest characters may not feature alternate costumes.
Alternate Skin Downloads Begin at Launch While guest characters won't necessarily have their own alternate costumes, there will be plenty of new skins to download - three at a time, in fact!
Himmerick acknowledges the first pack of skins will come on launch, with subsequent skin packs arriving in conjunction with Kombat Pass characters. The packs will also be available for purchase, offering a wide array of inspirations, from klassic designs to more unusual sources - like the "Cold War" Scorpion skin advertised for some versions of the Kollector's Edition. Kollector's Edition bonuses - such as the Coarse designed "Gold" Scorpion - will also become available at a later date.
As has become a NetherRealm Studios tradition - compatibility patches will also provide players with free character skins! You really won't have any shortage of options for a night out kicking arse!
Characters Won't Wear Others' Skins There may be an abundance of character skins to swap out, but Mortal Kombat X won't be a Buffalo Bills' dream! With a lot of fan theories revolving around presumed character redundancies, the thought of including omitted characters as skins has been floated a lot. Himmerick didn't rule the possibility out completely, but did note a "big deal" character like Kintaro would not be considered for a Goro skin.
While Injustice: Gods Among Usdid eventually use skins to create new characters [eg; Professor Zoom, John Stewart] -- it also demonstrated NetherRealm's keen ability to craft unique play styles for similar characters. A feat they should be capable of bringing to MKX, should circumstances require.
Even so, Mortal Kombat X will have more skins than Mortal Kombat (2011) and a few less than Injustice. As already recapped, that's still a whole lot of skins - more than enough to get Reptile through puberty and beyond! [Lizard joke!]
Another Character Reveal in February According to Himmerick, NetherRealm Studios will be squeezing the month of February for all its worth. At least one more character should be revealed before the end of the month! Likewise - we can expect more information about the mysterious story line that takes the series across twenty-five years.
Invitation Only - The Deadpool Updated In a blatant act of gimmick infringement, Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick has horned in on the Ed Boon Who's Next? Character Deadpool striking no less than four fighters definitively off the record! Click the link to find the full list of doomed souls.
Other Stuff We Already Knew Sadly, not every website ore random dude on Twitter (or YouTube) is created equal. With more uncredited sources than ever before - a lot of disinformation and doubt seeps into the kommunity. Himmerick was happy to set a few folks straight, reiterating details that have been lost in the shuffle since E3, or that we'd already assumed.
Among the key points:
- Character select screens seen in demos aren't final.
- Players won't need PlayStation Plus to play Faction Wars etc.
- CPU characters will sometimes wear alternate costumes.
- No DC Universe guest characters [full story].
= Single Fight mode returning.
A big special thanks to MKOmmunity forum user Lord_Greyjoy for compiling many of the juiciest tweets! Register to join the kommunity and follow updates on the Mortal Kombat X forum!
