Every arena begins with an idea and those ideas take shape through visualized concept art. NetherRealm Studios Tumblr has given us a look a different view of The Kove -- one of the new stages coming to Mortal Kombat X. Check it out:
Click To Enlarge: Sub-Zero & Scorpion provide scale in The Kove art.
The Kove - a pier located in an Outworld bay - was first revealed during June's E3 demos. The unique arena interaction system means fighters will be able to take advantage of bloated corpses thrown up by the pounding surf -- a gruesome tangibility to an otherwise picturesque stage.
The overcast landscape features in official screenshots released during E3. You can see the churning waters in full action during full match demos.
August kicked off with the latest Mortal Kombat X character reveal: Kano. More shocking than the return of the Black Dragon bad guy was the sudden rush of enthusiastic fandom that followed! It's not that Kano isn't one of the all-time klassics. Rather, in recent times, the MK original has been taken for granted - but no longer!
A new design and fighting style has many looking forward to his commando ground & pound - including Mortal Kombat Online! We've turned our digital eye towards the Fan Submission Archive (and beyond) to scan some of the very best fan tributes to the cybernetic rogue.
This is Art of Kombat - a monthly Mortal Kombat Online kommunity feature spotlighting artists who've contributed their talents in the past and present. Be a part of upcoming spotlights by registering to submit your work for future consideration! If you're strictly admiring, be sure to show your support on the forum!
Just like Kano himself, sometimes black and white artwork gets overlooked and taken for granted. diegosimone has no such trouble - commanding attention with a masterful use of greyscale for his "Kano". It's not often you see screen tones applied so subtly in the modern age. [Clear plastic sheets covered in dots of varied density to be cut out and used for shading. - M]. Be it a stylized digital flourish, or actual sheets - the application immediately identifies this as an artist who knows what he's doing! Oh, yeah. The heart clutching drama of the piece is nice - as are the energetic lines that make it. The finishing is what really elevates this as a great piece of Kano art!
The red & black gi of MK3 is arguably Kano's most over-the-top design, while MKX is set to pare things back with a newly spartan, shirtless military look. madmaglio harmonizes these logics with his "Kano" by combining the Earthrealm mercenary, and the Outworld henchman. A bit burlier, balder, and bushier than we're used to seeing, he also adds a sense of age to Kano. Something that sits well as we anticipate a 25 year storyline! The combination of designs also has a great sense of journey to it. All in all - a very palatable piece!
Speaking of harmonizing: Sw-Art & are two great tastes that go great together! Despite being years apart, both artists share the burning orange palette of the dragon logo as backdrop to their Black Dragon crook. Both feature the more hirsute Kano that dominated the last generation. The full design of the second image was first introduced in Special Forces, and it never looked better with sharp penwork and a contemporary style elevating its solid color simplicity. Alternatively, the first image cuts the fat and puts all the emphasis on Kano's money maker. The Terminator inspired cybernetics are kept simple, with a busted bruiser nose, bushy beard and piercing blue eye telling more of the story about what it's like to be the bad man.
W-Orks goes his own way, seeking a new approach with "Black Dragon Kano Evolution". The Black Dragon Clan hasn't always tended to toward the team color, so it's interesting to see a sense of uniform here. It's all a little bit biker gang with its leathers, logo and prominent tattoo sleeves. but the pseudo realistic tone packs enough fantasy to make it intriguing. A scarred face with MMA mohawk risks lowering Kano to mere barroom brawler, but the Tron line update to his cybernetics is an interesting flourish.
When it comes to redesigning classic characters - one fan-artist eclipses them all. MIDWOOD has been featured before [MKO AoK #6], and almost certainly will be again. His manga inspired mortals are simply too madcap to leave out! MKX has given Kano heavier cyborg upgrades than ever before -- but Japanese artist MIDWOOD leaves them all in the dust! It's kind of ironic that the cyborg eye plate Kano is famous for remains largely untouched. Likewise, he's shown restraint with a bare chest shared by MKX. The rest is pure, full metal mayhem. Perhaps not the best for rendered graphics, but great for a fan-art feature!
Bringing us back to Earth are some more muted selections to finish. Click the thumbnails below to check out works by: , & !
Art of Kombat has become a regular feature for Mortal Kombat Online! Register to submit your own works for future consideration! We love spotlighting artists from around the web, but take special notice of those hosted in the Fan Submission Archive! Don't have anything to submit? Don't worry! You can get involved by posting words of critique and encouragement on the forum! Check out more works in previous instalments:
We're always on the look out for our next potential theme. Help inspire our direction by submitting new works or making suggestions with the #ArtOfKombat hashtag! We want all your wild and wonderful pieces based on classic characters, obscure favourites, or the new fighters introducing themselves in MKX!
By submitting work to Mortal Kombat Online you become part of an archive of thousands and will be automatically featured in the Fan Submission forum upon submission approval! Fans can discuss each of the featured MKO submitted Art of Kombat works by clicking the piece to enter the forum. We hope you'll wave the flag for MKO and the individual artists whose work we enjoy! Remember: When sharing with friends credit the original artist and include a link back to the source where you found it!
Mortal Kombat is back where it belongs at the top of the pop culture pile. With sustained global interest comes the joy of gratuitous mainstream content! Case in point: IGN have named their 7 Silliest Mortal Kombat Fatalities!
Disclaimer: Merriam-Webster defines Fatality (noun) as: a death that results from a disaster, accident, etc. or a tendency to result in death. You or I may recognize these definitions as narrowing in on the requisite end of life -- but IGN not necessarily so. Lets give them the benefit of the doubt where applicable, and assume Friendships universally result in the opponent dying of embarrassment, or the smothering of a clingy relationship.
Finish Him: "The zaniest finishers, babalities, and friendships in franchise history."
Cage's Trophy (Mortal Kombat) - Rather than let an award win go to his head; Johnny Cage plants his 'non-denominational, trademark-free gold statue' into the split cranium of the opponent. A finisher that is both silly and probably mostly fatal.
Cage's Autograph (Mortal Kombat II & 2011) - The quintessential silly finisher! Johnny Cage's autograph may not fetch much of a price on eBay, but it sums up the comic relief that has defined this smug Hollywood martial arts parody.
Sub-Zero's Snowman (Mortal Kombat 3) - Logic sometimes failed MK3's Animality finishers, but they got it dead on with this Friendship. Sub-Zero as a snowman. Perfection.
Scorpion's Babality (Mortal Kombat) - MK2011 embellished many traditions from the 2D Klassics - for better and worse. Adding personality to the Babality finisher was the touch the original lacked. Once a static thumb to panic stricken censor groups' eyes, the modern version is a fully realized taunt that's fun for everyone.
Kabal's Balloon [Head] (Mortal Kombat 3) - Continuing the succinct logic of his character gimmicks; Kabal -- super-fast guy with deformed face, spikey wheel thingys, and a cyborg backpack iron lung -- inflates his opponent's head. Okay.
Stryker's Crossing Guard (Mortal Kombat 3) - Hero-cop Stryker turns arena lollipop man for a combination prop gag/economy use of other sprites. That's some fine resource management, MK3 dev team!
Kidd Thunder (Mortal Kombat II) - The finisher that sparked a thousand annoying fan requests! Ed Boon can have no regrets about the obtuse introduction of Raiden's favourite nephew - a lasting favourite. (Except when he's on Twitter.)
So, uh. There you have it. Seven silly finishers - most of them of the friendship variety. Wasn't that fun? Register to weigh-in on the IGN list and submit your own! For current news, features and discussion - check out the Mortal Kombat X forum! There's a new -Ality on the way [read more] -- what will it be?
Playing Mortal Kombat Guarantees You Inner Calm! - or so asserts Dominic Berry in the title of his current show at the PBH Edinburgh Free Fringe.
The professional poet is taking gaming references to the stage as part of a free trial for his 2015 run. He's accompanied by guest Dave Viney, with a clear motivation for entering the arena: "A big aim of mine is to try to get people who think poetry's not for them to reconsider, by showing them poems that are accessible, modern and fun. This year I decided to put together a set based on video games."
Why would a British poet gravitate toward one of America's most bloody entertainment exports? Well, some of this is the nature of the show, but Berry explained to Mortal Kombat Online in more common communicative syntax, "I focus on MK for two reasons. 1. it's my all time favourite video game franchise, 2. I am a ridiculously flamboyant performer, so a lot of the intended comedy comes from me talking about something perceived as ultra-macho in a super camp way." The result? "There's a lot of double entendres and a ton of silliness, but at the heart I do attempt to look at the serious reasons why gaming - particularly MK - has helped me handle all kinds of real life anxieties, big and petty."
Slam Kombo: "Sub-Zero's spine chord rip induces instant love and bliss."
"When I was 12, UK children's TV still had several shows on aimed at teenagers. I saw one show previewing an upcoming game - the first ever Mortal Kombat. It was the digitized actors that hooked me. I got and played that first game non stop: discovered the ABACABB blood code, learnt all the finishers, found Reptile -- I was obsessed."
Video games may offer a bridge between the verse of poetry and the average gamer, but accessibility will inevitably vary. Not everyone found Reptile, and some poor souls played MK on the Nintendo. Berry wields a full arsenal of references, with this in mind: "I talk about all kinds of games; Street Fighter (yeah, sorry), Mario, Call of Duty, Flappy Bird (Ha!)." The broad goal to entertain obviously help, as well.
"A challenge is appealing to the hardcore gamers who get all the obscure references -- (I especially focus on the game Armageddon) -- but [to] also not lose folks who've just taken a chance on an interesting sounding comedy (but know nothing of poetry, or the MK games beyond it having various coloured ninjas). I try and alternate the jokes - one that I reckon only about a third of the audience will get immediately, followed by something far more universal."
How deep do the poet's Mortal Kombat kredentials go? Pretty deep:
"MK3 lost me with the goofier fatalities and I didn't get back into the series until Deception. I think all the PS2 era MKs are under rated. Awesome new characters like Havik and Bo' Rai Cho get a lot of hate, but I love them. My current three favourite MKs are the first (I will never forget that initial discovery), Deception, and (of course) the new one. It's got it all for me - the story, the fantasy, the characters, the over-the-top, brutal moves - but most of all the cathartic feeling of winning. Hence the name of my poetry show, 'Playing Mortal Kombat Guarantees You Inner Calm'."
When we contacted Dominic to learn more about his show, he was heading out to perform another one. So far the reception has been positive: "The first couple of shows have gone excellently. I can almost hear Dan Forden yell 'toasty' when a line I am particularly proud of works and hits home."
At present I have two guest comedians with video game sets come on to help me make the full hour each day, but the goal is by next year to have an entire 60 minute solo set. So, more writing will be happening over the next few months. The great thing about poems is you can so easily slot different ones in and take bits out far easier than a straight play or even stand up - the format lends itself to a very mix-and-match process."
Head to George Next Door, 9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, where there's free entry with a "not-aggressive-at-all bucket shake at the end". Give generously. If you've seen the show, be sure to register to share a review on the forums - or just offer wonder and encouragement!
This year's Gamescom played host to the first Mortal Kombat X demo featuring Kano -- but the klassic kombatant's pre-show reveal left few surprises for Cologne, Germany.
With fan-site exclusives a thing of the past since the Warner Brothers buy-out; MKUNIVERSE mined its best data from the realm of exclusion! In the tradition of the character deadpool - Boon mercilessly squashed rumors and features, all the while promising tantalizing replacements still to come!
Uncertainty introduced by an erroneous fan translation of GamePro Magazine was thankfully dealt with swiftly: Kotal Kahn is of no relation to famed villain Shao Kahn. The familial disconnect was first revealed in a tweet back in June, but an August Raiden trailer exposed the mantle of Emperor of Outworld as a common thread. The rise and fall of Kotal Kahn will play out as part of the 25 year narrative of story mode [more info].
On The Level:No stage transitions or multi-tiered levels in interactive MKX arenas.
Speaking about stages, the Creative Director revealed a conceited decision to leave some tricks to Injustice: Gods Among Us. In development there were two arenas geographically related and considered for inter-arena connections, but this was ultimately decided against. Mortal Kombat X will include no transitions or multiple layers to arenas. No news about the number of arenas to expect, either, but a "good chance" Stage Fatalities will make a return.
Any rumors of a fourth unlockable Character Variation are unsurprisingly false, but not completely baseless. The development team have toyed with a "bare bones" anti style that strips the character of any Variation-specific moves. In explanation, Boon notes the style would be particularly for high-level players -- the ultimate taunt to an opponent.
While no details about the persistent online "meta" game were on offer, Ed did vaguely tackle the issue of online quality. "We always want the next game we do to have better online." As in previous interviews, the Creative Director describes a Tag Team Mode as "unlikely." Challenge Tower is also not planned to return -- but something new (with "towers") is expected to take its place. This continues the underlying philosophy of not wanting to simply reskin Mortal Kombat (2011).
Composer Dan Forden may have returned to music chores, but the "Toasty" catchcry [and Boost] is strictly TBA. In one for the trivia hounds, Ed notes its addition in MK2011 came very late. 3D visuals -- an MK2011 feature unique to PlayStation 3 -- will not return, either.
There was no uncertainty when it came to the question of character ending sequences. The prospect of FMV cinematics was definitively ruled out: "It probably won't be the full CGI stuff. I mean, there's gonna be thirty characters. It would be awesome if we could, but that's-- that's expensive!"
On the inescapable subject of guest characters; the Creative Lead alluded to the necessary negotiation of legalities and license agreements when selections are made. This puts the kibosh on boutique fantasy casting. [Related Article: Feature: Could Hydro Appear in the Next Mortal Kombat?]
Visit MKUNIVERSE to watch the full Gamescom interview.
Finish Him:FMV cut scenes too costly for character endings.
Catch up on the big news and speculation on the Mortal Kombat X forum! Register to immortalize your thoughts and join the conversation. Guest fighter options may be limited - but you can debate the superiority of any inter-company character in the all-new Fan Koliseum!
