Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks has become a viral sensation all thanks to a Twitter poll posted by Ed Boon! The NetherRealm Studios Creative Director asked fans which game they'd like to see remastered and the overwhelming response pushed the game's sub-title into trending topics in the United States! Read on for details:

The 2005 action-adventure spin-off sparked the biggest response from fans who enthusiastically remember its unique adaptation of the klassic Mortal Kombat II storyline & gameplay. At the time of this writing it has an overwhelming 46.9% of the vote -- well over 64,300 of a total 137,261 registered responses!

The original MKII fared the least well of four options with only 10.9% of the vote, while second place went to yet another updated adaptation of the arcade original's plot and mechanics: the 2011 reboot. Coming in a respectable third with 14.1% was Mortal Kombat: Deception -- a game with more to gain from a modern remaster.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks was the third and most successful example of the franchise expanding into genres other than straight fighting games. Although met with mixed reactions initially, appreciation for its three-dimensional environments and gameplay has grown over the years. Players controlled Liu Kang and Kung Lao through a series of stages inspired by klassic arenas, upgrading elaborate new versions of klassic attacks and even unlocking a host of other playable characters!

No one has done more to keep the flame of the cult title alive more than Ed Boon himself! When Gameinformer asked him about an HD remake in 2019 he responded with an enthusiastic "I wish!". The series co-creator also revealed a screenshot of the original Raiden pitch in 2017. NetherRealm has almost exclusively worked in the fighting game style since, expanding between installments into the DC Injustice franchise.

There have been attempts to revive the iconic arcade klassics with an HD remake, but these have all met dead ends. Photography from new sprite digitization has leaked, as well as interface & concept art from the aborted title. Despite all this, "Mortal Kombat Kollection Online" was unexpectedly rated by PEGI last year.

[Related Article: Feature: The Saga of Mortal Kombat HD]

Which modern remaster would you most like to see -- or would you prefer something new? Share your thoughts in the comments below and dig deeper into retro in the 3D Kombat Klassics and 2D Kombat Klassics forums! You can also get your vote on in the current User Poll as we seek the best character of the here & now in the 2021 Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion tournament!