Mortal Kombat 8: A New Evil

Fighting Engine and Schematics

Controls (Xbox360):

X = Punch

Y = Kick

A = Counter/Reprisal

B = Dodge/Escape/Evade

RB = Throw/Counter Throw

LB = Weapon Block/Weapon Counter

LT = Style Change (Pull out/Put away weapon)

RT = Neijin Meditation

I. Combos: should be simpler and easier to pull off. It always felt like the combo structure of the last few games was too slow, too rigid and too awkward. There seemed to be a small delay between imputing a few commands and then seeing them on the screen. I'd make the combos a bit closer to dead or alive (X, X, Y, Y, Y, Y) instead of (X, A, L, B, L, B, X, B).

Yeah, no more manual st<i></i>yle switches in a combo either. Talk about unatural feeling. If combo (X, X, Y, Y, Y, Y) up there has sword parts, maybe the second Y automatically draws the sword out while the 3rd and 4th Y combo attacks use the sword. No more pressing a sensitive trigger during a combo for me please.

I'd also return to what MK began with incorporating throws into combos as an end piece on a good pop up combo. Jax's backbreaker and Scorpion's air throw are two examples that go all the way back to MK2. Similarly, some throws should set up punch/kick combos.

II. Ground game: Also, can we get a real ground game? I'm talking kip ups, flip ups, rolling on the ground, moving from your back to your stomach, getting up with a high or low kick etc. Please? How about kicks, punches, joint locks or other types of throws to a person on the ground? How about counters to those kicks, punches and throws?

III. Speaking of counters (and escapes and evades, and a new idea of my own, the reprisal) this would be my move list (xbox 360 controls):

A=Counter/Reprisal: Every non-special attack should have a countermove.

RB= Counter/Reprisal: Every throw should have a countermove.

Up/back or down/back and A (traps attack) then A = Counter attack with attack

Up/back or down/back and A (traps attack) then RB = Counter attack with throw

Up/back or down/back and RB (traps throw) then A = Counter throw with attack

Up/back or down/back and RB (traps throw) then RB = Counter throw with throw

The trick is, you can't press up/back or down/back and A to trap the throw. You have to press up/back or down/back and RB to trap the throw. You have to figure out right away whether the opponent is coming in with a high or low punch or kick or high or low throw. Some moves may look like throws, but they'd be disguised attacks and vice versa.

Also, players will be able to do fake attempts at throwing but then punch or kick. Similarly, players will be able to fake punch or kick and then go into a throw. These animations would all be part of the particular move they're doing, so no complicated button presses to do fake outs.

Reprisals are countering a countermove. It's the same principal, only the original attacker that had his/her move turned against them by a counter gets the chance to counter as well. Reprisals work the same way as counter attacks, counter throws, or escapes with one exception:

The person that now must counter after being counter attacked has less of a time wi<i></i>ndow to counter. Trap time slightly decreases, and after the initial attack is countered, and the counter receives a reprisal, the next reprisal slightly increases in speed. They continue to get slightly faster.

Reprisal moves can go back and forth until either one player opts to escape or someone lands a hit/throw. Combos cannot be countered in mid air. Traps appear as a very brief pause (a grabbing of a fist or ankle or a movement that would block a throw) while the player that's performing the counter/reprisal enters the command.

As soon as the counter/reprisal begins movement-wise on the screen, the other player has the chance to reprise the move until their character is hit or grabbed by the other character. You only guess once though. If you're tapping up/back and A because you're expecting a high attack, you can't start tapping down/back and RB because you're now certain it's a low throw.

IV. Weapon Block: Weapons MUST be drawn in order to pull off a weapon block!

LB = When pressed at the right time, a drawn weapon will block another drawn weapon.

1) You must press it when you are about to be hit. If someone goes to do a five hit weapon combo on you, you must press Block five times accurately to block each attack. No more turtling.

2) Also, you must have your weapon drawn in order to block a weapon attack.

3) Weapons will not block hand to hand attacks. Why? Because no one blocks a punch with the broad side of sword or a pair of nunchaku, that's why.

4) Blocking is meant to be difficult so as to promote the use of the escape/evade as well as the counter/reprisal system. Seriously, watch a martial arts movie. When was the last time you saw Bruce Lee crouching and holding his arms in front of his face while a guy was slashing at him with a sword?

V. Weapon Counters

LB & Toward = Block weapon attack and push enemy back

LB & Back = Block weapon attack and pull enemy toward you

LB then RB = Counter weapon attack into a throw

LB then A = counter weapon attack, put away weapon and attack with fists or feet.

VI. B = Dodge

Pressing either B or down and B is the easiest way to deflect an attack. Near the moment an incoming attack hits, this option will dodge the incoming strike. Neither player takes any damage, and there is no position change. Think of it like someone is about to punch you in the face and you move your head just in time, only more natural looking (no, this won't be the Matrix).

The momentum of the attacker will continue, placing the defender at a small disadvantage positionally. A dodge animation only occurs when being attacked. Basically, the defender would be forced to press B five times if they're being attacked by a five hit combo, as the dodge option doesn't cancel a combo.

B & directions = Escape/Evade (whether it be rolling to the side, flipping backwards, hopstepping backwards or summersaulting, each character would have two ways of dodging attacks with the B button, but speed and fighting st<i></i>yle would determine how adept they would be at dodging attacks).

Pressing back, up/back, or down/back and B as a counter to a high/low punch, kick or throw would be an ESCAPE move. This move pushes back your opponent and briefly staggars them, but damage is significantly less (almost nothing) than a counter move and neither player comes away with positional advantage. These can also be done as reprisal moves.

Pressing forward, up/forward or down/forward and B as a counter to a high/low punch, kick or throw would be an EVADE move. These would be more difficult to pull off, as the timing would need to be more precise, but they are the more acrobatic dodges, and the evader would come away with a small but none the less existent positional advantage. Evades do zero damage. These can be done with or without an attacker throwing punches/kicks.

VII. RTrig = Neijin Meditation (Different effects for each combatant) charge up for temporary effect.

1) Speed increase

2) Recover health, Stamina

3) Stronger attacks are a few examples

VIII. RB& A/X/Y (and directions) = Throw (joint lock, flip, takedown depending on st<i></i>yle)

1) For throws, not every character will have a large array, though some might have a few more if it fits their st<i></i>yle. However they will all fit into the idea of RB, RB + A, RB + X and RB + Y. Also, throws are not only initiated with RB&A, RB&X, RB&Y. One character may only use RB&A and RB&Y, but they will have variations such as «Toward, Toward, RB&A» and «Toward, Back, RB&Y.»

2) NO SUPERTHROWS!! I don't want to develop some hand disfigurement because I had to press up, left, down, up/right, left/down A, X right right left down in the span of two seconds. I'm all for combo throws, but they will be simple and none will take five minutes like some of Kings combos in Tekken or analog stick spinning like Hyabusa's spinning pile driver. I want to play, not watch. A Combo Throw might be toward toward RB +A, up up RB +X, down down RB + Y.

3) I also stop at three parts to a throw. After that it's just excessive and showing off. Besides, it's not like the thrower is hauling a corpse around, wouldn't a person be able to escape after a while?

IX. LTrig = Style Change (1 hand to hand and 1 weapon st<i></i>yle)

X. LB & LTrig = Quick draw weapon block: Instantly brings weapon out and into the blocking position. This may only be done when the attacker's weapon is drawn. You must time this move right when they are attacking you with a weapon. Either way, it's completely goofy to me to see a character in MK blocking a sword attack with his arms.

XI. Dashes

Toward toward = Dash forward

Back back = Dash backwards

Simple enough...

Honestly, it can be as easy or as complex as someone wants it to be. The combos would be simple, but there'd be a good variety. There would obviously be special moves, which would be combinations like the ones we've always seen. (back, back X = throw spear etc). The countering system can come off as easily as Dead or Alive 3 or something much more complex when you learn the characters and their movements, you anticipate and counter, while your opponent reads your counter in an attempt a counter of his own or an escape.

To me, this all feels more fluid and like a real fight without some of the strange and silly conventions that we've seen in fighting games for years.

XII. Energy Bar

The energy bar will represent how much energy you and your opponent have. The energy bar will be vertical between the two health bars, under the MK symbol. When it becomes full, you are able to use your character's signature special moves. Because, really folks, it makes no sense that you can shoot fireball after fireball with no limitations. It makes sense that you have to harness your energy to produce your character's signature special move. In order to execute your character's signature special moves, your bar has to become full, then press RT (Neijin Meditation), to power up. Then you can press the following buttons to execute your character's signature special moves.

XIII. Stamina Meter

All new stamina meter will represent how much stamina a character has. The stamina meter will be right bellow the health bar, horizontal ways. It will be represent by yin yang icons. All character's will have four stamina icons, for bosses, it may be eight to ten. All in all, it depends. Every time a character is attacked, one icon will disappear. Combos, throws, etc. will take away two or three, depending. Special moves, however take away three, or all. When all the icons run out, the character will be partially stunned for five seconds. This is where a character can type in a hasty combo for moderate damage, a signature special move for severe damage, or even the deadly blow to set up a fatality. When a character is taking away stamina icons, small damage will be given to his or her opponent's heath. Once again, using Neijin Meditation will recover stamina, but if a character is being attacked while using Neijin Meditation it will take longer to recover stamina. However, a character can loose however many stamina icons, and recover them by attacking his or her opponent. Regular attacks will recover one, combos will recover two or three, depending. Special moves, will recover three or all. Once again it all depends on the situation.

XIV. Health Bar

All new revamped health bar from our previous MK's. The new health bar features a golden, see through coil around a red bar, where the coil is actually the body of a dragon. The two see through coils (dragons) from each health bar come face to face at the top center of the screen, with an MK symbol between them. There will be no more time limits. Damage is represented by part of the dragon being took away, like Puzzle Kombat's breaking of the blocks. The pieces of the dragon will fly in all directions and disappear. When your character, or your opponent gets down to a188; of health, the character becomes fatigued. The character cannot block or defend themselves. The only way to overcome this is to use Neijin Meditation, to build up your stamina meter. After your stamina meter has been built up, your fatigue will go away. If your opponent is attacking you while using Neijin Meditation, or vice versa, it will take a longer time to recover. If you keep using Neijin Meditation after your stamina meter has been recovered, you will regain health. Once again, it will take a lot longer to recover health, if a character is attacking the other character. When whatever amount of health is regained, some of the dragon will return to the sound of a sword being drawn. Percent of damage will be shown once again as well as a regain percentage.

XV. Fatalities

Fatalities will remain the same as MKA. Simple enough.