There has been a lot of Mortal Kombat buzz this week so far, and it was a great way to end the week with a new trailer for what is numerically Mortal Kombat 9. Though some still have a sour taste in their mouths from MK vs. DC, which was met with mixed reviews, fans must be excited to see the “return to form” this new trailer seems to promise. And surprisingly it seems a little nostalgia was spared for this one, as the minute long trailer showcased many series favorite and classic arenas, which to me were the most interesting aspect. Many fans often call MK II the greatest in the series, and it looks to be a strong influence of the latest iteration based on the trailer.
So, lets dissect it a bit.
I thought it would be a fun endeavor to see how some of the new takes on the classic stages look via a good, old side by side comparison. In no particular order, here were the ones I noticed:
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MK1 – Throne Room
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From the trailer, it looks like a darker take, with the return of old Shang Tsung. Ever since MK II he has been a younger man, and only been seen as elderly in the original MK.
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MK II – The Deadpool
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The Deadpool arena also showed up in MK Deception as a remake…
From the new trailer, it looks like the hanging corpse may perhaps interact with the fight, similar to elements introduced in the last generation’s series of MK games (Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon).
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MK II – The Pit II
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It looks like the Pit II specifically makes a return. One of the classic Mortal Kombat mysteries were the identities of the two fighters in the background of the original Pit II. One was later defined as “Blaze” and was playable in MK Deadly Alliance as a secret character. It appears that the fighters return in this update, though it doesn’t appear to be Blaze and the other mystery fighter. Perhaps some new characters?
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MK II – The Living Forest
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The stage made a return in MK4 and MK Deception..
In the trailer, we get round 4 of the Living Forest stage. There is a little nod to the original MK II background, with the poor soul seen similarly trapped in the foliage.
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MK II – Khan’s Arena
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The original background had the only two characters that didn’t carryover as playable from Mortal Kombat to MK II. Rumors swirled about how to make them accessible, but there was no such secret.
In the beginning of the trailer, it looks like an update to Khan’s arena with new captives: Karia from MK Deception and Li Mei from MK Deadly Alliance.
And finally, the trailer for your enjoyment.
Here’s hoping to more information about the game at E3, and to see if there will be any more throwback stages and arenas.
Most images from the previous MK games were modified from those found at the amazing “mortalkombatwarehouse.com” resource
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