MK5 Game-play, less is not more.

Throughout the history of Mortal Kombat video games, each character had their own cool special moves and powers, but the basic moves for all have been relatively the same. When combos came into play around the time of MK3, each characters' were unique, making it an adventure to learn a seven hit combo, and if one is so inclined, a "brutality." With the addition of three to five hit air combos, bone breaking throws and an innovative weapon system, MK4 brings something new to the table. But what does MK5 have lined up?

Being an MK gamer for several years, the one thing that has been a strong tool in a solid gamer's repertoire is juggling your opponent. When you're going on your third hour in front of the TV, eyelids growing heavy, maybe some annoyance not being able to pull off a move, you discover an extra hit to a combo. You keep your opponent up in the air, totally defenseless, refusing to let them drop and block. I've seen players juggle opponents seven, eight, nine hits in the air. It's a great way to separate the women from the girls, and the men from the boys.

With the recent competition from games like Tekken, Soul Calibur and Marvel vs. Capcom, the stakes have been upped, along with the competition. Mortal Kombat possesses attributes from both sides. Some throws, some long combos, air combos and fireballs for everyone, a happy medium between the two. But which way will MK5 go? Which way should it go? Do we really want to see one hundred hit combos in the air (Mvs.C)? Not really. Do we want dancing panda bears (TTT)? Maybe decapitating one, but in any sense, no. With the addition of an advanced weapon system practically doubling the moves, each character will possess a different style of fighting when using their sword, war hammer or ax. And weapon against open-hand presents a situation for so many new and unique moves and counters. So with the weapons, there's already a comparison drawn to Soul Calibur. But will MK5 use specific styles of martial arts? If not specific disciplines, each character should have their own basic but unique punches and kicks along with special moves, barring the same throw used for three different characters. Imagine Liu Kang exhibiting the arts of Shaolin Kung Fu, while Sub-Zero uses Ninjitsu and Johnny Cage is skilled in Tai Kwon Do. Tekken has executed that well, but there are still hundreds of moves for each discipline not used, or even seen for that matter by any game.

Keep the classic moves like Scorpion's spear, Rayden's tele-port and Sonya's leg grab just to name a few, and why not bring back some cool moves from the past in a new light? Like Sub-Zero's ground freeze and ice shower, Rayden's electric shock grab and Jax's gotcha grab and punch. We all know new moves are coming. Now leaning towards using the NVIDIA chip, there's no doubt that MK5's graphics will look awesome. But like all video games, the game-play must evolve and in MK5 the fatalities should flourish so Mortal Kombat can once again dominate arcades. It's time to revitalize the tournament which launched a video game revolution.

Until Next Time,
Kung Lao