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The new Mortal Kombat from Warner’s NetherRealm Studios will offer more gameplay depth than any previous game in the franchise, co-creator and creative director Ed Boon has said.
“This is the first Mortal Kombat game where we are consciously putting in features for the hardcore/tournament fighters and we have some amazing fighting game ‘experts’ playing our game and giving us constant feedback,” Boon told Shack News. “At the same time we want the game to be accessible for all Mortal Kombat players, so there is something for all types of fans. It’s important for us that anyone can pick up the controller and have fun right away.”
Boon added: “This version of Mortal Kombat has more depth in terms of gameplay than the previous games. We’ve put in a lot of thought on how to make this game accessible to the casual gamer and at the same time add enough depth that it keeps the more advanced players challenged. One way we’ve done that is to create more distinctive characters with more unique move sets and fighting styles.”
Some characters are more skilled fighting up close to their opponent, while others are better utilised by keeping a distance. Additionally, Boon says the development team has introduced “short windows of opportunity” in which advanced players can enhance, modify, or interrupt their moves.
Mortal Kombat is scheduled for release in 2011 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Gaining acceptance from hardcore fighting game players won’t be an easy task, but Boon and his team appear to be making a real effort to make it happen. The ultimate dream for the title would be for it to be included in a future Evo Championship Series event, something which would give the title and franchise a huge credibility boost.
However, such approval won’t guarantee success. You only have to look at Tatsunoko vs Capcom for proof that hardcore backing doesn’t directly translate to strong sales.
