Kan Mortal Kombat Kompete?

With all the  hype surrounding the upkoming Marvel vs Capcom 3, most fighting game sites have glossed over the latest major reveal in the genre, Mortal Kombat (2011).

Of kourse, the lack of interest by the kompetitive gaming kommunity is due in no small part to the somewhat shallow history of Mortal Kombat. Early on, the series focused primarily on brutal violence, followed by self-satire, followed by dial-a-combos, and finally ending with stiff, unnatural 3D animation. As far as fighting game depth and komplexity go, MK has always been about three tiers under kontenders like Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, and Virtua Fighter.

Or… has it?

Recently, East Coast Throwdown featured Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, to the surprise and delight of many. In the grand finals videos, players are seen using techniques such as zoning, mindgames, mixups and… yes, even the occasional fatality. Whether or not this level of strategic depth was always known to have existed in UMK3 in the general gaming kommunity, one thing is for sure: the footage kicked ass.

Proof of ass-kicking.

Of kourse, the fact that a handful of pros have mastered Ultimate Mortal Kombat doesn’t prove a thing about the upkoming Mortal Kombat reboot. But, if the return to form (2D form, to be presise) is any indikation of the team’s intents, one can hope that the newest inkarnation of MK is also a return to form regarding skill, balance, and (for God’s sake), quality animations.

If it’s successful in terms of balance and sales, this reboot might be the first in an interesting new line of MK fighters. And, if it truly resonates with the fighting game world, would it be too much to ask for an eventual MK/SF… krossover?

The trailer for MK2k11, for the 3 people who haven’t seen it yet.