Even though theres no video read it and tell me that it is not full of WIN!
August 21, 2008 - Ed Boon and company made the trip over to Germany to show off some good old fashioned Mortal Kombat. Of course, as this is the eighth in the series and introduces new game mechanics and the DC comics universe to the game, I guess it isn't very correct to say this game is old fashioned. Regardless, we sat down with Midway to get a quick look at The Joker, playable for the first time.
By now you've surely heard about the new gameplay mechanics. There's a close quarters move set that involves a rock-paper-scissors guessing game as well as aerial combat that takes place while falling in between levels. The big news, of course, is the addition of the DC characters. We're told there's a story in the game that makes sense of the pairing, which would have to be a pretty fantastic tale to actually make sense. Apparently the DC owners insisted the game be rated Teen, which means the classic Mortal Kombat focus on gore won't be there. After being told that, I was a bit disappointed. Then I saw the game and realized just how far the ESRB has been pushed as to what constitutes a Teen rated game.
The Joker's move set is very much what you would expect out of the super villain. His special attacks all have a bit of a mocking overtone to them. His basic grapple involves nabbing an enemy by the neck and then kicking them in the head with the side of his foot. Take it up a notch to a ranged attack and he'll pull out a giant boxing glove on an extender arm for a big punch. He can also disappear in a cloud of green smoke for a quick slashing attack. Once, though I'm not sure what I did, the Joker pulled out a buzzer to try to shake hands with the enemy. Like I said, classic Joker.
Things get interesting, though, when his finisher enters the picture. He begins by pulling out a gun. Once fired, a flag comes out with "bang" written on it. While the opponent sits sighing in relief, The Joker pulls out another gun and blows his head off. Then he dances around like a maniac while you sit and grin at the fact that there still is a fair bit of gore in this latest Mortal Kombat game.
The other news out of GC from Midway is the announcement of four new playable characters. If you aren't in the know already, they are Wonder Woman, Deathstroke, Raiden, and Kano.
Tifa got MOVES!
