What attack will your opponent use next? Can mix up your rush downs to confuse his or her defences? Are your nerves calm enough to chain together a series of moves to make the perfect combo the split-second he or she becomes open to attack?Īt its highest level, MKX is an entrancing ballet of brutality. It makes sense from a marketing perspective – Mortal Kombat, after all, has been so known for its Mature-rated violence that the original in 1992 was actually one of the games that spurred horrified parents and lawmakers to demand a video games ratings system in North America.īut fighting games are about throwing down with another human opponent You choose your fighter, and face off in a battle of wits and psychology as much as button mashing and dexterity tests.

Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team. The first time I saw Scorpion use his sword to slice off a victim’s face, making it slide off and prompting the brain to flop out of a bisected skull, I had to take a deep breath and recollect my composure. NetherRealm Studios’ first foray into the current generation of consoles meant that they’ve been able to make their wildest and most disturbing dreams a reality, to the point where the gruesome violence has made even decades-old MK fans wince. Input the correct combination of buttons, and your character plays out a grisly execution designed for maximum humiliation. Nearly everything we had seen from the trailers and previews over the past few months focused on the hallowed Fatality – the end-of-match flourishes that usually feature an eruption of gore and grisly dismemberments.ĭefeat your opponent in one-on-one combat, and you’re allowed to put an exclamation mark on the victory with a final hit. The lead-up to the release of Mortal Kombat X demonstrated how a venerable gaming franchise relied – almost too much – on its trademark feature to the exclusion of all else.

Mortal combat x