Mortal Kombat X was in the glamorous city of Sao Paolo for October's Brasil Game Show 2014. Series Lead Ed Boon accompanied the new game: talking up MK's connection to Brazil, making the odd television appearance, and just generally showing off the next evolution in the series to dedicated South American fans!

Die hard fan and MKOmmunity User etcmcfly was there to soak up the atmosphere and explore the minutiae of Mortal Kombat X! He shared his full hands-on report with Mortal Kombat Online, offering enthusiasm and insights for gameplay fundamentals and more!

Finish Him!...
Since being teased back at E3, the presence of a new and/or returning "-Ality" has been a major talking point for fans of finishers. Based on the demo, etcmcfly concludes there will be around "... five or six ways to finish your opponent in the game." What are those ways? McFly speculates: "This is seen in the move list: Fatality 1, Fatality 2, Fatality 3, Babality, [Animality?], [Bruitality or Friendship?]"

ETC McFly hopes to sees lots of speculation on the forums, and we do too! With much talk of a returning finisher possibly being something not seen in arcades, we're throwing a return for ritual suicides via Hara-Kiri, as well!

Hitting the Bars
Bar management looks to be comparable to the systems introduced in 2011's Mortal Kombat reboot, with some key differences. "[Bars] fill up quickly - more than in MK2011 & injustice. They can be used without problem, and they can be refilled later. They are used in the same way: break, special moves, X- Ray moves, etc."

"The EX version of some movements are made with the 2 buttons simultaneously. Others moves are done like in Injustice." McFly breaks it down with a simple example: "Raiden can cancel the superman move Injustice-style: execute the movement, and while it is progressing, you can press the button to activate the EX." McFly expects more special moves to behave like this.

X-Rays have changed very little, still executed by spending all your bars to be "combinable and very fast." Some are triggered as overhead attacks, while others are low hits. "Bruno wasn't able to block sometimes and this gave me the logic of a possible 50/50."

Flip Stance, Block & Inputs
Nothing surprising has come from basic stance flipping, or blocking -- which remains a button trigger in Mortal Kombat X, rather than the back-to-block utilized in other popular fighters (introduced to the NetherRealm repertoire in Injustice: Gods Among Us).

McFly notes: "Cross-ups are all blocked with no problem." "I clearly found [inputs] better than MK2011 and Injustice, and that is much appreciated. It is smoother and there will surely be less button mashing."

The quality of input may have improved, but it might be too soon to determine how the impact of the moves registers. "By now, Mr. Bruno and I have felt that the damage is not proportional to the combos. I think that is because it is a test version." This will be something to watch as the game draws nearer its April, 2015 release!

You Can Run...
The returning run mechanic looks to offer a range of options to fighters who know how to use it. "After understanding it, I think the gameplay improved considerably."

To initiate running, players need to input "Forward, forward + hold block" While running, players can trigger: Block, Jump & Hit, Chain Combo or Grab. "All works well and smooth, but blocking is not simple. It works, but I wasn't able to get the timing right."

Jumping to Konclusions
The "classic, neutral [MK2011] combo by jumping" [NJP] is back in Mortal Kombat X, and according to ETC McFly - "all characters have it" in a reduced form. "Remember: in MK2011 you could do a maximum of three. You can't connect more than twice [in MKX], and you can't connect in combos, either. At least, I couldn't. I didn't use it as much as I do in MK2011, and it's clearly not the same. We will have to see how to use them and what to do with them."

He whips through a string of other miscellaneous attack notes:
Mid-Air Grab Button: Raiden can do it. Sub-Zero can do that, too. Apparently all the characters have this ability.
Jump Kick: You can't connect anything after this move. The characters fall too fast.
Jump Combos: Same as MK2011 - you can continue the combo after it.
New Wake Up Moves: Wake up backdash and wake up grab.

Choose Your Destiny: Sub-Zero
McFly played the Grandmaster variation of Sub-Zero and he's not messing around, offering detailed specifics: "I want to say that I really liked this mode and the character. I couldn't try to the other modes, but I was able to fight three matches."

Standard Moves:
Down + 1: Normal, not so fast.
Uppercut (Down 2): Good and fast.
Sweep (Back + 4): I liked it very much. It's faster and better than MK2011.
Down + 4: Excellent! Perhaps better than in MK2011 to hit confirm. This move left the character stunned, like when you connect an EX fireballe with Liu Kang in MK2011. The opponent does the same animation. )It can be cancelled wit hthe ice clone, like in MK2011.)"

Special Moves:
Ice Clone: Very good and has a fast animation like in MK2011. I think the inputs were down, back + 2. It remains in place and you can grab and throw it with down, forward +1. (It's possible I got the wrong button). The throw is fast, but it can be blocked.
Icy Ground Smash: (That's how I named it). Very good. It's an anti-air move, and I think it could be an overhead too if you are close. (I'm not sure about this last thing though). You can continue with the combo after the EX version.
Slide: Very good and probably faster than in MK2011. (It could be possible that the overall game gives me the feeling that everything is faster). The EX version is the same as in MK2011.
Ice Ball: A little slow and the inputs are the same as in MK2011. You can block the EX and the standard versions. As usual, you can keep hitting your opponent after freezing him.

McFly couldn't remember chain combos from the demo, but describes Sub-Zero as a very strong character he enjoyed playing. "I don't think there are any more special moves, but I did see two different victory poses."

Choose Your Destiny: Raiden
Raiden was the character McFly spent the most time with, describing his Displacer variation as "like choosing MK2011's Raiden."

What's new: "An anti-air move done by raising his hands. A very similar move to the onslaught of Flash in Injustice - it's an anti-air move. You can grab in air while doing combos by just pressing the grab button -- plus you can cancel it with the bar to keep up pressure. Amazing! The chain combos are all new and better than in MK2011. [He] has the superman [torpedo dive] as fast as in MK2011, and it seems it's less punishable on block. Teleport was as fat as MK2011, but it felt it was punishable at the early frames. With the bar it becomes 100% invisible - very cool! The Electrocution special move is done in the same way as MK2011, as well, but is only combinable with bar."

Choose Your Destiny: Kano
Kano receives a big stamp of approval from ETC McFly, described as three times better than MK2011! "I'm quite sure he will be mid-tier or above."

Despite the high praise, the spectacle got the better of McFly's memory. He can't recall which version he chose, but he does have valuable info about Kano's klassic trademark: "His cannonballs (Black Dragon ball, Kanon Ball, etc) are faster and less punishable. EX versions hit you EVERYWHERE!"

Choose Your Destiny: Ferra/Torr
"I used the mode in which Ferra manages Torr. This character comes with everything, guys! Very entertaining to play with and very fast. He looks big, but his gameplay is very smooth and has a lunge move like Bane [in Injustice] which is very safe."

"When Torr throws the other character [Ferra], she takes time to come back. You are left without the possibility of using it again, similar to the EX hat of Kung Lao [in MK2011]." Fortunately, "his combos are good - and fast!"

Choose Your Destiny: Kotal Kahn
McFly didn't spend a lot of hands- on time with the soon-to-be Emperor of Outworld, but he did get a chance to analyse him, any way. "Blood God [Kotal Kahn] was my opponent's character." "My opponent hit me with an uppercut and took about 20% of my HP. I think it was after activating a special move. He has a special move in which he stabs his own sword into himself, and takes about 5-10% damage. I do not know what this is used for. [He]'s a little slow, but not a bad character."

"I was sharing [the experience] with Poto222, XillerXinok, his brother, Mr. Bruno, Flavio & Mr. Felipe. All Top players from Brazil. Happy to share with them and very grateful for the affection of the people of Brazil. I got to meet Ed Boon and would have liked to talk a lot more. I hope that people of NRS can count on my support in South America. Tournaments and many projects are being [made] with @ETCChile."

Mortal Kombat Online would like to send special thanks to ETCMcFly for his special report, and to all the ETC players who attended BGS. You can follow the main man himself @ETCMcflyChile! Like & spread stories like this via @MK_Online & Facebook. Got an experience to share? Send it in via the News Lead Submission forum!