Mortal Kombat Online - The Ultimate Mortal Kombat Experience

MK Online at Midway Gamer's Day 2007 - Interview With Ed Boon

January 26, 2007

Scott Bishop: This is Scott Bishop with Mortal Kombat Online, I'm here at Midway Winter Gamer's Day 2007 with Mortal Kombat Creative Lead and series co-creator Ed Boon. How you doing today, Ed?

Ed Boon: I'm doing good, thanks.

Bishop: Alright, so I know this first question has been asked a number of times; heck, I'm going to ask it again. Mortal Kombat Armageddon for Wii - what prompted you guys to consider doing a Wii version?

Boon: Well, I think any major console that comes out we really want to support. So, you know, we have Mortal Kombat games for the all others -- Xbox, Playstation 2, PSP -- so I think the Wii is obviously a very successful console, so, we're probably going to want to support it as well.

Bishop:Okay, now using the Wiimote -- everybody has seen the video footage of you demonstrating the Wiimote controller. I'm going to use my cell phone here just kind of as an exmaple, how you can do Sektor's Teleport move by going [...] down and up, back and forth for [other special moves]... One thing I didn't notice on the video was standard attacks. How would you do standard attacks - blocks, styles changes - using the Wiimote?

Ed Boon:You know, the motions that need instant responses like a punch, a kick, a block, a change style, we actually did associate with the buttons because it didn't really seem realistic to have people doing combos by swinging their hands all over the air, because those are such really finite precise motions there, so there is a number of buttons there on the Wiimote so we just used those to do those kind of attacks.

Bishop:Now, the Wiimote, it can be all used in all four modes of play with the motion control? Konquest, Motor Kombat...

Ed Boon:Yes, you know one of the coolest thigns about this version is we're supporting everything. We're supporting the Wiimote controller for the motions, you can play Motor Kombat with the Wiimote and use it as a steering wheel which is very cool, but you can also use the standard controllers like the Nintendo Classic controller as well as the GameCube controller so really if you think of a control scheme we're really basically supporting it.

Bishop:So for example -- using the Wiimote in Motor Kombat, would you be able to steer like... [imitates using Wiimote as a steering wheel]

Ed Boon:That's exactly how you can steer with like a steering wheel; imagine holding it like you would with ExciteTruck or something like that.

Bishop:Nice! Now would you consider other Mortal Kombat games on the Wii as you go on, Mortal Kombat 8 for example?

Ed Boon:Is that the number we're on? Yeah, absolutely. You know, with the next generation of Mortal Kombat games our goal is to really wipe the slate clean and start everything new. Kinda like we did with Deadly Alliance where we threw out all the old rules and just applied new stuff. That's what our goal is for the next Mortal Kombat is -- a new presentation, new gameplay, new sounds, new features, new everything. Everything you know about Mortal Kombat we're re-writing.

Bishop:Now Mortal Kombat Armageddon for Wii - we know there's going to be an Endurance Mode. We know you've been taking input from the fans as far as wake-up games, ground games, that kind of thing. Can we expect others like the bios, will the bios that are being released on the website now -- will those be included in the game?

Ed Boon:I definitely would like to. I'm certainly not in a position right now where we can promise it. But that's something we're certainly looking into. You know, the Khameleon character (with a K!) is also in the Wii version of Armageddon. So we definitely do listen to requests of what people would like to see in Mortal Kombat.

Bishop:So the female Khameleon is confirmed.

Ed Boon:Oh yeah.

Bishop:Okay, cool. Now let's move on to a slightly different subject. Mortal Kombat II for Playstation Network - that was recently announced and we've seen it playable downstairs.

Ed Boon:Is it really?

Bishop:Yes, it is playable.

Ed Boon:I had no idea they were even doing Playstation 2 Mortal Kombat II.

Bishop:You didn't know they were doing Playstation 3 Network Mortal Kombat?

Ed Boon:This is the first I've heard of it.

Bishop:Well, I guess that shoots my next question out of the water.

Ed Boon:No, I'm just kidding! I think the Xbox 360 Live Arcade and the Playstation 3 downloadable games have brought like a new life to some of the older Mortal Kombat games, which is really cool. I think being able to play those games online is always exciting.

Bishop:Right. Why Mortal Kombat II for Playstation Network?

Ed Boon:Probably because UMK3 had just come out for the 360 and we really want to introduce a Mortal Kombat game that we haven't recently re-introduced. So this is I think the first version of Mortal Kombat II that's been online, so there's some novelty there, and UMK3 online was the first online version of it, so we didn't want to just repeat the same thing we did with the 360.

Bishop:On that same note, can we expect to see Mortal Kombat II come to the Xbox Live Arcade at some point? And vice versa, UMK3 to come to the Playstation Network?

Ed Boon:Those are really good questions. Id on't have a knowledge of those two things happening currently, but we do have other versions of Mortal Kombat coming out for other systems like the DS and what-not.

Bishop:What can you tell us about a Mortal Kombat for the DS, if anything?

Ed Boon:You know what, you should ask Shaun Himmerick about that one, 'cause he's the producer on that camp.

Bishop:I certainly will. And what about Nintendo's Virtual Console, are there any plans for any Mortal Kombat games to come out on that?

Ed Boon:I think if that platform, that venue of doing games becomes really successful, there's a pretty good chance you're gonne see a Mortal Kombat game out for it.

Bishop:Finally - Mortal Kombat 8, is there anything you can tell us?

Ed Boon:Eight, is that what we're up to right now?

Bishop:I think so, I think we left 7 some time ago.

Ed Boon:Five was Deadly Alliance, Six was Deception, Seven was Armageddon, Eight... Yeah, you're right. Anyway, what was your question?

Bishop:What can we expect, if anything?

Ed Boon:Kinda like I said before, expect nothing the same in terms of the gameplay. We probably aren't gonna have the changing fighting styles; we probably won't have the same kind of play mechanic, we're going try to change everything around; reinvent what Mortal Kombat is as a fighting game. I think you need to do that every several years, kinda reinvent the whole thing. And I think now's the perfect time, the new presentation and graphics -- we want to hit everybody at the same time with graphics, presentation, story, everything's going to be different. There's no way you can predict what Mortal Kombat is gonna be. It's gonna be a completely new game.

Bishop:Should we tell our friends?

Ed Boon:Oh yes, tell your friends. Awesome99.com.

Bishop:We will continue our coverage with an interview with Shaun Himmerick in a little bit. From Gamer's Day, this is Scott Bishop.