The holidays are in full swing and as is tradition, all of us at Mortal Kombat Online would like to wish our readers a happy and safe holiday season! Christmas Day also marks another milestone for our website as we are entering our 21st year of bringing Mortal Kombat fans from around the globe the most up to date news on this evolving franchise.
2019 was a busy year with the release of Mortal Kombat 11 this past spring and was also a busy year for our website as we've ventured into new territory within streaming and also with our recent Fight Klub platform announcement that will soon be available in beta form for Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. Teased initially in October, we are very close to revealing this project in the new year and all of us on staff are so excited in the direction that this project will take MKO in the months ahead. If you haven't signed up yet, make sure to register your spot as soon as possible at FightKlub.gg.
January and the months ahead will see a lot of changes here at our website and within our community. Keep up on the latest news here on site, but also be sure to follow us on our respective social media channels including Twitter and Facebook for the latest annoucements!
Mortal Kombat 11 achieves some of the series' most incredible and elaborate visuals, but scratch beneath the surface of these high quality graphics and you'll find a study in economic resource management. The latest edition of webseries Boundary Break has gone out of bounds to highlight some of the game's clever tricks. Watch:
The sprawling environment of Shang Tsung's Island in Krypt mode actually doesn't have a lot to hide, but the detached camera can offer a closer look at background fighters Blaze and Rain, whose fight above The Pit acts out an iconic reference from Mortal Kombat Ii.
Kano watches the battle from the back of the Black Dragon Fight Club, where a well stocked bar isn't far away. The bottled beverages actually have invented name labels, including: Captain Bob, Bearded Brew, Big G, City Miles, Little Cheese, and more. Only the finest cheap swill for the Black Dragon, we're sure.
The low resolution nature of background character models hides a few curious little secrets, such as the Tank Garage Bunker's Johnny Cage, who has no eyes behind his sunglasses. The cheering crowd in Kotal's Koliseum also lack literal depth as flat, two-dimensional animated textures. Both examples show smart ways designers can get more out of arenas by reserving their time and graphics for only what's seen.
The Shaolin Trap Dungeon creates a three-dimensional impression of the Wu Shi Dragon Grotto just outside the arena, but is actually a carefully arranged stack of basic backdrop and dressing elements. The Sea of Blood uses similar techniques for its distant ships, placing increasingly simple background vessels on the massive undulating ocean. Not all of the arenas use this kind of visual trickery to create their world.
The Cyber Lin Kuei Assembly arena renders the mechanical structure you see, even creating a massive tunnel for the robotic warriors to travel inside. It stops at the bend, though, so those cyber-assassins can be hidden until the next one is keyed up. The hapless human body passing through the system also uses staging to minimize its travel to visible tubing.
Some of the most interesting elements revealed by Boundary Break are the Fatality set pieces that manipulate staging in a variety of ways. Entire environments change for Sonya and Cetrion's finishing moves, while characters like Kabal and Kotal Kahn hide spawning elements outside the arena confines to create visual trickery. Kabal's super-speed Road Rash fatality is actually just a clever tube effect the players pass through. Yet when Jax winds up for Coming In Hot, the seemingly stationery fighter actually moves around the arena to suit the virtual camera!
NetherRealm's clever manipulations have made one of the best looking entries in the series! Check out the video embedded above to see all the tricks and break out into the comments below to tell us what you think! Special thanks to MK Online user ShoeUnited for submitting this video for feature.
Earthrealm merging with Outworld has always been a threat we've fought to prevent, but Mortal Kombat 11 is about to bridge worlds in the best possible way! The Krossplay Beta is now available to online players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One! Read on for more details:
As long as there have been video game consoles, there's been rivalry between platforms. Cross-platform online gaming between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One means console loyalty won't cost you friends -- it'll make you more!
You can encounter players from the opposite console by activating the Krossplay Beta toggle in your Online options [pictured above]. This will allow you to enter dedicated Krossplay Online Rooms, and encounter players on both consoles during Online Kasual matchmaking. Krossplay online players will be indicated with a crossed arrows icon.
This feature won't allow you to transfer profiles or gamedata between consoles, but if it develops into a full fledged cross-platform mode -- you won't need to! So what are you waiting for? Coordinate with potential Krossplay opponents and share your experiences in the comments below!
Mortal Kombat 11 didn't take Best Fighting Game at the 2019 Game Awards, but it did offer a glimpse of its next downloadable character! The Joker has a slightly updated design in the new teaser intro unveiled during the live show. Take a look:
The DC Comics guest fighter encounters a foul-mouthed Cassie Cage, seen in her "Cassie Quinn" skin cosplaying as Mister J's favourite gal - Harley Quinn.
Joker was first revealed as part of the Kombat Pack trailer, where the character drew unflattering comparisons to unlicensed parodies of the character. The Game Awards teaser shows an updated facial render with rougher texture and exaggerated features more readily associated with the character.
Mortal Kombat 11 missed out on the 2019 Best Fighting Game award, losing out to the genre-disrupting dark horse of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. NetherRealm Creative Director Ed Boon was gracious in defeat, tweeting out congratulations to the winner.
Kongrats to the SMASH BROS. team for their Best Fighting game win at the Game Awards! ????????
What do you think of The Joker's new look? The Clown Prince of Crime will be available in early access starting January 28th. Party in to the comments below to broaden our minds with your thoughts on next year's first DLC character!
Warner Brothers have released a new schedule for its projected theatrical slate, announcing new dates for a variety of high-profile projects, including The Matrix 4, The Flash, and Mortal Kombat! The fighting game's blockbuster return to the big screen will now be a few months sooner than originally expected! Read on:
According to Deadline, the theatrical release for Mortal Kombat has been brought forward to January 15th, 2021. That's two months earlier than the previously announced date of March 5th. An untitled event film has replaced MK on that date.
Deadline also reports the Martin Luther King Day weekend release will position Mortal Kombat as a 'counter-programming' alternative to Universal Picture's spy thriller 355. The competing blockbuster will feature an all-star international female cast, starring Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Lupito Nyong'o, and Diane Krueger. 355 was conceived by Chastain in the mold of Mission: Impossible, with Simon Kinberg (Dark Phoenix) to direct the story of agents saving the world.
Mortal Kombat boasts its own worldy cast, featuring the talents of Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, and more. Follow and discuss all the Mortal Kombat movie news on the Media & Merchandise forum!
Mortal Kombat 11 will face stiff competition when it competes for Best Fighting Game at this year's The Game Awards, but it will do so having already claimed honors from IGN. The long-running gaming site has announced winners in various genre-based categories. Watch them all:
In naming Mortal Kombat 11 as the best fighting game of 2019, IGN pointed to its combination of quality and quantity, citing robust selection of modes and regularly updating content through DLC and Towers of Time. Only one IGN voter didn't choose MK11 as the best of the year!
No fighting game of 2019 can even come close to touching the sheer breadth of content offered in Mortal Kombat 11. From its excellent story mode to the constantly changing challenges of the Towers of Time, to the ever-evolving cast of characters that is regularly updated via patches or DLC.
But beyond just being packed with features, Mortal Kombat 11 is just simply a blast to play. Netherrealm did a great job of making smart changes to their already-solid formula -- the new two-meter system, replacing x-rays with fatal blows, and slowing the game down to be less rushdown heavy -- all of which make MK11 feel fresh and exciting while still holding true to everything that makes a Mortal Kombat game, a Mortal Kombat game.
Other IGN year-end winners included: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for Best Action Game, Control for Best Action-Adventure, Untitled Goose Game for Best Puzzle Game, The Outworld Worlds for Best RPG, Apex Legends for Best Shooter, and Super Mario Maker 2 for Best Platformer, and Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled for Best Racing Game.
Did they get it right? Discuss all the IGN Games of the Year in the comments below and be with watching The Game Awards with us for more year-end accolades! Find and discuss more on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum.
Twelve months after Mortal Kombat 11 was first announced with a world premier announce trailer-- the best selling fighting game will return to The Game Awards as a nominee for 2019 Best Fighting Game! Read on for voting details:
Public voting is now open, with five fighting game releases nominated by a jury of experts. You can see the full nominations announcement by watching the embedded video above.
Mortal Kombat 11 takes on a deceptively tough field in the fighting game category, which also includes: Dead Or Alive 6 (Koei Tecmo), Jump Force (Bandai Namco), Samurai Shodown (SNK), and Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Nintendo).
Mortal Kombat X was a shoo-in when it took 2015 Best Fighting Game, but this year NetherRealm Studios will contend with strong competition from the mash-up mass appeal of Smash Bros and Jump Force, and the dedicated cult followings of DOA and Samurai Shodown. Nintendo's arcade fighting franchise may be the game to beat, having amassed one of the biggest competitive followings in the genre!
Voting closes December 12th when The Game Awards will announce winners via live stream. Do you think MK11 will secure the statue? Vote now and a dive into the comments section below to tell us what you think!
