NetherRealm Studios Creative Director Ed Boon recently returned en force to micro-blogger Twitter, whipping up a fan frenzy of interest and speculation ahead of the new year!
Most tweets have revolved around the usual general fandom and much lamented abandoned HD remakes [read more] - but amongst the miscellanea: the first definitive hints toward new content in 2016!
Mortal Kombat X newcomers Takeda, D'Vorah, Erron Black and Kung Jin have all been namedropped in nods to new costume skins coming soon to downloadable content!
Officially announced in September [full story]; new Mortal Kombat X DLC is scheduled for an undetermined date in 2016. New playable characters will be the headlining feature [teaser], but purchasable updates will also include fresh character skins and a new arena to stage fights in!
Mark the latter two characters confirmed for new skins, with just a hint of ambiguity around Takeda & D'Vorah. The Pit remains the safe bet based on previous hints, despite graphic assets emerging as part of a Halloween seasonal Premier Tower.
New character Kung Jin will make the leap from video game to live-action series when actor/model Lewis Tan debuts in Mortal Kombat X. The actor confirmed his role via Instagram, sharing a new photo in costume as the thief turned Shaolin Monk. It confirms popular speculation about his role sparked by previous photos.
In Mortal Kombat X, finishing moves were brought into the final round with a brilliant reinventing of the Brutality! No longer just a furious flurry of fast flung fists - the moves are the ultimate coup de grace, transitioning directly from fight to fatality with devastating efficiency.
Brutalities challenge players to meet a variety of stipulations, ranging from the trivial - to the teeth grindingly specific. Some brutalities are arena based, character based, and some are completely hidden from players. Know how to finish your matches in style with a guide to all known brutalities.
Developments from the third Mortal Kombat live-action webseries have been surprisingly quiet since filming commenced in January. Actor/model Lewis Tan may have provided our first look at the film, however, sharing an Instagram snap of a "a special series" in the editor's suite:
From the Palace Gates of Shang Tsung's Island, to the battle ravaged streets of Earthrealm 25 years later: The only constant shared by two generations is the need to fight! The tournament called Mortal Kombat has made legends of champions, and warriors of mortals. With a new generation of challengers emerging - it all begins again!
April 14th saw the long awaited release of Mortal Kombat X! Ending a four year cycle, the new game has changed the way we view the series and its fighters, challenging us to ask: Who's Next?
It is a question we've asked annually for years - each time finding a different answer! In 2014, the unknown of a looming sequel fuelled a whole new perspective. After months of debate and many thousands of votes, we crowned fan-favourite Ermac the ultimate victor! With Mortal Kombat X here, everything has changed! True champions must defend their title, and we must ask the eternal question with evolving truth: Who is the Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion?
The ultimate fan voting tournament has become an annual celebrated tradition on Mortal Kombat Online - summoning the entire fanbase to agree on a single champion from sixty-four fighters! In 2015: the battle will be tougher than ever! Mortal Kombat X will inform the entire bracket, introducing first-time competitors and omitting old favorites! Read on to learn more about what it all means and how you can join in! Visit the Fan Koliseum to share your votes and discuss battles more in depth!
So... You may have heard that Mortal Kombat X has introduced the series' first confirmed homosexual character: Kung Jin [pictured right].
Quickly after launch, Mortal Kombat Online began receiving enthusiastic submissions from key interest websites [eg; @UKGaynews] - all eager to share and assert the breaking headline. While firsts of any kind are always interesting, we weren't so sure we wanted to dedicate coverage to this one.
There were a few factors behind the hesitation -- an intent to hold-off on detailed content spoilers, chief among them.
We also weren't entirely certain the claims were true, or even in need of special acknowledgment. Then news broke of Marvel Comics preparing to announce popular X-Men character - Iceman - will be gay after fifty-two years of publication. In this adjacent pop culture news, the real importance of Kung Jin became immediately crystallized.
First - clarification. We say Kung Jin is a "confirmed" homosexual character. Uncovering the intent behind the source of speculation was an important detail - one that needed more than interpretation.
It all stems from a dialogue sequence between Kung Jin and Raiden - a flashback during the Mortal Kombat X story mode. Jin is the black sheep to his family's mythic ancestor The Great Kung Lao and his contemporary heroic progeny (also Kung Lao). Raiden sees potential greatness in the now common thief, but Kung Jin lacks confidence in himself, and those charged with defending the light:
The characters of Mortal Kombat have always been major attractions for the fighting series. In the build-up to the latest game, we were intrigued as fighters new and old were introduced in fully rendered detail. With Mortal Kombat X officially out now - you can now see the komplete kast as they appear in the game's loading screens!
Taking place 25 years after the events of Mortal Kombat (2011), the new generation of characters will discover that Outworld is not the only threat they face. Fans will get a first look at the newest fighters to join Cassie Cage, including Jacqueline Briggs, daughter of Jax, Takashi Takeda, son of Kenshi, and Kung Jin, descendant of Kung Lao.
You may know him from the soul crushing un-reveals of the MKX Character Deadpool, or the countless gigabytes of message board mythology and deranged speculation he's inspired across the web. He's less known as the co-creator of Mortal Kombat, and continues as Creative Director on Mortal Kombat X! He's Ed Boon - and over the past couple of days, he's ramped up the tweets (@noobde) and given us more to talk about while WB holdout for the next magazine world exclusive!
From character teases, to preview schedules, Boon touched on it all. Here are some of the more noteworthy tidbits:
The upcoming Mortal Kombat live-action webseries has gone relatively quiet since its announcement last October.
The project is slated to be one of several 2015 online releases from Warner Brothers' newly established digital media studio - Blue Ribbon Content. With time ticking away, an open Mortal Kombat casting call appears to be the first indication of what's to come!
The LA casting call was listed on Actors Access for a January shoot, as reported on the Warner Bros. Forums by user UnicornFreedom.
The "digital series" listing bring backs several familiar names from Mortal Kombat: Legacy, including; Garrett Warren as director, and Jenny Hinkey & Lance Sloane as producers. More interesting, several roles that tie directly to Mortal Kombat X - including comics characters and klassics. Beware of spoilers:
[ BO' RAI’ CHO ]
50s-60s – ANY ETHNICITY - This drunken man tells Jin that he will show him the way to the Shaolin academy, for a small price. He is affable and appears harmless. However, later we see that he is an expert fighter, and no fool. He reveals himself to be Bo Rai Cho, the master of Wu Shi. He leads Jin to the Wu Shi Academy. He is a rotund man with healthy appetites and never without a drink. He teaches with every opportunity and has taught several great warriors, including Liu Kang, and Kung Lao at the Wu Shi Academy. Bo' Rai Cho originates from Outworld but has not, however, participated in a Mortal Kombat tournament, knowing that if he wins, his victory would be in the name of Shao Kahn for his status as an Outworlder. So he instead chose to utilize his fighting skills to train Earthrealm warriors...LEAD
[ DVORAH ]
Female, late 20s early 30s, bug-like articulation. Dvorah is of a sentient colonial race called the Kytinn, which populates the island realm of Arnyek. The solitary nature of the Kytinn meant a common defense of their realm was nonexistent; thus it was conquered and merged with Outworld by Shao Kahn. Dvorah’s loyalty and insightfulness, unusual traits for a Kytinn, led to her quick political rise. Soon she found herself among the emperor’s closest advisers. She serves the current ruler of Outworld, Kotal Kahn...LEAD
[ SCORPION AKA HANZO HASASHI ]
In his 30s to 40s, angry, tortured, and tough, Hanzo is a Ninja master. Hanzo was a member of the Shirai-Rya clan until they and his family were killed by Sub-Zero of the rival Lin Kuei clan. Hanzo's soul was claimed by the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi, who resurrected him as the revenant Scorpion and gave him the chance to avenge his family's deaths. Full of rage and hellfire, Scorpion fights alongside Quan Chi in Netherrealm's invasion of Earthrealm...LEAD
[ TAKEDA ]
In his mid 20s, quiet and mild-mannered, but with an angry streak, he is the "nice" one of the group. He is a world-class swordsman and he is adept at telepathy and telekinesis. Takahashi Takeda is the son of the hero Kenshi and a young Thai-American woman named Suchin, whom Kenshi met during his travels. When Suchin passed away, Kenshi was shocked to learn he had had an eight-year-old son with her. He took Takeda to Hanzo Hasashi, the former Scorpion, to be instructed in the Martial Arts. Takeda had no contact with his father for many years, until the day he was to leave Hanzo’s tutelage. Kenshi revealed that he had left Takeda with Hanzo to protect him from his mother’s murderer. Despite this revelation, and subsequent reconciliation with Kenshi, Takeda has abandonment issues yet to overcome—which makes working with his father in Johnny Cage’s Special Forces team a challenge at times...LEAD
[ SALAZAR ]
In his 30s to 40s, quiet, reserved, downcast, he is a mercenary in the service of the Emperor. Intelligent and eloquent, he sounds like he may be American. Salazar’s exact origins are unknown. Born on Earth, he somehow found himself in Outworld. There he spent years wandering its vast territories, selling his amazing weaponry skills to local warlords. Now in the employ of the emperor, Kotal Kahn, Salazar shows no inclination to return to Earthrealm—or aid them in their present struggles...LEAD
[ KUNG JIN ]
In his mid 20s, with a slight Asian accent, Kung Jin is the younger cousin of the Earthrealm hero Kung Lao. He is cerebral but streetwise. He is American in speech patterns/idioms. When Kung Lao was killed in the war against Outworld, Kung’s family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse. He journeyed to the U.S. and became a thief. An encounter with Raiden changed Jin’s outlook, and he joined the Shaolin monks. Now a member of Johnny Cage’s secret Special Forces offshoot, Jin’s streetwise past provides him extra insight into the minds and motivations of those who would harm Earthrealm...LEAD
[ RON TAN' CHO ]
Male, 45-60. Asian. Ron Tan' Cho is an underground crime boss. He does what he wants, takes what he wants & always get what he wants. He has one wicked smile that if shown to you means trouble. He enjoys toying with his enemies & seeing the fear on their faces. D'Vorah attempts to attack him, and she fails due to his Goons apprehending her. LEAD
