Chimera,
(1) A grotesque product of the imagination
(2) An animal formed from two different animals
(3) An organism combining tissues derived from two or more genotypes
(4) Greek Myth, fire-breathing she-monster with a lion's head and a goat's body and a serpent's tail
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Ed Boon, at some point or another (I'm almost positive that it was during the E3 coverage), has said that the sub-boss would be a "Chimera." While most believed that (4) was true, it seems that the other three were actually the case.
It is my personal opinion that 'fusing' two of the important characters in the franchise was actually a wise decision from the MK Team.
Obviously, there are warrors in the franchise that have better synergy with one another than those chosen. Take, for example, Kenshi and Ermac. Their stories are already tied into one another and both characters have a similar play style. (What else would you expect from a mentor and an apprentice?) Would this actually be a good combination? Probably not, the characters are far too alike and may as well be seperate. The same, while less so, also proves true for Frost and Sub-Zero..
The obvious merger in the franchise? The Deadly Alliance. This would have made for a very interesting final confrontation as well as an interesting play mechanic. The latter was obviously considered by the team. I think we can all agree that this (The Deadly Alliance) was the fruit of the idea.
To the point... I would like to discuss Noob-Smoke from a gameplay perspective and how they may prove themselves as a vehicle for future games in the series. While I've never been very fond of Tag Team fighting, it seems that Boon and Company are heading in that direction.
Sidenote - I know the characters don't really mesh well story-wise. I'm not one who plays the game solely for story.. For those of you that do, I'm sure that the MK Team has found a good reason to have them fighting along side one another..)
Two fighters can prove to be quite a challenge.. I've been thinking about how this can change things in the game's universe:
Projectiles (Namely those that stop the player):
This could be very interesting if it were integrated in the right way. If Sub-Zero were to freeze Noob, styles could be changed and Smoke could fight in place/block until the effects have worn off.. This could easily disrupt the balance of the game so I would assume some kindof limitation would be set in place.
From an offensive standpoint, projectiles could be thrown by either one of your fighters. Using a button combination for Smoke's projectile would allow him to throw it from elsewhere while you still control Noob.. Having danger coming from different directions on screen could be an interesting change....
IN FACT, if your partner could throw something from the opposite side of the screen, this could prove to be good and bad.. If you hit your opponent, great! If not, you may have to suffer the damage. (Noob could send out his clone and accidently slam Smoke, for example.. Sub-Zero could freeze Frost, Ermac could accidently throw Kenshi, etc.)
Combos (Emphasis on Juggles):
This was lightly touched upon by Boon in a past interview. Noob-Smoke is apparently capable of combos that require both fighters. This is just an extension of the style-branch combo system but having two fighters at your disposal might actually prove more useful than that.
Catching someone in a combo could actually prove more integral to the fight than ever (Lord help us) if you manage to end with a juggle. While your opponent is in the air, you could switch to your second character and continue the combo for a few extra points of damage and then end with a throw or a special move involving the use of both characters.
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These are just two examples. I wouldnt want to see Mortal Kombat putting emphasis on a Tag-Team format but I could see where some aspects would benefit.. Perhaps, once the game has ironed out its errors and problems, we may see an additional tag-team mode where characters are paired with one another.. Who knows?
Wow! Sorry... Looking back, I had no idea this post was beginning to drag on so long.. I'm going to stop here and allow input. Let me know what you think and include some of your own ideas. I'm interested to know some other viewpoints on this...
