Euhm... we've only seen a far away shot and the entrance. It's still a guess how things really looks once on the island.

Love the callback to the film with how big the steps are. I still chuckle remembering Johnny Cage trying to drag his luggage up there

I thought the palace in Deadly Alliance was built in Outworld. That is where they opened the portal to the heavens and they built their palace around it.

Shang's island was abandoned at the time of Deadly Alliance

Shang strikes me as the kind of guy who would also have a vacation palace on an island in sunny Earthrealm.

The only other game where is it is possible to explore the island is MK: Shaolin Monks, and even then, only in the very beginning.

I would not consider the movies as a reference.

Yet, already several movie references have been made. Like Spider804 said, the many steps are highly reminisence to the movie. We got Tagawa as Shang Tsung, we got Johnny Cage fatality. And at this rate, I have a feeling more movie references will come.

I hope we do get more movie references because the original movie is one of my all time guilty pleasures. I love it, every scene, the whole thing, still to this day. Before 11 drops I plan on breaking out the VHS and some smoke and have a movie night.

Regarding TS' OP, I like every iteration of Shang Tsung's island and palace, pretty much. Also I'd like to say, while some of the stages of 11 that I've seen look... bland (sorry just my two cents, don't like the overly brown/dark stages in particular), I am very encouraged by the stage that was featured about halfway through Noob Saibot's trailer (the one with the Lin Kuei cyborg in the middle). It's a more blue (colorful!) stage, I want to see more stages like this.

I understand you but Deadly Alliance didn't have Shang's island but the palace that was in Outworld .

Having said that, I just have to say it .. MKDA's arenas were pure awesomeness.. they had a living aura in them. I wish I can navigate them freely in first person view.

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME.

MKDA has some of the best arenas in the series, no question. Lung Hai Temple and House of Pekara in particular are still among my all time favorites.

As for Shang Tsung’s Island, I think we’ll have to see more before judging. Tagawa’s Shang Tsung is an awesome start, but who knows what that will lead to, if anything, and who that create-a-character looking guy is who opens the doors.

There is a lot we don’t know for the time being, but what I do know is that they’ve created a really cool idea for a mode that’s been in several games now, and I’m really curious to see what, if anything comes from it.

You know what would be Epic is if you’re running through the krypt and Shang Tsung appears and wants to test you and out comes Scorpion and Sub Zero and he introduces them just like the movie and says “Scorpion and Sub Zero, Deadliest of enemies but slaves under my power” and then after you defeat them, he stands up and says finish him!!

But they're not enemies (at least not the current Sub Zero). And having them fight for Outworld was a stupid idea that the games ended up adopting - despite it contradicting the game lore.

It was lame in the movie, but in the Krypt? I wouldn't count anything that happens in the Krypt as being any more canon than the bonkers stuff that happens in the Challenge Towers. Could just use the line and the fight as a fun little side challenge.

If they're gonna go so far as to hire Cary Tagawa, they might as well play some of his greatest hits.

"Finish him quickly... pay me my tribute"

"You disappoint me... not very wise!!"

Aside from the tall steps Shang's island looks nothing like the movie. I haven't read the comics or original novel by Jeff Rovin but can anyone confirm if the towering stairs into the sky is a Threshold thing or were in the available lit before the movie came out?

Scorpion and Sub-Zero's "friendship" was a Threshold thing and in no way canon to the original story. Also, Scorpion's "living creature" from the movie is also a Threshold liberty - it's a dart harpoon weapon.

I like Cary's involvement in the game, 25 years too late since they had original plans to make a video game from the movie but the idea was scrapped.

I'm not a fan of these 3D faces in the game only because they look fake like a photoshopped photo and reminded me of the Fergality and what NBA JAM did with heads.

They should add an easter egg in the background where there's a random chance that Johnny Cage is seen trying to make it up the stairs and dropping his luggage.

If they're going so far as to hire him again, why bother getting him to repeat the same lines as the first time?
Give him some new lines or just use the original recordings.

At this point, with all these request... they might as well just include the movie with the game - instead of having to animate the whole thing for the sake of easter eggs.

Sorry, but I will not be satiated by anything less than a note-by-note recreation of the film with cutscenes directed by Paul Anderson, a new soundtrack by The Immortals, Reptile inexplicably being a poorly-animated lizard monster, and an after-credits scene of the NRS team eating shawarma that ends on gradual zoom-in on Ed Boon's eyebrows as they furrow together to form "MK12".

Shit, that reminds me. MK11 and the new Avengers movie dropping in the same week. That's gonna be one exciting week

Spoiler alert, Thanos dies.

YOU MONSTER, HOW DARE YOU!

Lol

Maybe Tagawa's involvement in this game is"a taste of things to come". With how MK is getting more traction, a new movie is a high possibility. And who knows Tagawa may repraise his role as Shang Tsung in that movie.

The stairs in the Krypt do remind me of the movie. The blueish tone an mountain remind me of MKII arcade ladder background (without the buildings ofcourse).

A couple of people basically already said this... but....given that his island is this version of the Krypt, you still have a lot of room to be impressed.
Since MK9 the Krypt has gotten progressively bigger and more interactive. I am sure there is a boatload we haven't seen so I think it is unfair to say the MKDA one looked better.

That was so well described I actually tried to furrow my eyebrows to form MK12. I don't think it worked but I wasn't standing in front of a mirror so I can't be sure.