Is Mortal Kombat DOA?

In a number of recent posts on his Twitter page, the creator of Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon, revealed the existence of the next Mortal Kombat, simply known as MK9 for the time being. And while that isn't a shock, he also mentions that the latest in the franchise will be a return to form--dropping the partnership with DC Comics in favor of an M-rating and the most gruesome fatalities the series has yet to see. In fact, Boon says in one post, "I hope we aren't taking these too far."

But let's face it--fatalities might be what put Mortal Kombat on the map, but it's been proven since, through sales and a loss of respect for the franchise, that depth is what gives fighting games staying power. And Mortal Kombat has lacked depth for what seems like eons, instead opting to insert gimmick after gimmick into the latest titles as a way to trick fans into thinking this might be a comeback for the franchise. Sadly, Mortal Kombat has become the Madden of the fighting game genre.

If Boon and company want to succeed with MK 9 they have to go back to the drawing board with more than just a new fighting engine, "built from the ground up." We think it might be time to remove a whole dimension from the title and return Mortal Kombat back into a 2-D fighter like it was always meant to be. It's no secret that when Mortal Kombat switched over to 3-D with Mortal Kombat 4 the hardcore fanbase the franchise had gathered were rather pissed off. And to a degree, it's completely justified. The 3-D fighting mechanics completely changed the MK experience and when a simple side-step can dodge Scorpion's spear toss or Sub-Zero's ice blast, thus a problem it creates. And while the 3-D graphics might have been a considerable upgrade over the 2-D sprite characters of old, Street Fighter IV has proven that 2-D fighting games are not DOA. In fact, SFIV proves they are still the cream of the crop. The bee's knees. The cat's pajamas. the moose's knuckle...

Now once the game returns to a flat, two dimensional plane, then it's time to start worrying about the game's mechanics. Create a game were every character has his perks and his cons. Where it's fun to play as every character the game offers, and where it's also possible to win with said character without resorting to lame cheap attacks. Fighting games are the most rewarding when you are forced to put time into them and are rewarded with the ability to kick some serious ass with even the lamest of characters. How good does it feel to bust someone's balls in Street Fighter IV with Dan? That's what Mortal Kombat needs. Not being able to turn your opponents into babies, or throw them over a ledge and continue the fight on another tier.

I guess what this has turned into is a plea to Midway to do right by Mortal Kombat 9. I remember playing the MK games with all my elementary school friends every day after we got home from school. Making a point to master the combos and the fatalities in order to make ourselves look a lot cooler than we actually were. But the truth is--I haven't had that feeling about Mortal Kombat in roughly fifteen years. It's high time the series either tackles its problems head on or moves over for the next guy.