The Mortal Kombat franchise has been around for a long time. Since the days of the dated 16-bit version of the early titles, the developers have tried to make the game as realistic and gory as possible; and this goal was achieved with the release of the recent Mortal Kombat X, which looks amazing on the next-gen consoles.
MK X has been a revelation for the franchise with newly added characters, X-Ray moves, brutalities, and fatalities. But if you have been following the series for a long time now, you will know that the seeds of MK X were sown into Mortal Kombat 9. The only thing left after that was to raise the standards higher.
NetherRealm has massively altered things as far as visual elements are concerned in the new game. Plus, having the power of next-gen consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has massively helped the game's cause, making it the best looking MK to have released till date.
But, is there more to the new game than graphical upgradations and a new character roster? We take a quick look at a comparison between this year's Mortal Kombat X and the previously released Mortal Kombat 9 for answers.
Mortal Kombat X Vs Mortal Kombat 9: Character Roster
As far as Mortal Kombat 9 is concerned, the character list comprised fighters from Mortal Kombat, MK2, and MK3 (aside a few omissions). However, lead man Ed Boon was quick to point out that MK X would feature more new characters than any previous Mortal Kombat, and he was right on the money. Previously, MK9 featured a few newer characters like Freddy Krueger, Cyber Sub-Zero and Skarlet, compared to which, MK X has now brought the likes of Kotal Kahm, Ferra/Tor, Erron Black, D'Vorah and more to the mix. Plus, there's the likes of the Predator and Tanya yet to arrive, making MK X the best MK titles in years.
Mortal Kombat X Vs Mortal Kombat 9: Story
This is not really a comparison per say, but single player storylines also affect how players and fans view a game. In MK9, the storyline involved the protector of Earth, Lord Raiden, attempting to change the aftermath of the events of Armageddon by contacting his past self, while he faced defeat at the hands of the evil emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn. In Mortal Kombat X, however, the story takes a more political turn with Kotal Kahn being the new outworld emperor and constantly threatened by Mileena and her band of Shao Kahn faithfuls. However, what drives us more about the new story is that a number of characters from the past now have their own stories to tell, apart from involving their sons and daughters into this neverending fight (for example, Kenshi and his son Takahashi Takeda). Apart from that, fans will love the entry of fallen Elder God Shinnok and his BFF-like relationship with evil sorcerer Quan Chi.
Mortal Kombat X Vs Mortal Kombat 9: Movement Mechanics
NetherRealm has put in quite the shift when it comes to the movement mechanics of the characters in Mortal Kombat X. For instance, the concept of Dash Blocking is obsolete in the new game, whereas in MK9 it was an important factor when moving from one side of the screen to the other. In the previous game, you could cancel a forward dash with the Block button, and later cancel the block animation with another forward dash. However, it isn't that the dashing mechanics is entirely gone from MK X. It's just that the dashing mechanic has now been moulded in the way of MK3 where the Run button was introduced. You just have to tap forward twice, holding on to the second tap and your character will run toward the opponent.
Mortal Kombat X Vs Mortal Kombat 9: Stage and Level Designing
For a successful franchise to keep hold of that "successful" tag, you have to grow and evolve with the times. And there are no complaints from the Mortal Kombat X or NetherRealm in that department. Compared to MK9, the fight stages in MK X are more interactive. This time around, you can make use of the stuff lying around the world to hit your opponent (including a local Outworld granny). Plus, the levels also look quite bright and pretty, thanks to the power of next-gen. That being said, we also loved the level designing in MK9, where we revelled in blood with NetherRealm's twisted imagination making up the background nicely. We personally loved NetherRealm's version of the lava filled hell, with sinner in the background praying for death and hands sticking out of the ground: Dark, convoluted and a perfect MK-style setting.
