Grave Gamer News & Views — fighting games
Mortal Kombat X Set to Knock Off Heads Spring 2015 The...
Mortal Kombat X Set to Knock Off Heads Spring 2015
The 22-year-old fighting institution that is Mortal Kombat, a torch now carried by NetherRealm Studios, headed by co-creator Ed Boon, is releasing its tenth installment – yes, goddamn tenth – on April 14th, 2015.
The date just so happens to land on yours truly’s birthday.
Impeccable timing, NetherRealm.
Preordering the game, the second most important metric to a publisher aside from selling the game, comes along with a quad-armed incentive: the inclusion of Goro, a character that’s only been playable in the series a handful of times.
For years, and for as much as loved Mortal Kombat’s style and lore, the series has slouched behind other competitive fighters in its gameplay. Its over-the-top bloodshed and signature finishing moves seemed to be its only defining feature as the games tried to reiterate themselves (the PS2 era was the darkest era).
But that all changed with 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot, a title that introduced an airtight fighting system that welcomed newcomers and kept veterans combo inputting for entire stretches of sleepless nights. If Mortal Kombat X can retain that magic, it’ll have no problem going toe-to-toe with its fighting game peers for another round.
Tekken + Pokemon = Pokkén? The Pokemon Company Announces Pokkén...
Tekken + Pokemon = Pokkén? The Pokemon Company Announces Pokkén Tournament
Have you ever played Pokemon, lamented at the turn-based battles and thought to yourself, “Holy hell, why can’t this just be like Tekken?”
On the reverse spectrum, have you ever listlessly slogged through Tekken’s character select screen and groaned, “I just want to play as fictional, dog-fighting animals whose only attempt at language is shouting their own names!”
Well, good goddamn, do I have a game for you that you’ve always wanted but didn’t know how to ask for. Introducing Pokkén Tournament – a 3D arcade fighter set to the tune of Tekken’s gameplay but featuring Nintendo’s beloved Pocket Monsters.
The game is being developed by Namco Bandai Games with involvement from Soul Calibur producer Masaaki Hoshino and Tekken’s own eccentric producer Katsuhiro Harada. This is far from Namco’s first foray into Nintendo trenches – both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are being created by Namco Bandai teams, which is likely how they got this unusual gig (saké probably played a big part too).
Before you mod your fightstick with a custom Pikachu inlay, keep note that no North American release has been announced. Nor is there any info on Pokkén making it to home consoles. So far, the fighter is only slated for Japanese arcades in 2015.
Watch the official teaser hereabouts.