Mortal Kombat has always been known for its gore, of which there is no shortage in this latest installment of the series. The tournament of our souls, contestants from Earthrealm compete in Mortal Kombat to save mankind from the wrath of Shao Kahn. ("The Wrath of Khan", anyone?)
On the surface, Shao Kahn appears to be a representation of the devil. He used to serve under Onaga (Omega) until he (Shao Kahn) poisoned Onaga in order to take over, and expand upon, the Outworld Empire. Two of his more notable conquests (as they're mentioned throughout the series) is Shokan (from which Sheeva and Goro come) and Edenia (clearly Eden). He took Queen Sindel for his wife and Princess Kitana as his daughter, presumably by force, when he conqured Edenia.
Yet things take an interesting turn in story-mode when Raiden, the God of Thunder, offers the souls of all who were lost during the tournament to Quan Chi in exchange for Quan Chi's assistance in Earthrealm's victory. Shao Kahn had already beat Raiden to the punch. Is Quan Chi merely the keeper of Hell, working for/with Shao Kahn? Or is Quan Chi a far greater threat than Shao Kahn, merely biding his time?
In the older days
Now
Check the symbols on his shoulder
Quan Chi has moves that consist of controlling his opponents mind, causing them to walk toward him in a zombie-like state, or to cause harm to themselves. He also resurrects Queen Sindel from the dead, as she had previously sacrificed herself to protect Earthrealm. Upon her resurrection, she is controlled by Quan Chi and Shao Kahn, fighting those she once saved. Kitana tries to remind Sindel of their days back in Edenia, to no avail. (The original SIN of Eden=corruption of woman by the devil)
The character that most disturbs many players is Reptile. In the early days he appeared human. Later on his "true form" was revealed. Now you have to unlock his human form, though it's not called that.
In 2010 when the above reptilian image was first revealed, players seemed unhappy. Some comments:
"I'm hoping Reptile gets his alternative human form costume. I was never a fan of his true form."
"Everyone looks good so far except Reptile. Seriously, bring back his old humanoid ninja look. He looks like he was taken out of a BDSM porno in this game."
"Honestly when they made Reptile into his true form, I hated him. But he actually looks really good!"
"I hope reptile ghets his original costume (or atleast one like the 1st MK Film) atleast as an alternative outfit."
A feeling I keep getting as I play, or watch others play, this game is that we're being prepared for something. I find myself picturing MKSlaves being triggered into ninja-assassins to beat us all into submission, or death. With Reptile, the feeling is a little different. David Icke lost a lot of credibility with his talk of Reptilians and aliens, so I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
I believe he's performing a Fatality on Nightwolf
This game is full of symbolism and graphic violence. Desensitization!
Twin Dragons, Twin columns, Sun behind head. There appears to be an eye
Princess Kitana chained up between two columns (one out of frame) in her "father" Shao Kahn's arena. She is held captive for "disobedience" after she discovers her "sister" Mileena in the forbidden Flesh Pits
Kitana finds Mileena laying on the "bed" beneath the body
Mileena greets her "sister"
Shao Kahn favors Mileena as his "true daughter". She is in part a clone of Kitana mixed with Tarkatan blood, created by Shang Tsung under Shao Kahn's order
The Living Forest. During stage fatalities, opponets can be fed to trees
Lovely decor and mountains. The moon sure captures the eye
Pleasant
Wonderful face in the background
I find it interesting that the company recently revamped itself to NetherRealm Studios.
This company worked with a slew of others in the making of MK 9, the most unusual one (imo) being Turtle(TM)...why is it so strange? Because try as I might, I could not find it online. Its logo is that of an angry looking bunny head. Reference to the Tortoise and the Hare? Who's the tortoise? Who's the hare? Here's some of the others who helped MK 9 come to be.
What's with the focus on AG/GA?
Why do we need games spying on us?
Mortal Kombat at E3
Step into another world...
Is Mortal Kombat simply just a kick-ass game that delivers what the audience wants? Or are they trying to tell us something? You be the judge.
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