Mortal Kombat was the game parents didn’t want their kids to play. Back in the day (the early ‘90s to be exact), the words, “Finish Him,” meant decapitation, impalings, and all that was wrong about video games. 2014 has been the year of the remake, and in 2015, Mortal Kombat X will join the rehashes.
How far has video gaming come? The announce trailer shows an epic battle between Sub-Zero and Scorpion in a forest. It’s dark and cold. How cold? Probably sub-zero cold. Similar to other games out there like Sniper Elite 3, we get a slo-mo x-ray view as organs get smushed and bones cracked. There’s an impaling and a decapitation. Enough to make mothers gasp, but still, all pretty tame compared to games today.
In a morbid way, Mortal Kombat was an innovator. It played a major role in starting ESRB. There was controversy when it first rolled out in the early ‘90s. But the X doesn’t quite disrupt, at least based on the trailer. It shows an environment as found-weapon: a frozen branch becomes a club. It’s also very cinematic but it’s still an old-school fighting game, more or less. Which is all very cool, don’t get me wrong. Mind Over Splatter and Migraine and Buzz Kill and all other Fatalities are all pretty awesome, even twenty years later. So bring it on and Finish That Game.