Month: February 2015

Though far from perfect, DC Comics current run of Mortal Kombat X comics are a ton of fun, especially when you’re sitting around on a Sunday afternoon dreading the coming work week. As part of their Digital First promotion, this lead-up to NetherRealm Studios’ next fighting game provides a perfect bite-sized chunk of pulpy narrative before being collected into larger volumes every month.

Yesterday’s issue, however, did something wrong. Very wrong.

Please be warned, spoilers and graphic content follow below.

See, there’s currently a war going on in the Netherrealm between forces controlled by Kotal Kahn (fresh from his escapades introducing human sacrifice to our world) and Mileena. Shokan prince Goro recently betrayed the former to join up with the latter (who he also plans to turn on eventually), and ended up killing Kotal’s father K’etz as he led a group to punish him for his treason.

Thanks to a little help from Rain (off-screen help, mind you), who used his abilities to call forth a storm and shut down K’etz sun-derived powers, Goro was able to easily dispatch the threat, causing Kotal to fly into a rage and head off to take care of him alone.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, Goro once again commanded Rain to block the sun. Unfortunately for the Edenian royal, however, Kotal controlled even greater powers thanks to his new status as a blood god (yeah, I have no idea), calling forth a scorching ray of light that…well, completely jacks Rain up.

While I can’t really call myself a huge Mortal Kombat fan, I’ve always had a soft spot for Rain thanks to his stylish purple garb and the developers’ riff on the famous Prince album. He, along with Ermac, were typically my go-to characters whenever I sat down with 2011’s Mortal Kombat, and I was hoping beyond hope that he would eventually be announced for Mortal Kombat X.

Sure, this isn’t any indication that he won’t be playable in the upcoming title, seeing as just about everyone in the franchise has been dead at one point or another, but it certainly made my stomach sink seeing him introduced for only a split second before being reduced to a charred corpse.

What have been some of your most memorable or least favorite moments in the Mortal Kombat X comic thus far? Let us know in the comments!

Should you be averse to importing fighting games from Japan before they officially arrive in other regions, you’ll be happy to know that Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late is now available in North America.

Developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software of Melty Blood fame, Under Night brings together a cast of both original characters and guest stars in a unique fighting system that incorporates a tug-of-war-esque shared meter. But don’t let its fresh mechanics and anime aesthetic fool you–this title draws a lot of its playstyle from more traditional, ground-based franchises.

For a more complete look at what Under Night brings to the table, be sure to give some love to guest writer Aevee Bee’s excellent write-up from last November.

As a rather niche title, you might have some trouble finding this fighter in stores. Fortunately, you can always grab the digital version through PlayStation Network, where it is currently discounted to $33.99 (or $23.79 if you happen to be a PlayStation Plus subscriber).

Source: PlayStation Network