With Mortal Kombat X just one week away, we’re in the final stretch. Don’t expect to here much new information over the next week, although keep an eye out for spoilers as leaks are very likely to be an issue this week. In honor of the game’s pending release, Netherrealm and Warner Bros. have released the official launch trailer for the game which you can find below.
Also, thanks to the various streams offerend by the developer this weekend, we can finally say that we know the complete roster for the game. We now know the names of all 24 characters and the variations planned for the launch of the game (plus the 5 DLC characters coming in the Kombat Pack and Goro).
Let’s dive into the official list of characters (with variations) and give a few thoughts on the cast on the next page.
First things first, lets run down all of the characters and their revealed variations:
1. Cassie Cage (Spec Ops, Hollywood and Brawler)
2. D’Vorah (Brood Mother, Swarm Queen and Venomous)
3. Ermac (Spectral, Mystic and Master of Souls)
4. Erron Black (Marksman, Gunslinger and Outlaw)
5. Ferra / Torr (Ruthless, Vicious and Lackey)
6. Jacqui (Shotgun, Full Auto and High Tech)
7. Jax (Pumped Up, Heavy Weapons and All American)
8. Johnny Cage (A-List, Fisticuffs and Stunt Double)
9. Kano (Commando, Cutthroat and Cybernetic)
10. Kenshi (Possessed, Balanced and Kenjutsu)
11. Kitana (Mournful, Royal Storm and Assassin)
12. Kotal Kahn (Sun God, Blood God and War God)
13. Kung Jin (Ancestral, Bojutsu and Shaolin)
14. Kung Lao (Hat Trick, Tempest and Buzzsaw)
15. Liu Kang (Flame Fist, Dragon’s Fire and Dualist)
16. Mileena (Ethereal, Piercing and Ravenous)
17. Raiden (Master of Storms, Thunder God and Displacer)
18. Reptile (Noxious, Deceptive and Nimble)
19. Scorpion (Inferno, Ninjitsu and Hellfire)
20. Shinnok (Impostor, Bone Shaper and Necromancer)
21. Sonya Blade (Covert Ops, Demolition and Special Forces)
22. Sub-Zero (Grandmaster, Cryomancer and Unbreakable)
23. Takeda (Shirai Ryu, Lasher and Ronin)
24. Quan Chi (Summoner, Sorcerer and Warlock)
Announced DLC characters:
Goro (Tigrar Fury, Kuaton Warrior and Dragon Fangs)
Jason Voorhees (variations not yet revealed)
Predator (variations not yet revealed)
Tanya (variations not yet revealed)
Tremor (variations not yet revealed)
Overall, I am pretty happy with the final roster, even though I am a little disappointed that we aren’t seeing more new faces join the fray. If this is supposed to be such a deadly tournament, how have all 7 members of the original cast managed to survive through this game? The only character from the first Mortal Kombat that is missing is Shang Tsung, who was the boss in that game. Ten out of the twelve characters from the playable roster of MK II are here as well. The entire concept of the series makes it one that is ripe for new faces to join constantly as others fall in both the tournament and the Earthrealm / Outworld war. It is really time to see a lot of characters “retired” from the game, such as Kano, Jax, Liu Kang, and even Raiden.
Despite that slight disappointment, I do like quite a few of the variations that have been made to most of the returning characters. There are some fresh takes on classic personalities like Johnny Cage, Reptile, and Ermac. This new concept of character variations helps a lot in making these returning fighters feel a bit fresh, even if it is their tenth (or more) appearance. Liu Kang and Kung Lao would have been more welcome additions if they were only available in their demon form, and maybe even Jax too. If you look at the big picture, eight of the 25 are making their series debut, which is 1/3 of the full roster, which isn’t bad honestly. That ratio goes up if you count Shinnok, Tanya, Goro, and Tremor, all of which have really been unused in the past after making their original appearances.
All in all, this is easily my most anticipated game for 2015 and I cannot wait for it to launch. You can expect our full review for the game next week.
