Mortal Kombat 9

"Finish Him!" -Shao Kahn

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Official PS3 box art.

Mortal Kombat (also known as Mortal Kombat 9 or Mortal Kombat 2011, to differentiate it from the original), is the most recent installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, developed by NetherRealm Studios.

History

The story takes place after the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but during the time of first three games: Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3. The events of the games, however, take place in a different scenario because Raiden, the god of thunder, has knowledge of the future.

Mortal Kombat is the first M-rated Mortal Kombat game to be developed for the seventh generation of consoles, as opposed to the T-rated Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. This is also the first title to include 3D graphics, although gameplay has been brought back to its classic 2D plane. The developers have also stated that this is the first game in which they are making a conscious effort to create deeper gameplay for more hardcore players.

Story

The story begins with Raiden, just when he is about to be killed by Shao Kahn in the events that happen after Armageddon. In a last effort, he sends a message to himself in the past, in the era of "Mortal Kombat", the first game. The rest of the story follows that Raiden's past and shows him trying to understand the visions and messages he gets from himself in the future and trying to prevent the events that lead to destruction of all realities, thus trying to change the course of history itself.

Characters

The player would have the ability to play as multiple characters during the course of story. According to the developers, the story will be much longer than the story present in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The developers have noticed that the story had been ignored in the past in favor for the fighting gameplay "action" and wanted to make a change in that for Mortal Kombat.

Excluded from the story campaign, players would be able to play as Kratos, god of war, who has his own personal set of moves, fighting arena with stage fatalities and his own personal story for Arcade Ladder mode.

Kratos' Biography

"Ancient Greece knew no more bloodthirsty a warrior than Kratos, who for a time was the God of War. Mortal once more, Kratos withdrew from the ages-old clash between men and gods. But his solitude was broken when he was ripped through space and time. As the madness subsided, Kratos found himself in present-day Outworld, kneeling before Shao Kahn. To ensure his victory in Mortal Kombat, the emperor had

invoked an ancient ritual, sacrificing the souls of his vanguard to summon and enslave the most powerful warrior of all time. But the spell alone could not contain Kratos, who soon regained his free will. Enraged by Shao Kahn's arrogance, Kratos vowed to rip the warlord's spine from his body. The God of War had returned to battle."

Kratos' Ending

"Shao Kahn was dead. The God of War had prevailed. The spell that had summoned him began to reverse itself. As he slowly faded from this place and time, Kratos was approached by Raiden and Fujin. Though he did not count them among his enemies, Kratos had never been beloved by these gods. He prepared for kombat. To his surprise, they bowed to him, a show of respect he had not seen from an immortal in many an age. Raiden explained that though his motives were not pure, Kratos had saved Earthrealm. He was owed a debt of gratitude. As he returned to his own world, Kratos nodded silently. Their change of heart would perhaps prove useful one day. A debt of gratitude is often dearly paid."

Trivia

• The Gamespot Mortal Kombat gameplay trailer saw Kratos using Apollo's bow, the Blades of Athena, Helios' head, the Blade of Olympus, the Nemean Cestus, Hermes' winged boots, and quicktime events.
• Kratos also uses a gorgon head as seen in his second fatality, but the head does not appear to be Euryale's nor Medusa's since the head is not pale white as opposed to Euryale's and has long snake hair as opposed to Medusa's. The head sort of resembles that of a Gorgon Serpent's, but in darker color.

Gallery

Kratos, as seen in Mortal Kombat 9

Kratos, as seen in MK9, with the Blades of Athena

Video

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