You'll be able to pick from two different special editions and, if you reserve your game, you'll get laced with some pre-order exclusive DLC.
Warner Bros has announced a release month for the upcoming Mortal Kombat, pegging the fighting game down as an April 2011 release, as opposed to the seasonal "Spring" listing it had before. But super eager fans can venture outside to major retailers as early as this afternoon in order to procure a pre-order ticket for one of two different special edition bundles, as well as retailer-tied character and fatality DLC.
The first of these special edition bundles is the "Kollector's Edition," which features Sub-Zero and Scorpion figurines, an art book, an "exclusive" classic Mortal Kombat costume skin, and themed avatar costumes. The other edition is the "Tournament Edition," which features a limited-release "portable fight stick" and another classic Mortal Kombat costume skin, as well as themed avatar costumes.
Pre-ordering either of these special editions, or even the vanilla edition of the pseudo-reboot, will get you additional "exclusive access" to DLC at Amazon, GameStop or Best Buy. I've created a little list here for your reading pleasure:
== TEASER == GameStop
"Klassic" Scorpion Playable Character Skin
Original Scorpion Fatality
Best Buy
"Klassic" Sub-Zero Playable Character Skin
Original Sub-Zero Fatality
Amazon
"Klassic" Reptile Playable Character Skin
Original Reptile Fatality
The DLC fatalities appear in addition to the two character-specific fatalities that each character will have by default. Amazon is the first of these retailers to release an image of this pre-order DLC. Check out Reptile's classic look:
In other Mortal Kombat news, God of War's Kratos was confirmed as a PS3-exclusive character at the Spike VGAs. According to WBIE, he'll have his own move set, fatality, and fighting arena. NetherRealm's Ed Boon spoke briefly about Kratos' inclusion in a recent press release. "We could not be more excited to have Kratos in the new Mortal Kombat, since we've always felt he would fit perfectly into our universe and can't wait for Mortal Kombat and God of War fans to play this game," he said.
@Cisko: Their job is to sell a game to entertain people. If they're screwing me out of content that could have been in the game to begin with, just to make people pay more money, why should I put up with that? Yes, they're a business, but a business that's completely dependant on appeasing the fans.
If you're happy enough to be screwed over like this.. expect it to keep happening and more regularly.
"Why all the fuss? Pre-order bonuses are >DLC< meaning it will be available later from your preferred download store. So you get the one you prefer to shop with (Best Buy for me) and you get what they offer. Then in a short time after the game is released you buy and download the other skins/fatalities if you are into that. However, they are KLASSIC, meaning they are the same as MK1 (or 2 as I'm sure Reptile's fatality is the "eat his head" one). The characters in game will still be wearing clothes, just reboot clothes. And they will still kill dudes in extravagent and gorey fashion...just rebooted gorey fashion! Stop worrying so much, any extra content is good extra content. At least it's not exclusive "gold" weapons which do NOTHING but cosmetic....fatalities are always fun to watch. "
Well, for one thing, people who want a complete game have to pre-order it 3 times. Second, these pre-order bonuses are almost always exclusive to North America, leaving the rest of the world out. I don't mind buying them at a later time as DLC, but whose to say it'll even be released as DLC later on? The only one benefiting from pre-order exclusive DLC are the retailers and eBayers who don't care about the game in the first place.
Man, this is a tough call. Really, I wish I could have all 3. Classic Sub-Zero has the best fatality with the head/spine rip, I think. Well, dude, I'm not sure what is considered Reptile's classic fatality. Didn't he have the same one, since in MK1 he had just Sub-Zero's and Scorpion's moves? Hmm... I don't remember. I'm not too crazy about the MK figurines, though. I wouldn't want to pay more than $70 for the cheaper bundle, but considering how much content it has, I imagine it'll be $80 or $90. I might need to stick to the regular version and just preorder it for the bonus costume and fatality.
Classic Reptile looks freaking awesome in that picture.
Pre-order bonuses are sadly becoming the norm these days. More and more I yearn for the old days when everyone got exactly the same game. These bonuses will only serve as ammo for the dick-waggling smack-talking arseholes which inhabit the forums of gaming worldwide.
@WinterSnowblind: See the thing is, I don't think anyone is getting screwed over. You're still getting 99% of the content. All you're missing is a few little things. I don't agree with games offering pre-order DLC that actually changes gameplay, but in this situation, it doesn't. I think what we have here, is another case of people getting upset because they're not getting more for less.
" @WinterSnowblind: See the thing is, I don't think anyone is getting screwed over. You're still getting 99% of the content. All you're missing is a few little things. I don't agree with games offering pre-order DLC that actually changes gameplay, but in this situation, it doesn't. I think what we have here, is another case of people getting upset because they're not getting more for less. "
I agree. These bonuses are completely and utterly superficial. And one has to wonder, had this DLC model not been in place, would they have ever bothered doing the work to make these costumes in the first place? Whatever, though.
In other news, Gamestop has the Kollector's and Tournament edition pages up.
Tournament Edition - 150 usd
Tournament Edition
Mortal Kombat Fight Stick
High quality, authentic Suzo Happ arcade parts for the ultimate in performance.
Designed exclusively by NetherRealm Studios
Inspired by the wooden arcade cabinets from the golden age of gaming
Features the classic Mortal Kombat ergonomic button layout to best optimize game play.
Memory foam underside for comfortable lap use
Flip open lid for easy arcade part customization access and storage.
Retro-Ninja costume Exclusive alternate in-game costume inspired by the classic Mortal Kombat character designs.
Mortal Kombat inspired costumes to decorate your avatar on PSN. (or XBLA)
Kollector's Edition - 100 usd
Kollector's Edition
Kollectible figurines of Scorpion and Sub-Zero that double up as video game ‘bookends’ for your favorite Mortal Kombat games.
Hand sculpted with high level of detail
Decorated using an artful combination of spray mask, tampo print, free spray and hand washes.
The Art of Mortal Kombat
A 110+ page book featuring original concept sketches and game art from the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat.
Retro-Ninja costume
Exclusive alternate in-game costume inspired by the original character designs.
Mortal Kombat inspired costumes to decorate your avatar on PSN. (or XBLA)
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