So, against all reason and sense, I managed to get my paws on the Special Edition of MKX early this morning.

Said edition includes the "kollective kold-war" scorpion skin, which becomes considerably more enjoyable once you don't have to type it out anymore. I'm unsure whether it features it's own Fatality as some of the skins in the past have. I'll update if that is in fact the case. It also features Goro. Someone cares about that, I'm sure.

The Special Edition features a very nice steelbook case, and they aren't kidding around when they claim it's 3D embossed. It's startlingly prolific. Beneath is the entire pack of content.

Now, I am not in a position where I need to observe an embargo, (life decisions without consequences, wohoo!) And so I can hopefully answer any potential questions you guys and girls have.

It seems online is only partially implemented at this point, so you can't join any rooms, but quick-searching for games does seem to work. When you first boot up the game, they prompt you to join a faction after showing a tutorial video featuring some of the unique faction-based fatalities, and they tease "invasion bosses". I've also not been able to redeem Goro as of yet (there's a bad joke to be made here), though I am able to use the new scorpion skin.

As a whole, my impression of the game is very, very positive so far. It plays really damn well, maintaining a high frame rate and the animations feel smooth in a way that's quite unlike previous MK games.

By now, there are official videos online show-casing the first 30 minutes of the story, as well as twitch users who have streamed the entire damn thing and then some, so if you guys are interested in details of said story, you have yourself a platform to find them. All I'll say about it is that I'm genuinely enjoying the damn thing. It's dumb in that lovably way you'd expect, but considerably larger in scope than I'd anticipated, spending more time on the characters and dialogue rather than just ushering you from one fight into the next.

I've spent quite a lot of time with MK9 and Injustice, so take this with a grain of salt, but so far, I've found it a bit easier to string combos together than it was in the previous games. That said, there does seem to be more of a damage reduction than in MK9, so I doubt we'll see any 56 % combos a la Cyrax. Now, perhaps I've just gotten better at this type of game, or the windows might be a little bit more forgiving. The greatly improved practice mode, which might be the best I've ever seen in a fighting game, goes a long way to help either way.

I'll also go out of my way to say that the new characters feel unique. They play differently, and they have their own identity. It's obvious Netherrealm has put a lot of time into this next generation of characters, and I'm getting to the point where I really want to experiment with each and every one of them. My one concern with this game had been that it'd simply be more of MK9, but that isn't the case between the variations, the greatly improved story mode and the terrific new kharacters.

If you guys have any more specific questions, feel free to toss 'em my way.

@do_the_manta_ray: I was having the same problem trying to post your original images. Saving your images to my desktop and then taking screenshots of them seemed to do the trick.

edit...and now the stock image you put in there has disappeared, as well as the other two of yours I had edited in. Hm.

Who is your favorite new character so far?

Do you think people will just favour a particular variation of each character, or will people choose different variations depending on the matchup (sort of like how SF4 lets you pick different ultras and some are better against certain characters than others)?

How long is the story?

How are the variations working out?

@mb: Oh, I didn't realize you had edited them in. My bad, I deleted them to maintain some consistency as I didn't want only a couple of my shots in there. Thanks for the help, though.

@theacidskull: I haven't finished the story yet, so I can't say. My impression right now is that it's fairly lengthy as the few chapters I've done have been considerably longer than in the previous games.

@bisonhero: I think that will very much be a case of differing levels of player skill. Less experienced players will likely settle for a single variation at first, and then branch out past that once they improve. The variations do seem to be very well implemented, giving each character a chance against another even if the kharacter match-up isn't favourable. I've been doing some very hard bot matches (the AI in this is considerably meaner than MK9), and found that switching up the variations did a lot for my odds against different foes. There's a lot of depth there, as well, with some variations forcing you to play very differently, both in terms of the kind of attacks you can utilize, and the safe distance to do so from.

@i_stay_puft: So far, Erron Black. He's a mix-up/zoner combination, which isn't something you tend to see a lot. He's able to deal a lot of damage from a safe range, and has multiple attacks that punish enemies for trying to get in too close, and allow him to put some distance between them. Or he can close the gap himself, and juggle like few others. Also, his X-Ray is the best thing ever.

@do_the_manta_ray: Awesome! How is Kotal Khan? Or have you reached his chapter yet?
The reason I ask is because he is one of the more well-developed characters in the MKX comic book so I am wondering if that carries over to the game.

Does the challenge tower from MK9 make a return in this one? I really liked that mode a lot.

Is the krypt of secrets as extensive? That's assuming there is one.

And how many battles for a single arcade mode? Just in case I decide to unlock every ending again

@theacidskull: Kotal Kahn gets his chapter fairly early on, and yeah, absolutely. He isn't just an interesting character in his own right, but his position as Emperor puts him in some really cool scenarios. They do a lot with him, and it extends beyond his own chapter. I also want to point out that Netherrealm's done great job with the facial expressions and the body language in this game. I find myself warming to people I'd genuinely disliked previously, such as Kano.

@hippie_genocide: You betcha it does. This time they've got traditional towers as the ones you know, and "living" towers which they're going to continue to add to over the months past the game's release. There's also "tower challenges" that allow you to challenge your friends to randomly generated towers, see who manages what.

@csl316: The krypt is fucking crazy. You walk around a-la Grimrock, and you have a map and a god damn inventory. I actually don't think that there is a traditional arcade more this time around, it looks to have been replaced by a tower that's similar in make-up. Not sure if there are endings for each character once you finish 'em, though with the way they present them, I'd almost think there has to be.

@l1ghtn1n: Cooking with Scorpion was incredible. I haven't gotten too deep into the krypt yet, but it is extensive and weird in it's own right as I mentioned to the user above. I bet there'll be some crazy stuff in there. Brutalities are triggered by ending matches with different special abilities under different circumstances. They're basically meant to be secrets that you either unlock in the crypt, or find out for yourself. I've found a couple, but this ain't the place to spoil 'em, I don't think.
Right now, the chat servers are down for the online, so I can't access much of it. Thus, I'm unable to tell you just how much there is to it. You do get all the traditional options for rooms, modes, quick-search and ranked play, and they've made it very easy to challenge a friend of yours, or to invite someone to a practice session. There's also the faction war to be considered. I do believe there is tournament modes in there, but I've yet to see any clan support.

sounds like a new version of mk9

consider me stoked

Oh lawd. I hope the krypt monster doesn't make a return. I HATED that guy. That's mostly because I'm a wuss when it comes to jump scares. Glad to hear you're enjoying the game so far!

Does the game seem like it would be enjoyable to someone who has barely played any fighting games? I love the art style and characters, and would really love to play the story mode but is there enough there for someone like me?

@do_the_manta_ray: My only question is what did they NOT tell us. What's the most hidden thing they didn't say in a stream that people would find appealing, be it a fatality or something else. Btw, put a spoiler block on it for people who don't want to see it. :)

@vegetashonor:

@j_unit2008: Hah! I'm a horror game enthusiast, and that thing's nearly made me jump out of my chair a few times, just so damn unexpected. Ain't seen him yet, but you know what? I fucking bet he is in there, and worse.

@shortbreadtom: I would say yes, but that'll come down to whether you think you might warm to the genre. The story mode seems lengthy and flexible as you can play it with different difficulty settings, and there is a ton of really crazy optional challenges to be done in the towers that I think anyone could appreciate, fighting game enthusiast or no. The entire thing is a spectacle, be it the story mode or just a versus match, making it fun to watch. The game also sports a terrific tutorial and what I think might be the best practice mode in any fighting game I've seen, period. There's also online rooms specific for newcomers, letting you match up against people who are in the same place as you. The thing is, no matter how you twist it, it is a fighting game. Not having played a lot of 'em won't be a problem at all, but not enjoying them will be. If that's the case I'd say wait for a sale or a price-drop.

Only the one question: Have you noticed the glaring eyebeams of jealousy that I've been aiming at you since I saw this thread? *glares with jealousy*

Injustice had the option to do a single match against an AI opponent. Does that feature return in Mortal Kombat X?

WAIT WAIT WAIT. YOU'RE JOKING RIGHT?

This will be, more or less, the first Mortal Kombat that I will play. I played a bit of MK2 on the SNES back in the day but I never really had much interest in it. This has pretty much persisted up until and through my adult life. This one for some reason is the one that caught my interest. I think part of it is Jeff's seemingly revived interest from what he's seen so far.

I'm wondering if I'll like it at all. So naturally I bought the ultimate edition.

Actually part of it also was I'd never played a NetherRealm game then I played Injustice and enjoyed it decently.

Spoiler Question:

Is Rain actually playable? As far as I've seen online, you fight him throughout the course of the story mode, but his attacks are simply copied-and-pasted from his MK9 moveset, and he doesn't have any actual variations. Like the other characters.

@do_the_manta_ray: Is the Krypt "jump-scare" still in effect if you leave the screen idling there?

Edit: Nevermind! I see it's been asked and answered. I'll go back to ALSO directing intense beams of jealousy at you.

@do_the_manta_ray: Whoah! No way! So what gives you the indication that it's an actual thing and not a rumor?

@do_the_manta_ray: How beginner friendly is the game?

@l1ghtn1n: @vegetashonor: @historyinrust: @xolare: Alright, first of all, let me clarify something in regards to that secret. Spoiler blocks as follows.

@shagge:@undeadpool: I thought those were just Kano's eyelasers. See, that's what I get for playing the game so damn much!

@historyinrust: Yes, you can single match against the AI.

@freezyfrog: Another user was asking that a bit earlier, you can find my full response in my previous post in this thread. To summarize it for you, very. But boy, there is also more depth in this game than any other in the series, that's for sure.

when does the embargo lift?

When will I get it?

Is this a pimple or a boil?

Is it good?

When the story campaign changes from one character to the next (I'm assuming it works like MK9 here), do you get a chance to practice with the new character or are you just thrown into it like in MK9?

That is a game changer!

So awesome to hear this game has way more cool stuff than expected

@l1ghtn1n:

@ripelivejam: It's a mole, don't play with that. God, don't you know your own body?

@mikew1980uk: Veeeery good so far. Loving every moment. Just so much more depth to it than I'd anticipated going in from MK9, which is a game I played to death.

@lemonhead: Unfortunately, they throw you right in. It's probably my only complaint with the game so far. The pause screen does have a "essential move-list" component to it, though, so you don't necessarily need to start digging in the move-lists proper for all the combos if you're playing on lower difficulties.

@slag: They just went all out. I feel like there's a surprise around every corner, and I'm barely scratching the surface here.

Is the classic MK theme somewhere in the game?

Scorpion or Sub Zero?

Super jealous!

Who did you play in previous NR games and so far who are you enjoying playing as the most in this one (+favourite variation/s)?

@do_the_manta_ray: Hold on, isn't that sticker designed for an Xbox One controller despite you having a PS4 copy of the game?

Once online opens up I'd love to hear how the latency turns out. Injustice's latency wasn't all too great..

@isomeri: Holy crap, good eye. And then he never responded...huh...Damn good catch!

@vegetashonor: What could it mean? How high up does this go? .. Get out while you can. @isomeri: I hadn't even noticed it myself, mainly because I didn't give a rat's ass about the sticker, but now I feel kinda' bummed out. That's entitlement for you. Seriously, though, good eye. Worth noting that the sticker came outside of the box, so probably just a packaging mishap.

@geraltitude: Not that I've seen so far, but I'd be REALLY surprised if it wasn't.

@arbitrarywater: Scorpion as a kharacter in the lore, Sub-Zero as an actual playable son of a gun.

@overnow: I've always tried to main a number of characters, for match-up purposes as well as because folks who pick the same kharacter over and over again are as boring as it gets. In MK9, I played a LOT of Sub-Zero, Cyber Sub-Zero, Kenshi, Smoke, Noob Saibot, and to a lesser extent Reptile and Cyrax. I could also play Scorpion really well, but didn't because everyone else picked him all the time.

So far, I've gotten the most enjoyment out of playing as Sub-Zero and Erron Black, though I've been weirdly impressed with Cassie Cage, Ferra/Torr and Scorpion as well. Sub-Zero has two really great variations, Unbreakable and Grandmaster. The former lets you pressure like nobody has ever pressured before and allows you to completely shut people down. Grandmaster is more of trap-based variation that has you using your ice-clones to great effect. His final one, Cryomancer, has the best combos by far, but I ain't too crazy about the special moves yet compared to the other two. As for Erron Black, gunslinger variation all the damn way. All the damn way. His other ones are actually really interesting, too, but that variation in particular just speaks to me as it allows you to be so damn aggressive with a character that functions best from range, and so turning him into a kind of mix-up/rushdown/zoner. It's really pretty great.

@do_the_manta_ray: I don't really have anything to say about Mortal Kombat, but I wanted to remark on how much I enjoy your writing style!

Is there any sort of implication of microtransactions and the like?

Would you recommend playing with a fight stick? I got the game this morning and I'm having a bit of trouble with the tutorial, I'm doing the correct inputs but for some reason it doesn't count or then I manage to do what it wants and don't understand what I did differently.

@do_the_manta_ray: When you say "dumb", for the story mode, you mean that in a good way right?

another question would be have you spent any time in the krypt yet? i watched some of the leaked vids out there and it looks awesome now.

@goldone: I was having those exact issues in the beginning, but once I got accustomed to the controls I was able to pull all the techniques off without a hitch. Keep playing for a couple of hours, and you'll probably get the hang of it. If not, then yeah, go for a fight stick. Or a flight stick, be as special as you can be.

@mub: I haven't seen a single trace that points towards there being anything of the like. That said, they haven't yet made available any of the DLC for the game, so it's impossible for me to be certain. I really doubt it, though.

@mrfluke: I believe my exact phrasing was lovably dumb. So yes, absolutely. The game is very self-aware, and very charming when it wants to be. That said, it also features surprisingly good character moments, so don't write it off as a one-key ordeal. I've already commented on the Krypt earlier on in this here thread, but yeah, I've been running around whenever I've accrued enough koins to do something with, exploring and generally pissing myself at the notion of the krypt monster's return. It's pretty great.

@gregorygold: As someone who styles himself as a writer, I really appreciate that. Thank you, man.

@do_the_manta_ray: oh never, i love the Mk storyline, so to hear that they did great is fantastic, its just when i hear people describe an aspect of a game as "dumb" it kinda throws me for a loop, because i wonder if the person means that in a good way or a bad way.

One other question, in the story mode, have you encountered or heard of Reiko or Havik yet? they are sort of Major characters in the comics so im curious if they made the jump to the proper game's story mode.

@do_the_manta_ray: Yeah, thought so. You write with wit, and no little warmth! Keep at it!

@do_the_manta_ray: If I'm having trouble with the regular ps4 controller I think a flight stick would be a bit too advanced. I'll take it into consideration though, maybe get something to track my head movements too so it can see me jump while in the krypt.