Predator Arrives To Hunt The Roster Of Mortal Kombat X
Ted Hentschke
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When I first heard months ago that both Predator and Jason Voorhees were going to be added to Mortal Kombat X in the Kombat Pack, I took a picture of my massive erection and used it as my Adult Friend Finder profile pic. The characters were natural fits for the comically brutal Mortal Kombat universe. Of the two, I was more excited for Predator. I’m not a huge Friday the 13th fan, but I actually grew up watching Predator and playing the Alien vs. Predator games. I remember the deathmatches in Alien vs. Predator 2 I would play at my local LAN center, bonding with my fellow gamers over ripped out skulls and munched faces. I had a very odd childhood.
Previously I wrote about Jason, and gave him a somewhat lukewarm review. As much as I liked the feel of the character, his finishers were bland. He lacked variety in his combat styles, switching between close range brawler, close range grappler, and close range stabber. He was a fun addition and good for a couple hours of entertainment, but as I stated in the review, I doubt he’s anyone’s favorite.
Predator suffers from some similar issues in diversity, but overall feels like he has enough major differences between the styles to make the decision worthwhile. Fundamentally, the character is a midrange combo brawler, with a few set up moves and enough juggles to facilitate complex attack strings. This is how the character plays in every variant, opting for differentiation in method of engagement. The Hish-Qu-Ten variant uses the iconic shoulder mounted plasma gun to harry the opponent at a distance, forcing the opponent to close the distance. The Warrior variant switches the gun out for a damaging pounce, allowing you to take the gap closing initiative. The Hunter variant utilizes a trap to control extra field area and set up longer combos. So the fundamentals are still the same, but it doesn’t feel like the same thing in each style.
What really stood out to me was how much control you had over each of the style specific moves. The sheer amount of different angles you can shoot your shoulder cannon at is staggering. Each move has a close, medium, far, and sometimes air version, and each of those can be modified to go a little extra in either direction. It offers you a level of control that is going to be very appealing to expert players and almost ignored by casuals.
One thing that I didn’t like about the character was how often damage de-activates your moves. If you place a trap, damage will cause it to despawn. I can understand this during the setup animation, but it seems odd otherwise. The same thing happens with the self-destruct move, removing a lot of the defensive application and tactical complexity.
But you aren’t here for all that nerdy “gameplay” stuff. You want to know if the predator is still a skull ripping human skinning badass. As far as the feel of the character, he is incredibly fast. He captures that “faster, stronger, deadlier” feel of the movie, fielding deadly blades with savage speed. He cuts, stabs, and rips on par with Jason, and feels distinct from the rest of the cast. I was a bit disappointed in his fatalities, but they were much better than Jason’s. Knocking someone’s head off with a plasma cannon isn’t exactly original, but the Predator wouldn’t be complete without it, and the dangling tongue at the end is a nice touch.
The standout for the character is his brutalities. With many of the other brutalities just being an extra bloody final move with an exploding head or an arm being ripped of, Predator takes it a step further. He cuts people in half, splits skulls, and most gloriously skins people alive. When a skinless Scorpion hangs upside down from a rope as his entrails litter the ground below and Predator laughs invisibly in the background, Ted is pleased.
The character pack he comes with this time is kind of lame, with Carl Weathers Jax the only standout addition. Thermal Scorpion is certainly unique, but the lack of definition makes fatalities look cheap. The new Johnny Cage skin looks like the other Johnny Cage skins with some extra detail. Super exciting.
So down to the age old question, is it worth getting? Well at this point, the Kombat Pack is almost entirely here, with only Tremor left and some skin packs. As a stand alone, its really hard to recommend any character for $10, no matter how badass. Predator is definitely my favorite character they have released so far. If you were looking to pick it up at some point, now isn’t a bad time. The legs you are going to get out of it really depend on how much you love Mortal Kombat. This is a product for fans, more fun than substantial and with lots of smirks and knowing nods. Pick up the Kombat Pack if you are a fan, and see what Tremor brings next month.
Categorized:Horror Gaming News
