Ed Boon Gauges Interest In A Remastered Mortal Kombat Game, And Shaolin Monks Tops The List

Ed Boon is asking fans what Mortal Kombat games they would most like to see remastered. Ed Boon ran a poll on Twitter asking fans to vote on which of four games they'd like to see them bring back.

The titles available are Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 9, Mortal Kombat: Deception, and Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks. In that order, there is a classic 2D game, a 2D fighter with 3d assets, a 3d fighter with the most innovative story mode of any Mortal Kombat game, and an amazing action game. As expected, Shaolin Monks is very popular, so popular that it trended on Twitter overnight.

Ed Boon's tweet goes over the 30-year history of Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat 2 saw its release back in June 1993 and introduced players to a canonical timeline. Sub Zero had died in the original Mortal Kombat; why was he back? The new boss, Shao Kahn, was just as intimidating as he was foretold to be. This was the start of a great storyline that only one movie got right. (Don't @ me, I'm right.)

Mortal Kombat: Deception followed in 2004, a fighting game in 3D. It was possible for players to move around the arena and use it to their advantage. Although it was fun, the 3D aspect was removed for a good reason.

The story mode of Mortal Kombat: Deception was an RPG lover's dream. It had a great story that played out like a Mortal Kombat game. You could meet your heroes and decide, for the most part, how events played out. It was also an awesome twist at the end.

As the first title developed by the newly formed NetherRealm Studios, Mortal Kombat 9 was released in 2011. In reality, this was just the old company returning to do business as usual. If it weren't for Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the new Mortal Kombats would be my favorites.

The winner was Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, from 2005, where Kung Lao and Liu Kang fought their way through waves of enemies. This was the most innovative Mortal Kombat game to date and is best played with couch co-op. It would be great if this was remastered.

Although it might come as a surprise to some, Shaolin Monks won. A remake of this game is constantly requested; it's too good not to be remade. In my opinion, it deserves a remake since it would pave the way for a story mode like Mortal Kombat: Deception.

My question is: Why did anyone vote for Mortal Kombat 2 or 9?

A great example of a sequel feeling different is Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V, which are clearly two different games. On the opposite side of things, Marvel's Spider-Man plays an awful lot like Spider-Man 2. Generally, sequels to fighting games follow the same formula and are essentially remasters. Sometimes, things are left out in sequels, or the feel is different, but a remaster will not change that.

I have played all of the Mortal Kombat games, and while the fighting has changed over the years, they are essentially just remade every time. Mortal Kombat 2 and Mortal Kombat 9 have different fighting styles. Mortal Kombat 2 has a simpler button-mashing system, and its combos aren't as strict. Still, if you're hoping for an upscaled version of Mortal Kombat 2, a remaster isn't going to deliver that.

When games are remastered for money, what doesn't work isn't kept, but what works is updated, plus new content is added. Mass Effect Legendary Edition fixed a lot of problems with the older games, from graphics to the worst driving system I've encountered. Things like powers, the hud, and shooting in Mass Effect 1 were changed to be better suited to the next two games. If Mortal Kombat 2 were remastered, it would look a lot like Mortal Kombat 11. Essentially, you're asking for Mortal Kombat 12.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks or Mortal Kombat: Deception primarily offer story modes that are entirely different from traditional Mortal Kombat games. Regardless of what you think of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, it stood out from the crowd. That's what I would like to see more of, not changes in the main series; they're great, but spin-offs.