Updated: February 17, 8:05 EST
When Sony unveiled "Reality Fighters" alongside the PlayStation Vita last year, it helped to flex the upcoming handheld's augmented reality muscle. But most fight fans didn't care; they want recognizable characters and proven gameplay, not a glorified tech demo in their minds. That's where "Mortal Kombat" comes in to save the day.
Aside from being a faithful port of the franchise's well-received revival on the PS3 and Xbox 360 from last year, it will also bring the entire cast into the real world:
So instead of Outworld, why not not have Sub Zero rip out the spine of Scorpion while waiting at the dentist's office? Sounds more entertaining than that two month old copy of GQ, at the very least.
The video also highlights a couple of other Vita specific additions to the formula, including modes that tap into the system's gyroscopes and touchscreen. No specific release date has been given, just the timeframe of "Spring 2012."
UPDATE: a reader has brought to our attention how the augmented reality features that is implied by the video does not actually exist. Which is confirmed by a tweet from the co-creator of "Mortal Kombat" himself, Ed Boon.
Gaming blog TheSixthAxis, one of the numerous outlets, alongside MSNBC, to also believe the game contained such functionality, states: "Warner Bros. has been in touch to let us know that this trailer isn’t showing off an AR feature. The purpose of the trailer is to demonstrate that, with PS Vita, you can play Mortal Kombat anywhere."
It is true that said features were never stated outright, but given the similarities the ad has with other games being marketing, titles that does indeed feature augmented reality gameplay, it is an assumption that many has made. As a point of reference, here is what the trailer for "Reality Fighters" looks like:
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Matthew Hawkins is an NYC-based game journalist who has also written for EGM, GameSetWatch, Gamasutra, Giant Robot, and numerous others. He also self-publishes his own game culture zine, is part of Attract Mode, and co-hosts The Fangamer Podcast. You can keep tabs on him via Twitter, or his personal home-base, FORT90.com.
