It appears that they may be up to the same tricks with regards to next-generation consoles as well, as it has been revealed via Gamespot that the company are currently hiring for two new positions on the NetherRealm Studios team, one being a Senior Software Engineer, and the other being a Gameplay Software Engineer.

Interestingly, both job listings specifically mention next-generation consoles, as NetherRealm Studios are looking to create ”a cutting-edge action game on both current and next gen consoles”. The description under Senior Software Engineer is particularly more exciting, as they are looking for a person who will ”specifically aim to port their current development engine over to next generation consoles”.

After the great success of Mortal Kombat, it’s safe to assume that another game will follow in the future and by the looks of their job listings – the next big game in the works may just turn out to be a next-gen Mortal Kombat game on future consoles by Sony and Microsoft. Ed Boon was recently quoted as saying that they’re interested in trying out different projects though aside from Mortal Kombat, but from our point of view they’ll always be the Mortal Kombat kings at heart and it’s mouthwatering to think of a potential new MK game on brand new hardware.

Would they keep it a 2D affair like Mortal Kombat 9, or will they go straight back to 3D on the new consoles? We would like them to stick to the winning 2D format, but go all out on fully 3D backgrounds with destructible environments. They are just about to release Mortal Kombat on the PS Vita and even that looks like a great game despite being essentially a port of the console game.

How would you envisage a next-gen Mortal Kombat game? Would you want it to be 3D or stick to 2D and improve on everything from there? We can’t wait to see what their next game is going to be.

If you didn’t play the console version of Mortal Kombat, then we couldn’t recommend this game enough. The portable version will include the core aspects of the PS3 and Xbox 360 original, and come with a decent amount of features exclusive to the Vita including support for the touchscreen.

The portable version will also come with every piece of DLC released on console, which means that you’ll get the likes of Rain, Scarlet, Kenshi and Freddy from day one, and all the various character costumes and extra fatalities that released as well. One big incentive that we see, is the playable addition of Shao Kahn, which wasn’t available in the console version.

Our only wish now is that NetherRealm Studios supports this game further via DLC, as it would be a further incentive for Vita owners to pick up the game, while breathing life back into the console version as well, since any post-release content would presumably appear on console as well – maybe even for one price for both?

We’re pleased to hear that the game will be releasing on May 4th, but the only question that needs answering now is the price in which NetherRealm Studios will be charging. The company has received a glowing reputation from the community ever since they brilliantly decided to release free character skins alongside DLC character releases, so we’re confident that NRS will not be looking to rip PS Vita buyers off with this one.

Will you be picking up Mortal Kombat on the Vita? We’ve added some gameplay below if you want to see how the game looks on Sony’s new portable.

NetherRealm Studios has just shown off the latest footage for the game and if you were previously not interested in picking this up, the new gameplay should provide you with all you need. We’ve told you before that the Vita version will feature brand new game modes suited for the Vita’s touchscreen, and now we have been given a much closer look at this thanks to the new footage.

In a clip which is reminiscent of a certain Fruit Ninja game on iOS, there will actually be an aspect of gameplay which will see you chopping up what looks to be various body parts by quickly swiping them as they appear on the screen. We can also see three bomb icons, so the obvious idea here will be to swipe the body parts as quickly as possible, avoiding the bombs as you go to rack up the best score.

The gameplay also reveals some further incentives that the Vita version will get which didn’t feature on the Xbox 360 or PS3 version. The most obvious comes at the end of the clip as you can see that Shao Kahn is a playable character, you can even perform fatalities by using touch commands as well if you prefer – a tad gimmicky, but a nice addition nevertheless.

Here’s what you may miss though if you just watch the trailer from start to finish. The Vita version also appears to bring some exclusive costumes for some of the characters as well. Pause at 0.23 and you’ll see a brand new costume for Kenshi which isn’t currently available on console. Perhaps more exciting for MK veterans, if you watch closely you’ll also see that NetherRealm Studios has teased classic MK3 costumes for Ermac and Rain, which look particularly awesome in our opinion.

There may still be some debate whether console MK players need to pay extra for this Vita version since it is largely the same, but you definitely cannot fault NetherRealm Studios for trying to make the Vita game as unique as possible. All the DLC content included, brand new touchscreen features, 150 new challenge tower missions with support for DLC characters, playable Shao Kahn and even more costumes – need we say more? If you haven’t played the console version of Mortal Kombat but have a PS Vita, there really isn’t any excuse why you shouldn’t pick this up.

If NetherRealm Studios really wanted to maximize profits, introducing a discount for those who already own the console version would be a lovely gesture – just a thought there. Check out the trailer below and let us know your thoughts on the unique features seen on Vita. After the disappointing affair surrounding DLC for Street Fighter X Tekken, this has definitely put a smile on our faces.

The trailer focuses on the aspect of being able to play Mortal Kombat where ever you happen to be thanks to Sony’s new portable. To portray this, NetherRealm Studios has used live action backgrounds such as a busy street with cars or even a quiet library with students reading their books, in the form of backgrounds while the frantic action is going on in front of you on screen.

On first glance, this looks like a very cool AR feature that has been added to the portable version, but we now have confirmation from Ed Boon himself that really, it was just a ‘cool promotional video’ and that there will not be any augmented reality features in the game after all. It’s a real shame too as they seem to have confused a lot of people with this trailer as it certainly gives the impression that you can fight with these brand new AR backdrops.

Dare we say it, but is there a hint of false advertising perhaps? The game will be available this Spring, so in a few month’s time but how awesome would it be if they quickly went back to the drawing board to implement these new AR stage features? Maybe it could be something to work on for possible Vita DLC if the demand is high enough.

As for the game itself, the Vita version does contain other exclusive features on the handheld that won’t be available on console. These include 150 new challenge tower missions and also the ability to complete certain missions using touchscreen and the rear pad controls. There’s also the option to play as Shao Khan and all the DLC and costumes from the console version are included in the package as well. Kratos will be available too, so there’s little reason not to pick this up if you didn’t play the console version. For all those that did, the price is going to be the crucial factor.

What are your thoughts on seeing these AR stages in Mortal Kombat – did you think that it was a feature in the game at first too?

We mean that in a very positive way as well. If you had any doubts on the quality of the Vita version, we can tell you that the portable version features graphics which is almost like for like to what we see on the PS3 version.

For starters, NetherRealm Studios has included almost every aspect of the console version into the Vita game, plus expanded on it further with exclusive content to give it a unique twist. There will be 150 extra challenge missions which take advantage of the Vita’s touchscreen controls, plus also the added ability to play through challenge missions with the four DLC characters – this wasn’t available in the console version.

You’ll also be able to play as Shao Khan too on Vita in the Challenge Tower, while all the DLC characters and costume unlocks will be available as well. There’s no release date yet other than Spring 2012, but the main pressing point for many fans is price. These new features are obviously a nice addition to the Vita game, but will the game will warrant a $49.99 price tag like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, or will we see the game available for a discount?

One aspect that we’re pleased to see is the obvious effort that has gone into the Vita version. Take Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 for example. The Vita version is essentially a straight up port, but Mortal Kombat on Vita has brand new features, and the ability to play as Shao Kahn and perform fatalities with him is a nice touch. It basically cements NetherRealm Studios’ glowing reputation as a developer that really does care about offering a fair package for gamers. We saw it with the free MK3 skins with DLC compatibility packs on console, and it looks like the Vita version will follow with added value too.

Check out a gameplay preview from the US PS Blog below and let us know if you intend to pick up MK on Vita or not. Is price the essential factor for you now?

There’s no official title other than Mortal Kombat, so we’re guessing that rumored ‘Vitality’ tag has been ditched. We don’t have an official release date from NetherRealm, but the company has said to expect the game to release sometime during Spring.

The official press release from Warner claims that there will be exclusive content and brand new gameplay features, but the box art already revealed confirms further good news that Vita owners will get to play as God of War character Kratos, as well as the four DLC characters in Rain, Kenshi, Scarlet and Freddy Krueger that released for the console versions.

In a statement from Ed Boon, the main man at NetherRealm Studios, he stated that the team intend to create ‘an equally compelling experience on the PlayStation Vita’. We’re guessing by that he means that the Vita version will get all of the core features of the console version, including the excellent story mode and also the new features and exclusive content mentioned above.

It will be fantastic if the Vita has some exclusive characters not seen on console, that really would be a great incentive to pick up Mortal Kombat on the Vita if you didn’t already play it on Xbox 360 or PS3. We’re guessing that a lot of you are going to be buying this now, so what characters and features would you like to see on the portable version?

On a side note, the box art image below also confirms that you’ll need to reserve 3MB of memory for game save purposes. Just as we mentioned in a previous article this week, it’s clear that the 4GB memory card isn’t going to be enough to store multiple games on your system though, especially if you plan on going digital with many titles.

As most fighting game fans will agree, the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot released in April of this year was an excellent addition to the franchise, with NetherRealm Studios going on to enjoy stellar reviews as well as great sales numbers following on from release.

Mortal Kombat 10 looks likely to follow-up at some point, but now it seems that focus will be shifted on re-releasing the game first of all, in a package which will see the game bundled with every piece of downloadable content at a discount price – we hope. A listing by the BBFC has highlighted Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition for a release on February 17th 2012, so expect official details to probably release next month, as reported from Eurogamer.

As for the content you can expect to come with the new version, the four downloadable characters – Scarlet, Kenshi, Rain and Freddy Krueger are good bets. We’re also guessing that the classic ninja suits and MK2 costumes will come included on the disc as well, but lets hope that NetherRealm Studios have some new content planned as well which would give fans an extra incentive to pick the game up.

There was a lot of talk about other movie-based DLC characters coming to Mortal Kombat after Freddy Krueger, so let’s hope NRS have been taking everyone’s ideas to the table and are planning something big next February.

So the ‘ultimate’ trend kicked off by Capcom continues it seems. Let us know if you are planning to pick up the new version of Mortal Kombat, or if you’ll give this a miss. New content has to be a must here to warrant a purchase, otherwise day-one buyers may be entitled to feel a little hard done by. We’ll let you know once we hear of any official word from NRS.

Yeah, we’re as disappointed as you are about this, but when Ed Boon says something on his Twitter account, you tend to listen. A recent update by the big man has suggested that there won’t be any new characters for the game, and that NetherRealm Studios only planned to bring four additional characters to the game, those being Scarlet, Kenshi, Rain and Elm Street favorite Freddy Krueger of course.

Check out a message from Ed Boon when replying to a user who asked if more DLC was on the way or not:

”Again, I hate to use the word never. But we are currently not working on additional DLC for MK.”

This is a bit of a bombshell especially after the awesome announcement of a brand new Mortal Kombat game and a movie with the same director who filmed the MK Legacy web series. Hopefully some special DLC will still release for the game which isn’t characters, perhaps maybe some new fatalities or stages, minor DLC which would still make fans happy we feel.

Freddy Krueger was a surprise, but great addition to the game and it seemed to open the floodgates for even more movie-based characters to join the game. Ed Boon even talked about Marcus Fenix at one point, but again – no real substance behind the info.

If you have a copy of Mortal Kombat on either the Xbox 360 or PS3, have you started to play the game less and less now? Are you disappointed that there may not be any more new DLC characters coming to the game or not?

A few months ago we had heard some hints from co-creator Ed Boon about the possibility of a new Mortal Kombat game and you would have thought it would be inevitable anyway considering the success of the Mortal Kombat reboot.

Now though it has been confirmed in black and white over at a report by the LATimes, which also reveals that another movie is on the way too. This movie will be directed by the same guy who brought us the impressive Mortal Kombat Legacy web series, and both the new game and movie are scheduled for a release sometime in 2013.

We’re not sure about you, but we’re obviously pumped for both releases. Fans may be a bit skeptical over the movie release considering the last one, Annihilation was an overwhelming flop, but the recent web series gave everyone hope that a Mortal Kombat movie can actually work. We’re guessing that the same actors will be involved in the upcoming movie, which is great since the web series basically left a lot of questions unanswered and the episodes were actually quite frustrating given their miniscule duration in length.

As for the game, more of the same please from NetherRealm Studios. The previous Mortal Kombat game has to be one of the best fighting games of the last few years and perhaps nobody expected it to be as good as it turned out. However, now that a new MK game is on the way, we’re still hoping that support continues via DLC for the current game as there’s definitely still life in the game after Freddy Krueger – more movie based DLC perhaps folks?

What are your thoughts on both announcements – has this made your day or are you worried about the quality of the movie?

During an interesting Twitter exchange between Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon and some of his followers, Boon was asked the direct question on which character would he have wanted to see in Mortal Kombat, if the Xbox 360 received an exclusive character like the PS3 did with Kratos:

Here is his revealing reply: ”I wudda wanted Marcus Fenix from Gears”

Yeah, the same Marcus Fenix that had been rumored for a few weeks in the midst of all the exclusive character debates, and the same Marcus Fenix which fans believed would be an excellent addition to the Mortal Kombat universe.

Now insert a surprise return Tweet by Blezinski in reply to Boon’s message:

”Hit me up about that”

We think most Mortal Kombat owners would agree that it still isn’t too late to introduce some new DLC characters into the game, and Marcus Fenix for the Xbox 360 would certainly go down a treat in our opinion. Having said that, there may be some sort of exclusive deal between Warner Bros and Sony in place that we’re not aware of, so this may not be a possibility anytime soon.

Judging by the nature of Blezinski’s reply, it’s pleasing to see that he too seems really excited about the fact of having a Gears of War character featured in Mortal Kombat, so we definitely can’t rule it out. Naturally, Xbox 360 owners will be delighted with this information, but we’re interested to hear what the neutral ‘hardcore’ Mortal Kombat fans thinks about Marcus Fenix joining the roster.

Is he a good fit in the game or not?