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.

Firstly, let us get on to when the game will be available. In the midst of the huge CES event that is ongoing in the tech world right now, Warner Bros has announced that Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition will be available to buy on February 28 in the US and March 2nd over in the UK and rest of Europe.

As previously rumored prior to the announcement, the game will come packaged with every piece of DLC that released for MK, which includes the three DLC characters in Scarlet, Kenshi and Rain, while you’ll also get the classic costume packs and classic fatalities as well for Sub Zero, Reptile and Scorpion.

Now on to the controversial bit. It turns out that the US edition of this game will also come included with a Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors soundtrack, as well as a download code for the infamous Mortal Kombat movie which released back in 1995. According to a report by Eurogamer, the Europe edition of MK:KE will not be getting these extra goodies – why?

If it turns out to be true and EU gamers will miss out on this, then there isn’t much of an incentive to pick this up you have to say. It could be down to licensing issues and such, but try telling that to fans who will be furious if they are not getting the same package as the US. There’s no word on the price for the Komplete Edition yet, but we’ll be sure to let you know once Warner Bros announces this.

What are your thoughts on the Komplete Edition, and the fact that EU buyers may not get the soundtrack and movie?

The last we told you about anything Mortal Kombat related, was about the possibility of NetherRealm Studios releasing a new version of Mortal Kombat 9, one called MK: Komplete Edition which would come packaged with all four pieces of DLC that have released for the game. We were secretly hoping for some news on this around the VGA period this year, but it didn’t happen.

Though now, we have heard over at GameSpot that NetherRealm Studios are planning to take a ‘break’ from making their next Mortal Kombat game, in favor of focusing on other projects that are not MK-related. One passage of that article reads: ”studio head Ed Boon confirmed that his studio is taking a hiatus from the Mortal Kombat franchise. ”

That’s not the news MK fans will want to read though, and it was particularly surprising to us as well, since you would have thought that the natural thing to do after a successful game like MK9, which also won Best Fighting game at the VGAs, is press on with a sequel ASAP. A quick glance at Ed Boon’s Twitter account appears to contradict GameStop’s article though, as one Tweet we’ve picked out clearly states that NetherRealm Studios ARE working on a new Mortal Kombat game.

”RT @Tyrant_Cenobite @noobde You really taking a hiatus from Mortal Kombat?Noobde: No. NetherRealm is working on MK and non-MK games! ”

So what does this tell us exactly? It tells us that while a new Mortal Kombat game is coming, it probably isn’t coming as soon as next year, as NRS may have plans to release a different game away from MK first. That Tweet above though reassures fans that the MK franchise is still clearly a major part of NRS’ plans, so talk of the company being on a so called ‘hiatus’ appears to be inaccurate.

If you have enjoyed playing Mortal Kombat this year, let us know your thoughts on the developer taking a break away from the series. Do you welcome this move, or do you think a new game, i.e Mortal Kombat 10 should follow next year?

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?

Aside from the gameplay tweaks, you’ll be delighted that this patch also fixes the highly annoying de-sync bug within the game, which would instantly end an online match when connecting with an opponent, due to conflicting DLC and alternate costume issues – you can read more about that problem here.

More beneficial to gamers though, will be the whole list of character and gameplay tweaks that NetherRealm Studios have added into the game, as you’ll find that the new patch update basically improves on every character in the game, providing a more balanced online match for both fighters while ensuring that certain moves are not spammed by the user.

You may be pleased to hear that Cyrax’s bombs have been tweaked slightly during some combo instances, while Sektor’s X-Ray attack can no longer be reflected either, the same goes for Kenshi’s X-Ray move as well. Skarlet’s back throw has been altered to do normal damage now, and Freddy Krueger’s Nightmare Stance can no longer be repeated instantly any more.

You’ll find the full list of patch update notes over at Joystiq here. All in all, you will probably be very happy with the list of changes that have been added into the game. If you’ve already installed this and played through the new changes, let us know what you think of them so far – is everything ok for you? In the meantime, let’s hope that NRS are planning some surprise DLC for the game as it’s definitely got room for a few more characters.

The gameplay does not hold back when it comes to the amount of blood, and this is no more evident than when you perform Mortal Kombat 9 fatalities. Where do these developers get their ideas? While it’s pretty sick/cruel/imaginative you have to admire the job they have, creating the most disgusting ways you can kill the other player in a game must be an interesting job.

While we love the current MK9 fatalities, which include chopping every part of the gamer with a sword, toasting the other player with fire, pulling out a gun and shooting the other guy/girl in the head, and turning into a dragon to finish the other player. These are just a few of the vast amount of fatalities already playable thanks to NetherRealm Studios.

Now we can see that these developers are very creative, but how sick is your mind? What MK9 fatalities have come across your mind, which you feel should be in the game? While I’m sure you can think of better ideas than us, some fatalities we’d like to see include turning the other player into a zombie and seeing them eat themselves, releasing a pack of dogs that tear apart the opponent, and also a return for one of Shang Tsung’s boss morphs, as his Kintaro morph in Mortal Kombat 2 was excellent.

Let’s hear it, what MK9 fatalities does your mind hold?

As usual with every DLC character release, Freddy will not only come to Mortal Kombat with his specialized move set, but he’ll also be equipped with two Freddy-style fatalities, a stage fatality and also a surprising creative babality which you probably haven’t seen yet.

You will automatically know the first fatality code to perform his ‘Tell ‘Em Freddy Sent Ya’ fatality as the game already provides the Back, Forward, Down, Down, 1 code, or the square button if you’re playing the PS3 version – This move can also be perfomed at any distance as well which is handy.

As for his other hidden moves, below you’ll find out the codes which we’ve already discovered allowing you to showcase the new moves online for those who have yet to see them, and for obvious bragging rights.

To perform his 2nd Fatality ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ – Input Down, Up, Forward, Back, Block at sweep distance. For Freddy’s stage fatality, simply input forward, down, down X (or 1) at close distance. Finally, to perform a babality with Freddy Krueger, you’ll need to put in the code back, forward, down square (or 3) at jump distance. Don’t forget to perform this babality on Freddy himself as the animation is pretty excellent and different to the babalities for the other DLC characters.

For those of you who have already downloaded Freddy, let us know what you think of him so far, – do you think he is worth the $5 / 400 Microsoft Points? We have a feeling that many of you will feel that he is the best DLC character yet, although Rain may still be a firm favorite. On a personal note though, it’s pretty exciting to see who the next character will be. A Mortal Kombat character this time, or some more movie-based characters like Predator, Leatherface, Jason or Michael Myers.

Despite already been given a debut trailer by NetherRealm Studios, Freddy has just received a brand new trailer for you to watch, although this one explains how he stumbled across the Mortal Kombat universe on his dastardly travels.

Apparently, Shao Kahn has somehow managed to drag Freddy into the real world from his usual ‘dream world’ meaning that he is now a mortal soul and unable to steal the dreams of humans sleeping at night. His mission now is to kill Shao Kahn so that he can return to his dream world and continue his day-to-day killing spree duties on Elm Street – as one does.

Sounds believable doesn’t it? But who cares – Freddy is in Mortal Kombat and it looks like he’s here to stay. We can’t wait to try him out for ourselves, and the good news is that he will be releasing on the Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime tomorrow on Tuesday 9th August. No set arrival time unfortunately, so stay tuned to Ed Boon’s Twitter account or keep refreshing the PlayStation Store in your respective region.

Aside from the new story mode elements to Freddy’s arrival, the trailer also gives you a chance to see some brand new gameplay and cutscenes for Freddy as well, so if you are still on the fence as to whether to pay $5 for him – watching this trailer will give you a good idea on if it’s worth it or not. Don’t forget that you’ll also get another free compatibility pack as well. Pack number four will add two alternate costumes for Sub Zero, and Cyber Sub Zero, one of which is the Klassic ninja version of Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat 3 – there was us thinking that NetherRealm Studios had forgot about him.

Will you be buying the Freddy Krueger DLC for Mortal Kombat tomorrow or not? Watch the trailer below thanks to CVG.