Mortal Kombat busted onto the video game scene in 1992. I remember being in middle school and it was a HUGE deal that a video game that showed blood and violence in such detail. Obviously it was a video game so it was targeted toward kids. Parents were in an uproar and I couldn’t have loved it more. Spending hours on my Super NES to perfect combo moves and figured out finish moves that would shock and awe your friends.
All these years later Mortal Kombat is still alive and kicking with an ever expanding and awesome roster. But MK wasn’t the only fighting game to take gamers by storm. Killer Instinct came along in 1994 to try and knock MK off it’s pedestal and claim the fighting arena crown. Unfortunately it never quite could but in recent years it has made a comeback.
Why am I talking about two different fighting franchises? Because they are about to go head-to-head in a video game crossover for the ages. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon says he would love to do a crossover with Killer Instinct, but concedes the title would have to be an Xbox One exclusive.
There is no word of any official crossover news but confirmation that Boon and NetherRealm Studios are interested has been noted. Which made us consider what our top ten dream match-ups would be. Fight fire with fire!
ROUND 1 … FIGHT!
Goro vs Eyedol
In the ultimate battle of undercover bosses we would love to see Goro and Eyedol face off in a fight to the death.
Goro first appears in the original Mortal Kombat as an unplayable boss character, challenging the player before the final fight with Shang Tsung.
Eyedol was the final boss on the first Killer Instinct. He is a two-headed, one-eyed ancient mystical warlord who was trapped in a dimensional prison in the distant past.
Kintaro vs Saberwulf
Count Von Sabrewulf has everything to fight for. He is afflicted with lycanthropy and promised a cure by Ultratech if he wins the tournament. In the sequel, Sabrewulf was captured by Ultratech after being severely injured during the first tournament, and has been driven mad by experimentation. With cybernetic arms, he desperately seeks a cure for his lycanthropy. Sabrewulf fights in his inherited castle with biting and claw attacks and the ability to howl and use his flaming bats. Who could possibly beat this powerhouse that is half wolf half robot? Kintaro.
Kintaro replaced Goro after Goro was defeated by Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat. He is the only member of his race seen thus far to have unique features. Unlike Goro and Sheeva, Kintaro has tiger striped markings all over his body as well as sharp fangs, claws and feline-like feet.
Baraka vs Spinal
Baraka was introduced in Mortal Kombat II in 1993 as an unpredictable warrior in service of Outworld emperor Shao Kahn. Spinal on the other hand is an animated skeleton who was reanimated by Ultratech but destroyed by Chief Thunder in the first tournament; however, Gargos had a Spinal of his own in the past. Spinal fights for vengeance and his freedom. Both warriors fighting for honor.
Sub-Zero vs Glacius
Mr Freeze would be jealous of this match-up!
A mainstay of the series, Sub-Zero is the only character who has appeared in every main Mortal Kombat fighting game. The character is a formidable fighter possessing the innate ability to control ice in many forms.
Glacius’ ship is shot down by Ultratech and crashes in Antarctica, adapting the ice as his new exoskeleton.
Kitana vs Black Orchid
Battle of power and sex appeal?
One of the lead characters of the Mortal Kombat saga, Kitana is the princess of the otherworldly realm of Edenia and the biological daughter of Queen Sindel, as well as an adopted daughter of the evil Emperor Shao Kahn.
Kitana serves Shao Kahn as an elite assassin before becoming one of the leaders of the good characters.
Black Orchid is a mysterious spy and fighter, she is the female protagonist of the series, along with her younger brother Jago, and is arguably the most famous and best received Killer Instinct character.
Jax vs TJ Combo
Since JAX had his playable debut in Mortal Kombat II as the physically-imposing United States Special Forces superior of Sonya Blade, he has become a mainstay in the series canon, appearing in nearly every subsequent series installment. His most distinctive features in the game are his metal bionic arms, which first appeared in Mortal Kombat 3.
TJ is a former five-time heavyweight boxing champion, Tyler-Johnson “T.J. Combo” Garrett was stripped of his title and expelled from the circuit when it was discovered that he had been cheating, having secretly had cybernetic enhancements implanted in his arms. In 2012, Complex included him on a list of 25 “douchiest” video game characters.
Nightwolf vs Chief Thunder
Nightwolf is a Native American shaman and historian who is chosen as a warrior of Earthrealm during Shao Kahn’s invasion. So it’s only natural that he takes on Chief Thunder from Killer Instinct that is a Native American chief armed with twin tomahawks. Who will scalp who in the ultimate battle of land supremacy.
Motaro vs Riptor
Beast vs Centuar!
Riptor is a genetically-engineered velociraptor-human hybrid created as a prototype by Ultratech; the tournament tests her abilities as a killing machine.
Motaro is from a race of Centaurians that possesses a great strength as well as a razor-sharp tail that fires energy blasts from its tip, and the power of teleportation.
Quan Chi vs Cinder
Quan Chi is a sorcerer and necromancer from the eternally-damned Netherealm. He is a malevolent opportunist who will ally himself with anyone who can help him further his own goals, and his conniving nature has earned him several enemies.
Ben Ferris (Cinder) is a convicted criminal who was promised early parole in exchange for participating in Ultratech’s chemical-weapons research. As a result of an accident during testing, his body is composed entirely of flame.
Shadow Jago vs Noob Siabot
Battle of the Shadow Men. Shadow Boxing?
Noob debuted as an unplayable hidden character lurking in the shadows of Mortal Kombat II, in which he was a black silhouette of the game’s other male ninjas. Established as a demon of the Netherealm worshipping a fallen Elder God in UMK3, until Mortal Kombat: Deception established him as the original Sub-Zero.
Shadow Jago is ”this sword-wielding warrior monk is basically the Ryu of KI: a poster boy with an accessible move set and a noble cause. Jago’s specials will be instantly recognizable to any fighting game fan.
There you have it. Our Top Ten Mortal Kombat vs Killer Instinct cross-over match-ups! What are yours? Tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear your dream match-ups and favorite finishing moves.
