Mortal Kombat 10: 10 Awesome Game Modes That Must Return

3. Chess Kombat

As ridiculous as it may sound on paper, Mortal Kombat: Deception's Chess Mode was a bloody brilliant idea. Like an ultra-violent Battle Chess on steroids, Chess Mode tested both your strategic strength as well as your beat-em-up abilities. Think of it as a custom-built variant of good old chess, but with traps, sorcery and violent deaths. Considering the traditionally low-brow perception of beat-em-up gaming, modifying MK into a brain-taxing strategy game was a surprising move, and it worked a treat. A bloodied layer of Mortal Kombat goodness, draped over the timeless framework of a chess board, Chess Mode is Mortal Kombat on a grander scale. The idea came to life in MK: Deception but could be expanded on in a big way for the new hardware - online battles, tournaments, unlockable traps and spells, customizable warriors, there are a lot of ways to develop the concept without entirely bastardizing the underlying mechanic of classic chess. Surely not as demanding on the dev team as something like a new Konquest Mode or hugely complex adventure elements, Chess Mode shouldn't be an unrealistic hope for Mortal Kombat 10.