The ferocity of each hit was more intense than the last. The creativity in Noob Saibot’s attack strategy and special-power usage was even more impressive. Mortal Kombat is back and — if this trailer is a sign of things to come — it’s fresher than ever.

Let me slow down. I should preserve any premature, grandiose declarations until there’s a playable demo where we can test out the mechanics. But I can’t contain my excitement. If Noob Saibot, a player I could care less about in the previous Mortal Kombat iterations, looks this awesome with the Apr. 19 release date approaching, I can only imagine how much better Scorpion will be in the final product. (I wasn’t head-over-heels for the Scorpion trailer IGN uploaded in November.)

It’s an incredible sign when you can see visible improvements in the quality of the teasers before a game’s release. It allows consumers to see that the developers aren’t only polishing the Mortal Kombat brand with updated graphics to ride the fanboy wave. A quick comparison of the videos (in 720p resolution) shows smoother textures, better lighting effects, and more fluid combat Kombat.

While you’re here, can we discuss the black-hole attack Saibot unleashes around the 1:01 mark? The arrogant gesturing and laughing while his opponent is sucked into complete darkness? Or were you more interested in the x-ray bone-break combo?