I’ve just witnessed a fatality on my playing time with Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I was excited about Noob Saibot, but I’m off the wall after seeing this Kratos Mortal Kombat gameplay footage. And I’m not even crazy about the God of War franchise (bought God of War 3 on release day, still haven’t completed the story).

NetherRealm Studios is taking lives with this game, virtual and reality (but in a figurative sense). I can’t really see myself being too interested in other things after April 19. There just won’t be enough time to think of anything but Kombat. Since the demo, my anticipation has reached levels that I thought ceased to exist more than a decade ago.

When I was a kid, my gaming objective was complete and total mastery. I’d study manuals and commit button combinations to memory for fluid motions against the game’s A.I. My recent moments with the new Mortal Kombat are bringing that old thing back. I want to master this game.

Mortal Kombat was studied where I was from, with people passionately comparing the differences between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis versions. The findings were always subtle, like Super Nintendo having lit torches for the background on one level while the blood textures on the Genesis version were as realistic as the 16 bits allowed.

I want that feeling back. I want to be good with every single player, starting with Kratos. (No need to study the differences between consoles like we did nearly two decades ago; Kratos, of course, is exclusive to the PS3 version.)

**

This may have started with a jab at MvC3, and maybe that wasn’t fair. Outside of sharing the fighting genre, MvC3 and Mortal Kombat set out to accomplish different goals. MvC3 has it’s moments, but the fighter overload featuring Capcom characters I don’t care for do little to pique my interest beyond the one-hour mark. No marathon sessions for me there. (Seriously, guys, no Punisher?)

But with NetherRealm offering a tag-team mode, I can’t see how any competition continues to compete. Can you imagine the ferocity of a Kratos-Scorpion combination? I can, and I am — right this minute.

Still imagining.