Mortal Kombat (also known as Mortal Kombat 9) is a fighting game from the Mortal Kombat series. Developed by NetherRealm Studios, it is the ninth installment in the series and the first published exclusively under the Warner Bros. label. Mortal Kombat was released on April 19, 2011 in North America, and is scheduled a European release on April 21 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems. The story begins after the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but then returns to the period in which the first three games - Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat 3 - occur. Due to a plot twist (the character Raiden now having knowledge of the future), the events of this time are slightly altered. Mortal Kombat includes 3D graphics, with gameplay solely on the 2D plane (2.5D). The developers have also stated that this is the first game in which they are making a conscious effort to create deeper gameplay for more dedicated players of the series and of fighting games in general. Mortal Kombat was officially announced on June 10, 2010, accompanied with a debut trailer showcasing the new presentation and new gameplay features. There are 27 playable characters (including a hidden alternate form to an already existing character), two downloadable characters and one console exclusive character (Kratos of God of War fame for PS3) that are featured in the game. Source: Wikipedia, "Mortal Kombat (2011 video game)", available under the CC-BY-SA License.