Mortal Kombat X Brings the Pain with Jax, Jacqui Briggs, and Goro Variations

In the final Mortal Kombat X livestream before the game releases on Tuesday, we get to see variations for some of the roster's heaviest hitters. They include the mechanically armed Jax, his daughter Jacqui Briggs, and the biggest of them all: Goro. All three are ready to hit the ground hard and shake things up.

Jax

As an original member of Mortal Kombat cast, Jax brings his cyber arms and familiar moves to the fight. His universal moves include a ground pound, which is effective at both close and mid range, a sliding punch (which can now be turned into an overhead move), and his signature Gotcha Grab, where he lifts someone with one hand and pummels them with the other. Additionally, he also has a flying knee kick for anti-air or combo setups.

Heavy Weapons: Cybernetic arms are great, but sometimes you want some good old firepower at your side. This variation equips Jax with a LAW rocket launcher, which he can fire with a delay to cancel out of altogether to psyche out opponents. He also carries a machine gun, which he pulls out for some quick ranged attacks.

Wrestler: This variation really puts the cyber arms to use with lots of grapple moves and throws. His Gotcha grab is amped up with the ability to take opponents by the shoulders and slam them down on the ground. The move can be extended total of four slams if you have enough energy and skill. Jax is also capable of an air grab, followed by a back breaker over the knee. Skilled players can make use of his mid-combo throws, where he'll suddenly grab an opponent and body slam them.

Pumped Up: All of Jax's moves are taken to a new level in this mode. His signature energy wave blast makes a return here, and it can be held for a delayed fire. The Gotcha Grab (now called Super Gotcha) is modified so that Jax can hit them with different moves while holding them by the head. The Ground Pound move is also significantly amped up in this variation, and practically takes up the whole screen. Furthermore, Jax can go into a Ground Pound from the air.

Jacqui Briggs

New to the roster, Jacqui is Jax's daughter, and she wears a pair of power gauntlets as a sort of homage to her dad's cyber arms. She also shares some of her father's hard hitting fighting style, but has the added benefit of being faster than her father. Another interesting feature is that her variations don't give her additional moves, but instead universal moves are given a new twist work. Jacqui is also an excellent character for running combos for those that can master them.

Her universal moves include a quick dash that ends with a blast from her gauntlets, a ground pound, and a straight shot from her gauntlets.

Shotgun: This is probably the most straightforward of the three variations, but one unique move is the Shotgun Blast, which is aimed at the ground. What makes this move stand out is the fact that it doesn't have to hit. At close range, it'll do damage to opponents. But at mid range, it'll kick up some dust and stun opponents, setting them up for follow-up attacks.

High Tech: Jacqui gets a big upgrade with high-tech futuristic gauntlets. These come with a close range plasma blast, which can be charged up for extra damage. The gloves themselves can also be amped up twice over for extra damage and to unlock a couple extra moves. Her ground pound has a larger effect, and she can summon a shield to absorb projectiles.

Full Auto: This is the variation where Jacqui brings in the heavy firepower. Her gauntlets shoot rockets, which she can use as straight projectiles or as anti-air. All her moves have an extra explosive touch added to them.

Goro

Goro, the half dragon Shokan Warrior, makes a big return as a playable character in Mortal Kombat X. Universal moves include a sort of punch walk, where he uses his four arms to pound anything in his path, and a short stun kick. Signature moves include the Shokan Grab, where he takes someone with his lower arms and pummels them with his upper arms. Stomp makes a return, and can now be modified to land in front or behind an opponent if players think they're going to try dodge by moving. Lastly, Goro can through a projectile called the Shokan Bolt.

Kuatan Warrior: This is generally a straightforward version of Goro, except that in addition to his regular moves, he can do a Chest Lunge to plow his way into opponents. He can also perform a ground Quake move which shakes up the whole screen.

Dragon Fangs: If you didn't think it was possible to make Goro more menacing than he is, think again. This variation puts daggers into each of his four hands. All his moves are enhanced with 100% more stabbing. The punch walk becomes a stab walk, and his grab is followed up with a flurry of bloody stabs. Furthermore, Goro can perform a spinning blade attack in this variation.

Tigrar Fury: Goro embraces his dragon half in this variation, which specializes in more ranged attacks and moves. He shoots fireballs instead of energy blasts, and can breathe fire on his foes. Lastly, he can spit a deadly fire loogie to knock players over.

The entire Mortal Kombat X roster and their variations are revealed with these final three characters. Now it's all about getting ready for the game's release so that the pain can begin.

Mortal Kombat X release for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC on April 14th.