One of the most enjoyable aspects of my old arcade days wasn't playing games, but watching them. Having only one Mortal Kombat II cabinet available in my local bowling alley meant there were a lot of crowds… and a lot of waiting. On the upside, this gave me a great chance to keep an eye on the competition to learn their strategies or possibly pick up a few pointers at their expense.
NetherRealm Studios is bringing that back in the form of a special spectator mode called King of the Hill. Two fighters will go at it while others, waiting for their shot at the winner, will get to watch, congratulate, even harass the current players. Check it out.
In a related story, when I was young I once punched a kid in the face for stealing my quarter off the MK arcade screen that signified that "I got next". It wasn't the quarter I was pissed about, but nobody steals my turn in Mortal Kombat… nobody. It turned into a fist fight and I was escorted out of the bowling alley. Sadly, no fatalities were performed on my opponent. King of the Hill mode brings me back to those good ol' days.
