'Mortal Kombat X' News: Bad Ass Scorpion Box Art Revealed, Get Over Here And Witness Major Redesign [IMAGES, VIDEO]

Just after Mortal Kombat X's official announcement, developer NetherRealm Studios and publisher Warner Bros. have released some art for the game, showing the official cover, and two extra looks at the series longtime and perhaps best known character, the ninja specter Scorpion.

Mortal Kombat X Announced, Hits PlayStation and Xbox in 2015, Coming to E3 2014

Seen above, the cover is definitely bad ass. The stark, all black background is reminiscent of Twisted Metal: Black's cover for the PS3, and Mortal Kombat X's central figure is just as intense as the maniacal expression of Sweet Tooth's clown mask.

Key art for the game also dropped, and based on it, it seems as though developer NetherRealm Studios  was toying around with one of the its trademark characters most well known weapons.

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If you look closely at Scorpion's right hand, you'll notice that the head of his iconic spear, or kunai (whatever you wanna call it) is placed under his gauntlet, where it protrudes out from the wrist, not unlike the hidden blade of the Assassin's Creed series. Actor Ian Anthony Dale sported a similar setup when playing Scorpion in the live-action Mortal Kombat: Legacy show.

It's always been a bit mysterious exactly where Scorpion's trademark weapon came from. As in physically. In the original Mortal Kombat and its sequel, it looked like he simply threw it. If the rope and spear were placed on his belt or somewhere else was never established. And for a series known for ripping off body parts, no one quite cared too much about finding out.

When the Mortal Kombat movie opened, New Line made the ninja specter all the creepier by establishing the weapon as coming directly from the palm of Scorpion's hand, and what's more, turning it from a simple spear into a snapping, squawking creature. It was an ethereal touch that definitely ramped up Scorpion's spooky factor, and from there, and the games took note. Character designs from Deadly Alliance show the spear rocketing out from a device located atop his palm, but as of the reboot, it looks like the spear was back in Scorpion's hand once more. Literally. But for Mortal Kombat X, it looks like we're getting something a tad more realistic. That is, as far as reanimated hell spawn ninjas go.

Spear aside, Scorpion's redesign is minimalist, but it works, and he looks as good as ever. The hood sits looser, the mask is scuffed, and what little yellow is left on the costume is dirtied and worn. Contrast the image above with his appearance in the Mortal Kombat reboot, which featured all sorts of armor, padding, and other details, which, admittedly looked great, but it was a bit excessive. And as much as I love the work of Jim Lee, it was a similar case for his garb in Injustice: Gods Among Us.

We're due to get a closer peek at Scorpion and more of Mortal Kombat X at this year's E3. If you missed the announcement trailer, you can check it out below.