I’m one of those people who hates the word “port” with a divine passion, particularly when it comes to portable versions of home console games. Hell, a LOT of hard work goes into getting everything  jammed onto a handheld and in the case of games like Mortal Kombat on the Vita, the smaller system is actually getting a lot more in the way of new content. Gamers who still don’t quite get it hear that word and automatically think they’re getting nothing changed from the home version or worse, they think they’re getting a “lesser: game for their money, all squashed down and unrecognizable.  Well, that’s not the case at all with this version of MK, as I found out last week when I sat down with the Producer, NetherRealm’s Hector Sanchez and he showed me around some of the new Challenge Tower events.

The Vita-specific content actually shows up in a separate tower and as you make your way up, you’ll see missions that use the Vita touch screens in some interesting ways, a few of which will be familiar to fans of certain hugely popular casual device games. Sure, slicing flying stuff while avoiding bombs or trying to keep your character balanced for ten seconds over a deadly pit using the Vita’s accelerometer might seem a wee bit too casual to some hardcore MK fans, but it works perfectly on the Vita. And besides, we’re talking about a franchise that’s had a “chess” mode and kart racing dropped in as funky bonus content in previous installments. Not to worry, though – there are plenty of gory moments in these new mini-games that should please even the most die-hard fan of the series.

As a portable game, MK still delivers the goods where it counts, controls like a dream on the Vita and with its May 1 release date screaming up pretty fast, looks as if it’s set to be as big a hit on Sony’s shiny new little wonder as it was on consoles. Of course, that “big hit” stuff all depends on YOU (and I don’t mean your skill at pulling off Fatalities, either), so don’t disappoint Hector, folks. Or Scorpion, Baraka, Stryker or any of the other fighters in the game, for that matter. You wouldn’t want them to come looking for you to ask why you’re not taking them out to play, would you?