The long awaited Vita port of Mortal Kombat, which promises an entirely new Challenge Tower and creative support for the consoles touch controls, has finally received a release date. While initially it seemed like MK would be the perfect candidate for a launch title given its varied support for all the Vita has to offer, NetherRealm Studios clearly couldn't make that deadline, but they are still releasing within the console's protracted launch window.

The specific launch date for Mortal Kombat Vita is May 1st for those who want to start gearing up for a pre-order. No need to worry about DLC, though, because all that has been released for the game thus far — including the contentious Freddy Krueger — will be included on the Vita cart.

Among the highlights of Mortal Kombat for the Vita is its use of the front touch screen (sorry rear touch fans, no support here) for fatalities and X-Ray moves. It's a bit more intuitive for your casual Mortal Kombat fan, but might not be for everyone. The support for swiping and tapping calls to mind the set up in Street Fighter IV for the 3DS; a gimmick sure, but a way for the less hardcore fighting game fans to execute some spectacular moves.

The new Challenge Tower, which boasts some 150 new challenges, also is believed to make great use of the Vita's bells and whistles, constantly changing up the experience. Some of the challenges don't even involve fighting an opponent, but could see the player trying to balance their character over a pit of spikes using the Vita's accelerometer.

Though there is the promise of a lot of clever little ways in which NetherRealm made this version of Mortal Kombat different from the successful console version, we've only seen bits and pieces of the entire package. At least now, finally, we know when fans will be able to get their hands on this game.

Are you looking forward to checking out Mortal Kombat for the Vita? How would you like to see the game use touch or gyroscopic controls?

Mortal Kombat releases May 1, 2012 for the PlayStation Vita.

Source: Joystiq