Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat devs FIGHT

It's 1992 all over again. Two of gaming's greatest pugilists have revived their long-standing rivalry, with Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon claiming his new game will "kick" Street Fighter IV's "ass", while Capcom has accused Midway of still "riding the coattails" of its brawler.

Eurogamer caught up with both camps last week in San Diego, where SFIV and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe were on show at Comic Con 2008.

Asked whether he still felt competitive with Street Fighter after so many years, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon told us: "I think just from the history we do," bluntly adding: "I think we'll kick their ass."

While conceding he was "looking forward to" Street Fighter IV as a fighting fan, Boon insisted, "We're a wilder ride - a big rollercoaster ride - and they're a little bit tamer." Ouch.

When we put these comments to Capcom on the show floor senior community manager and former SF champ Seth Killian immediately hit back, claiming: "You can't touch the mechanics of Street Fighter, and [SFIV] is really channelling back the classic mechanics that ignited the world."

He added, in the manner of a Guile four-hit re-dizzy, "Mortal Kombat was riding the coattails of Street Fighter then, and I think Mortal Kombat may be riding the tails of Street Fighter as we move into 2009."

Zangief and Sub-Zero were unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

Midway showed off its new title in playable form at a dedicated event off-site last Thursday evening, 24th July, with Ed Boon and writer Jimmy Palmiotti hosting a panel at the show the following day. A series of Street Fighter IV cabinets, meanwhile, took pride of place on the Capcom stand, with tournaments running for the duration of the convention.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is out on 360 and PS3 later this year. Street Fighter IV released in Japanese arcades earlier this month, with 360, PS3 and PC versions on the way.