It's day two of PAX East 2011, and I'm standing in line with my friend Jon waiting to play some brutal action of the latest Mortal Kombat. The line is mercifully short since the booth attendants limit people to one match at a time.

A guy ahead of me nudges my shoulder. “Isn't that Morgan Webb?” he asks, pointing across the booth.

I nod and note that Adam Sessler is standing right next to her. The two hosts of X-Play talk with mics in hand and a camera rolling nearby. Even though I'm starstruck, my mind is still focused on the game I'm minutes away from playing.

That and the giant Pikachu hanging from the ceiling across the show floor. I fish around my bag looking for my Sony Cybershot to take a picture of it, but after several minutes I'm unable to find the camera.

"Shit," I say to Jon. “I think I left my camera at the handheld lounge.”

“What are you going to do now?” he asks.

I shrug. “Go back and see if I can find it," I say. "Right after a quick match, of course.” Clearly, I have my priorities straight at this place.

Mortal Kombat

If you have any reservations on the latest Mortal Kombat entry insofar as to the level of brutality it will offer, you can put your mind at ease. Developer NetherRealm Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment understand what the fans crave: bone-snapping moves, gallons of glorious red vino, and plenty of familiar faces to uppercut.

The attendant waves my friend and I forward and places us right in front of an actual arcade cabinet, much to my friend's chagrin. “This is going to be an easy win,” I think to myself. “Jon never plays using arcade sticks.” The two of us choose our character. I pick Kung Lao, my go-to Shaolin badass, while Jon takes the mysterious Noob Saibot. I grin when I hear the familiar “Toasty!” sound clip play when Noob is selected -- a nice touch! Before I can reminisce any further, however, the fight begins, and my friend launches into a frenzy of button mashing.

Poor Kung Lao is overwhelmed by the onslaught; nothing can stop the shadowy figure Jon controls. By the time I get my bearings (and remember that MK uses a block button), the first round is over.

“How did you do some of those moves?” I ask Jon.

“Beats me,” he says with a sheepish grin. “I'm just pressing the buttons.”

That cheap bastard!

Round two starts in much the same manner, but this time I join in on the asynchronous attacks. The match is closer and tighter, even though the two of us are “playing it wrong.” Within a few moves, I toss Lao's death hat right into Noob's stupid chest. The hat flies into the foreground of the screen followed by a trail of blood.

I'm feeling confident. I might have a chance to win this thing.

Then Jon breaks out a button combination that ruins any delusions of grandeur I have.

The camera pans and zooms to Noob Saibot punching Kung Lao in the shoulder -- an X-ray view that shows the bone-crunching details -- followed by another back-breaking punch by Noob's shadow clone, and then another punch to the gut from the real assailant. Lao doubles forward in pain, spewing forth a stream hazy brown and yellow vomit.

“Ewww! Did you see that? He just puked all over my character,” Jon laughs.

I can't help but share in the cheers my misery. A few short jabs later, the iconic words “Finish Him” pop up, and Jon ends the battle with a stiff uppercut. The two of us are all smiles despite the fact I lost battle and still need to find my camera.

“Come on. Let's hurry back to those beanbags. Maybe my camera is still there,” I say to Jon.