"Going back to its 'roots'" ??

While I do agree with regards to SF4 going back to its basics and being successful because of thus, it's hard to ignore that SF4 was the only game to do that sort of 2.5D idiom. How do we know that the majority of people didn't just find it enjoying because of that changed camera perspective. Whose to say that the classic camera-angling was just a gimmick and didn't REALLY engineer the gameplay that much more. In fact, after playing SF4 I found the camera angling restricting. I really enjoy the idea of sidestepping left to right and it really opens up the fighting game engines for alot more interaction then just straight ahead or backwards.

When Boon is referring to "roots" I believe he is referring to making the game a little more realistic in terms of not so much cyborgs and giant fire-bursting monsters, but more of the idea of using the idea of chinese mythology to blur the line of reality and fantasy. I'm personally hoping for city names in people's biography for MK9 instead of just some obscure figure being raised among the "Netherrealm". I want some authenticity with regard to real-world relations to the Mortal Kombat storyline.
 
Well it was set in modern terms, so cyborgism was achievable but to me it went a little overboard. Theres like 3 different cases of it being used with the 3 different cyborg ninjas right now. It would be best if either Smoke or Mr. Ketchup of those two and also Mr. Mustard as a counter-force and dropped the third (which ever of Smoke or the other one they didn't keep). Then resolved the issue in one game and keep it down to one cyborg, or writing off all cyborgs in one storyline. Take note also, Jax was supposedly becoming a 4th one in MK:arm's bio and ending, this simply wasn't needed.

Of the monsters, I'd wish they'd stick with Goro's race and the Centaurs and only feature others like Oni when they feel like having a big sub-boss to fight or something throw away.

The drifting from Chinese myth though... I think the only real times it does that is with Nightwolf, who is Native American and the likes of Sonya and co, but their American originated. The problem remains that part of the reason fir the drifting that has gone on is their trying to add too many storylines in, often these plots have little link but with what MK is about. Recently, we've got a lot things that aren't linked to chinese stuff, but was dressed up to try to hide the fact it wasn't. Okay the Dragon King was a dragon, but he was modeled on westernized style of dragons, yet still had a Japanese style get up (dressing up to look Eastern is most seen with him). I think partly because it got overboard with trying to look it and not actually looking like it. I think the word "pseudo" comes to mind to describe it. Sometimes, it seemed they were just doing a lot of amateurish moves like taking a Chinese or Japanese name and using it for a new semi-Chinese/Japanese looking character and not actually trying to base it on anything. So they end up looking generic. We love the colour changing ninjas, but some of the ninjas have looked less like ninjas in recent games.
 
We love the colour changing ninjas, but some of the ninjas have looked less like ninjas in recent games.
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This probably isn't what you were referring to, but I would love to see Reptile go back to being a human ninja again. You could make him like the lizards from V and have him still have the reptilian face underneath a human mask.

Also the Sub-Scorp story kind of just ended without any real resolution. Sub kills Scorp, Scorp comes back and kills Sub. In turn Sub becomes Noob (which I thought was a neat twist), and his brother starts wearing the Sub outfit. Scorp sees this, goes to kill him again, then realizes it's not the same guy. What? Since when does an undead spectre from Hell just decide "you know what, he's alright, I'll let him live". And he decides to atone for killing the first Sub by becoming little bro's guardian? IMO once they went from MK II to MK3, a lot of the storylines from the first two games had reached their logical conclusion and that's when the wheels started falling off. I guess they were painted in a corner after the outcry from MK3, but ever since it's just been as if they feel the need to keep shoehorning characters into storylines because they grew too popular to skip a game. That's why I liked it when they killed Liu Kang. Not only was a shocking moment, it was the MK team making a statement that no one is safe. Then we got Zombie Liu and it was back to square one...
 
What do you guys think of MK returning back the the Arcades? Do you think it would be able to compete with other arcade games such as Tekken and SSF4? Try to imagine MKvsDCU (more bloody of course) in the arcade scene. How would that turn out?

I was also informed a while back that fatality combinations were not released until way after the game's released date. Would that light up the community to join together and find hidden fatalities (like Johnny Cage's punching bag fatality from MKSM)?
 
Kurtis Stryker said:
There's nothing wrong with being able to counter techniques and special moves with side steps; it disables a player's ability to spam the crap out of something, and thus, forces both fighters to actually fight and challenge one another with different strategies and techniques. A fight shouldn't enable spamming, because that's not competitive fighting; that's just who can tap buttons the fastest, which is lame.

Flash's running thing is among the few moves that were hard to combat spamming.
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If you're loosing because someone keeps doing the same move over and over or just mashing buttons, you're an idiot because THEY'RE PREDICTABLE, so beating them should be simple.

I'm big on old school fighting games and I'd LOVE to see the first 3 MK (2D) games redone with modern technology. I won't bag on the newer games simply because I know they're a different breed of game, but I don't like them.

If you're playing a FIGHTING game because of the STORY, you're doing it wrong.

:)
 
If I'm going to take advice or criticism about game technique from anyone, it'll be from someone who actually plays modern fighting games (particularly the game in question), rather than some dude clinging to a nostalgic wish that we were all still living in the 90s. Face it, the first three games are history; the series has evolved well beyond 2D sprites and fighting technique. I highly doubt the MK team are going to take three steps back, just because a bunch of nostalgic fan boys are pining for the 90s. If they do, that says a lot more about them than the fan boys.
 
2D and 3D games (fighting or otherwise) offer very different gameplay, and I prefer 2D fighters. I've played every popular 2D and 3D fighting game since the early 90s and I've NEVER liked 3D fighters, not because of WHEN they were made but because of how they played. That is my entire argument.

It's also kinda blind to believe that 3D games are automatically better because the technology they use is more complex.

I know that the decline of MK's popularity coincided with the birth of the 3D games, so I wouldn't be too surprised if a 2D title revitalized the brand, either.
 
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First of all, I'm not suggesting that 3D games are better; all you have to do is play Dead or Alive (the biggest piece of crap franchise ever), and that proves it. My point is that today's fighting games have evolved to/are dominated by 3D. Occasionally, some games can get away with 2.5D (i.e. Street Fighter), but 3D dominates the market. The 2D games are still popular, because they provide a market for nostalgia. That's perfectly fine, but new fighting games should be in 3D (or, in the rare exception, 2.5D). I really don't want to buy a new fighting game that is based on 90s mechanics and graphics; we are in a completely different era of gaming.

Secondly, MK's popularity declined, due to a number of factors. The crappy movie sequel is to blame for this, along with the times changing. MK2 and MK3 lit the arcades on fire, but it all started to decline with the fan boy-appeasing UMK3. And that's exactly what UMK3 was: a means to appease the fan boys who were butt hurt that some of their favorite ninjas weren't in the game. MK4 did well in the Arcades, but even then, a change was needed. Then, there was Mortal Kombat: Special Forces... and I don't think an explanation is needed for that one. That game really hurt the series.

When Deadly Alliance was released, it revitalized the brand. Deception also did a great job, as some prefer it a hell of a lot more than Deadly Alliance. Then, Armageddon buried the brand, in the same way that UMK3 and Trilogy did; good for nostalgia, but the series hit another rough patch. MKvsDCU really dumbed the brand down, and was a huge disappointment for a number of reasons.

A new 2D-based game isn't the solution. I'm not even sure Mortal Kombat can regain the popularity it once had, because the same shock value that it provided in the 90s is no longer there; nothing is shocking to anyone anymore. Moreover, Mortal Kombat never held the sort of stock in the gaming world that a series like Street Fighter did; Street Fighter practically invented the genre of fighting games, and still has a lasting impact for it. I hope MK9 rejuvenates the brand a little bit, but I just don't see Mortal Kombat regaining the same controversial presence in the game world that it had in the 90s. A movie reboot isn't going to do the job either, because I can guarantee a new Mortal Kombat movie will SUCK.
 
I'd be ecstatic about a game with a 2.5D version, actually. Sprites are obvious obsolete, but I don't think 2D mechanics/gameplay is entirely. I doubt they'd release such a game, but I know MK hasn't been the same since its 2D incarnations, so it might make some sense to bridge the gap.

Then again, fighting games, as a whole, don't have the significance they did back then, so yeah, there's no way MK would regain its old school relevance.
 
If fighting games have lost their massive significance today, it's because we're living in different times. Today's gaming is largely dominated by shooters and RPGs, because that's just where the market has headed for the past decade. However, Street Fighter and Tekken are still very significant. Tekken 6 is considered the most satisfying 3D fighter in a long time, whereas Street Fighter is still expanding its fan base with IV and Super-IV. The latest games from both are fantastic.

Mortal Kombat hasn't been the same since 2D, and that's a good thing. Deadly Alliance and Deception were great games. I even enjoyed Armageddon, for exactly what it was: a 3D version of Trilogy that wasn't broken and glitchy as hell.
 
Personally I prefer Mortal Kombat as a 2D title and just because the gameplay is 2D doesn'tmean the fatalities have to be like that also if they use 3d models they can use cinematic fatalities easily
 
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Fayte said:
Personally I prefer Mortal Kombat as a 2D title and just because the gameplay is 2D doesn'tmean the fatalities have to be like that also if they use 3d models they can use cinematic fatalities easily
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This idea would be nice. But I'd want the gameplay to be 2.5D like Street Fighter 4 and have the fatalities in 3D.
 
Fatality-wise, we haven't seen the full potential of the Unreal Engine. With today's technology I'm sure we will be seeing impressive moves that may aswell shock us all. Imagine Kung Lao's slice fatality, instead of just having two halves of the opponent you could have intestines and other organs just falling out. Fatalities will most likely be extremely graphic and the game itself would probably be banned in Australia (which tells me its a good thing, though).

I haven't been thinking much of the story. I have only thought of cosmetic changes to the game. I hope MK9 exceeds my expectations.
 
Not sure but might take place after MK vs DC or MKA with 2d look
 
Jinko said:
Fatality-wise, we haven't seen the full potential of the Unreal Engine. With today's technology I'm sure we will be seeing impressive moves that may aswell shock us all. Imagine Kung Lao's slice fatality, instead of just having two halves of the opponent you could have intestines and other organs just falling out. Fatalities will most likely be extremely graphic and the game itself would probably be banned in Australia (which tells me its a good thing, though).
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I'd want that!!! :turbonaughtdy_1:
 
The talk of after MKA and only a "few would survive", I think MK9 takes place after MKA, but with MKI MKII MIII style
 
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