Fans Express Dissapointment in Armageddon Shortfalls

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Jeff Greeson

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<img src="http://www.trmk.org/images/mkarmageddon/screenshots/mka_9_t.jpg" width="160" height="120" class="newslink" align="right" hspace="4" vspace="4" />The build up to the ultimate <b>Mortal Kombat</b> game in the current generation was big. Over <b>60 characters</b> to choose from, a highly anticipated follow-up to last year's hit <b>Konquest mode</b> and a whole new <b>Kreate-a-Fighter</b> feature were amongst the highest anticipated features in <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_armageddon/">Mortal Kombat: Armageddon</a>. But it appears that <b>Armageddon</b> has seemed to crumble under its own weight, according to fan reactions in our <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5">Message Forums</a>.

The ambitions of the <b>MK Team</b> to include every character in the <b>Mortal Kombat</b> universe required several trade-offs in the main arcade portion that several fans are upset about. One major point of contention is the <b>Kreate-a-Fatality</b> feature. <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/member.php?u=1350">jeary writes</a>, <i>"If time or space was the problem, why couldnt they have just threw back in the identical deadly alliance and deception fatalities. Then created maybe 15-20 new ones. Even one per character would have been better than the kaf. The whole time im trying to do the kaf, im looking at the sheet rather than trying to enjoy the fatality."</i>

Another trade-off are the character endings. The <b>MK Team</b> in the past decided that the fully animated endings in <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mk4">MK4</a> were so time consuming to create that they would be going back to static screen narration endings for <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mkda/">Deadly Alliance</a> and <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mkd/">Deception</a>. With the large character roster, it seems like even creating one static screen per character was too much and the team resorted to a narration over the character performing "kata". <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/showthread.php?t=9862">SubZero'sBrother writes</a> <i>"The endings.. By far.. The worst this series has ever seen.. I won't spoil anything here, but when your game concludes you'll know what I'm talking about.. Maybe I set my sights too high? I think not actually."</i>

The most puzzling "letdown" seems to be <b>Konquest Mode</b>. <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mkd/">Mortal Kombat: Deception</a> featured a free roaming <b>Konquest Mode</b> that was open ended and featured tutorials on each character. On <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_armageddon/">Armageddon's</a> <b>Konquest Mode</b> <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/showthread.php?t=9898">The 7th Number writes</a>, <i>"I really didnt like the konquest either, too much fighting, and its all a set path so you have nothing to do except run down the street and beat up some goons. Deceptions konquest was way better. It was free roaming, finding stuff on your own, and that meditation part made it freaky."</i> <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/showthread.php?t=9898#post123590">iniquity1 adds</a>, <i>"But call me weird, I enjoyed the training missions as each fighter from Deception. It gave me a chance to feel up the other fighters to know their strengths and weaknesses. Not to mention at least knowing HOW TO FIGHT WITH THEM instead on constantly pulling up the "move list" menu."</i>.

It's not quite clear as to why <b>Konquest Mode</b> went the direction it went in <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_armageddon/">Armageddon</a>, after such a dramatic improvement in <b>Deception</b> over <b>Deadly Alliance</b>. The transition to the <a href="http://www.trmk.org/games/mortal_kombat_shaolin_monks/">Mortal Kombt: Shaolin Monks</a> engine might have something to do with the fact that none of the puzzle mechanics from <b>Deception's Konquest Mode</b> made it over to <b>Armageddon</b>. Many were expecting a whole new chapter in <b>Deception's Konquest</b>, but instead received a radically different linear button masher.

These are only a few of the opinions being expressed on the <a href="http://forums.realmmedia.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5">Message Forums</a>. If you agree with some of these sentiments or have a totally different opinion, get an account and express yourself!
 
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People like to bi*** a lot, plain and simple. They got thier hopes up too high thinking MKA will be the best game ever.

Personally, I think it's a great game. It's my 2nd favorite MK game other than trilogy.
 
Honestly, I have to say the I actually really liked Armageddon. I thought that the konquest mode was leaps and bounds better than Deceptions (Which I found drawn out and stale, It felt more like a chore to beat than it was fun).

I like the KAF, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the character exclusive ones. However, the interactivity of KAF rocks imo.

I like the changes that they made to the game, in fact, the only real complaint I have are the character endings. I thought that was an unnecessary shortcut that they took, but when all is said and done, I am really, really high on Armageddon.
 
I think the Konquest crticism is certainly valid, because Deception's was dead on and very enjoyable. I've given my two cents already, but truth be told, the minor improvements in the fighting engine aside, Deception was a more "complete" package and therefore, a better game. Yes, I happen to be one of those people who didn't like the new fighting engine.
 
I knew when i heard about the kaf that something was gonna suck about it, but the konquest mode rocks, no more roaming, no more one punch knockout in free roaming, just kicking ass without taking names!
 
This game smells of "Let's just throw this out to meet our game-a-year demand so we can start our next-gen stuff."

As a loyal MK fan since 1992, I can't say I'm happy with Armageddon.
 
Yeah really when I look back on MK trilogy, the only two things I didn't like about it were slow loading times (PSone version) & the bosses were already selectable which made it crappy to do "random Select". Other than that, I would rather play MkT than MK ARM. I just think if MK ARM could of had more time and even if it was developed on next gen, they could of packed more into it even for it being the older MK material. I give it 5/10
 
diddyman said:
I knew when i heard about the kaf that something was gonna suck about it, but the konquest mode rocks, no more roaming, no more one punch knockout in free roaming, just kicking ass without taking names!
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wow you didnt like free roaming? That was one of the best things about deceptions konquest. That and the fact that all the hidden items were HARD to find. In Armageddons konquest i had 55 relics by the end of my first time through, i missed only 5! Talk about easy. I didnt like the set path at all, plus the levels were small, at least where you could walk, which made finding the items really easy. Plus it has way too much fighting for my liking. It would have been alot better if they mixed in parts where you had to talk to people, like deceptions. Not sure if konquest will be a part of future MK games, but its something they should think about if they plan on it. Its cool that they made a game with every mortal kombat character ever...well except khameleon, but this game didnt live up to the hype.
 
That sucks about the endings.
I used to love to see what went on after the game even way back in the
MK2 days and it just had them little photos with what happened.
Aww.
It's not out here in Australia till next Friday!
I bought the special US one cos I wanted that DVD. It was cool how it had all the
bios and stuff.
 
I sincerely hope that you enjoy the game when it finally becomes available to you, DarkLord. I used to love the endings in classic MK, still do. You would work so hard to battle your way up the tower and whatnot to see them. Even MKDA and MKD had picture endings at least, not boring overly repeated Kata sequences with a dull voiceover. But when you think about it, 60 + endings translates into over 120 artwork cards. That's a bunch! :mrgreen:
 
ChiefThunder said:
I sincerely hope that you enjoy the game when it finally becomes available to you, DarkLord. I used to love the endings in classic MK, still do. You would work so hard to battle your way up the tower and whatnot to see them. Even MKDA and MKD had picture endings at least, not boring overly repeated Kata sequences with a dull voiceover. But when you think about it, 60 + endings translates into over 120 artwork cards. That's a bunch! :mrgreen:
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Thats still alot easier and cheaper than doing 20+ CG ending sequences like pretty much all other fighters do. Picture endings shouldve been the least they couldve done.

For the most part Im happy with Armageddon, and Im only really dissapointed with the endings. The Konquest was good but just lost some of that mysterious feeling that Deception's had, even though Deception's Konquest had so many freaking loose ends (I didnt know that while playing it though).

Other than that I think the aerial Kombat kicks ass and the KAF is ok. Basically out of this generation of MK games, Deception still feels like it was the most complete one.
 
ebm62980 said:
Thats still alot easier and cheaper than doing 20+ CG ending sequences like pretty much all other fighters do. Picture endings shouldve been the least they couldve done.
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The FMV end stories and CGI Bios in MK4/Gold were very expensive to produce. Even back then with not much more than a dozen characters, those endings were not only cost prohibitive, but very time consuming to make. If they had made 60 + FMV endings for MKA, not only would we have had to wait at least another 6-8 months for the game, but it would have been way too costly for them to make. As you say, picture endings would have sufficed. But even that would have taken far too long. :mrgreen:
 
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The 7th Number said:
wow you didnt like free roaming? That was one of the best things about deceptions konquest. That and the fact that all the hidden items were HARD to find. In Armageddons konquest i had 55 relics by the end of my first time through, i missed only 5! Talk about easy. I didnt like the set path at all, plus the levels were small, at least where you could walk, which made finding the items really easy. Plus it has way too much fighting for my liking. It would have been alot better if they mixed in parts where you had to talk to people, like deceptions. Not sure if konquest will be a part of future MK games, but its something they should think about if they plan on it. Its cool that they made a game with every mortal kombat character ever...well except khameleon, but this game didnt live up to the hype.
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Of course it didn't, they never do! If anything we should of except them to **** this one up, Because from what i've heard they're were working on a next gen mk while making this one. The reason why the kaf was added wasn't for the fans.... It was because the kaf allowed them to reduce the time frame of complete of product, or in other words, they got lazy and decided to give every body the same fatality and just make it so you can do a different version of the same fatality. On that note, That what i liked about konquest was that it was an easy beat'em up and not an rpg, I didn't like the fighting engine for the last konquest and that items were hidden, it completely took all the joy out of playing deception because i knew i would have to play konquest before i could really start playing. And that's something that got fixed with armaggeddon. But I will agree that the cutscenes sucked, hard!
 
That infinite is really easy, and I'm sure everyone figured it out. I don't think the CPU cares if you do that forever on them though.
 
honestly, i enjoy Armageddon, but i do find flaws in it. Konquest is okay, but i do miss the open endness of Deception's konquest. Being able to walk about the realms and talk to everybody from the MK games was just cool... (Like walking around, and then seeing one of the characters and getting excited that you found an old favorite, ya know?)

KAF is decent... i miss the old exclusive ones, but from watching the "History of Fatalities" from the dvd, it's good so they don't make anymore crappy fatalities (Quan Chi's from MK:DA for example). The Kreate a Fighter is pretty cool too, although kinda limited.

The main thing i am upset about the game is how some of the characters moves have been left out. Kintaro.. no leap? WTF?!? Cyrax... no net? Some things you just have to have... that would be like Scorpion no having his spear. (Although I do like how they included Noob's old moves from UMK3.. those made him cool).

and the Krypt, they FINALLY got it right for once. I really didn't like how they were in the two previous games. I got sick of trying to find something cool and always unlocking koncept art or studio pics of the creators.

And yes, the endings suck. You really can't excuse that. I am a huge MK fan (and always been) and i rarely ever am disappointed by the games, but the endings on this one really ticked me off. 120 picture endings wouldn't have been THAT hard or time consuming to make now would it? Hell, with all the koncept art and hi-res art that used for promotion, they should've spent that time on making the hi-res images for the endings...
 
My biggest dissapointment about the game is no chess!!!

Me and my boy would hook up once a week to get down on sum MK chess...
Many of you guys might not have given chess much of a chance or did not have an equal opponent... The game can get very intense! Matches can be anywhere from a few minutes (very rarely) to upwards of over an hour (less rarely than the latter)!

How chess was done was absolute genius! It would have been the $#!+ if they had inckluded it on MKA...

Other than that, my first thoughts were on how some of the kombos and special moves got stripped from the fighters... and were is Moloc's ball? They were talking about it alot on the bonus DVD like it was the $#!+, but made no mention of the fact they removed it in MKA.... not a big dea, though.. but he don't look the same...

In knoquest wasn't as much like Shaolin Monks... there was no jumping...

The KAK is dope, but I thought you'd be able to control the body deminsions more, such as height and weight...

KAF aint too bad but I like the OG fatality system better... Maybe both in future versions?

Overall, the game is great.. once you get past all your previous expectations and enjoy what it has.. you'll be good
 
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