Why so many awards now?

[MoonEye821]

I am sorry, but has any one else waundered why all of the sudden MK with MKD is winning awards left and right? I don't rememer this many awards, or any for that matter, for any other MK.

I mean, look at it, it's basicaly JUST MKDA with added more fatalities, new hara kilis, and stage fatalities. I know that sounds like a lot. But I would say a good 95% of the games core is an exact replica of MKDA. Difrent Characters with Diffrent Backgrounds. THe only true thing new that is significant is the Stage Fatalities. Besides that it's just the same formula, with dofrent characts and backgrounds. The game-play is identical. The graphics are nowhere near as decrative. MKDA was in for more fancy areas, and thus where far more lexuriace backgrounds. It's like MK1 to MK2. Both Arcades ran on basicaly the same machine. The graphics for the characters where greatly improoved. But look at the backgrounds. In MK1 you get a palace, a bride, and Statues, Guards, just far more fancy. In MK2 you got a pit, death, and green Acid.

So, the backgrounds where more pleasing to the eye in MK1 and MKDA. And look at the characters! They're fighting styles are TOTAL rips from MKDA! Sub-Zero's only true difrence is the sub-tracted point that he can no longer stab his weapon into his oponot. Besides that subtraction, which makes him far less desirable, and the ice clone rather than the shaking thing, which served the same effect of having a freeze someone has to jump into, everything else game-play wise is the SAME.

Havok is a rip of Tsung and Chi's first fighting styles!

I just find it interesting that is you add Stage Fatalities, darker atmosphere, and more fatalities. You can get awards left and right. But having one heck of a game two years earlier only gets, at MOST, a few casual wispers of aplause.

MKD is just MKDA with stage fatalities, and a guest star aperance from Capcoms Ken under a code name!

And look at MK 1, 2, 3, U2, T, SF, SZM, 4, and G! None of them got awards from my knowledge until years after their release. Or at least not as many. All they get from the general public was scorn for blood content. And years later praised slightly for being the first bloody fighter. That's all the general public cared about the first game or two. Then they forget everything until MKD.

I just find it interesting that no one gives hardly any posotive public recognition of the MK series until MKD. Then they hold MKD as revolutionizing 3D fighting. While in truth about a good 95% of MKD's revolutions where what it copied from MKDA; which was release two years prior and got hardly nothing!

 

[K1LLKANO]

First off, there are a lot more awards now than there were for the MK - MK3 days.

Second, the gameplay has been sped up and smoothed out from MKDA. Making for a more pleasant playing experience.

Third, the addition of Stage Fatalities had a lot to do with it. It brought MKD back to its origins. Not to mention the inclusion of Chess and Puzzle Kombat. Essentially making MKD 4 solid games in 1, instead of just a fighter with a long, drawn out and seeming pointless practice session (Konquest).

Fourth, with the inclusion of interactive and multilevel arenas, MKD went far beyond MKDA's single, round bourdered and invisible walled world.

So in the end, yeah, you're wrong. MKD was a vast improvement over MKDA. The major things it lacked was solid newcomer characters and graphics.

 

[DCR]

Deception also came out in a year that had crap for fighting games, so I think that's another reason right there. When its competition is only average, it's easy for something decent to come out on top.

 

[Angel]

The trouble with plain old fighting ordinary fighting games is everyone has been there and done them. All your getting now is improved graphics and smother and/or faster gameplay. And all the most obivous things about fighting games have now been exhausted.

 

[Goraka]

This is an MK forum, don't complain if MK gets awards, it's a GOOD thing

 

[MoonEye821]

I am not complaining. I simply am pointing out the change in the general gaming public. We live in a world now where video games are seen as something to award. Ten years ago it wasn't. It's an interesting change.

As for MKD. The side games do NOT game it 4 games in one. Well, it does, but you know what I mean. It's like having one game with two mini games that actualy go beyond Test Your Might. Puzzle Kombat does not count as a full game, unless you're talking GameBoy Quality.

And sense when is Chess seen as a grand revolution?

The only thing that gives the "multi games in one" thing ang true leverage is the Konquest Adventure. Although there is certainly a speacial feeling to MKDA's; MKD's has a speacial atmosphere as well. I think we all enjoyed seeing, basicaly, the cast of MKT make a 3D apearance. It was awsome seeing the realms. I will say, out of all the "extra games" in MKD that Konquest Adventure was buy far the most worth-while. The other two, in all reallity, where nothing more than a juced up board game, and a knock off of Game Boy's Tetris. Not to say they didn't do a good job in making some very original changes to the formula and quality. It's just the fact one shouldn't realy call an added board and Game Boy game, "4 solid games in 1." That makes it sound like your geting some kind of Midway Arcade Treasure package thing. The aditions are cute, but not mind-blowing.

The Konquest Adventure was, in all respect, a fancy dancy training mission. Although it is always fun to see a story form and see old faces in a new 3D light, it is far from a, "solid game." As far as most RPG fans are conserned anyway. In other words, is it a great adition? Yes it is. Would it stand alone just as well? Absolutly not.

A fighting game, once it is striped of all its added airs, truly comes down to the fighting game. And MKD is basicaly MKDA. Yes, it is faster. That, in my opinion, is not a great thing.... Does anyone remember MK3 and 4? One of the MOST complained about issues from newcomers to the series is that you die in almost literaly 5 SECONDS! That turned a lot of new players off to those games. They are too fast-paced for anyone who doesn't care to train to be a long-term player. I have always loved the series, and love and play the games well. But I have read many a reveiw that scorns them for being too fast to play.

I just have horible visions that the next MK will fallow that same cicle of self distruction. Some fans think, faster is automaticaly better. The next, unless the fans learned their lesson, or Midway learned not to listen to those fans on that area for those fan's own good, will likely be too fast for any newcomers to play. And this sends the series to walk the line and coming almost once again to the cliff of self destruction.

And, as far as, "smoother," MKD isn't really. It moves, atacks, and side-steps just as well as MKDA. It's spead may give the ilusion of a more, "smooth," game play. But it's JUST as smooth, JUST faster. And I already think that's a bad way to start to go again.

Ok, like I said, now that we strip away the extra mini-games and the faster speed. MKD is basicaly MKDA with stage fatalities. Like I already said in the first place....

And, in truth, they are an interesting adition. But they arn't what I would call award aferming in comparasin. Break-away and interactive objects? MKDA had those too. Demon Statues spewed acid, ice-broke, and statues could break. All MKD did was more. And quality beats quantity. So, MKDA matches the quality, just not the quantity. Which is not a big deal for me. And, the invisable walls are still there. They just don't do damage and glow. That's not a major improovment, if you could even call it one.

Once one slips away from all the hype and self delusion, MKD is just MKDA all over again with stage fatalities and new characters.

I'm not saying it's not a good game. I'm saying MKD is to MKDA, as MK2 is to MK1. All they do is give you a darker atmosphere, and more blood, and it becomes, to some of the fans, this HUGE and UNPRESIDENTED victory in the video game world.

I'm not trying to talk the game down. I'm just trying to put it into it's rightful place. It is a great new instulment. It does not deserve the title of the all-powerful resurecting game of the MK series. MKDA deserves that. MKD just adds a bunch more fluff and takes the publics eye.

Lets take a look at MKDA's acheivments. Smooth and gracfuly paced fighting. A whole new kombat system with two hand to hands and one weapon. Breakable, and thus interactive, erena objects, you know what I mean. New graphic quality. A new, interesting, and refreshing story. Blood that stays on the ground and adds a great afect. Combos that branch through the fighting systems to make strings. Beautiful and lush invormoments. A cast of old favorites and an adition of good new characters.

Now lets take a look at MKD's achivments that arn't taken from MKDA. Faster Game Play. Stage Fatalities. Multi Tire Areanas. Combo Breakers. Weapons in the background. And three mini-games that could almost stand on their own on the game-boy if packaged together.

Now lets take a look at MKD's core achievments once the razle dazle is removed. You have stage fatalities and Multi Tire Areanas witch are both interesting aditions to the game-play. And combo breakers which, although tick me off lol, are an interesting adition. Then weapons in the background, which are interesting as well.

Combo Breakers, Stage Fatalities, Stage Weapons, and Multi Tire Areanas. That doesn't stand up hardly at all on the revolution factor. Everything else in MKD is just making MORE of what MKDA did. And that's expanding, whitch is not really revolutionary or reward deserving as such.

Most of these awards should have gone to MKDA, in all reallity.

And, back to roots? How does MKD go back to roots? It's a game about showing where MK is going to be going! It's suposed to brach off what MK means, and does that well. Stage-Fatalities? There was only one in the original MK1. So how is that back to roots? Inless you're talking about the messy upercut aditions. Excuse me for being probably the only one to see how artistic not having the upercuts looks. I think it was a good change that MKDA made that MKD just went back and braught back. I am not really that pleased to see their return. That was something that worked well in the 2D series, but in my opinion should have been left there.

MKDA is the true revolutionary. But a good bulk of the fan base isn't as ready to give up the 2D game-play as they seemed to be when the scorned MK4 for holding onto it. Now they scorn MKDA for letting it go.

Do you want almost unplayable fast-paced uper-cut layden 2D style play?

Or do you want a true 3D style martial arts game?

MKD is trying to blend both, because Midway tried saying a yes to the first question in MK4 and yes to the second in MKDA. And the fans still wined like little babys. And now MKD looks kinda wierd as a 3D, 2D, blend. It's like it's trying to get the best of the 2 and 3D worlds and is all hicuping and sputering while doing so.

The problem is a bulk of Midway's fans still don't honistly know what they want from a 3D Mortal Kombat. And until they decide, Midway has to keep making hibrids like this that are, well, kinda disturbing....

:shock:

 

[Angel]

Wow...

You should get +Karma for making just being able to make a post that long. But I see you have some good points made...

I don't think MK4 was too fast. I think it was too slow. The characters seemed to pull off moves sluggishly (is there such a word???). I felt certain characters, like Fujin, they just simply needed a bit more speed.

I haven't played the extra games (I must be the only MK fan... T_T). Since I don't own a console and so far I haven't been able to play the console beyond borrowing it for a day or two and I was more intereasted in unlocking stuff then the other games. But they looked like things you'd only do when you needed to pass time or was bored.

Its hard for MK to go back on itself at this point. When Street fighter released Street Fighter 35X or whatever it was called, can't remember, people made one common comment. Why is Street Fighter STILL doing 2D. People EXPECT all fight games now to be in 3D it seems and BOY WAS STREET FIGHTER 32X (or whatever) TAKEN APART FOR THAT. I saw three computer games programs when it released and they all made that same comment. It was 2D, and people see 2D has simply being exhausted. These review guys don't seem to care much for 3D now.

So MK had to move away from 2D at some point, otherwise game critics/reviewers wouldn't have let it see sunlight. How they did it was a bit more orginal then some other fighting games. Trouble is, with new design comes new problems.

Give them at least 2 more MK games and they'll properly have the idea they have built figured out. For now Midway team is properly just playing with what they can do with it.

 

[Prophet]

That post by Mooneye had 1354 words. Wow. just wow.

He should get +Karma for those two posts.
And I should get -Karma for making this post.

 

[TheFreak]

OK, MoonEye, this is a FORUM, you write little comments, not essays! P.S. You should've gotten Karma, but since you were seeing MK's success in a negative fashion, thay said Screw it.

 

[DCR]

OK, MoonEye, this is a FORUM, you write little comments, not essays!

It's completely up to the person who writes the message; there's nothing that says you can't make verbose posts that cover a lot of ground on an online forum. I often make pretty long posts myself when I have a lot to say about something, that's no big deal. Do be advised, though, posts of that length are more likely to be avoided by readers and as such you may not get you the discusssion you want. It's up to you, though.

 

[DreemerNJ]

Its a difference in the market and a difference in MK. There are large scale awards shows that weren't around back in the MK1-3 era and there is a lot of publicity for developer awards that weren't around back then.

Also, MKD was a huge fan service, which seems like the thing many americans want. It didn't have great gameplay but it had great graphics, tons of side extras, and just a lot of stuff in general and the public ate it up. MK games always tried to have a lot of collateral on top of the fighting, but until now, with the Console only releases, they usually started with an arcade version where collateral pretty much didn't exist.

On top of that, MKD came out in a year where its biggest competition was probably Def Jam, not other fan favorites like SC2, or, of course, the best 3D fighter ever made - VF4e.