Mortal Kombat

[Guest Sakura]

Just wanted to make a MK thread for anything about the series you want to share or discuss. Here's some questions I have for everyone.

 

 

What do you think of the series? Long time fan? Just got into it? Always hated it?

 

I am like an uberfan. I have played the series hardcore for like a decade now. It's one of my favorite franchises in gaming.

 

 

Who are your favorite characters?

 

I have always been a big mark for the MK3 character designs. I have no one favorite character, but I really like Kabal, Cyrax, Sektor, Kurtis Stryker and Sub-Zero(in particular his unmasked version in MK3/UMK3/MKT).

 

 

Which game is the best?

 

Almost everyone always puts MK II way over but I actually like MK3 and it's upgrades more.

 

 

Have you played Deadly Alliance? What did you think of it?

 

I think it's pretty good. Their goal for it was to make it more of a "legitmate"(MK has always been seen as shallow and flashy) fighting game and in that sense I think they failed. MKDA is just as shallow as the past ones. The engine is decent though and I like the story a lot.

[Guest Cavi]

What do you think of the series? Long time fan? Just got into it? Always hated it?

 

I'm a really big fan of it. I have been with it since day one. Most definitely one of my favorite franchises ever.

 

Who are your favorite characters?

 

Sub, Scorpion, Kabal, Cyrax, and Sektor are at the top for me. And Jax, obviously. He is like what Chang & Choi are to KOF - everybody loves 'em!! Er, or not.

 

Which game is the best?

 

This is quite a close race. II and 3 are two of my favorite games of all time. II got more console play from me than 3, and 3 more time in the arcade than II. In the end, I think I would go with 3 because of the gameplay.

 

Have you played Deadly Alliance? What did you think of it?

 

It's a quality game for sure. The presentation is pretty awesome, as is always the case with this series. With some tweaks and more stuff (Fatalities, Kabal, more ninjas...!), the game will be even cooler.

[Guest Special K]

I have to say, I loved MK through the 1st, and especially 2nd incarnations. The 2nd game was the peak of the series' charaaacterrs. The dash button was an excellent idea, as turtling was the supreme strateghem in the 1st 2, but the combos were to damn arbitrary for me to ever learn. and that was it for m,e and MK. Tao Feng evokes happy memories though.

 

Favorite game? MK2

 

Character? Scorpion, Kitana

 

I want to at least rent Dark Alliance, since I want to give the series I once loved another chance. No fatalities in DA? Is that what I'm Hearing?

[Guest Cavi]

Oh, there are Fatalities in DA. I should have been more clear in what I said. The problem is that there is only one Fatality per character in the game, which is one too few, especially with someone like Quan Chi who has one of the dumbest ones ever.

[Guest Sturgis]

My problem with MK is the souless(no pun intended) characters in the games now. I'm glad the finally got rid of Liu Kang, but it's time to let the others go(Jax, Sonya, Cage are pretty useless now). I think they should take the newbies from UMK3(Ermac, Rain, etc.) and give them better backstory.

[Guest Sakura]

I agree there. They seem to be obsessed with a small handful of characters and then almost always have them return. It's like they just love the original 7 from MK1 and a few from MKII(like Jax) so they put them in EVERY game no matter what.

 

I understand that Scorpion and Sub-Zero are icons of gaming and should be in like all games but why is Jax ALWAYS in the games? Jax has been in every MK game since his debut in II. WTF? Why? Is Jax that popular? I certainly never see anyone all excited about Jax or a big Jax fan. Why does Sonya keep coming back?

 

They've got these really cool characters that they will design and then just drop. Baraka was insanely popular in MK II and is still well known yet outside of upgrade games like MK Trilogy and MK Gold he has never returned since MK II. Kabal was one of the top 3 most popular characters in MK3 and never returns.

 

Except for Liu Kang all of the characters from MK1 are back in DA. That's just ridiculous.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

What do you think of the series? Long time fan? Just got into it? Always hated it?

 

I used to be a really big fan, but I've lost interest in the series over time. I didn't mind the lack of depth when I was a middle school kid just messing around, but after playing Tekken and Soul Blade/Calibur, it's hard to go back. The gameplay is very basic. I do love the atmosphere though. Very few fighting series have as much personality as MK.

 

Who are your favorite characters?

 

I've always been a huge Rayden fan from the very beginning. He's always been by far my favorite character. I also like Liu Kang, Shang Tsung, Reptile, Kitana, Mileena and Sub Zero (particularly the unmasked version).

 

Which game is the best?

 

I think MK2 has the best atmosphere. The stages, music and character design is the most consistantly good in MK2. I really didn't get into MK3's atmosphere at all. The stages in particular were very boring. Still, I'd probably say UMK3 is my favorite game in the series because it has the best gameplay. MK2 plays very slow and feels pretty repetitive.

 

Have you played Deadly Alliance? What did you think of it?

 

Haven't played it. Probably won't. It looked alright, but there's just too much better stuff out there (TK4, SC2, GGX2) for me to bother with it.

[Guest WukenBloodstar]

I agree there. They seem to be obsessed with a small handful of characters and then almost always have them return. It's like they just love the original 7 from MK1 and a few from MKII(like Jax) so they put them in EVERY game no matter what.

 

I understand that Scorpion and Sub-Zero are icons of gaming and should be in like all games but why is Jax ALWAYS in the games? Jax has been in every MK game since his debut in II. WTF? Why? Is Jax that popular? I certainly never see anyone all excited about Jax or a big Jax fan. Why does Sonya keep coming back?

 

They've got these really cool characters that they will design and then just drop. Baraka was insanely popular in MK II and is still well known yet outside of upgrade games like MK Trilogy and MK Gold he has never returned since MK II. Kabal was one of the top 3 most popular characters in MK3 and never returns.

 

Except for Liu Kang all of the characters from MK1 are back in DA. That's just ridiculous.

Kabal is dead and so is Baraka. You won't be seeing them back anytime soon. (Hopefully..they both sucked as characters) If you read Mavado's bio for MK:DA I believe that it says he killed Kabal, besides..Mavado is a better character than Kabal anyday. I'm insanely good with Hsu Hao, Mavado and Scoorpion (Came up with my own custom 12 hit combo )

[Guest Renegade]

What do you think of the series? Long time fan? Just got into it? Always hated it?

 

-When I first saw someone uppercut Scorpion off the bridge in MK, I was awe stricken. The game just looked cool at the time (Scorpion and Sub Zero being two of the main factors), but yet I only played it a couple of times.

 

When the MK2 console ports came about though, it became the ultimate party game. Friends would come around and we would play endless bouts.

 

Then MK3 came out, and all I felt was disappointment. The back-back-back-forward-punch-block-block-block shit had just gotten old. It felt uncomfortable and repetitive compared to what else was on offer. Although I’m sure many people would disagree, even the story in MK2, which I had taken a liking to, had become dull and uninteresting. I think Outworld-Earth should have ended at MK2.

 

And there is MK 4, which gave me a good chuckle, nothing else.

 

Who are your favorite characters?

 

-Sub Zero, Liu Kang, Kabal, Barraca, Kung Lao

 

Which game is the best?

 

-Meh, I wouldn’t know, my interest died after MK2 so I guess its MK2

 

Have you played Deadly Alliance? What did you think of it?

 

-Better than I thought, still nowhere near the level of any of the Capcom, namco, Sega and SNK/Playmore games around, but decent non the less. It was worth the rental.

[Guest Sakura]

Kabal is dead and so is Baraka. You won't be seeing them back anytime soon. (Hopefully..they both sucked as characters) If you read Mavado's bio for MK:DA I believe that it says he killed Kabal, besides..Mavado is a better character than Kabal anyday. I'm insanely good with Hsu Hao, Mavado and Scoorpion (Came up with my own custom 12 hit combo )

Yes, Mavado's Konquest story mentions that he got his Hookswords from Kabal. Doesn't really mean anything. It words it as "apparently" dead and death in Mortal Kombat means nothing. Cage, Kano, Mileena, Kung Lao, Goro and Shao Kahn have all came back from the dead.

 

Baraka is not dead. We have no idea where he is since Shinnok's defeat.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I loved the first 2...but when 3 came out I was unimpressed and I haven't thought much about the ones after. Although I kinda like Deadly Alliance. 2 was the best

 

Favorite characters:

 

Kano...even though everyone else I knew hated him

Sub Zero...liked him better then Scorp

Baraka...I got real good with him

Cage...real easy to use, and I liked the character

[Guest areacode212]

What do you think of the series? Long time fan? Just got into it? Always hated it?

 

I was a big fan up until MK4 came out. By then, I was heavily into Tekken, and while I had been looking forward to MK4, I was really used to seeing real actors play the characters--even the crappy new ones they hired for (U)MK3 (I liked Daniel Pesina & Katalin Zamiar from MK2 the best). The characters looked & moved oddly...like G.I. Joe action figures come to life. And the weapons system just seemed lame.

 

But in the MK2/MK3 days, I was a HUGE fan. I remember all those different chip upgrades, and I'd print out FAQs on my school's line printer (a new version would come out, like, daily) then head to the arcade. I liked MK1 fine when it came out, but I didn't really get into the franchise until MK2.

 

Who are your favorite characters?

 

MK1: Sub-Zero, Raiden.

MK2: Mileena, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero

(U)MK3: Sonya, Sindel, Human Smoke, Cyrax

MKT: Never played it

MK4: Don't have one

 

I have always been a big mark for the MK3 character designs.

 

Funny, I pretty much hated the MK3 character designs. An overweight cop? Ninja robots? Ugh.

 

Which game is the best?

 

I will put over MKII like most other people. When it first came out, it was everything you could ask for in a sequel, especially for 1993. Play as Shang Tsung! Play as Reptile!! TWO fatalities for every character? More stage fatalities! All those cool secrets!! A crouching low punch! I practically creamed myself when my friend showed me the MK2 FAQ, and we all went to East Side Billiards after school. Plus, the storyline endings were cool. Damn, I think I'm going to go load it up on MAME right now.

 

 

Have you played Deadly Alliance? What did you think of it?

 

I don't have any new consoles. If they had released it in the arcades, maybe I would have checked it out.

 

 

Here's another question: what's your favorite music from the series?

 

I fucking love the Goro's Lair/"Insert Coin to Continue" music from MK1. Same goes for the Soul Chamber/ending music from MK3. I loved it when the machine's volume would be turned up loud. Yeah!!

[Guest Sakura]

Good question about the music. I have always been a big fan of Dan Forden's stuff.

 

Armory from MK II(funny how this guy screaming is part of the music) and Soul Chamber, Temple and Balcony from MK3 stand out to me the most.

 

Soul Chamber in general is just a fanstastic stage.

 

I think MK3 has the best stages of the series. Balcony, Soul Chamber, Temple, Shao Kahn Tower and Graveyard...all rule.

 

 

I wonder if Daniel Pesina regrets doing the Bloodstorm ad and being part of the lawsuit against Midway. His brother Carlos is STILL working on MK games, a decade later.

[Guest WukenBloodstar]

Kabal is dead and so is Baraka. You won't be seeing them back anytime soon. (Hopefully..they both sucked as characters) If you read Mavado's bio for MK:DA I believe that it says he killed Kabal, besides..Mavado is a better character than Kabal anyday.    I'm insanely good with Hsu Hao, Mavado and Scoorpion (Came up with my own custom 12 hit combo )

Yes, Mavado's Konquest story mentions that he got his Hookswords from Kabal. Doesn't really mean anything. It words it as "apparently" dead and death in Mortal Kombat means nothing. Cage, Kano, Mileena, Kung Lao, Goro and Shao Kahn have all came back from the dead.

 

Baraka is not dead. We have no idea where he is since Shinnok's defeat.

I was speaking if you counted MK4 for anything, but I thought He was badass, expect when he'd always counter my jumping..grrr. I hope to god Shao Kahn is not brought back, I got fed up with bothering to fight him in MK3/UMK3. I'd run up and uppercut Shao and he'd laugh at me every single time.

[Guest Sakura]

I was speaking if you counted MK4 for anything

I do. MK4 and MK Gold are part of the story.

 

I'm assuming you're talking about Baraka's ending(which is only in Gold, btw). While yes, he is killed by Quan Chi in that ending, that does not mean he is really dead. Not every ending happens in Mortal Kombat. Most of them are a "what if this character had won" situation. Sometimes they take stuff from endings and make them true. Sometimes they don't. In MK4/MKG Raiden, Kitana, Sonya, Reptile and Liu Kang all die in various endings. Obviously we know that really didn't happen. Reptile, Kitana, Sonya and Raiden are alive and well in DA and Liu Kang lived to die another day, at Tsung's hand.

 

Another thing to consider is that the ending happening makes no sense considering the story in DA. In the ending Quan Chi had won. Raiden and the other Earth Warriors were dead. Chi was ruling Edenia. As we know that never happened so the events in which Baraka were killed never would have taken place.

 

 

Since Baraka didn't return and wasn't mentioned in the story it's impossible to say what happened to him. He could have been killed during the fight against Shinnok. He could have bailed and just be in hiding. He could be roaming Outworld again. Maybe he hooked up with Mileena and they're raising a family of 7 little mutanted freakishly mouthed creatures.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

my favorite MK game is Sub-Zero!

[Guest EQ]

Favorite MK?

MK2.

 

Favorite chars?

Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Baraka

 

I've been a fan of the series since the first MK. At one point, I owned all the games (well, except for DA).

 

I rented DA, pretty cool game, but I don't see myself buying it.

[Guest WukenBloodstar]

I was speaking if you counted MK4 for anything

I do. MK4 and MK Gold are part of the story.

 

I'm assuming you're talking about Baraka's ending(which is only in Gold, btw). While yes, he is killed by Quan Chi in that ending, that does not mean he is really dead. Not every ending happens in Mortal Kombat. Most of them are a "what if this character had won" situation. Sometimes they take stuff from endings and make them true. Sometimes they don't. In MK4/MKG Raiden, Kitana, Sonya, Reptile and Liu Kang all die in various endings. Obviously we know that really didn't happen. Reptile, Kitana, Sonya and Raiden are alive and well in DA and Liu Kang lived to die another day, at Tsung's hand.

 

Another thing to consider is that the ending happening makes no sense considering the story in DA. In the ending Quan Chi had won. Raiden and the other Earth Warriors were dead. Chi was ruling Edenia. As we know that never happened so the events in which Baraka were killed never would have taken place.

 

 

Since Baraka didn't return and wasn't mentioned in the story it's impossible to say what happened to him. He could have been killed during the fight against Shinnok. He could have bailed and just be in hiding. He could be roaming Outworld again. Maybe he hooked up with Mileena and they're raising a family of 7 little mutanted freakishly mouthed creatures.

You know..that's a horrible thought, Mileena+Baraka+kids=bad. Serious, but..it was somebody's ending in MK:DA (Kano's I think..I've beaten it so many times I've forgotten what endings belong to who) That Liu came back in Kano's body and was standing in front of Quan Chi, now if they use that for the next MK game..I'll be pissed. I enjoyed MK:DA without Liu Kang, but I do agree that they should get rid of Cage, Jax and Sonya, bring back Kurtis Striker ...but please get rid of that blue/white/black cop outfit..it's awful to look at. The only robo ninja they should bring back is Smoke, I always cracked up when he unleashed those bombs and exploded the planet. (I've beaten MK4 by doing one move for 17 hits before it stopped me. ) I found MK:DA to be a set up, all the extra's were cool (Cooking with Scorpion BABY! ) take out the old characters(But leave in Sub-Zero and Scorpion) I'm happy all stupid shit was removed..need I say how many stupid ways you could finish the other character(Turning in baby, etc etc)

[Guest Sakura]

It is Quan Chi's ending where Liu Kang's soul goes into Kano's body.

 

One of the developers has said that that ending probably will not happen for MK6.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

yeah, whatever happened to Liu Kang, wasn't he the main character of the series?

[Guest Nevermortal]

yeah, whatever happened to Liu Kang, wasn't he the main character of the series?

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

He's killed at the beginning of Deadly Alliance.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

yeah, whatever happened to Liu Kang, wasn't he the main character of the series?

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

He's killed at the beginning of Deadly Alliance.

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

oh

[Rendclaw 0]

Damn Sakura, and I thought my ex-roommate was the most hardcore about a particular fighting game... with her, it was Street Fighter... heh, I met her in a mall arcade back in 93, while playing SFII....

 

Heh, seems that I have met her mirror image.

[Guest Sakura]

My quest for compete hardcoreness will not be fulfilled until I can get the last of the 4 dedicated arcade machines and own the full MK coin op collection. The last one I need to buy, MK3, is going to be the hardest to find. I already have a conversion kit of it but I need the full machine!!!

 

Midway had a conference call today(I guess like the ones Linda has) which mentioned two things about MK. Both are things MK5.org had been reporting for a while but it was good to have confirmation.

 

 

1. The GBA exclusive MKDA upgrade called Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition is set to come out Sept. 30th.

 

2. MKDA has sold 2 million copies so far.

 

 

 

I must say I am really happy that DA has been a huge success. Ed Boon and the rest of the people there deserve it and as a fan this means, of course, more new games. Midway needs to be very careful about how they treat the franchise from here on out. 1 or 2 bad games could kill the series' credibilty again. They need to make sure they take their time and release good stuff, nothing like MK Advance, ever again.

 

 

It's odd the GBA is getting it's own upgrade to MKDA. With MK6 not coming out until 2004 at the earliest you'd think they'd want to bring out a quick upgrade for consoles to make easy money. I am kinda pissed about it too. I am not pleased Sektor and others will be in this new GBA game only. I am hoping that at E3 they'll annouce that the consoles are getting their own upgrade as well.

[Rendclaw 0]

::wonders just how much $$ Sakura has if she is buying original cabinets, while not doubting for a second that she knows how to fix them::

[Guest Sakura]

I really don't know how to fix them or any of the mechanics behind arcade games. I have someone come and do the work when it needs to be done, which isn't often since I treat all of my game stuff like perfectly and all of the games I buy are in near perfect condition when I get them.

 

I can convert my MK4 into UMK3 when I want to play UMK3 arcade, but that's easy and just takes minutes. That's about it.

[Rendclaw 0]

::is just blown away, and gets an urge to go visit Sakura for a weekend::