First. Good find.

the bryan dawson article is good

cheers

meh, nothing really to get excited about. Although, its reasurring

The MK Debateality article is extremely good. If only more mainstream reviewers were more like that.

I found it pretty offensive, actually. Sure it had some truth to it about the gameplay and shit, but basicly it said anyone who likes the 3D games are stupid.

I totally agree...that guy was nothing more than a cronic complainer...

he sais he will buy MK:A, however the game will suck because it will be off the MKDA engine...and then he said he will give it one more chance...

*cough cough* retard...

It's about fucking time someone made a geniune article pointing out everything that's really happening in the world of MK recently.



I better not see you chickening out of asking questions concerning this at the next Fight Night, for too long you and the staff of MKO have kissed ass without asking questions.

Here's a starter, let Crow speak to them during the Fight Night, he's the only one of you lot who'll do it right during these type of questions.

Get it sorted.

This part of the first article is interesting - so Motaro is indeed back along with some all new characters? Even one of the paragraph headings states "Motaro wins! FLAWLESS VICTORY! " How credible is Shacknews? Excerpt:

You can expect to see a few characters you haven't seen in a while. And by a few, I mean ALL of them. Characters like Stryker, Sheeva, Sektor, Motaro, Kintaro, and Shao Kahn that haven't been seen since the days of MK3 or MK: Gold will return, as will all others. Mortal Kombat 1 through Deception is represented here, and there will be a few new faces as well.

Good to know that the first MK fans are still remembered!

I read that last article posted and even though what he said was harsh, the man is right if you think about it. I'm just happy this isn't the last game. Midway bought Unreal Tech three and they need to USE it for god sake. He has a point in that the engine looks terrible but the engine itself has nothing to do with the gameplay itself. I have a freaking novel sized list of things that would make MK the king of all fighters again such as a dynamic fighting system as opposed to the crap they have now. (in addition to a dynamic blocking and counter system that even noobs can use) My point is that MK in its entirty needs an overhaul but gameplay still far over-rules graphics.

Here is an email I just sent to the guy:

Dear Mr. Bryan Dawson,

I have taken it upon myself to read your article about what Midway Games needs to do to make Mortal Kombat the king of all fighters once again (or at least better than the last two turds released) and I have to say that I agree with you to-the-letter on most of your points. Mortal Kombat and Doom are the reasons why I am sitting here, $70k in college debt, working on my masters degree in Video Game Art and Design; I don't want to have my favorite game since I was six be turned into a mockery of its former self. In addition to a novel size list of Ideas that would make MK great again, I am writing a 13 book series based on MK, mostly because I'm bored, but lately, I have lost my motivation. If you decide to read this I will give a few quick examples as to my ideas and talk about your article briefly.

Starting with your article, although you have reached some good points about the current engine it is possible to change the gameplay entirely without changing engines and I thought you were a little too harsh on that aspect of things. However, as far as the looks of the engine you are right that it is pretty much shit. As an example take a look at Sonya in the latest desktop wallpaper render. It seems to me that they have crafted a penis for the body, added an ugly ass head, used two oversized tumors for breasts and gave her manly broad shoulders. It is my hope that Midway will be using their recently purchased Unreal Tech 3 Engine for MK 8 so that Sonya and all the characters will look almost entirely like the actors that mo-cap them.

The gameplay itself is something I agree with you entirely upon which brings me to cite three of the many ideas I had long before MK:DA even came out:

1. Dynamic fighting/blocking/dodging/countering System: This is a simple system I have come up with that even a total noob could master: You throw a punch? Use one of the control sticks to direct that punch to a specific target. Block the same way, press the appropriate button and move a control stick to counter or block a move. Hell move the stick in a circle to parry against a weapon attack or to perform a circle block for an arm grab. Use this to dodge an attack without crappy sidesteps. Say you have a punch coming at your face, using a button and a control stick move your upper body to the side opening up your opponent for a world of hurt. Last but not least: chase after people with Scorpion's Spear like in the Movie.

2. Falls based on Physics: In DOA/MK:D, you would bash someone through glass, a wall or off a cliff and they would fall in some lame scripted sequence every time. How about you let physics decide? Say the scene with the many bridges in MK the movie was an arena and you get uppercutted off; you wouldn't fall to the next bridge like some planed crap. You would fall at the arc the uppercut sent you in and you'd better hope to god that there is another bridge not too far down.

3. Arcade/Real (pro) mode: Enough with the chop you with a battle axe and you get up like it was nothing. With pro mode you get chopped in half and that's the end of it. You can toggle between this and standard mode as you wish. Certain characters like Scorpion could still fight by using his hell fire to cauterize the wound. Reptile could regenerate limbs or just chase after you, bleeding on you as you melt like the poor Nazi bastards in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

On a final note I think this 8 player thing will most likely be in the Shaolin Monks style because these systems couldn't handle standard game play with eight people at the same time. I also hope Midway fixes the god awful voice acting from Konquest mode.

Feel free to reply to this message and/or do with it as you wish.

Sincerely,
-Sean M. Wright: future Game Artist and Designer

^wth?

I only just noticed the Debateality thing that came with the previews. I bow down to the guy who made that; finally we have a reviewer who actually stands up to the MK hype, though I have a funny feeling that he's got all the gameplay information second hand...

Actually, in a fighting game, the fighting engine has EVERYTHING to do with the gameplay, because the fighting engine is the main part of the game.

Would you drive have a nice, pimped out car with all those shiny spinner rims, all the chrome, all the bling-bling with all the nice leather seats and a stereo system with a lot of kick, while the car gets crappy gas mileage and is a lot likely to break down?

Or would you rather drive a car that has the exact opposite looks on the outside, while the engine works the way it's supposed to, and the gas mileage is actually good?

Same kind of thing with a fighting game.

Sicilybabe plz im me if u see this post I cany im u for some reason or answer to my e-mail: dusanand@hotmail.com!!!!!!!
SICILY BABE OVER HERE!!!!!!!!

Please refrain from spamming; use the PM system. ~Crow~

I felt the article did point out flaws in MK that should be addressed, but it really did come off as whiney and bitchy. Most of the article was just a rant against casual gamers, and his placing the blame of the failures of the gaming industry on casual gamers.
MK:DA and MK:D are for casual gamers. We do dominate the industry (I am not hardcore, I have no time to be hardcore, I have to work and study, like most folks who want to have money in the future). I want to pick up a game, be wowed, beat it, and go back to work feeling satisfied. From what I've heard casual gamers make up 80% of the industry, if Midway wants to cater to them, then more power to them.

No before people jump all over me on this, I'm not saying I don't want MK to get better, but if getiing better it risks alienating me like Devil May Cry 3 did, then screw it, they've just lost 80% of the gaming market. I know only one person with a copy of tekken 5, and no one with a copy of VF. But I did know 3 with MK. Is it a keeper, certainly not, they've traded there copies in for cash, I'm probably going to do the same. But I will say MK:D was great while I had it.

The beat-em up genre isn't a casual gamer genre. Worldwide sales have shown how Tekken, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter outsell MK every time. The general way beat-em ups are played shows this every time.

I wouldn't say he was plainly ranting towards casual players, he was just pointing out that aiming for casual fans instead of the old 2D fans is no excuse to make bad fighting games. Somewhere along the line the MK team got the idea that making a good fighting game and making a good MK game have to be two different things.

Lastly, I'm at uni, I've got a part-time job too, I'll have a good job when I'm older doing what I've always wanted to do while making money and I consider myself a hardcore gamer. What's your excuse?

Hmmmmm.....nice 2 see they FINALLY noticed the dissapointed old skoolers, lets wait and see if they can bring MK back in the right direction...if not...they really need 2 put an end to it.

Really?Do you have the charts to back it up?In America, I think it would closer then you think.World I don't care as much speaking as how I don't live in the "world" I live in america.Also, MK2 and UMK 3 were as popular as any other fighter out at the time if not more.
Also, Flame TP.Nice letter, however that is your opinion and the guy you're writing too.
I'm sure there are fans out there that want different things then now too, but are also different then yours as well.

Obviously an American game is going to get it's best sales in America. But as I always say if you can prove me wrong about MK's worldwide sales lacking then feel free. It would be nice to see you post something backed-up for once rather than a vague opinion. My opinion is based on worldwide popularity, where has yours come from?
I had thought there weren't any stereotypical Americans anymore who refuse to acknowledge countries other than their own. Congratulations your country is l337, I fear America because it has Americans in it, instead I'll only refer to America from now on because it would be pointless to mention any inferior countries ie. the entire planet.

I swear the Debateality guy doesn't know what he's saying. It feels like he only knows MKDA/D's gameplay sucks because he's been told it does, or because he's being reading this Forum. I mean, he says MKDA/D are button-mashers! What! You can only button mash on a game where pretty much every button press comes out with something appreciable. MKDA and D aren't like this; they are not button mashers, they are broken in a much more fundamental way. Bloody Roar 2 is a button masher; I beat loads of people with my eyes closed and my finger glued to the square button.
Games like Tekken and Soul Calibur can be button mashed, but most importantly: There are ways to stop the button mashers dead in their tracks. We all know why MKDA and D are screwed and it ain't because of "button-mashing/bashing/smashing".

I'm glad the guy is spreading the word, I just wish he'd state what is truly wrong with MKDA and D, instead of using the "button masher" buzzword.

The last time I checked, the United States of America was a part of this world (Earth), not any other, so unless you're typing from another planet with the name "America", you live in this world. If Midway wants to increase sales, they should look abroad and see what other video game companies do that make their games so good all over the world instead of only in their home countries; this way, they don't hae to rely on releasing a game every year with minor improvements.

Mortal Kombat will NEVER sell in Japan; It's just too cheesy and America-centric for their cultural tastes.

I just want to know if it will run on the Xbox 360.