What innovations did MKDA-MKA carry that other franchises didn't have?

I don't care about tournament play either. I'm not a very competitive man. I enjoyed the games when I had them in my hands but in hindsight I realize how much I dislike them. Even today the only game from that era that I'd play is MKDA.

Sometimes I think MK's seemingly constant changes are part of the problem. It seems like they just throw anything out and see what sticks. Not necessarily the case but that's just how it seems to me.

I must say, Mortal Kombat 4 is perhaps the most innovative of all MK games, as it is the first of many things for the series:

- First 3D game
- Practice Mode
- Endurance Mode
- Cinematic Endings (still the only MK game to have this)
- Playable Boss and Sub-Boss (excluding Trilogy)
- Pivotting in Gameplay
- Bone Breaker Moves
- Quan Chi!

This is why MK4 is my favorite.

Should have paid more attention to these news letters, otherwise I wouldn't have made that thread in the general discussion.

Oh well, anyways, yes, I too believe Mortal Kombat 4 was one of the best games that they made due to those reason Riyakou stated.

I also don't mind what Netherrealm Studios is doing right now with Mortal Kombat. I truly believe that if Injustice does well, they're really going to head off into a different game genre to work on. I hope they do so, it'd be a nice of change.

Oop @ me again. I thought we were talking about MKDA-MKA(and maybe MK vs DCU) exclusively in that particular example.
MK as a franchise is innovative but the era of games before this one, not so much.

This is just a guess, and probably won't happen, but what if MK2011 really was just a What if...

I mean the way boon talks no MK game is being talked about as of this time, and doesn't appear to be in the plans very soon.

In 4 to 5 years people are going to forget that they even murdered the heroes or turned subz cyber or screwed up Mileena and Kitana. Seriously will it even be worth the time then, and the game will most definitely be on new systems.

Could MK(2011) just be a one-off as far as story goes and maybe they aren't going to continue with it? I'm just throwing out ideas because by the way he talks 2015 or 2016 does not seem out of question and honestly by then who will even care what happened in MK2011 it will just be like oh Our heroes are magically back to life, well that's good. Like this story won't have any consequences, maybe that's what they want though.

Could we see MK rebooted yet again?

I can maybe see a time skip of sorts but not another reboot.

Maybe the next MK won't take place so soon after this one ended and Shinnok and Quan Chi's plans take more time to come to fruition.

Well as far as roster goes, my thoughts are this on a 2015 to 2016 release date?

That's a good five years. Are they really going to wait five years and have to get popularity going with the MK4-MKA era characters? I'm a fan of some of them, but I admit I'm a minority on that.

If in 5 years MK rolls around and those characters that died are unplayable it's going to be a tremendous let down.

I'll admit since it seems like they will probably have a new gameplay system on the next gen, then I would like to have a lot of my favorites back again if it came to options. With maybe a few add ins like Li Mei, Tanya, Fujin etc...

I don't want Sub-Zero, Jade, Noob Saibot, all out of the next game just because they died in this one because hell at this rate it may be 2020 before I get to play as them again.

2 to 3 years is a reasonable wait. 5 years is not. This is disappointing I must say. I want quality, but I think they can give that to us in 2 to 3 years. We shouldn't have to wait 5 years for a sequel.

Nobody speculating that lack of sequel this gen + desire for different experiences = long sought after, new MK adventure game?

Who would be the star though?

I'm of the crowd who would like a Subz and Scorps game. Fire and Ice or whatever they decided to name it would be fine with me, but I know a lot of people are against that idea for the simple fact that those two would be the stars. That doesn't mean other characters won't be seen.

Hell, I'd take that over nothing for five years. My god what a wait for a game.

I also think now would be the time to pull a trigger on a Scorpion and Sub-Zero game as well because now is their time to shine with Quan Chi being at the center of everything and both have a personal vendetta against him.

1. Assuming Kuai Liang could make it back to life he would find out from being in the netherrealm that Quan Chi is responsible for Bi Han turning into Noob and responsible for the death of Scorpion's clan (Perhaps Sareena could inform him of this?).

2. Then add that to the fact that if somehow Kuai Liang got humanized again that he could tell Scorpion everything and that could lead to the two of them teaming up to take down the two main villains of Quan Chi and Shinnok.

It really is the only point in the timeline I can think of for these tow to really team up and have it make sense. Any other time may feel forced.

Also, that could lead to a totally different story for MK10 maybe involving the Dragon King, or the One being, or some new bad guy.

Five years is a long time but I don't think we'll be waiting quite that long for the next MK game. Three years is more akin to the wait between fighting games I think.

One of the biggest criticisms of MK is the roster and how seemingly every game half the roster is new characters. NO ONE likes that. Hopefully they've learned from their mistakes in MKDA and MKD in that regard and won't overload themselves with new characters. They'd be fools to scrap the MK-MK3 characters just because they're in servitude to Shinnok. Death has no real meaning in Mortal Kombat and with Sub-Zero dead you know for a fact that the heroes are coming back.

A new adventure game
My only issue is that I don't want it to contradict the canon we have now. Maybe a game that takes place before this MK that focuses on the Lin Kuei and it could have Sub-Zero, Smoke, Sektor, and Cyrax as playable characters. Maybe even some other previously unseen Lin Kuei characters.

Or game that takes place in Outworld and your Kitana, or Jade or Baraka or someone else in Shao Kahn's ilk and have to carry out his missions and assignments. I'd be okay with things like that.

At this point I have no interest in playing a MK game without my favorite characters.

It would be awesome if NRS took at a shot at some smaller downloadable titles for XBLA/PSN/Steam etc. $10 to $15 for shorter, more focused games with classic arcade action. Imagine a 2D beat 'em up or Metroidvania style game starring your favourite character. It seems to me that it would be a much less risky way for them to expand into other genres and explore new elements.

Since there are no immediate plans for an MK2/sequel, this would be a good opportunity to have more dlc characters. I know I know there won't be any. But if the MK team had this planned they could keep supporting the title by releasing characters here and there. If not characters then fatalities and costumes would have been nice.

Here's the quote that scares me:

"If you introduce another edition of your game on the same console, you cannot provide a radically different experience."

I'm not concerned about the wait. More development time means a better game... usually.

My concern is that they're going to try to reinvent the wheel as they've always done in the past. That's typically what happens when they jump to the next console. If that's the case, then no amount of development time can make a perfect game. I'm sorry to say it, but every time Boon and Co. try to hit the "refresh" button on their gameplay philosophy, stupid shit happens.

And what's frustrating is the MK2011 really only needs two or three things nerfed to make it a whole new tournament game. If MK9 was a little more functional, I might be more open-minded towards change.

No they won't.

We still remember Shaolin Monks, we still bitch about the creation of Shujinko, we still recall the days when a Fatality explosion left behind three ribcages and five hands.
In fact, historically, fandoms tend to remember the bad things more than they remember the good ones. Just look at Star Wars, all anyone talks about is how Lucas ruined it.

Well of course we will remember it. I'm never going to forget it because I hated it and the story part will be plastered in my head forever. That's also because I was a huge fan of the old timeline though.

As far as the casual audience though, they may not think twice about it. That was just my thinking on that though. Some people don't follow the story as hardcore and to them it wouldn't be a big deal to just reboot it all again.

I'm not sure they will. They took a gamble with MK9 and struck gold. I can't imagine the next game going back to full 3D or bringing back style changes or anything like that. They've never been closer to the competitive scene and they don't want to lose that.

I think Ed's just being vague old Ed simply because they don't have anything planned. This console generation is nearing its end, so who knows how long they would actually have after Injustice to work on a sequel before the systems become obsolete. It makes more sense to wait, and I imagine the developers are eager to get their hands on the next-gen dev kits.

According to Boon, it is not a good idea to create multiple games of a series in the same genreation.

This leads me to believe that from now on, every installment of Mortal Kombat will be in a different generation. Considering a generation usually lasts about six or seven years, it makes me wonder - and worry - about not when only when the next game will be released, but whether or not it will have enough replay value to last an entire generation.

The only fighting game I know of that was able to last its entire generation is Super Smash Bros. Melee, which still has a high replay value today. Can Mortal Kombat be like this?

Good news. More time they will take to develop fresh ideas - the better final result.
And I like how he seemingly took little jab at SF. =)

Something I like about MK is its ever-changing nature. Though I am by no means fan of MKD or MKA, but I liked that they were trying to do something new, rather than clone succesfull formula over and over (cue SF, GG, BB, ETC).

And no MK/DC2 is an always good news in my book.

Damn :l

Called it way back in some "Give us moar MK now!" thread. I thought Boon and co. might be saving the next MK fighter for the next gen consoles. I like this decision and look forward to NRS's other endeavors outside of the MK franchise (as much as I love it).

Nice post, Riyakou, but – not necessarily. See, these are what Boon said:

In other words

"We are mocking other game developers who can only expand upon a stable base, that has nothing wrong in it, though in reality we're just being hypocritical if you delve into our past in Midway."

That is a given – if it's supposed to be a new game and when you can't create a compilation game a la Trilogy before developing the installations in which the compilation is based on first; you must create something new if you stick with the same console. Obvious!

Nothing new again; we already saw that there were only minor changes made to Komplete Edition so no question about that, Boon. Do note: "Game edition as in Komplete Edition" and "the game as in a new installation" are two separate products.

Bingo, you got it: given it was 2005 when Xbox 360 was released.

Nothing substantial, just mocking the rivaling developers as usual.

That's sole advertising of Injustice and – of course – talking from your own financially catastrophic experiences. It also indicates that you (Ed) have learnt from your past stumbles for the better.

NetherRealm Studios has developed two Mortal Kombat games – that differed from each other greatly – for this generation of systems, multiple collector's editions, a complete edition, Arcade Kollection, UMK3 iOS and Mortal Kombat PS Vita. NetherRealm is going to build a new reputation, different from the MK team's past and Capcom, that isn't willing to admit milking or fraudulent behavior. This is still all about maximizing the profit.

There really is no standard lifespan for a game console generation carved in stone but it generally has been four years if you look at Nintendo for instance. This generation, whose lifespan will become over eight years actually, is exceptional if you look at their past. The next generation, whose lifespan could be measured in decades, will consist of Wii U, Xbox 720*, PlayStation 4*, OnLive, PC, the portable consoles, cell phones and tablets (+/-1). While – with the amount of choices – you're not required to develop multiple games of the same series on one specific console, it seems only likely that NetherRealm will develop several MK games for PlayStation 4. Whether they are fighting games, adventure games, puzzle games, sequels, prequels, interquels, re-releases or remakes: there will be Mortal Kombat. All we can tell is that, if we can count on Ed's words, there won't be direct sequels that will feel the same with their predecessors, and that's for the reason the developers want to drop that style and because now we have DLC that works for minor additions nowadays. It doesn't rule out, however, the possibility of e.g. adventure games, games that feel the same as the latest MK gameplay-wise from the sister series Injustice, prequels, arcade games, portable installations and Wii U installations.

The only thing we can make out for sure of Ed Boon's comments is that there won't be MK10 for the current generation; but with Injustice and the new systems behind the corner, that didn't come out as a surprise. The possibility for a spiritual successor of Shaolin Monks is open – they already had this "Fire & Ice" in plans – and chances are they are "bi-developing two games" i.e. Injustice and Fire & Ice* as we speak.

Thank you for your understanding; this is how I saw it. [ * = tentative titles]

This sucks no new MK for a couple years

i would buy a reskinned MK9 with new fighters

I had hoped they would release UMK9 or MK10 next year.

just add for everyone
ADD 1 NEW X-Ray (Chose like SSFIV)
ADD Hari Kari
ADD Classic or NEW Fatality for everyone(Excluding Scorpion, Sub-Zero & Reptile)
ADD Vignettes plays when you pick your fighter in Ladder Mode
ADD Costumes (Make everyone have at least 4)
ADD Tanya, Reiko, Fujin, Havik, Bo Rai Cho, Sareena, Blaze, Taven, Deagon, Nitara & 2 NEW
ADD Chapters to story mode that tell the story of Shinnok
ADD 300 Challenges to the Challenge Tower
ADD Endurance Mode, Chose your destiny( pick a game ladder MKI,MKII,MK3 or good/evil)
Optional ADD Motor Kombat, Chess Kombat or Puzzle Kombat
ADD Knock threw Arenas
ADD Classic Arena’s Portal, Kombat Tomb, Neathership, Slaughter House, Prision, Ying Yang, ect.
ADD Stage Fatalities to the Bell Tower, Rooftop, Armory, Goro’s Lair, Shao Kahn’s Throne Room ect.
ADD more Secret Fights Blaze (In Hell) Montaro (can’t do X-Ray or Fatality verse him)
ADD on to the Krypt include all Vignette’s Alt Costumes and DLC Bonus Ninja Mime Video
IMPORT/EXPORT all Characters (Including DLC) Arenas and Modes from MK 9


Price $39

Would you buy it?