Am I the only one who sees two 9s?

"MK9 is the best looking MK9 game by a fucking light-year."

Costume-wise my favorite game would probably be Deception.

Considering the amount of alcohol I had ingested, I think I made a fairly decent effort at maintaining a comprehensive stability.

When I say that MK9 is by far the best looking MK game. I don't mean that every costume is the best every character has ever had. But it does have, overall, more great designs than any other MK before. Also, the effects, stages and overall presentation is far better than anything we've seen, and I don't just mean because the graphics are of a higher quality.

I don't think too many people would disagree with this. I just think they dropped the ball when it came to the design of some characters.

I can't really agree. I love every rendition in this game. Maybe because I fell in love with it as just about the exact Mortal Kombat game I've been waiting for since MK2 came out.

The overwhelming majority of characters looked the best they ever have I agree but I was still unhappy with a few, mainly Kitana, Sonya, and Jax.

I agree that Mk9 has some of the best aestetics in the series, mostly presentation and level design.

Kitana who is one of my favorite characters however has been having bad designs since MKvsDC. I like the leotard look the Edian girls personally, but the hers in MKvsDC and MK9 are terrible. Beyond that, the anatomy of the characters im not a fan off. The guys all having the same built...and the women all having broad shoulders, no hips and balloon breasts.

I still stand by the belief that that this costume is along the lines of what they should be doing with Kitana. And Luca, if you read my comment sober you'd probably see that I actually suggested including it as an alternate costume to cater to both fan bases.

I just think it's silly when a character (usually female, since god forbid they ever done it with a man) in gaming has their credibility undermined for the sake of titilation. Perhaps you forget that in the span of these games she's rebelled against a notoriously feared conquerer of Realms after being raised as his personal assassin, allied herself with the forces of light after discovering her true lineage as a Princess and the truth about her twin sister, succeeded in restoring not only her Mother's soul but her fallen Realm AND aided in the battle against the fallen elder god Shinnok, then formed a truce with the Shokan and decimated Shao Kahn's forces with the Edenian Army before going down fighting the Deadly Alliance. Without question she's been one of the most pivotal and important characters in the series and has risen to more prominence and status than characters who debuted before her.

"Clothes make the Man" is a very true statement. When you read her accomplishments and what she's fought for in the last 20 years we've known Kitana, it doesn't add up to see her in a thong and bra. When you look at the costume featured in this topic, you can connect it better to the character.

Yes, some people made the alternate costume suggestion, but the majority just acted like whiny bitches. Straight up. I speak generally, if you didn't act that way, then I'm not talking about you.

As far as Jax, Sonya and Kitana go... I don't think Jax has ever looked better, especially since his other, more recent iterations are like ghetto parodies. Sonya's alternate is also the best she's looked. Kitana... I like her get up just as much as her DA primary and alternate. I rather warmed up to the departure from the leotard. I also really like her hair and tiara.

My main problem with Jax is his arms. I've hated them since they first showed them. The tubes and being grafted into his skin like that, nope. I liked it better when it was kind of implied he could take them on and off. His lower half is fine lol, there's not much to Jax it's just the arms squick me out now.

I really hate the way Sonya looks in this game, that stupid not shirt/vest, those stripper heels. She looks silly to me. I don't have a problem with her being sexy. I liked the thong in the last cycle of games and the belly ring in Shaolin Monks but in MK9 she looks like a model for a sexy military Halloween costume.
I think the best she looked was in MK4. I've wanted them to do something more similar to that for awhile. I love her alt. though.

I talked about it years ago but I really like Kitana in the leotard. It's kind of what I associate with her. I don't mind them changing it up but at least change it to something original. Her default, in design just looks too similar to Jade in MKD to me. I dig the tiara and the hair as well and hope they make a comeback but I really want them to go in a different direction for her in the next MK.

I don't really think the MK Legacy ninja suit is more fitting for her. I don't even think her current look is exactly unfitting and I've actually defended it many times, I just think something ELSE would be good as well.

I consider both costumes, anyway. I liked Sonya's MK4 outfit, but didn't love it. Not much to it. Like I said, I think her alt in MK9 is her best look. I like her main for what it is... basically a stripper army girl get up, lol. I don't take it seriously. It's there because they wanted to show off her boobs. It serves its purpose! Her alt is pretty badass, IMO.

I never liked the idea that Jax could remove his arms. Makes them seem less bad ass. If you don't like the arms, then you have his alternate, which still looks better than all other previous renditions.

Kitana's alt is meh, I agree. I would have preferred a rendition of the leotard as her alt. But whatever.

I still think people take MK too seriously when it comes to aesthetics. Do people really think Sonya's main was meant to be anything other than a super-slutty solider chick? It's made to show boobies. MK is trying to be extremely gratuitous when it comes to sex, just like the gore. Like it or not, that's how it's gonna be.

I like it. Shit talk me all you want, but I think its fun. I also like the realism of Virtua Fighter. I appreciate games for what they are, instead of wishing they were something else. Because frankly, everything that's being wished for here, has already been done in other games.

Yeah the alt was great. I agree that there's not much to it but that doesn't bother me as I love her MKvsDCU outfit too and that was very simple as well. It being a stripper army girl is what I don't like about it. I don't like how the main design point for her was boobs and they just worked from there.

I prefered Jax's MKvsDCU look as well. The vest was cool and while the actual arms look better now I still hate how they're attached. If they got rid of the gross...fused look I wouldn't mind so much. I actually really liked his MKDA look. Except for the beret.

Mortal Kombat is very SERIOUS BUSINESS and it has been since I joined during the production of MKD. I get that MK is excessive and it always will be but sometimes they just go over the line into ridiculous and it just doesn't work. They handled the gratuitous violence well in the game but not so much the gratuitous sex.
I just want NRS to know that sometimes you can do something moderately and it'd still be brilliant.

See. No. MORE EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE SEX AND FANTASY. Look at any other fighting game ever if you want more modesty.

Other fighting games are hardly less fantastic or sexy. No one is as violent as MK and no one does it as well but that's it as far as aesthetics goes.

the only fighter that holds a candle to mk in over sexualized women is doa, and even there, there is a ton of modesty to be found.

DOA is more fetishy with the women being younger and more...bouncy in their school uniforms and catsuits and sexy santa outfits or whatever. I think they handle it better than MK though.

isn't Mileena like 2 now? I dunno man, with undead chicks, four-armed girls, half-monster practically naked sadist bitches and busty ninja princesses in bikinis... I find Mortal Kombat more kinky.

Hmmm I want to say Soul Calibur is more kinky because of Ivy and Tira but you're right, I think Mileena may out kink them all.

I never really saw Tira as that kinky... more bipolar than anything else. Ivy has that standard dominatrix thing going on. I think Voldo holds the crown for SC. That guy is mad BDSM.

Still... I think Sonya, Jade and Skarlet have something to say in that department. Jade is totally into her staff. Sonya looks totally femdom, army fetish in her primary.... and Skarlet... well... I'd sooner get with Mileena.

The problem is MK is constantly putting a ton of design effort and creative energy into fleshing out the personalities of the characters and getting people to pay attention to the story.

And then they dressed the most "I'm an angry tough tomboy, take me seriously" character like a stripper pretending to be a soldier instead of like a soldier.

That's contradictory, like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Either they want us to see the characters like 3-dimensional people who have personalities and the things they do fit who they are, or they don't and they're just action figures to smash together, in which case, why even have a story? Why not skip all that "writing" stuff like DOA? You can't have it both ways, it's all schizophrenic.
Say what you will about DA and Deception, at least the visuals matched what was going on. MK9 feels more like the artists were a bunch of fresh hires who never worked on an MK game before and were just trying to copy whatever's popular. For instance, remember when Outworld stages didn't used to look like levels from God of War? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Even DoA has a story. I dunno... I guess it's just suspension of disbelief. I really haven't cared about MK's story since Deception and haven't liked it since MK4. I was happy to see old events given a chance to shine in current gen graphics though... but still annoyed at some of the painful retcons we had to see.

I mean... I play a shit ton of fighting games. A FUCKING shit ton, to be exact. If I wasn't able to appreciate suspension of disbelief, I would end up spending all my time nitpicking. Have you seen Makoto from BlazBlue? She's just as bad as Sonya, if not worse, when it comes to her appearance in comparison to her role in the story. Half-naked squirrel-girls are pretty typical to me, now.

I like BlazBlue's story, and there are a mess of characters that realistically don't match their roles in the story. Platinum is another prime example of that.

Like I said, I just appreciate the games for what they are.

Isn't it just "Some rich pervert invites a bunch of hot girls to his private tropical island to fight and play volleyball on the beach while he watches"?
I can't really comment on any of those anime-themed 2D fighters like Guilty Gear or BlazBlue. I've never followed them, not my style. But as for "appreciating the game for what it is", that's kind of my whole problem with the MK series. I don't know what it is and I don't think IT knows what it wants to be. I USED to know what they are, and I did appreciate the hell out of that. But MK9 does not look like the past 20 years of Mortal Kombat did, it feels like if the God of War guys or some other Triple-A developer who've never seen Big Trouble in Little China and prefer European mythology to Asian bought the license and made their own version.

The thing is, MK's story was intended to be serious and dark yet the way they go about the execution of it (more so in the new game) with the dialogue, costumes, etc., makes for something of a contradiction or inconsistency. That's why I had suggested that for the games, MK should pretty much go for a Naked Gun/Police Squad kind of feel, especially since the series started out as a quick, one-game project meant to spoof Street Fighter. At least that way, we have a real idea of what NRS wants for the series now.

I honestly don't see how Kitana's costume for season 2 of MK: Legacy would be considered "boring" in the games. Maybe that's just Luca's own opinion, but I think it would work just fine. It looks like it has some semblance of functionality while keeping in touch with the fantasy elements. If I'm not mistaken, MK's ambiance is meant to be a balance of more realistic elements with supernatural fantasy elements.

nah, DoA has plenty of story. and MK has taken a LOT of influence from "anime" fighters, I don't classify them as two different genres. it's pretty clear what MK is trying to be. if you can't see it you're likely in denial.

regardless, mk has never had these dark and gritty visuals everyone is talking about to accompany story. MK9 is really the darkest it's ever looked.

also, DA and deception are getting far too much credit here. Sonya still had missile tits and a thong hiked up her ass beside Mileena who had as revealing a costume as she does now. in fact, she broke ground as the most nude fighter ever at that point. Nitara rocked a bikini... Mileena let her tits go for playboy... the only thing memorable about li mei was the bounce in her boobs...

MK9 looks exactly like an evolution of those games... MK really hasn't had an Asian mythology feel since MK 2.

mk is clearly going for extremes. look at what you get for the reward they hyped up so much in the challenge tower. more tits and ass!

I'll say it one last time. let other fighters go for modesty and realism... let mortal kombat go for the shock value! respect your guys' opinions, maybe it's just cause I play plenty of games that offer what you're asking... but no fighter gives me a hot-blooded good time as mk.

And yet, over top of those tits was an actual t-shirt.



Nobody sane has ever complained about a Mileena costume. Her outfits actually fit her personality, she's supposed to act like a slut.



That's just plain untrue, with too many examples to name.

Anyway, if you expect me to believe MK9 is a natural evolution from the previous games, then why does Kahn's arena look like a ROMAN coliseum when it never did before? A true evolution of the costumes and level design, one that actually looked like a higher detailed version of MK1 thru 3, would have looked like Shaolin Monks did because that game did the same thing except they actually got it fucking right that time.