Story Prediction
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posted01/19/2019 09:22 PM (UTC)by
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Coltess
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Member Since
06/30/2005 08:28 AM (UTC)

As with all predictions, this one may be entirely off. In fact, there may be information I've missed that proves me entirely wrong or I may be saying something that everyone already knows and I'm just a simpleton.

I get the impression that this game is a bit of a culmination of everything thus far, not just MK9 and X, but both timelines. I think Kronika's main desire is not just to end Raiden's meddling, but a total restoration of the original timeline. I think the central question of the game will be whether or not that's a good or bad idea. Raiden, as we know, has lost his mind. To characters unknowing of Armageddon, the appeal of righting the wrongs of the alternate timeline would be very appealing. Even if Armageddon is accepted as a fact, the revenants may actually support and aide in this notion - particularly Liu Kang. This could also lead to an interesting aspect of Kronika merging elements of both timelines. We know the merger of realms is commonplace, so I don't think the merger of timelines by the goddess of time would be such a leap in logic. This, I think, could lead to an interesting dynamic of many characters -in essence- being doubled. Alternate-timeline versions of the cast would interact with their prime version selves (pre-Armageddon of course). I could imagine this game having Liu Kang prime as a good guy while still retaining alternate time-line Liu Kang as a villain. The good and heroic Kang would be willing to fight to sacrifice his timeline for the preservation of all-things and battle the alternate timeline version of himself who seeks to restore the original timeline and thus end reality.

Just a thought, don't know if anything I've said has already been proven false or correct.

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newt27
01/19/2019 11:10 PM (UTC)
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For me, the MK stories in general are confusing. What I mean by this is when you try to put more than one games story together with another games story there tends to be contradictions. It can be difficult to tell what is cannon and what isn't (arcade mode endings).

The reason I started with this is because of how you said this story will be putting the MK story lines together. This sounds way too ambitious for me. There is one thing I really like about what you said though.

coltess

I think Kronika's main desire is not just to end Raiden's meddling, but a total restoration of the original timeline. I think the central question of the game will be whether or not that's a good or bad idea.

That has promise.

I think NRS, ever since MK9, has had a hard time figuring out how to walk that fine line between nostalgia ( the good old stuff that keeps the fans coming back for more) and new development of story and characters. These two things are (somewhat) mutually exclusive. You can't do full fan service MK:A style AND develop the story and characters at the same time. In terms of story and characters, Armageddon seemed like an "okay lets just wipe everything and start from the beginning for next time." Pure nostalgia is what they were marketing on, if you ask me. If they follow the type of storyline you are talking about, I am sure it will have some very interesting parts where we need to read between the lines.

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Gillbob316
01/20/2019 12:00 AM (UTC)
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Yeah, as newt was touching on... the problem with the franchise is that there are more issues than just "new timeline" vs. "old timeline" ... this is a series heavy with rewritten history and retcons.

IN THEORY... everything about the new timeline should be the same up to the first tournament, when Raiden gets his message from the future and begins his meddling... but we know that's not the case, because several differences that predate that meddling exist. I the current timeline, guys like Kung Lao, Cyrax & Sektor are present at the tournament, even though nothing about the old timeline suggested they were. In the current timeline Mileena is a newborn and the entire cast is meeting her for the first time, wheras in the old timeline, she was several 1000 years old and raised as Kitana's sister. Which consequently, makes it a little dumber that she considers herself Kahn's daughter & heir in the new timeline, as she wasn't even raised as such in this timeline, and barely knew Kahn for 10 minutes. Not to mention X does things like insert D'vorah & Kotal Kahn into Outworld's history (even prior to Shao Kahn's MK3 fall)

Not to mention games like Shaolin Monks, or MK1's Konquest mode retold history even before Armageddon (and inserted lots of plot holes along the way). Shaolin Monks had so many holes, we the fans just dismissed it as non-canon, even though Netherrealm seemed to want it to be (note how they carried Kung Lao's presence at the tournament in disguise over to MK9)... But Deception's another story... technically Shujinko should be running around in the background of the new timeline collecting Kamidogu, because he started his journey before MK1 (and Cassie's MKX ending suggests he may be, even if they never address it directly)

The problem with the new timeline is, at a casual glance, they act as though it just changes events from MK1 onward, when it actuality, it repaints an entirely new history for the whole franchise, changing events prior to MK1 to suit Netherrealm's desires as well (Painting events similarly, but with several inconsistencies)...

So at the point they merge the timelines, which history do we accept for the events prior to MK1? Assuming current timeline Mileena stays dead, and old timeline Mileena returns to replace her (much like Baraka, seemingly) is old timeline Mileena 20 years old, or several thousand years old? What parts of MK's history amount to a retcon and what parts amount to a plot hole? Who knows? I doubt Netherrealm does, frankly, they never seem to give it too much thought.

I DO think this game is going to dabble in the old timeline... but I don't think it's going to go so far as restore it entirely, or examine it in-depth. I think once MK11 is over, this is just going to leave us with a merger/hybrid scenario. A hodegepodge. An excuse for Netherrealm to keep all the things they like (old timeline and new timeline) and ignore all the things they don't. And set up a few cool mirror matches along the way.

Which frankly... is what we already have now... but a little timetravel meddling will just make any future inconsistencies feel more palatable. When the entire reality the games are built on goes into a blender, every mess that pours out seems like slightly less of a plot hole.

From now on when anyone notices a plot hole as a result of retconning, they can wave it away as, "Eh. Must be because of MK11."

A time-wizard did it.

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Coltess
01/20/2019 12:26 AM (UTC)Edited 01/20/2019 12:39 AM (UTC)
0
newt27

For me, the MK stories in general are confusing. What I mean by this is when you try to put more than one games story together with another games story there tends to be contradictions. It can be difficult to tell what is cannon and what isn't (arcade mode endings).

The reason I started with this is because of how you said this story will be putting the MK story lines together. This sounds way too ambitious for me. There is one thing I really like about what you said though.

coltess

I think Kronika's main desire is not just to end Raiden's meddling, but a total restoration of the original timeline. I think the central question of the game will be whether or not that's a good or bad idea.

That has promise.

I think NRS, ever since MK9, has had a hard time figuring out how to walk that fine line between nostalgia ( the good old stuff that keeps the fans coming back for more) and new development of story and characters. These two things are (somewhat) mutually exclusive. You can't do full fan service MK:A style AND develop the story and characters at the same time. In terms of story and characters, Armageddon seemed like an "okay lets just wipe everything and start from the beginning for next time." Pure nostalgia is what they were marketing on, if you ask me. If they follow the type of storyline you are talking about, I am sure it will have some very interesting parts where we need to read between the lines.

To your first point, I totally get what you're saying. Minding that I am WILDLY speculating, what I imagine playing out is not really a merging of the stories but rather the merging of the timelines being the ominous threat of Kronika. In my mind, this story would play out pretty much wholly from the perspective of the alternate universe with glimpses of the prime timeline. Kronika going to Liu Kang, showing him images of his victory in MK3 and telling him that was his destiny denied by Raiden. Then, as the merger starts toward the end of the story we get some crossover in characters only. Of Armageddon, any reference to Armageddon -I imagine- would just be a simple explaination that "other" timeline was set to doom reality. No in-depth rehashing of lore needed. The perspective remains in the alternate universe, painting the prime universe as invaders. This would also function as an excuse (as if Mortal Kombat ever needed one) to resurrect characters.

Your second point is exactly why I believe this story or elements of this story might work. Through glimpses of the prime timeline, you pay fan service while at the same time not delving too deep as to alienate newcomers. For a newcomer, all that needs to be known is that Raiden "defied destiny" and this other timeline is "invading." I could forsee the canon ending to the story simply having Kronika defeated with the new timeline preserved but slightly altered. This would ultimately terminate the timeline business going forward.

Again, I am WILDLY speculating based on about 4 lines of dialogue. If I'm 4% right, I'd be shocked. This is just a path I could envision the game taking.

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Onaga
01/20/2019 06:29 AM (UTC)Edited 01/20/2019 08:30 AM (UTC)
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With how awful the stories have been in the last two games, I've given up on trying to guess where things will go next. Especially after John Vogel mocked me for giving a sh*t. All I know it is will retcon established lore, be contrived af and misuse and underdevelop characters.

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