Yes.

Well....

Considering that most of the classics are what make MK be MK: No.

Considering that this game will indeed be a "new" storyline (which I'm still very nervous about but trying to remain positive because I'm super interested): No.

Considering its time to MOVE ON to a completely new story, with tons of new characters, with most of the new characters introduced in MKDA and MKD, and with just a few (6 or 7) of the main iconic classics: Yes.

Overall, I'm super excited and happy with this game and the way the story is supposed to develop (I am hoping for not too many drastic changes or else I might be super disappointed and seriously upset), but, ultimately, yes, I want the next MK to take place after this event and the ones of Armagedoon, giving us a whole new story and world to discover.

Nex MK: New story. Tons of new characters, many of the new ones introduced since MKDA (Nitara, Drahmin, Kenshi, Hotaru, etc), and a few of the main essential iconic classics to keep MK feeling like MK (Scorpion, Sonya, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Mileena, etc).

Universal decay always makes sure that nostalgia can keep something up for only a given time.


MK is becoming obsolete. Fast.


Sure, we have new presentation, but seriously: a new storyline, new events will not drastically revitalize the value of MK. Those are surface changes.

It is natural for franchises, bands, ideologies to die out. That is the governing principle of entropy. Mortal Kombat will run it's course. Period.

Yeah, kinda like how that old Superman character people used to read about in the 30 and 40's ran its course, right?

Oh wait...

No. If you're tired of the characters and story, go play another fighting series.

A lot of the new characters in the later games i did not really care for so with them just using classic one's is fine with me. The Story is a reboot as will with it taking place after MKA. Even tho I did not care for the new SF game but even they only added two new people, more or less same story as will, and in SSF4 they did not add any new face's at all.

Something it's just best to work with what you got and not trying to make something super new.



Oh and to add what Razor's edge said, great move BTW go Ramon!, Spider man, X-men and The Hulk have been around a just as long.

Street Fighter hasn't changed much. Meta-critic gave it a 94. Sometimes it's better to leave your most precious/memorable monuments alone. Might as well make a new fighting IP, no?

I'm a bit tired of seeing the same characters, but I'm sure in the next MK game we will get new characters.

With steadily declining sales after each reinvisioning? Kinda provess my point.

Which is, reinvention: of course iconic stuff cannot be changed, like how Superman went through several iterations: gol age - silver age goofiness - bronze age reinvention and death - dark age stuff with the mullet etc.

Mortal Kombat's not going to die. It's not doing as well as it did in 1992, but it's doing alright. And I'm sure the new MK game will sell very well.

Difference between something like Superman or X-Men is you go into those comics knowing they're purely episodic in nature and the characters, for the most part, will remain static with only minor developments and changes over the years that may eventually come full circle again. And that's fine...to the credit of the creatros who've worked on those properties, a significant effort has been made to ensure, even if things don't really change, the characters and stories are compelling enough that the audience doesn't mind.

Mortal Kombat, though, for many years carried on under the impression that the stories and characters were in constant flux and movement. The characters who evolved were the ones of value and some characters would inevitably meet their end and be replaced by new ones or continue to evolve. This expectation was further hammered home in Deadly Alliance where they established time is passing and some characters are aging.
And I personally found this an appeal of the story. A lot of the characters I grew to appreciate were the ones who seemed like they were actually going somewhere...even if it meant they would sooner or late end and I would have to shift my loyalty to someone else. Speaking for myself, if they decided Armagedon was indeed the end of Kitana's story and she wasn't coming back, I was ready, willing, and eager to go with Sareena.

But now, it seems they've changed the rules late in the game. The sacred cows are never going anywhere. Whatever change and evolution that does occur will only be wiped out and reset in the name of nostalgia.

They're using the "Raiden's going to change" things to hide the fact it's the same ol' shit over again, without realizing it further trivializes the story. A crucial aspect of episodic characters is clear, definitive characterization so that no matter what outer changes occur, the central base of the character remains the same. Does anyone really believe the MK team can maintain that? The same guys that spontaneously decided Kung Lao should go from wanting nothing to do with being Mortal Kombat champion to the excat opposite? The characters with the simplest and most shallow personalities are the only ones who won't be severely damaged by this.

The story has become moot. There's no reason to get attached to the characters except if you like their special moves and how they look. Basically, Mortal Kombat is now just like any other fighting game....except with blood and guts.

Speaking for myself, I don't necessarily mind episodic characters that exist in basically a static state. I read comics. I still like a lot of the characters. But again, I knew that going in. Mortal Kombat changed the rules on me. And frankly I'm kind of tired of repeatedly seeing characters that don't work constantly brought back, characters that do work sabotaged, and characters that could work never get the chance.
To refer back to X-Men...a franchise built an many, many characters...the ones of value and merit took the center stage while the ones who weren't would fade into obscurity. Wolverine was never meant to be anything special. Angel was one of the originals. Who wound up taking center stage?
As far as I know, the X-Men have yet to completely reboot their entire franchise while shallowing Wolverine considerably in the hope Angel might do better this time.


We weren't supposed to be happy about what happened to Roland at the end of the Dark Tower. And key word again: that was the end of the book.

Oh well....

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

I really don't care if their going to do the same thing. The game looks fun as hell to me and that's really all I care about.

Which is fine. In fact, when they released the first trailer, I said the gameplay better be fantastic because the story's done for.

If I do end up buying this game, probably much like I did with Shaolin Monks, I'll shut my brain off and just enjoy the gameplay.

Though to be honest, from a purely gameplay perspective, I'm more excited about Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

I understand what your saying. Maybe this game is for nostalgia, to bring back the fans that stopping playing. Yes its going to be the same base plot with the classic roster. Tho at the same time this gives the team more time to work on the fighting and gameplay it self. MK all ready has a big roster to work with why not use it for now? Some times you need to step back before you can move on.

I still can't believe people are still hating on this game. People can't seem to appreciate the effort the MK team is putting into this game.

Why replace iconic and classic MK fighters with new faces that would inevetably die out like most of them do with the exception of some? Though I agree new characters should be introduced, that is some thing for latergames. Now it's not the time for it. And if they are going to include new characters, let them have some significant importance in terms of their story and uniqueness. No waste characters like Jarek, Mokap, Darius, Daiorou to name a few.

I'm tired of people whining about this character business, but nothing bothers me more when people start bashing on this Mortal Kombat game because of the storyline. The team is TRYING to take the storyline somewhere this time. The idea they have this time around is great and if executed well, everything will turn out for the best. But I hate it when people can't be pleased with anything. I mean, for fuck sakes, these people give nothing a chance. People want it a reboot, some wanted a sequel to MKA, and now we got a bit of both, yet people cannot seem to appreciate that.

Mortal Kombat is trying to re-establish it's self again with this game and it is easily doing so. Winning the Gamespot Player's Choice Award and having everyone at E3 talk about how fantastic this game is looking at it's early stages, isn't so bad no?

This game is looking fantastic and I cannot wait to play it. I love everything about it.

Exactly. 64 characters and majority of them remain undeveloped. I don't think throwing in new characters will help, it'll just add to the number of poorly developed ones we already have.

"Fans" need to realize that most(if not all) of these characters aren't ever going to go away; and I wouldn't want them too. They are what make MK, MK. I'm not saying I would like to see the same characters in every game, but I would rather have them appear in a game or two, sit out for a while, and then come back. Lord knows that's what they need to do with stale Scorpion. At least Sub-Zero's stories are somewhat interesting. But I would never want to see anyone gone forever.

As far as the MKDA-MKA characters, I really like them, especially the MKDA ones. Sad to see such potential being chucked in the trash.

Excellent post. But sadly, some people will never be greatful unless it's done exactly how they want it. I bet if it was it probably would sell like crap on a stick.

This isn't the right time or game to go throwing in a bunch of half-assed new characters who'll all fade into obscurity by the time MK10 rolls around.

I bet if they do add a few new faces (just to shut people up), then they'll be last minute rush jobs exactly like the ones you listed. It takes TIME to create and think up new characters. There's a certain level of quality the new MKDA characters have that the MKD/MKA ones don't. Why? Because there was more TIME to create quality characters. With MK4/MKD/MKA, not so much.

But yeah, you can't please everybody, but most MK fans are so disrespectful(myself included, I'm not going to pretend I'm perfect) when we don't get our way or when the MK team does something we don't like, it's a shame really.

The fact of the matter is, we don't know everything and we need to stop acting like we do and that our ideas are far superior, because at the end of the day it's about what SELLS!

I think the overwhelming positive response it has gotten since it's initial trailer and E3 appearance, says "No". The fact is, MK1-3 was MK at it's prime popularity wise. What better way to try and win back fans that have strayed or have heard of MK but never really gave it a chance, than to peak their interest with stuff they once loved? I mean...what really set a lot of fans a stray, is ever since MK:DA and on. So why make a game featuring 85% characters from that generation or new altogether, when the majority of casual fans and hardcore fans alike, prefer the classics? Do you really think a game with the roster of:

Sub-Zero
Scorpion
Sonya
Kitana

Movado
Kenshi
Nitara
Drahmin
Hotaru
Havik
Kira
Li Mei
Bo Rai Cho
Fujin
Kai
Reiko
Ashrah

and 5-7 new characters

Do you think that roster would appeal to casual and hardcore fans, more than say a roster that included the likes of Reptile, Noob, Sektor, Raiden, Mileena, Smoke, Kung Lao etc.? I know there's a percentage of people on this board that want to see the new age kick in, but I don't think some of you quite know what exactly you are asking for...That roster up there looks terrible IMO, and I would think the majority of not only hardcore fans, but casual fans would agree. No old time MK player is gonna give a shit about a game with 85% of the roster composed of people they have either no interest in, or they have never seen before. You have to look at it from a business standpoint, and with a roster like that, sales aren't going to be as good as they would be otherwise.

That's not to say I don't believe there is a place for newer characters or completely new ones altogether, but the majority of the roster should always consist of characters we are familiar with and like.

Also, to those wanting completely new characters so bad...you are acting as if the new characters we have been getting for the past few games have been amazing. Ever since MK4, there's maybe 3 or 4 out of the 20-30 introduced that have been well received. Sure, every character has at least one fan, but I am speaking about the majority here. There's a lot of people that may dislike someone from the MK1-MK3 timeline such as Stryker or Liu, but I think they would take them over Dariou, Darrius, Kobra, Kira, Taven, Daegon, Jarek, Kai, or Movado anyday, to name a few.

My point is, do you really think the MK Team has any homerun ideas for new characters left at this point? As time went on the characters got blander and even more uninteresting...just look at Taven and Daegon, so you would actually want them to start from scratch and only include maybe 4-5 of the classic characters and 20 completely new ones? You try and come up with 60 unique characters, and then have someone tell you to come up with 20 more. It's not only difficult, but you'll notice as you go on, they are just gonna get less unique and less interesting.

And people complaining about the storyline being rehashed. Well...that's the whole point of this reboot/retelling. It's to change things up a little bit and to take a whole new direction in the story. It's not like they are gonna retell all the other games as well, because with the changes it's likely none of that will even happen. The goal is to not get to Armageddon, thus a new path will be taken. this is your new story, while still keeping the majority who are ok with staying with the tride and true characters etc. happy.

If you want a COMPLETELY new story from scratch, that's just not likely for the time being. The only time I could see that happening is if/when a new developer takes the reigns of Mortal Kombat. Right now, it's too much of a risk for NetherRealm and WB to just abandon the characters and story that made it popular, besides it's violence. Their best bet is to rekindle the flame instead of trying to start a whole new fire somewhere else.

That's just my perspective on things. Obviously I don't expect this explination to mean anything to those who want change, because it's obvious you already know what you want. I am just trying to explain why the majority of us are ok with seeing the same characters and story etc.

Simply put, the only reason why many people are tired of the same characters and story is cuz over the course of 20 years, there's arguably only been 1 competent game with a halfway decent engine.

I've never heard anyone say "I'm tired of Ryu". Why? Well, for the opposite reasons...

Because when Armageddon came out - boon said it himself. I won't spend time finding the quote, but it went something like this:

'We want Armageddon to be the end of the current story, to bring closure to the series. THe next MK game will introduce most, if not all, new characters and a new storyline to follow.'

They're just re-hashing the same story that they have rehashed several times already. Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero has been a legitimate match in 9 games now? It's just getting old. Thousands of fatalities, yet nobody ever dies. =)

I haven't commented on the gameplay yet. But as of now, story is fair game.

Personally, trade Sonya for Raiden or Mileena, and Bo' Rai Cho for Sareena and I am totally down for that roster.



See, I really can't take this logic seriously because, time and again, over the years, on this board alone, I have seen previously despised characters welcomed back with open arms by hardcore and casual fans just because they got a pretty new costume and/or a cool fatality.

Once upon a time, Nightwolf was one of the most hated and mocked characters of them all. A costume update with fancy new graphics...suddenly he's a "classic" and the fans just can't wait to try him out.

When the first Mortal Kombat came out, I don't remember people lining up around the block to play as the turkey boy who was the only character with a fatality that didn't kill the opponent. Fifteen years later, suddenly "It's just not Mortal Kombat without Liu Kang."


Fuck the fans.

They likely abandoned that concept because they realized that's not only pushing away a lot of diehard fans of the series that love the classic characters, but also because they won't have a way to reconnect with fans that strayed. It would have likely ended in a bunch of outcries for the classics back, as well as poor sales, and then they would have just gone right back to where we are now, 'cept they would have wasted a few years in doing so.

Look at Street Fighter. How often do people get sick of those characters? Hell, the characters in that game don't even really change appearance or get any additional moves or Supers etc., yet people still love those games to death. why? Because the game is fun to play, addicting, and it has all the characters they love to play as. We as MK fans are greedy with our characters, costumes, alternates, story, fatalities etc. Yet the MK team always seems to give us more than your usual fighting game. Sure, the gameplay needs to be better to really get people to like it more etc., but that's what this game looks to be doing.

http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/109509/boon-starts-from-scratch-next-mortal-kombat-will-be/

"We're not putting any restrictions like we HAVE to keep weapons or we HAVE to keep fighting styles and stuff like that," he admitted. "[W]e're going to [...] try to introduce as many new characters as possible, new features, new stuff like that and take advantage of the amazing presentation, graphics that all of a sudden you can do, things that are a lot more real."

That turned into MK vs DC. Nothing at all what he said it would be. Now, he has another chance to do it, and boom he's going to bring back everybody yet again.

I've got nothing against Boon, I just disagree with his direction. It's been done. Let's move on.

I am total agreement with ProfesserAhnka. I think that introducing new characters is the last thing that's going to help the series. They'd just be wasted like all of the other new characters introduced over the years. Seriously, there is TONS of potential in all of the new characters that have already been introduced. Yet they all remain very under-developed character wise. The same is true, unfortunately, for some of the mainstays of the series. For example Sonya. Everyone knows that she's easily my favorite MK female. However I can't say that the people complaining that she's gotten boring and has a stale storyline are wrong. Whether I like her or not... the truth is the truth.

I love the classic Mortal Kombat characters... MK would not be MK without them. I think it would be completely absurd to have an MK game comprised of totally new characters (except for Sub and Scorp.. we all know that no matter what happens those two are going nowhere.).


What would SF be without the likes of Ken, Chun Li, Vega, Bison.. etc etc... It would be a completely different game with the name SF slapped on it. The same is exactly true with MK.


What they NEED to do.. is focus on the characters they have and develop them more. Make the newer characters have a deeper storyline... Stir up the stories of the classic mainstays... and I think things would be perfect.

With Midways ridiculous deadlines out of the way making for more time and better resources... I totally believe the MK team can build up MK to be great again. In my opinion they're off to a fantastic start with the new game.