But Bi-Han beating the four Elemental Gods and fucking up whole Netherrealm to get Amulet back is telling something about his skills and powers.I still can't believe that Sonya can stand a chance against him.That was stupid fight by my opinion.
Oh,and by the way,great thread as always Garlador. I won't lie,I didn't even want Stryker to be included in this game because I hated his guts,he seemed out of place for me in MK lore,but this game made impossible,I LIKE Stryker and LOVE his gameplay! Kudos to NRS for that!
I hope he comes back but Orderrealm is a MUST presence in his future journeys because honestly I don't see where else he can be tied to after Earth is safe and sound.He is not the greatest fighter so him improving his skills in Orderrealm will be logical and then he becomes Hotaru's right hand in Seido Guardsmen!
Someone proposed that crazy idea of Stryker becoming Seido Guard and go against his former partner and friend Kabal,who will become messenger and spy of Chaosrealm with the help of Havik(just like in the old timeline).I think it will be GREAT to see former comrades to oppose each other.

Opinions.

Well, so do I. And I quite liked his Armageddon outfit... maybe there's a connection between the two...

I don't see the need for Orderrealm to be included into Stryker's story. It'd make more sense for him to go rogue than to be bound the the restraints of Seido.

Why would it make more sense?

J-R, you are TOO funny xD

*huggles* Thanks. ^^

Awesome read, I think it goes without saying Stryker is my homeboy I know he looked kinda goofy in MK3 but I knew what they were trying, and it caught on with me. I always hated the negative comments about him, and I'm happy to see his rebooted form, and how bad-ass commando style he finally is!

That was a fun read.

I quite like Stryker in MK9. Looks great and plays well.

I always thought Stryker was the man. Going up against monsters, demons, aliens, and sorcerers with nothing but grenades, a gun, a taser, and a baton? Balls as big as my head, I say! How in the world does one even fathom doing that, especially after seeing allies and every other human in the city fall to the floor, souls sapped and their corpses cold, and then choose to press on with supernatural heroes and deities while facing the aforementioned foes with nothing more than natural human skill and weapons? If anything, I say this game took him down a few pegs for me, since he lost that "one-man army" I thought he was growing up.
As a side note, giving him Kabal as a partner before the invasion and scars probably did more for Kabal than for Stryker; I even wrote a fanfic with these two and Smoke as a trio, but looking at the way it was presented here didn't really thrill me for how Kabal came to be the scarred Black Dragon man we love, but that's for another topic.
His death was, by far, the worst, right up there with Cyber Sub-Zero. We see him take a single hit, which was by no means fatal-looking compared to the other kombatants, and he dies. Couldn't he have gotten up with Cage and Blade? What about NOT facing the banshee in hand-to-hand kombat and, I don't know, pelt her with grenades and riddle her with bullets? Smoke could've poofed out of the way, Sub-Zero could've FROZE her or could've been the one to commit suicide (freezing self-destruct for the win). Ugh, that fight annoys me to no end! Oh well, I don't mind imagining that this happened instead...

God Bless You, Stryker, even if you're already in Hell.
Great work, Garlador! I vote that the next character we look at be Cyber Sub-Zero or Quan Chi!

I was always surprised that Stryker was the first guy to realize that bringing guns to a battle to save the world might be a good idea.

ive always liked stryker. im just glad they gave him a decent outfit this time around. i mean, in mk3 he just looked like a mall cop reject. then you go to mka and well......it just looked like what a stripper/chip n dale would wear before he takes his clothes off. (not a good look)


but anyway yeah ive always liked stryker. this installment of him just sealed the deal of his coolness...to bad hes dead though

I have to be honest- I liked Stryker back when he debuted.

My friends who played MK eschewed him much as you did,
and their ignorance of his playstyle worked quite to my advantage,
as I was all but guaranteed a win if I chose Stryker
and continued to bombard them with alternating specials.

I also dug that he (like Jax and myself) wears combat boots,
and I'm glad they both kept them (more or less) in MK9.

That brings me to the only thing you seem to have omitted,
or at least skimmed rather quickly:
MK9 Stryker is actually an attractive man,
which is something somewhat lacking in the MK Universe.
His face is appropriately "weathered,"
and he has the body of a 23 year old mesomorph on steroids,
which, despite what some may like to think,
is far more appealing to straight (and bent) men than a beer belly.

I can't help but think his physical makeover
is a very large part of his "comeback,"
as he plays *very* similarly to MK3,
much like his partner Kabal.
So I have to think looking better has a lot to do with it.

He also has my favorite non-"ninja" costume.
If cops dressed like that, I might hate them less

I beg to differ.

Well, this is among the most subjective of matters.
I'd still bet MK9 Stryker would trounce MK3 Stryker on hotornot.com

@IceBaby I still love his MKA looks. Then again, I liked most of the looks in that game...can't say the same for MK9....



Lulz.

I really don't like Stryker's Armageddon look either, he looked like an X-men with that jumsuit on and when I first popped in the disc, I was like, "where's Stryker? I see two guys that look like Johnny Cage."

In the big cast photo he had his MK3 costume, so I just though it logical he'd still be wearing it.

Redesigns are cool sometimes, but when they make a character indistinguishable from who they are as a character, I view them as negative, especially when the look doesn't fit the character and was horrid in my eyes.

Insider2000, that was a glorious read! Thanks for that.



Heeeellooooo there, Mr!

Anyway, I disagree with the 2 above posters:

Stryker's MKA Futuristic Costume is one of the best things that could have ever happened to him. Like it or not, that new look did and redesign did earn him respect and fans. It was a good step in the right direction and I'm extremely disappointed a variation of that costume didn't return in MK9 for an alternate.

I also disagree that the look doesn't fit him or that it doesn't say "Stryker". I think his redesign is just as drastic as other characters that still manage to look very different BUT still look like who they are.

It's not like he returned looking like Kai...that was weird (cool, but, weird). Or even worse, like MKD bald Sub-Zero...that was quite disgusting.

Moving on, I've never hated Stryker, but, I never liked him in MK3+ either. I was just very indifferent. However, after MKDA, I was absolutely certain that if given another chance he had the potential to become a fan favorite.

So, honestly, I'm not surprised at all at the positive reception he got in MKA no matter how forgettable it was, and I'm certainly not surprised at his incredible comeback in MK9, a game that stablished him as a BAD ASS and as a fan favorite:

The Great things about Stryker:

1) His overall look and design is perfect.
2) Voice actor is superb.
3) Super fan gameplay.
4) Excellent and memorable X-Ray, Fatalities, and Babality.
5) His gun special move.
6) His badass role in storymore.

Sexy (though to be very honest, his face/mouth look a big deformed in certain cut scenes).

The Bad:

1) He dies.

WTF!!!! I pretty much agree with everything you said, Garlador.

This was indeed a very disappointing and annoying outcome for one of the biggest surprises of MK. Stryker deserved to live.

I will say this again, many of the deaths were pointless. If you had to kill Kitana, fine, spare Jade. If Kabal had to go, fine, spare Stryker who freaking deserved it a lot more than most others! If Cyber-Sub-Zero had to die to be brought back as a human, fine, let Smoke live!

I mean, fuck, but, whatever. Too late and too much now.

And yes, Sindel's blow to him was quite fatal. You can see that she sort of opens a whole through his face. Stryker is pretty much screwed.

One thing I disagree with you is your doubts that he "might not come back as a badass again". I think his personality and attitude and portrayal has been perfectly stablished. If he is to return, I see no reason why he wouldn't be treated the same way (even if his story takes a drastic different angle).

And to answer your questions!

1) Did Stryker convert you like he did me?

I was always indifferent, loved him in MKA, and knew he would be a success in MK9.

2) Are you sad he's gone?

Yes.

3) How do you like his gameplay?

Tons of fun! Particularly his gun special and his X-Ray.

4) Do you think his guns and grenades fit the style of Mortal Kombat or do you prefer it "pure" and hand-to-hand?

I'm not a fan of most of his specials, to be honest. I like the baton and enhanced guns, but, well, as cool as the grenades look, I feel like he should probably be throwing something else.

5) Would you like him to return? Or do you think Stryker isn't "really" Stryker unless his hat is turned backwards?

Yes and no!

I'm glad they switched his hat like this, but, to be honest, that's only because I now know (for sure) that Sonya's hat isn't going to be sacrificed in his favor. So, yeah, I allow Stryker to wear it like this.

Great thread Garlador.



This.



And this. Bi-Han is powerful and all but he is not invincible.

Also, MK9 makes it perfectly clear to establish that the "human" characters are special and powerful enough to defeat 10,000 years old babe assassins and Shokans among other things, so, yeah.

Most of the time in supernatural... stuff like this the police are no where to be seen or they are easily killed. I think its awsome that theres a police character that averts all that. Well, untill he died...