It definitely seems to be changing (for the better or worse is a matter of opinion) but this game does seem to have a different vibe to it. I cant quite explain it right but I feel that a lot of the Asian and mystic influences that was so present on the original games was toned down a bit which is probably the most noticeable thing for me. The music is kind of forgettable as well, I don't even notice it half the time.

I won't getting into story stuff since I have shared my opinions on that on this site plenty of time already lol

Idk, MK9 managed to retain those vibes I was talking about with the stages,characters and music, but this one not so much.

i feel the same. this game lost all the mystery and the little things that made mk what it is. no secret unlockable characters, many stages were very bland, mk kids edition and so on. they did leave a fujin easter egg in cassie's fatality but i miss the old days with ermac that later on became a character. none of this now. story also felt meh

gonna disagree on the argument of soldiers vs ermac though, in all games with good endings, a shaolin monk for example is no match vs someone like scorpion. it's still a game after all. but i do agree on the part were the inexperienced kids managed to beat everyone up, at least the others were human but of some age and experience in fighting

all in all i don't like where the series is going either and also disagree on MK9. the stages were amazing, there was mystery, much better story. i hope they eventually realize they're ruining the franchise and we get a much better next game. too bad they ignore communications from the fans on their twitter accounts and there is no platform they made for the fans to post their thoughts, ideas etc

For me it is a welcome change.

I never played Mortal Kombat for the story. I played it primarily for the fighting and the fighting in this game is the best out of any Mortal Kombat. I also liked how the grinding to unlock characters was removed. You only have to complete story mode to unlock Shinnok and that is it.

As for the story it is a more personal affair because of the way story mode is designed. I can appreciate the adavantadges such as fleshing out certain characters. It sucks if those characters are ones you never liked. I have come to like characters that I really hated like Kenshi because of the way they were in story mode.

No, it still retains its essence; mythical elements are found within the game but they are far too situational. Johnny and Cassie Cage have the power to rearrange a God's face, provided they witness life threatening danger. Raiden can make impenetrable wards for the portal to the heavens but not for protecting Shinnok's amulet.

NRS has a bad habit of overlooking action packed or frantic events like the Outworld Civil War. They also occasionally produce glaring plot holes and force plot-induced stupidity upon characters that go against their personalities.

The series is defiantly moving in a new direction, but that's what an over 20 year old series should be doing. Staying stagnant is a surefire way to ruin a franchise. It still is MK whether it has the elements you enjoyed or not, and is in no way disrespecting you or your admiration for the previous entires. I'm sorry that the new game isn't capturing the same essence to you, but I do not think that was the goal for MKX. The best thing about the deep world of MK is all the different places you can explore. We have explored the mysterious ancient side of the story, we have explored the brutal fantasy side, and now we are exploring the modern militarization side, that has always been present.

The Earthrealm warriors have been a collection of people from various backgrounds put together to fight a united force for almost of all the series. Switching it around so now the Earthrealm heroes are apart of a larger force fighting against the scattered villains is, in my opinion, a good change of pace. How the story was told was very messy to me, but I appreciate the direction. Advancing the timeline was one of the best decisions the series has made in a long time. The new direction for the classic characters like Lui and Scorpion was something that was needed. And I would say the new characters in MKX are the most realized characters introduced since MKII.

Yes, the protagonist is an American military girl in her late 20s instead of a Chinese monk in his early 30s. Yes, all of the heroes are in a team under the Special Forces banner instead of all coming together to fight the bad guy threading the world. Yes, we follow younger characters as they develop relationships with each other and explore them with the older ones instead of following different characters on their individual quests. But, has Mortal Kombat lost it's essence? No, it is just going down a different path.

Am I the only one who feels like this "feeling" was only in the first Mortal Kombat?

By the time I was a lizard fighting a monster with blades on his arms on a bridge surrounded by acid and and meat hooks the "Enter The Dragon" feeling was long long gone.

It definitely didn't come back when I was using a cop to fight a robot in a bank.

It was nowhere near my use of a thug and a special forces soldier in a prison with a giant rotator blade.

It still wasn't back by the time I used a vampire to fight a skinless monster with a mask in front of ruins.

I still couldn't get this feeling back using a roman-inspired corpse to kill Ken Masters in a slaughterhouse.

I do not know. I never got the feeling in the first place but then again I was 4 or 5 years old when I played the first Mortal Kombat.

What's so different from MKX compared to say, MK3? I feel those have similar settings. And it's funny because that game got very similar complaints back in the day.

The human element was always part of the Mortal Kombat story since the very first game, It wouldn't be MK without them. It's only natural with the progression of the story and threat of Earthrealm to have the military involved and not just Sonya.

Personally I appreciate the switch of focus on different characters and settings. At least, you can't say MK gets stale.

God damn I at least gave it a week. Kudos to you pal.

Weird gameplay? What are you talking about?
Say what you will about MKX but it sports the best gameplay MK ever had. Next thing you're gonna say is MKDA/MKD/MKA had better gameplay...

But then again, you just had it for 1 hour so that kinda speaks for itself.

Mortal Kombat is going to hell in a handbasket. The company has become soooo detached to their fans who've been with the series longer than those who joined when MK9 was released. They treat characters from their own franchise like crap and fans are really tired of it.

i feel like MKD was the last MK game that had the mysterious dark fantasy atmosphere that i've been drawn to for so long, with the asian influences still intact. MKX wanted to try something different, and thats fine, but i just couldn't get into it. Outworld didn't even look like Outworld to me. It looked like a Games of Thrones village or some shit. The story mode looked like a bad hollywood movie that was trying too hard to paint the struggles of being a kid of a mortal kombat character. Takeda's (ATROCIOUS PRONUNCIATION OF HIS NAME THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STORY TOO, SERIOUSLY ADD AN "I" INSTEAD OF AN "E" IF YOU ARE GOING TO CALL HIM THAT) story made me want to jump out of a window! The focus on the kids is what made me dissatisfied the most. Seriously, keep that family values shit in a Disney/Pixar film!

the gameplay admittedly was good but the replay value just wasn't there. Definitely not at the level where fighting games should be at the moment. There were only two characters who only appealed to me at that point anyways.

Right now, my only hope to still enjoy this series is if a side game gets made (not made by the NRS team of course)

I completeley agree with this. The youngsters are totally shitting on the elder warriors. jacqui briggs beating Sub zero WTF?! They even make the elder gods look like shit.
Problem is not perse NRS, it's mostley Ed. Boon taking MK another direction since MKA. Rebooting everything that Tobias made.

MK2 and 3 still retained a certain vibe, it was mystical, mysterious and a bit eerie . Like somebody above said, this one was very militaryish, which is a turn off for me personally. I still play though, luckily the gameplay is very addicting lol

MK2 retained the feeling and MK3 had certain qualities of the original essence.

I see MK2 like I see Kill Bill vol. 2, The Godfather (Part II), or The Dark Knight. The sequels took everything that made the first films everlastingly awesome and multiplied them x1000.

For MK2 that was the blood and gore, the fatalities, the characters, the gameplay (hey, it improved), the atmosphere (music, stages), and the story.

It is much less "Enter The Dragon". The big trade off here though was the characters began developing their own personalities instead of being 80's and 90's "Hey! It's that guy you like!" knock-offs. As for MK3, things became a bit hectic. Fan favorites were gone, BUT, it introduced a new batch offering more variety. I think MK3 was good, just maybe a little overzealous. Although there were some nice new little details. Like the characterized blood colors and gargantuan amount of finishers. And the music still had the MK feels. Also, Soul Chamber.

MKX is really, really different then MK3 - I'll explain why:

- MK3's storyline was based on the planned and ancient resurrection of Outworld's lost forgotten queen, Sindel, on Earth. She is revived after 10,000 by a more powerful Shang Tsung and his Shadow Priests onto Earth in order force a merge between Earthrealm and Outworld. This sounds pretty mystical, dark, and apocalyptic.

- The story was based on Earth, but on a post-apocalyptic setting where all of Earth's human beings were stripped of their souls by Shao Kahn's power. What a strong statement to make from the beginning and it really sets the tone for the overall feel of the game. Everyone except those chosen by Raiden to defend Earthrealm from Shao Kahn. There is no room for soldiers, cops, generals, and random investigators from OIA. It was only Jax and Sonya - but they were already established characters that are obviously far from normal day-to-day humans.

- The series introduces a batch of new characters that were unique to each other, distinct, and each brought a new element to MK's story. It was a roster that took risks in MK3 - leaving out Kitana, Mileena, Scorpion, Reptile, and Baraka - characters that were either in MK1 or MK2. Of course, we then get UMK3 which introduces even more characters that all have compelling backstories like Ermac and Noob Saibot. MK3 had a perfect blend of new and old.

- MK3's artistic style was one of the best in the series. It was a perfect combination of fantasy, gritty, out-of-this-world, dark ambience, and a touch of realism. It was Earth - but with a touch of gothic, dark-style that also represented Outworld well. The game also had some of the most memorable tracks in all of MK's history. The Title Theme, Character Select Screen, The Temple, The Bank, The Street, and The Pit 3 are classic themes.

MKX?

- The presentation was shambolic. MKX's storyline was based on the American military trying to fend off Outworld beings from Earth, and fighting against an Elder God in Shinnok. How do you expect me to believe that Quan Chi, one of the most powerful sorcerers in the universe, cannot torture and kill anyone that does not have any sort of powers - like soldiers. There should be no match. I can go on and on about these examples. Shao Kahn in MK3 killed every single being on this damn Earth because he could and felt like it. You expect to believe that Shinnok, a former Elder God, and a now revived being could not instantly kill every soldier or being in his path with a snap of his finger?

MKX had the chance to be like MK3, but it absolutely failed. Too much realism. How can a 20-year old Cassie Cage have the ability to fight against an Elder God and not instantly die is beyond me. Sure, you need a "hero". Build them up. She is a generic soldier that happens to have some powers her dad has and that's about it. Sub-Zero is the master of ice, a cryomancer, and is one of the most powerful warriors in the universe. He can't defeat Shinnok, but Cassie can? Really?

- The roster was not deep at all and made 0 sense. And I was a believer about the roster from the get-go, but the execution was really bad. Cassie Cage, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Jax, and Jacquie Brigs. 5 characters based on two families - really? What point of having three Cage's make, and leaving out characters like Reiko or Fujin. Jax and Jacquie? The two EXACT same characters but one male/female? Over unique characters like a Noob Saibot, Nightwolf, Hotaru, Li Mei - with so many more that could have shined in this game. It's really sad.

- The shitting on characters to push these new characters makes me throw up. Ermac, Sub Zero, Quan Chi, Baraka, and others, can be easily defeated by kids? Without a scratch. With kids that have been training for just a little bit. Who don't have any supernatural abilities? MK's original heroes - like Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Kung Lao, and Raiden - are all super beings. Liu Kang controls fire and can morph into a freaking dragon. Kung Lao can teleport into a wind. Sub Zero is a cryomancer who is a complete master of ice. Raiden is a Thunder God reincarnated into a human form. But these new kids can save the world. Cassie has some sort of powers her dad has, Jacquie has metal armas, Kung Jin shoots arrows. Takeda had some good things going for him - trained by Scorpion and is the son of Kenshi - but it was not executed at all.

- MKX's art style was based on two color schemes - black and grey. There was no flare, no vibrant-feel, no popping colors that a game like MK2 or MK3 had. Everything looked the same. Everything looked military. Why? With MK being inspired by SO many different aspects of culture, different beings in the game, you'd think the game would be so vibrant. It isn't. Look at Bo Rai Cho's costume - more grey. Johnny Cage- grey. Blade - grey. Cassie - grey. Jacquie and Jax - grey. Kenshi - grey. Takeda - grey. Street Fighter does an amazing job in making all of it's characters pop - and don't give me that excuse that it's because SF is more anime-style.

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I like realism. But not when it completely overtakes a game like MK. MK is a fantasy game based on realms. It's not a game designed or with the purpose of being a military game. This is military game and it made me throw up. That's not MK. The only thing military that needs to be in MK is the sub-arcs and minor stories of the OIA, Black/Red Dragon. That's it. It can't be centralized on this shit.

When a game needs to derive from what made it great is a sign that things are only going to go downhill. I'm all about evolving and trying new things - as long as it stays true to the essence of it. MKX felt like a different title, a different series, that utilized the MK name to sell.

It’s essence? How dramatic. And I don’t mean that in a condescending way. I’m simply making an observation.
No not it’s essence. It’s lost its focus? Identity? No...I think it’s lost its scope and sense of humor. It’s creativity and worst of all. Someone who gives a damn about anything other than the gameplay and visuals.

Mortal Kombat used to be the pioneer of storytelling within the fighting genre. Now it’s nothing. One would think with where we are now, our long time friends within the MK Team would be able to expand upon these areas alongside the gameplay and visuals. Give us something even better, larger,focused and realized than the already impressive efforts in the two game that were delivered within the early 2000’s.
How naive of us.

People, It’s time we all wake up now, and realize that the creators no longer care or share any passion towards the area of MK that attracted us first. Priorities have changed. It’s best we accept this and either move on, or simply enjoy Mortal Kombat for its gruesome fighting. And nothing more.
Because staying for the story, is the wrong reason to remain a loyal fan of MK in this day and age.

Somebody should make a fighting game that's all guns n gunplay movesets, with maybe a few hand to hand moves, and pistol whip/rifle butting...



Ka-Tra

OP you do realize the complaint against special forces doesn't work. The SF or OIA has been in nearly every MK game. Sonya in MK1. Jax in mk2 Sonya and Jax in mk3-DA. Armeggedden had them vs DC then the reboot 2011 and X. They're a staple l. And yes the kids were the heroes instead of the ShaoLin this time.

MK3 had a war between those normal guys and Shao Kahn's invading army. We never saw them because the story was mostly following other people, but I guarantee there were surviving solders shooting and killing Tarkatans. Oh, and Stryker. The most average joe you can get fighting those monsters.

Of course Quan Chi can't do that. He has never shown to have that much power. He couldn't do that to the very human/mortal Sub-Zero. Making Ice doesn't make you anymore resistant to magic than magic makes you resistant to weapons. Why can't a solider shooting guns kill something that a criminal with knives can?

Again, a guy who knew kung fu and shot fireballs killing Shao Kahn and Shinnok is fine, but a girl who had military training, advanced weaponry, and mystical energy can't? And don't tell me her being 3 or 4 years younger really makes a difference.

Jax and Jacquie both play very different roles in the story and have different gameplay. Cyrax and Sektor in MK3 had the same design, story, abilities, and purpose. The only difference between them was color and what kind of weapons they used.

What makes Kung Jin, who was trained by the White Lotus and had a bow/staff/flamethrower, less worthy of beating Baraka than Kung Lao, who was trained by the White Lotus and had a sharp hat. Ermac has to have been beaten by someone in MK3 and it was so uneventful it was never mentioned, but because the story mode in MKX does shows it he is being shit on? So, these characters can't lose to the new main characters, but can lose if it is never mentioned.

There was a lot I didn't like about MKX's story, but I think you are putting the early games on a pedestal if you don't think they had similar issues.

Shinnok didn't want to kill everyone instantly. Did you not see his ARMY of demons? Why have them if he could just insta kill everybody? Plus rules, everything is decided by Kombat anyways. You don't win poker by burning your opponent's cards...

He wanted suffering. Torturing Raiden's precious Humans as revenge for being banished.



Ka-Tra

hah! as far as i am concerned MK lost its essence with MK4.
MK haven't been the same since they stopped doing:
1- digitized sprites based on real actors.
2- palette swaps.
i'm not saying that all the post MKT games are lame but in my humble opinion MK lost two majors pillars (which heavily contributed to make MK stand from the other fighting games) they need recover.

NRS sold out, WB is a huge part of the problem, but they are simply out of touch with the origins of the game and what made it great.

According to some "fans", The MK franchise lost its touch/essence/identity with MK3 and expansions,when stages like Dead pool, the evil tower, the kombat tomb and the wastelands were replaced with the bank, the streets, the rooftop, the subway.

Mk3 was not a real Mk game because it lacked eastern inspired stages.
And lacked human ninjas and many characters from MK1&2.

The whining about MK has always been loud and annoying. As long ad fans complain, MK will sell.

DeLaGeezy pretty much summed up my feelings on this whole thing lol MK3/UMK3 did it better, MKX is just a bit too G.I Joeish for my taste I guess. I still love the game and play it frequently, but that's mainly because of the addicting and fun game play.

MK9 with MKX's gameplay/mechanics and up to date graphics would be perfect lol