Back when MK3 came out, how did people feel about the addition of the urban backgrounds? They were drastically different from the series' ancient/otherwordly settings that players were accustomed to.

I loved them. I was intrigued by them. To see the outworlders in our streets, our subways, was both scary and awesome. The evil ones truly looked like invaders. I was a pre-teen then, and I remember being scared at the thought of Shao Kahn walking in my school's cafeteria. Before MK3, even though Earth was always threatened by Shao Kahn and his minions, the action, the fight against him, was always distant. But in MK3, the action was brought right on our doorsteps. We weren't safe anymore. It could be because I was much younger then, but to me it made the Outworlders (again, the evil ones) some of the most memorable otherworldly invaders in fiction. I've seen others that were impactful, but the Outworlders will always hold a special place in my heart.

The sheer contrast of ancient/mythical/otherwordly characters such as Baraka and Kung Lao in modern settings was truly amazing. Damn, I love the MK3 era.

On a somewhat related note, are there any fans who think it would have been preferable to set the story in the past? The addition of Stryker and the Cyborgs (and probably the urban backgrounds) certainly caused a stir among the fanbase, and I think it's in large part because they didn't at all look ancient or mythical. That's why I wonder if some fans would have prefered a more "fitting" century in mankind's history. Definitely not my case, but I'm curious about what others think.