Demo Impressions?
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posted04/06/2011 11:12 PM (UTC)by
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SubMan799
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06/21/2005 07:52 PM (UTC)
To all the people who have the demo right now, what do you think?

How's the gameplay?
Is it fast paced?
What 's the button layout?
How do you perform supers and x-rays?
Does holding back and block guard against throws?
Character impressions?

I'll post my own impressions when I get my grubby hands on the demo next week.
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SonOf100Maniacs
03/12/2011 01:32 AM (UTC)
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The game has made some pretty big strides in becoming a good and respectable fighting game. People have said this about MKDC, but I would say this game is the first real good start for the series. I'll be honest, I still don't expect this to be at the same level of other fighting games, especially at EVO, but the gap is shorter and the game is at least fun again. Anyway, pro's and con's!


Pro's

- The movement and pace of the game is finally somewhat smooth. I was always a fan of them adding dashes as oppose to bringing back the run button. It is also nice to have a set attack configuration instead of "button 1 might be a slow punch or some kind of kick".

-It's good to see some command normals that have unique properties to them. Johnny Cage has his focus attack that can be charged and dashed out of, and Mileena has a sai stab that actually changes the animation and damage of her leaping bite move. Sub has a charge attack too, but I can't seem to find a use for it. I hope to see even more unique normals in the final game, it is a great step in character differentiating.

-EX moves have some promise. Some are completely useless, but certain one's like Mileena's roll and Cage's flip kick are cool. Certain one's just seem to be safer if blocked, like scorpions double spear and teleport.


Con's

- While the button combo's have improved (they feel a little more forgiving and you can do 2-in-1's with special moves), they still feel archaic to me. I really wish they would focus on command normals and get rid of these abundant button combo's all together in future iterations. If they HAVE to keep them, make them more like the strings in VF and Tekken (delaying inputs help with juggles), but I would prefer just to get rid of them. IMO, this is the biggest thing holding this game back.

- When you jump straight up, the attacks still have a MKDC like pause when you come down. That still looks and feels like shit. I have always hated the volley ball bounce as well.

- Still not sure how I feel on x-rays. I have no problem with how easy the inputs are, but I wish it couldn't be combo'd into and out of. It should really be a punishment unique for each character (scorpion using it as a teleport when the opponent fucks up an obvious projectile, sub-zero delaying it on a jumping opponent, ect.) and should not be too damaging.

- With the exception of the first hit reward, meter building rewards getting your ass kicked too much (It rewards the attacker for using special moves, even if whiffed, and for hitting a blocked opponent, but not for getting a combo). My biggest problem is if combo's do too much damage in this game, then breakers will basically become a "Maximum Damage" like system. In general I am not a fan of breakers (or comeback mechanics).


I know it sounds like mostly negatives, but despite the things I don't like about the demo the game is fun and feels like it could be the best MK game since UMK 3.

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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/12/2011 05:15 AM (UTC)
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SonOf100Maniacs Wrote:
. My biggest problem is if combo's do too much damage in this game, then breakers will basically become a "Maximum Damage" like system. In general I am not a fan of breakers (or comeback mechanics).





Comeback mechanics in Street Fighter bother me because Street Fighter is a franchise that shouldn't need them, but somebody at Capcom thought they were a good idea for some reason.

Comeback mechanics in Mortal Kombat is just the name of the game. This franchise needs shit like breakers just make them playable especially considering after re-watching the character combo videos, I honestly think they designed this game to be a big damage game (especially in tag mode)

You can either take 70% on the chin or break it.


I do think with enough work this could be a competitively playable game with enough fan feedback and patch work on the behalf of the developers, if there are any MAJOR issues with the final product.
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m0s3pH
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03/12/2011 05:18 AM (UTC)
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SubMan799 Wrote:
To all the people who have the demo right now, what do you think?

How's the gameplay?
Is it fast paced?
What 's the button layout?
How do you perform supers and x-rays?
Does holding back and block guard against throws?
Character impressions?

I'll post my own impressions when I get my grubby hands on the demo next week.


The gameplay is smooth and fluid. Balancing is a bit of an issue in the demo (Sub-Zero is pretty much outclassed by everyone) but otherwise the characters handle pretty well. I don't really like the way the super meter charges up, because it's effectively a comeback tool, but I'll get over it.

It's pretty fast-paced. Not so quick that it's head-spinning, but you need to be on your toes. Johnny Cage can win a round in the blink of an eye, for instance. There isn't much of anything that's unsafe with him. I'm still getting the hang of the combo system, but once you learn the popups and what I would say are the go-to combos for each character, you can hold your own.

Button layout by default is FP/FK/BP/BK (which on the PS3 is square/X/triangle/O and on the 360 is X/A/Y/B, respectively) then block (R2/RT), change stance (L2/LT), throw (R1/RB) and tag (L1/LB). Enhanced specials are performed by pressing block along with the special move you're doing (so for Scorpion, the enhanced spear is B, B, FP+BL) and X-Rays are performed by hitting BL+CS. You can map the controls to whatever inputs you want, so do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

EDIT: See post below mine for information on throw escapes.

Character impressions:

Mileena- Somehow I expected her to be a bit faster. She has a good mix of pokes and power, and a couple of lows to mix up with. Her combos leave a bit to be desired, but she has lots of punishing juggle options with a pair of launchers to work with. I think she benefits the most from enhanced specials as well, the roll in particular, because it adds an attack that hits mid prior to the low popup.

Scorpion- Scorpion, as always, is formidable. He's quick, he causes problems by teleporting, and he has lots of options. He has good lows, and one combo in particular (F+BK, FK) that hits low/high, so it stands a good chance of landing at least one hit. His fatalities are extremely easy to remember, he has a damaging X-Ray that isn't easy to see coming, and yes, the backflip kick is back as an ender to a combo. The one thing he lacks is easy juggles. The one launcher he has is slow and even if it hits, you have to dash to give yourself an opportunity to land more hits (or simply spear/teleport punch your opponent instead, so really this isn't a disadvantage).

Sub-Zero- Sub is the quintessential defensive character. Slow, shitty priority, and not a whole lot in the way of pokes, but man can he punish. He has several three hitters that claim upwards of 20% from opponents. His specials aren't all that great, though, and he has no launcher, so your juggle game is limited to anti-air opportunities. He has two attacks that I would call quick (BP and B+FP) and the rest are, well, let's just say that you can punish with them and that's about it. His X-Ray is weird, too. I feel it doesn't always work the way it should.

Johnny Cage- JC is a button masher's dream. He has a crazy amount of pokes, a pair of solid launchers, great enhanced specials, the sneakiest X-Ray (and it does 40% to boot), and worthwhile combos. You can afford to be hyper aggressive with JC because he's ridiculously safe with his pokes. Basically the only thing you can punish are his specials, and if you play defensively you don't have to worry much about his X-Ray, because it requires JC getting hit to activate and it's easy to know when not to hit him.
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/12/2011 05:24 AM (UTC)
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Escapes are done with Front Punch if its a standard throw or rear punch if its a throw from behind,
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SubMan799
03/12/2011 04:25 PM (UTC)
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Great post moseph. What does the stance change do?
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/12/2011 07:02 PM (UTC)
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nothing.
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/12/2011 08:22 PM (UTC)
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Interesting little tidbit i found elsewhere:

"the wake up system works in the following manner.

hold down to remain on the ground

tap any face, directional, or the block button quickly to execute a fast back roll, which the game refers to as "recovery" as it is indicated as such above your super meter

characters can perform their own special moves, including EX special moves, while grounded. The three words "Wake Up Attack" appear above your super meter when done correctly. Here is what works.

Subzero: (EX) Slide
Johnny Cage: (EX) Flip Kick and (EX) Nut Punch
Mileena: (EX) Roll Attack and (EX) Drop Kick
Scorpion: (EX) Leg grab "
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Deathology
03/12/2011 09:50 PM (UTC)
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^at the the end of the "recovery" animation does it force your character to stand up or do you remain grounded (if you're still holding down)? and does it allow you to cancel out of "recovery" into a wake-up?
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/12/2011 11:30 PM (UTC)
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Deathology Wrote:
^at the the end of the "recovery" animation does it force your character to stand up or do you remain grounded (if you're still holding down)? and does it allow you to cancel out of "recovery" into a wake-up?


I believe so,I haven't fucked around with it enough.
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m0s3pH
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03/13/2011 03:51 AM (UTC)
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Joe-Von-Zombie Wrote:
nothing.


Actually this is not true. Neutral strikes (FP/FK/BP/BK with no directions pressed) either gain or lose a bit of range depending on which way your character is facing.
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/13/2011 04:47 AM (UTC)
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m0s3pH Wrote:
Joe-Von-Zombie Wrote:
nothing.


Actually this is not true. Neutral strikes (FP/FK/BP/BK with no directions pressed) either gain or lose a bit of range depending on which way your character is facing.


I stand corrected smile
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Deathology
03/13/2011 05:26 AM (UTC)
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m0s3pH Wrote:
Joe-Von-Zombie Wrote:
nothing.


Actually this is not true. Neutral strikes (FP/FK/BP/BK with no directions pressed) either gain or lose a bit of range depending on which way your character is facing.


Really? That's pretty cool, i'm going to have to play around with that on Tuesday. I'm glad it actually does something......
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SubMan799
03/16/2011 07:45 PM (UTC)
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Alright, played the demo for about an hour with my brother. Here's what I got:

-This game is fucking fun! I'd say its a lot like MK2 with a bit of MK3 thrown in there. This isn't the hyper offensive game we all love and remember, but that is definitely not a bad thing.

-The standard dial-a-combos deal very little damage. Hell, most of my best combos edged around the 20% mark. Combos that go into the 30-40% will probably be difficult to pull off. But then again, I didn't really get time to practice and just stuck to my weak BnB combos to play against my bro. But for right now, the damage isn't over the top and I doubt we'll be seeing 100% combos in the first month.

-With the super bar, I was rarely using the Breaker and mostly using enhanced specials. X-Rays were mostly used as a comeback mechanic.

-Enhanced specials are an awesome addition to the game. You could probably pull of five or six of them in a match, and they aren't overly powerful either.

-Breakers weren't used much because most of the combos my bro and I were doing never got passed 25%. If the damage stays the same in the demo I doubt you'll be using this much when this game first comes out. But obviously as the game develops, combos will deal more damage and the breaker will come into use. For right now though, it didn't seem that useful.

-X-Rays were usually used as a comeback mechanic, or if we had a full bar (which didn't happen alot because we used Enhanced Specials so much.) They're basically the Ultra Move of this MK game. Cage's did way too much damage, and I didn't notice any damage scaling with Sub and Scorp if they used their Freeze/Spear to start the X-Ray. Though theirs didn't do much damage. I didn't use MIleena enough to find out anything about her's. Cage's bounces the opponent up. The only move i could get in on the bounce was his flipkick though.

-Cage is the best in the demo. Very fast, great pop up, quick specials, a great projectile. This might change when the game ships, but for no he's the best.

-Sub is a pretty slow, defensive character. His Ice Clone is where it's at as you can do it right next to the opponent. Its like a very safe parry. His Ice Slide is very useful, but its not the combo ender it was before. Most of Sub's neutral hits come out slow. His BP, BP, BP sword combo is his fastest attack. He doesn't have a pop up, but his BP, FP, B+FP gives you enough time to throw out an ice ball while the opponent is in the air. That looks like it will be useful in the future.

-I didn't play with Mileena and Scorp much. Mileena seemed kind of stiff imo.

-Overall, the game is really fun. Can't wait to grab it in April

m0s3pH Wrote:
Joe-Von-Zombie Wrote:
nothing.


Actually this is not true. Neutral strikes (FP/FK/BP/BK with no directions pressed) either gain or lose a bit of range depending on which way your character is facing.


I did not notice that at all in the demo. I switched the stance and tried all of Sub's neutral attacks and they all seemed to be the same either way.
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Nephrite
03/16/2011 08:51 PM (UTC)
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I just finished my first session a little while ago. I played for cca 2 hours.

I love the game, it's very fun to play.

I wanted to try and master Sub-Zero first, but he felt so slow that I just gave up for today. His ground freeze is coming out really slow. Doing ice clone in the air is also very dangerous as he doesn't recover very fast so you can get hit with a projectile easily. This is very punishing against Scorpion. Of the other three, I liked using Mileena the most, so I spent some extra time with her.

The biggest combo I pulled of with her was an 11 hit combo that did 39% damage and featured the x-ray as part of it. Finishing the combo with an x-ray feels amazing I have to say.

The biggest combo I did that doesn't include the x-ray was a 6 hit, 27% damage combo.

I'm confused about her back, forward triangle special. Sometimes she bites the opponent and sometimes she stabs with the sais. I still haven't figured out what's causing two different outcomes... At first I thought the stab was the enhanced version, but I'm not really sure.

Also, I'm having a bit of trouble with one of her combos I'm trying to do. Basically, I pop up the opponent and then want to perform the quick dash (f, f) followed by X, O two kick combo, however instead of doing the two hit combo (X, O) I end up doing a teleport for which the input is f, f, X.

I suck, I know...

I need a training mode desperately, lol. I don't have a 2nd controller so I cannot practice against an inactive opponent.

... ... ...

Overall, I'm lovin' it. The fatalities are so easy to pull off. The graphics are awesome and I don't even have an HD TV (I want it so bad now).

I just wish you could turn the background music volume up a bit and also increase the number of rounds to win to more than just 3.
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SubMan799
03/16/2011 10:21 PM (UTC)
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About Mileena's hop grab thing, I'm not 100% but I think if you press F, BP (Triangle) Mileena stabs the opponent with a Sai. I think the sai stays in them and when you do the grab attack she uses the Sai to deal more damage. Not 100% on this, gonna try it out later if I get the chance. btw, it looks gorgeous in HD =D

Oh yeah, the BGM is almost unnoticeable.
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Nephrite
03/17/2011 01:26 PM (UTC)
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SubMan799 Wrote:
About Mileena's hop grab thing, I'm not 100% but I think if you press F, BP (Triangle) Mileena stabs the opponent with a Sai. I think the sai stays in them and when you do the grab attack she uses the Sai to deal more damage. Not 100% on this, gonna try it out later if I get the chance.


I figured it out. If you press back+triangle she impales the sai into the opponent's back and it stays there for quite some time. If you perform the b,f+triangle special move while the sai is still impaled she will stab the opponent instead of bite them, and it does a lot more damage. I'm not sure if it works with the forward+triangle normal attack.


SubMan799 Wrote:
btw, it looks gorgeous in HD =D


You meanie sad


::: ::: :::


After I finished the ladder on expert with Mileena, I went back to Sub-Zero. He's by far my fave character of the 4 in the demo so I had to try once more with him. After I figured how to include his ice projectile into the combos I started to enjoy using him. As a matter of fact, I'm even better now with Sub-Zero than with Mileena. I'm also better at utilizing his enhanced moves than Mileena's.

I'm gonna try and play a bit more with Johnny and Scorpion today.


I'M LOVIN' THIS GAME! Stayed until 2am last night kickin' AI's ass with Sub-Zero and Mileena.


::: ::: :::

Has anyone else changed their button layout?

I changed the shoulder button configuration. I set R1 for block and R2 for throw and also L1 for stance change and L2 for tag.

I think I'm gonna change the face buttons as well. The problem is that both, Mileena and Sub-Zero have combos that require pressing square+triangle and that's really hard for me on the PS3 controller. I think I'm gonna change that so that I press X+square as it's much easier for me to press those two buttons together.

So, I'm gonna change the square->X, X->O, O->triangle and triangle->square.

Some specials will feel strange like this (Subbie's projectile will become d,f,O), but I'll get use to it. I just can't pull off square+triangle constantly.
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Bloodfang
03/17/2011 01:54 PM (UTC)
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It's the leaping sai (B+2) that sticks the sai in the opponents back that boosts the Leaping Neck BIte into the Leaping Sai Stab. It greatly increases the damage. Unfortunately B+2 is extremely risky and punishable so I recommend using something that pops them up or knocks them down and then using it to increase chances of it landing. Hope that helps.

Oh and Scorpion is a monster on the demo. 30-40% combos are super easy with him and require no ES or X-ray moves. The other characters have more difficulty without their ES or X-rays in my opinion. Cage is a close second because of his insane speed and rapid hit combos. I only say he's second (again IMO) because Scorpion is also pretty fast, has a more reliable stun move (Spear > Nut Punch for Stun but Nut Punch > Spear for sheer awesomeness and humiliation), and he does insane amounts of damage. Not to mention his X-ray is super easy to land (unlike Cage's parry which relies on either precision timing or opponent being too over-eager... or perhaps just stupid) and does almost as much damage as Cage's.

Mileena I'm just not very good with but I can see just from looking at her that she'd be a beast in the hands of someone better than I. Sub-Zero is slow but if used patiently and with good Ice Clone reflexes to be a counter-whore I'm certain he can compete with Scorp/Cage albeit with some difficulty.
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blackl0tus
03/17/2011 05:19 PM (UTC)
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I think it's really time for people here who are interested in really learning about this game to head over to testyourmight.com. It's pretty much the srk site for mk. All the great mk tourney players, testers, combo vid makers are there.

Props to SubMan799 for trying to get a strategy discussions here but I don't think it's gonna work in the long run. See ya guys :)
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SubMan799
03/17/2011 06:03 PM (UTC)
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Yeah, I knew it was one of Mileena's moves that impaled the opponent with the sai. I've seen some pretty nifty combos on youtube with that.

And after a little practice I've gotten my BnB combos into the 30% range. Cage's jabs are so awesome! Pop up, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab EX SUPAH WICKED FLIP KICK! Lovin it

Sucks to see you go lotus. egruntz?
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Thrawn
03/17/2011 07:29 PM (UTC)
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I'm not very good at strategy discussions but I'll throw my two cents in.

Sub-Zero is a lot of fun in this demo after you spend some time using him.
He was very slow and off putting at first, but after messing around with him for about an hour last night, I began to really enjoy him. I can see players willing to invest the time really having a blast with Sub-Zero.

I have to say I do not like the slow start up time on his ground freeze. In the hour or two I've played the demo, granted it's against the computer, I haven't found any good uses for that move.



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blackl0tus
03/17/2011 11:33 PM (UTC)
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SubMan799 Wrote:
Yeah, I knew it was one of Mileena's moves that impaled the opponent with the sai. I've seen some pretty nifty combos on youtube with that.

And after a little practice I've gotten my BnB combos into the 30% range. Cage's jabs are so awesome! Pop up, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab, jab EX SUPAH WICKED FLIP KICK! Lovin it

Sucks to see you go lotus. egruntz?


Nope. No worries, I'll still be here to give my inputs and occasionally troll the non-gameplay threads lol.

Try Cage: RP FP fw+RP, RP FP,RP FP,RK RK, Flip Kick 38% - corner

fw+RK, RP FP,RP FP,RP FP,RK RK, Shadow kick 36%
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03/18/2011 02:40 AM (UTC)
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On Cage, has anyone seen this supposed infinite string? I haven't played the demo, but I'm wondering if someone can give insight on this.

Cage Infinite String?
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blackl0tus
03/18/2011 05:37 AM (UTC)
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GhostDragon Wrote:
On Cage, has anyone seen this supposed infinite string? I haven't played the demo, but I'm wondering if someone can give insight on this.

Cage Infinite String?


Nothing much to say; the jab string keeps the opponent in blockstun indefinitely. If they don't block, then they will get infinite. If you do it correctly, only a breaker can get out of it. I'm okay with with infinites being in fighting games, but some types are just unacceptable and this is one of them. Thank god, the demo is just an earlier version.
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Joe-Von-Zombie
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03/18/2011 07:13 AM (UTC)
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blackl0tus Wrote:
GhostDragon Wrote:
On Cage, has anyone seen this supposed infinite string? I haven't played the demo, but I'm wondering if someone can give insight on this.

Cage Infinite String?


Nothing much to say; the jab string keeps the opponent in blockstun indefinitely. If they don't block, then they will get infinite. If you do it correctly, only a breaker can get out of it. I'm okay with with infinites being in fighting games, but some types are just unacceptable and this is one of them. Thank god, the demo is just an earlier version.


A breaker cannot break that. They don't function the same way they did in DCU, You have to be in what the game considers a combo to use a breaker, the game does not recognize this as a combo. Lets just pray Check and the tourney boys caught this and it didn't make it into the final build.
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