I'm glad you posted this in here because I've been meaning to bring this up regarding the gameplay.

In my opinion I thought the GAMEPLAY in particular left a little something to be desired. I saw so many combo drops and weird breaker usage and meter usage (lots of enhanced moves when they weren't necessary). I just expected a little bit more from the best players in the world....but with that said...

it was obviously the biggest stage and the best competition around, so nerves are gonna be there, and it's certainly more difficult to start and finish combos with that kind of pressure.....the atmosphere was amazing as has been stated many times and justifiably so. I was so hyped watching the opening Kabal match that I honestly teared up a little bit being such a life-long fan of the series and fighting games in general. Evo this year was probably one of the most incredible scenes I've ever witnessed as far as a broadcast goes, and it made me feel great to be a part of the fighting game community.

Did anyone else feel though that the gameplay and execution was a little dissapointing? I was expected to see some new strategies and some crazy new combos and stuff like that but it was mostly the same stuff I see everyday...



don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched lol

I actually feel the move you mention in your spoiler was used quite innovatively by Perfect Legend (Ok so I am kinda spoiling now). I know it is very usefull for covering ground but he was using it to escape the corner quite a bit and I cannot say I have seen that done before, at least as a consistant tactic.

Does anyone have the actual story of what the hell was going on at the start of the Chris G // 16-bit match? I'm guessing 16-bit is a local favourite or something, but did Chris do or say something to get the crowd on his back beforehand? Seems like such a nice chilled guy to me. Also, a brilliant (I thougth) strategy from REO that all the Mileena players on here should definitley keep in mind is how he always follows up a teleport kick with an instant sai-throw, meaning that his teleport is not punishable like it would be if he just did the teleport. Just a small thing that makes a big difference.
And what the hell was Aris doing all the commentry for? Don't get me wrong, I actually think he is a damn good commentator but just the other day he was throwing a giant fit about MK and how much it sucks.

Thanks for sharing this with us, seeing these tournament players is the most entertainig spectacle I've seen in quite a while.

When you're playing people of equal or near equal skill, it's quite understandable to see combos dropped, everyone does it, plus the added stress of playing in front of thousands of people and potential prizes has to get to players, not to mention how much thought and strategy has to go into these fights.


I gotta say I'm glad we got to see some Mileenas and other characters aside from Kung Lao and Raiden in the top 8, kind of disappointed that a Kung Lao took it once again, but he was great.


This is a great victory for the MK community and NRS, all the patches and fixes have this game shaping up wondefully into a glorious tournament fighter, insuring Mortal Kombat will be returning for years to come.

The thing i liked the most 9 DIFFERENT characters used in the top eight

Kung Lao
Mileena
Johnny Cage
Reptile
Kabal
Kitana
Liu Kang
Raiden
Cyrax

That is what gives me the most hope for future MK tournaments. The game is nearly perfectly balanced when you can get this type of variety in the top 8.

Kung Lao is IMO the only character that is too powerful, but all NRS needs to do is lessen the block stun on low hat then Kung Lao will be fine no other tweaks to him are needed. I felt it was quite obvious that about half-way through the grand-final Kung Lao's low hat string was starting to take over the match as REO had no answer to it after a while. As it stands you need a move 8 frames or less to counter-attack with, if that was changed even to 10-12 frames Kung Lao would be perfectly fine.

Kung Lao is still in the need of a nerf, spin shouldn't push back so much on block and low hat block stun shouldn't be so much.

Mileena's d+4 is godlike, I think she has a disjointed hitbox, not sure though. Her sai throw and teleport kick have zero delay when she touches the ground so you HAVE to punish her while she is airborne which sometimes isn't so easy as she can (with the correct timing) hit you with air sai throw.

Kung Lao doesn't need a nerf. Its not game breaking, its not overpowered, its fine where it is. We shouldn't cry out "nerf this, nerf that" whenever we feel it.

Agreed. Too much nonsencical nerfing in the early stages.

Having said that, apparently Kung L's spin IS getting nerfed asap, with a bigger window to punish it. I'm actually fine with that, as long as that is all they nerf. Imagine NRS listening to all the people whining about online (which should not even be considered wrt nerfs and buffs imo) then Smoke and Scorpion would have no teleports (making them the two bottom characters no doubt) and Reptile would dash like he was in a wheelchair.

agreed.

all those 9 characters mentioned above are fine as is; i wish nrs would focus on making the lesser-used characters BETTER, rather than making the best ones worse.

It's awesome how I guessed the right nerf lol.

PROUD!!!



Yes, "PROUD", that's how I feel about MK2011 at Evo2011! It was FANTASTIC!



The Top 8:

Damn, it had to be Kung Lao lol! Well, hands down, Perfect Legend was just brilliant. All the good Kung Lao players are scary, but PL was just extra scary, what speed and skill, simply amazing!

REO, oh REO! He's probably the most beloved tourney player in the MK scene. Has been one of my favorites from the very start, always calm and cool, no trash talking about others and he would troll by doing fatalities lol, gotta love him!. The guy is a dedicated MK player and he knows how to play every single character in the game. His match against PL in the grand finals was an uphill battle from the start as it seems KL is a nightmare matchup for Mileena, but boy did he did good. His select screen trolling (Sheeva maybe? lol) was epic. Even he didn't want Kung Lao to win Evo and refused to select him. Instead he chose Cyrax, who seems to have an upper hand against Kung Lao. He did well, but Perfect Legend was just flying.

JOP- this guy was the most interesting player for me to watch. I've seen him before, I think he lost in Top8 to Justin Wong at the National PDP tourney (Justin finished 1st there, I think JOP was in Top4). What about him is so interesting? His footsies! He does them all the time, he rarely stands still. His movement around the arena is just inspiring. His losers finals match against REO was my favorite in the entire Top8. JOP started with Johnny and lost, he then switched to Raiden and came back only to fall in the final game. The successful switch from Johnny to Raiden was extra cool, although ultimately REO overcame his Raiden as well. JOP vs REO Top8 (my favorite)!

Chris G and OnlineTony have been known as top level players for some time (especially Cris G's Reptile has been known as a real beast), so no wonder they made into Top8. Great stuff! And then there's our very own Osu 16-bit, LOL everyone loved this guy and his post-match reactions! I was personally of course very happy to see Kitana make it into Top8, so thanks Osu! Denzell Terry and ATL Redd, I have to say, are complete mysteries to me, but well done on making it so far!

Overall, the Top8 was just brilliant with tons of great and fun to watch matches, fantastic character variety and some crazy moments (Osu doing the very first big-screen fatality lol)!

Props to Aris and UltraDavid who did an amazing job as commentators, really well done! Cool how they both agreed that MK2011 has the best meter (the super meter) of all the games!



Other matches:


Aside from the amazing Top8 stuff, there was plenty of interesting stuff before. Tom Brady, Justin Wong & Michaelangelo all going out before Top8. If I'm not mistaken Brady got eliminated by TS Sabin, which is funny because prior to that match Sabin never won against Brady if I'm not wrong. Justin, I have no idea what happened, he was hardly heard of and I see he had a bad time in other games too (except Marvel where he finished 4th, but I'm not sure that pleases him). And Michaelangelo, damn I feel really sad he didn't make it into the Top8, what a cool guy- pure MK fan with a tattoo too ("-too too" lol). I guess winning those 3 majors in a row prior to Evo got everyone's eyes set on him and maybe that's what cost him Top8 finish at the end. He finished 9th, still a great result but nonetheless what a shame. He lost to Chris G and then to OnlineTony which brings me to 3 more epic Evo2011 MK2011 moments...

THE MIRROR MATCHES:

Mirror match #1: Konqrr vs Osu 16-bit (Kitana vs Kitana)
===> This was like a dream match for me and once I read that they played against each other I immediately went searching for the recorded match, however the stream was accidentally turned off as they were playing (what a bummer!). I kinda had Konqrr as the favorite to win it due to his 3rd place at ReveLations tourney while I haven't seen Osu play prior to Evo so he was a bit of a mystery (even though I knew him as a member on these forums and TYM). Osu won in the end knocked out my Kitana mentor, though Konqrr does not really know he's my mentor lol.

Mirror match #2: Michaelangelo vs OnlineTony (Kabal vs Kabal)
===> Well, these two have already played before. I guess their most memorable match was the grand finals at the ReveLations major which Michaelangelo won. I was cheering for him in this match, however OnlineTony got his revenge and a pass for Top8. Yes, it was a "revenge is bitter" case for Michaelangelo at this year's Evo. First Chris G got his revenge for the loss at the EastCoastThrowdown grand finals in the winners bracket and then OnlineTony avenged his loss at the ReveLations grand finals on the losers side of the bracket. Michaelangelo vs Chris G at Evo2011 (Top16) (I can't find the mirror match vs Tony)

... and finally the most epic of the three mirror matches...

Mirror match #3: Alex Valle vs Detroit Balln (Shang Tsung vs Shang Tsung)
===> Wow and LOL! "Wow" 'cause here we finally have a confrontation of the offline vs online scene. Alex Valle has been reppin' Shang Tsung for some time on the offline scene as was considered by many as the best Shang out there. However, at the same time Detroit has built a massive reputation for himself, through the online play and many saw him as the best Shang out there! So finally the time came for the two awesome players to settle the score on who's the best Shang, and what place better to settle it at than Evo. Alex Valle went on to win and that's when the "LOL" moment happened- as they finished Alex turned to Detroit, raising his hand straight forward and pointing his finger at Detroit and said one of the most trademark MK lines "YOUR SOUL IS MINE!. The moment was even more memorable as it happened right in front of Hector Sanchez from the NRS and his smiling face was just priceless. Easily one of the most memorable moments at this years Evo! I'll definitely never forget it! Alex Valle vs Detroit Balln (Evo 2011 MK Top16)

... ... ... ... ...

LOL I know I'm talking too much, but just a little more...

Aris: Not only did he do a great job commentating on MK2011 Top8, he also did really well as a player. Finished 9th in the end and he was unfortunate to have been eliminated by the two guys who finished 1st and 2nd in the end, Perfect Legend and REO, respectively. Well done Aris, you're The Smoke!

Sektroll: Probably the best known Sektor player out there. I know he qualified from the pools, but I don't know who eliminated him later on. If anyone knows, please let me know. I was so hoping to see him in Top8 and doing justice to Sektor who is such an underrated character.

Cookie: L M F A O ! ! ! Skip to 2:20 to see the best win pose in history of MK! LOL @ Brady going OMG while commentating. Btw, Ryan Hart is a very well know Tekken player, makes it even funnier :p



Man, it was just EPIC!!! Too bad I couldn't watch it live, but still... I can't wait for next year and I'm praying MK makes it!

Now I'm sure there's something I've forgotten but I talked too much anyway so I'm gonna leave it at that for the moment. Gonna try and catch up with the rest of the forums later on today and tomorrow as much as I can.

It's good to be back!

Whahaha, Oh man, your enthusiasm made me laugh. I gotta go watch this stuff again now myself. Great to have you back btw. Carrying the Strategy Zone has been hurting my back

That Cookie thing was disturbing and hilarious at the same time. (It's the dude in the Kitana cosplay right?)

Gonna watch the "Your soul is mine" bit now. Not seen that before.

*runs off happy*

^ Thanks for the welcome!

Yes, Cookie is the epic Kitana guy, lmao!



And of course I've forgotten something, and something big actually. The winners belt presented by NRS to Perfect Legend! How could have I forgotten that, shame on me! That was glorious and what a wonderful thing of NRS not just to present the belt to the winner, but actually watch the entire Top8 and semi finals as well!


Also, a few new names showed up- Tyrant as a great Jax player, Slips as a great Scorpion player and finally Erik Warda, another Kabal player! From various comments and posts I've read, it seems Erik already has a legion of fans, and well deserved, this guy is really impressive with Kabal. Man, future tourneys are gonna be crazy fun!

Here's a match from Salty Battles IV of Erik Warda vs Maxter (amazing Cyrax player, already well known):

Great stuff! Erik we need more of you!


Now, who's the best Kabal? Michaelangelo, OnlineTony or Erik Warda?

LOL it's stuff like this that I love!

Did'nt CD Jr also play Jax at EVO? Guy is Maxter's brother I believe (and I think Crazydominican is the third brother). Some serious MK going on in that family. Check out CD Jr's awesome Rain in the other thread (about Rain and Sheeva). Was from that same tourney Eric Warda won that you posted.

Yup, Crazy Dominican (Kitana), CD Jr. (Rain, Smoke, Jax) and Maxter (Cyrax, Sektor) are all brothers.

I know for sure that Crazy Dominican did NOT go to Evo2011 and I don't think any of his brothers went either unfortunately.

They do play every week however at Valley Stream Monsters Thursday Night Casuals, where they usually set up a tourney as well. All three of them are insanely good, but it's Crazy Dominican who's had the most success so far.

I saw that video of Rain and Sheeva. Rain's apparently good and CD Jr.'s really impressive with him, but Sheeva seems to still suck, even with the super armor she got for her enhanced specials in the 1.03 patch. That guy that played Sheeva and finished in Top8 deserves an applaud, however no "big tourney names" were behind him in the Top8 so it's questionable how good he really is.

Also, it will be interesting to see how well CD Jr. does with Rain over time, he's still a new character so that plays into CD Jr.'s hand a bit since others are probably not yet fully used to the Rain match up.

I eliminated Sektroll. IIRC the Kung Lao player Ruin put him in losers in pools.

I had to go through Slips and Sektroll back to back in top 64. Two guys I've known for years from playing Tekken and we were rooming together. These two always bodied me in Tekken. Those victories felt good.

Really?! Do you know if there's a recording of the match, I'd love to see it.




Haha! Great stuff! Osu, feel free to post or PM me as many links to your matches as you wish (if you have the will of course lol), I'd love to see more of your Kitana, she's my main as well.

Osu, could you PLEASE explain what was up at the start of your match with Chris G? I am just curious, feel free to tell me it's none of my business if you would rather not comment. Big respect to both you guys as players from me though.

I know Aris speculated that it was my Midwest supporters but it was actually some drama/hype between Tom Brady and Pig of the Hut.

My matches with Sektroll weren't recorded. From Evo my streamed matches were the two top 8 matches, Konqrr, Alex Valle and Tea Bag.

The Valle matches were up on youtube but have been removed now.

Me vs. Tea Bag(Nightwolf) is here http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16323949 and starts at 40:40.


Here's my winners finals and grand finals sets against Dizzy(Cage & Kung Lao) from a tournament in Chicago shortly before Evo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E09bCBddubo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AuL5T2nMYo&feature;=relmfu


That's all I've got. I've had other matches recorded against guys like Dan Cock, Reo and Slips from other tournies but they were never archived. here's 8 online fights too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34asGQcDlt0

Thanks for posting the links, Osu!

I've seen all of your recorded Evo matches. I haven't seen those in the other tourney against Dizzy! Couple of nicely baited spins and again effective use of her d, b+4 special. Congrats on winning the tourney, I suppose it was a great confidence booster going into Evo. Btw, that piece of paper you were given at the end, was that the envelope with the prize money? :p

Well, your really brutalized AeroGrunt in those online matches (match #5 was close though).

I wish my iAF were as spot on as yours, I still get those accidental air punches coming out here and there.

Yep

Yeah I get super mad at myself when I get the jump punch. I practice a little every day and still have off days.

LOL what an express delivery!