• 20Apr 08

  MK Fans, Wake Up and Smell the Awesome

  Seriously folks.
  
  After reading the reactions to Mortal Kombat vs. DC I had to weigh in.
  
  I know few of us will admit it, but Mortal Kombat sucks. It has always sucked. It's a gaming atrocity, a testament to the ignorance of it's fans. The game got by on gimmicks alone, blood and fatalities. Whether it's SNES era or Deadly Alliance era the games have been god awful. The combat systems have been poorly made. In the SNES era the system was poorly thought out and very clunky, and in DA era they were way too complex for their own good. There's no technical merit to these titles. There's no Mortal Kombat tournament scene, and that's because the game has no competitive potential, and even the easiest most pick-up and play fighters like the Smash Brothers games and Dead or Alive wind up having some sort of serious competitive scene go along with them (however misguided). It's seriously one of the most poorly maintained franchises in video game history and it's been bad from day one. Ed Boon realized that even if the people who bought his game didn't.

  Which is why I commend him on his attempt to reboot the series (even though it didn't really help the last time). The removal of the gimmick of fatality and outrageous amounts of gore show true evolution that the series needs. Yes, I see the same concerns you do. The addition of DC characters and move to a T rating compromise the very roots of the series, and seem very transparently to be attempts to widen the fanbase and increase sales. But things like this would be genuinely alarming if the series didn't suck on every level. But it does. The roots you loved were withered and dry from the moment they appeared in the soil of gaming. So there's not really anything they can do to muck things up even worse.

  It's true, granted, it's almost a departure from one gimmick to another. But the DC characters are going to be involved from the ground up. And even though it doesn't make much sense, we are enjoying a medium where more outrageous things happen every day. This isn't any less plausible than turtle shell shooting go-karts, psychic children that save the world single handedly, or anthropomorphic animals that can break the sound barriers.

  I can't even imagine the mental process for people suggesting that Ed Boon is "selling out" considering the fact that Mortal Kombat was made to cash in on the popularity of asian culture and 2D fighters at the time of release. The games started out as little more than a joke, and to anyone with remotely discerning tastes in video games stayed that way. People who enjoy these games... I honestly wonder if you guys are playing the same game as me. Is there some secret Mortal Kombat where balanace, fluid combat, and interesting and well designed characters exist that I missed out on? Have I just been playing the distorted shadows of the real Mortal Kombats hiding somewhere in between this universe and the next? Do I need to make it to the garden of Eden to play the installment of this series that doesn't boarder on unplayable?

  Seriously. Rejoice, MK fans. Your game has a chance of being taken a little bit more seriously than it was. All I know is that if I don't seen Green Lantern, there will be hell to pay. Deathstroke would be nice too.

  • Posted Apr 20, 2008 9:40 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 11Feb 07

  Top 10 games of all time

  1. Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS1)
  2. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
  3. Legend of Zelda: OOT (N64)
  4. Gears of War (360)
  5. Dead Rising (360)
  6. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GC)
  7. God Hand (PS2)
  8. Resident Evil 4 (GC)
  9. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1)
  10. NBA Streets (PS2)
  
  
  I'll go into greater detail into the list at a later date, but yes I truly believe each of those games deserve a spot there.  I also hope NBA Streets Homecourt brings back what made NBA Streets so magical.
  
  
  • Posted Feb 11, 2007 8:02 pm GMT
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• 7Jan 07

  wtf??

  Why don't people review games anymore? Seriously, all the user reviews I end up looking at are just twice the size of the description. I know you guys can muster up more than five sentences! ):
  • Posted Jan 7, 2007 7:45 am GMT
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