Wasn't sure about a few possible inclusions. Delayed Wakeup has always been an important element to NRS games so perhaps it should have been in the MK9 section. Air Kombat returned in MK1 but it felt a bit strange to mention twice when the function is actually pretty similar to MKA, minus the infinites. Dash blocking is 8/10. Enjoyed it a lot but prefer run.
Hey don't worry about it. Competitive Tekken player and former mk player here. I still enjoy your channel and love mk. Thank you for letting us know these inclusions here! 😁
also given that there are some arenas in mk4 that have stones to pick up and throw, would that count as it's own mechanic? (like map interaction in mkx)
@@birdfacemd It was discovered within the first year, but wasn't seen used much until the following year and beyond. it's still a VERY rare thing to even occur in tournament.
@@PNDKM Huh, I must be thinking of when I first heard of it from *I think* your MK Meta video on 9? Should return to that series, one of my goto comfort playlists.
My issue with Variations is that I felt like it limits certain characters. It made no sense to have moves that didn’t take up a input slot not be apart of the base move set imo
It's weird cos I agree, but in other ways it also opened them up. Like Sonya having a really cool drone variation, and a cool grenade variation. She probably wouldn't have had those, or at least both, in a game with no variation. But then some variations, like Displacer, feels like it's giving a character a move they should have anyways
Also, it slightly changes the character's visual, I know it's petty, but it always bothered me that I couldn't pick variation AND appearance individually, sometimes it just looks lame or overdesigned
@Nobody-wu8so ok so while I see the points your making, I think your missing there point. (I believe) what they were talking about is how some of the moves that required slots didn't make sense and should of just been apart of their base kit. Rambo is a good example of this. His variation move that give his main string a grab should of just been part of his base kit, and NOT cost 2 slots. Again, this is assuming I understand the original post correctly. Apologies if I'm incorrect. Having said that, what I just described is my main issue with variations.
@Nobody-wu8so also, it can't be objectively wrong how you described it. mk1 doesn't have variations so it's not fair to base the validity off their comparison in this regard.
I agree with you on the run mechanic, I think thats why 3, 4 and X are so much fun to play. Also I liked the variations in MKX, it reminded me of Melty Blood. Had a lot of fun just labbing out combos.
Ever since I discovered this channel, I've been confused when I'd see Quick Fall being used in Armageddon because I only ever played the game on PS2, felt like it was just a mechanic I'd never known existed, but being added for the Wii version? That explains it.
Meh I liked them regardless, it was a good way to think of ways to euther catch someone off gaurd to to learn a new way how to avoid this character you've fought before. Thing is for me is that people only went for the same movesets and hence were always predictable
@Dctctx yeah but they give a vast amount in playstyle it makes your character play different, that actually makes the game more unique especially online because you might need to adapt to handle the opponents character differently every match ( like for example one game their character is projectile based then another person uses the same character but is instead grapple based)
I kinda just wish the mk1 kameos were all in-lore instead of just "here's kung lao again!" I love how they incorporated characters like khameleon, goro, motaro, mavado, darrius, etc. into the actual story rather than just kinda being there like jax, kano, sonya, etc.
Yeah. I never played 3d Era but mk feels so behind compared to other fg out there, and if we won't get an actually good assist system, a 3d style game with stances would provide something no other game does rn
A small note arguing for MK8/MKX x-rays: they're unbreakable damage. In the niche case you need to secure a win and have a setup to actually land an x-ray, but the opponent has two bars, the x-ray is an option, albeit a very costly one. Example: MKX Kitana is usually floating in bar and with the fact that her x-ray is an overhead with a fast startup, a d1 poke when she has full bars can potentially end the round. Once again, x-rays are incredibly costly and niche.
Yall are way too hyper focused on competitive. Xrays are amazing spectacle/hype generators in a casual setting where no one even knows how to do the breaker.
I feel like that mechanic was never properly explained in the game except in the move list when you check D2 stats but who would bother looking at it when everyone knows what it is anyway, so that mechanic remains somewhat hidden
Deception had my favorite stage fatalities such as the spikes at the bottom of the pit and the kamidogu chamber where the opponent flies off into infinity which cracks me up every time I do it!
This was an excellent video, pretty insightful too. Speaking from personal experience, my favorites include the MKX/11 Variations, pretty much everything MK9 brought to the table, and the stances from the 3D games. I'm also a fan of fighting games giving their stages something to interact with outside of just looking pretty. That's why I like both the arena traps and interactables, contentious as they can be. As much as I love MK11, I definitely agree on those criticisms. Breakaway and the regenerating meters aren't particularly good. And MKvsDC's mid-match minigames might be the worst gimmicks in the whole series. But overall, I appreciate that the devs are willing to shake things up as much as they do, it keeps the games from getting stagnant or obsolete. And on average, the worst mechanics in MK and Injustice don't tend to get as obtuse or annoying for me as some games can get.
Seeing his gameplay again made me really miss MK11 Rain. He’s my main again in MK1 but damn, I like 11’s version of him so much more in cosmetics and his moves
It also tremendously devalues the rest of the gore. Why do I care about seeing the opponent's guts if I win if I... Can just see the opponent's guts when I play? I also know MK has never been realistic by any means, but the more obviously fatal a move is, the harder it is for me to suspend my disbelief. At this rate MK13 (MK2?) will just be fights between clones, a new one getting cranked out after the last one dies at the end of a combo string
I gotta give it to MK11 for turning the cinematic super moves into something you can actually watch in matches. Meter is so fundamental to anything you want to do that Xrays were not gonna be seen in high level matches.
Having played from MK9, and including the Injustice games, Fatal Blow is easily my least favourite mechanic. MK11 hqd enough issues to stop me playing it anyway but Fatal Blow almost makes me want to drop MK1, even though I mostly like the game
Hey great video dude! Hey can you perhaps do a top 10 WORST MK Mechanics in the history of MK, like Breakaways for one lol. Always fun watching your vids! But this was also cool how you rate each one in your opinion, that works too.
I dont know if youll see this comment but I just wanted to say I love your videos dude, especially these types of videos and your countdowns, I played a lot of MK but took a REALLY long break never touching them again for an extremely long time but binging your videos actually got me to play MK again and I remember why I loved it so much now, keep it up bro
i swear i must be the only one that doesn't like variations in MKX/MK 11. Yea they added a bit of variety to the character but for the most part, you usually only used the best variation of each character and each variation took core moves away from the characters kit. MK9 did it right where they just gave you a complete character with a complete kit and you get to choose which moves to use. Limiting a character is never a good idea in a fighting game and I think it's why none of the other popular fighting games does that
For a while I thought I was the only one who liked fighting styles/stances, glad y’all think it’s a 9 haha Hopefully they find a way to reintroduce it!
I really loved variations in MKX (specifying because they didn’t feel the same in MK11 and you were able to make custom ones anyway) since the idea of a focus on a certain aspect of a character that gives them a different playstyle was such a dope concept to me. Like not even just gameplay-wise but character-wise like how Ronin Takeda explores swordplay he likely learned from Scorpion while pairing it with Kenshi’s telekinesis, or Mournful Kitana using Jade’s weapons since she died in the previous game, or even the plentiful references fit into the guest characters. I would even appoint certain variations to different costumes I felt fit them the most. I also saw it as a solution to having so many ideas for what moves to give to a character that they just ended up splitting them into three categories. I wish they stayed around. Who knows what kind of stuff MK1 might’ve been able to cook up.
thought for sure Fatalities would be rated here too. As they're technically a game mechanic and are the most iconic thing everyone knows about Mortal Kombat
I dislike first hit meter because it snowballs too hard coupled with how meter build works for offense. It's also not like mk needs incentive to engage right away
I've been watching this channel off and on for a while now, and I kinda' how NRS watches it too, to catch gems like this video, hah. Thakns for the content, folks!
I really hate the run/stamina system (mk3,umk3,mk4,mkx) but really like the dash canceling/block dashing system (mk9,mk11,mk1) because it's less commitment, more controlling and allow more playstyles in my opinion.
I have always felt since the 90s , every character should be able to parry. Make it a 3 to 4 input move and have 1 for highs and 1 for lows. Every form of martial arts has blocking and parrying, so why should some characters get it, and the majority don't always have been my question?
I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I've NEVER liked the variations. It felt to me like a way to make it seem like there was more content in the game than there actually was and there were a lot of characters with multiple iconic moves who suddenly couldn't use all those moves in the same fight. Personally, I'd rather have everything in the same box.
What about the enhanced uppercut from MK1 where if you duck a throw and use the uppercut, you can burn 2 bars of meter to get a jump follow up combo extension? You know, that thing that’s almost never used? Love your vids I’m just being annoying 😊 keep it up
I HATE Kameos, imagine a tag team game where all those characters are apart of the main roster! No variations, full move sets, Mkx style run/stamina system, & bring back Kotal and D’vorah!!
That doesn't seem particularly fair. Kameo characters aren't playable because kameos are easier to implement than a full character. It's either a Kameo or nothing for a lot of these marginal characters like Shujinko and Mavado
@@kie2 The take would make sense if it was for someone like Movado or Goro if people wanted to state that (even though he worked in MKX) Yet you forget the whole thing with those characters and their moves is that they'd basically be their specials if implemented into the game. Do you know how crazy Shujinko would truly be if he basically did Shang Tsung's job, but better? I can give you the Movado one because he's pretty much the OG Takeda given what they both do. But every other Kameo character is straight up capable of being a fully playable character excluding the 2 copycats of Sub-Zero and Scorpion.
@@DondonII That would take a lot of development time to turn kameos into full on characters with the same level of polish as the base roster. If this was an indie game and the devs were allowed to have all the time in the world to make this game, then they could do that, but in the real world where deadlines, release schedules, and corporate pressure exists, it just won't happen. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see another armageddon-style mk game, but I highly doubt that'll ever happen (or at least in the way that the fans would imagine).
Before even watching the video just wanna say idk if this is a hot take or not I don’t have many friends who play the game to get their opinion but, Up-block is the worst mechanic ever put in a fighting game, it’s not even really that annoying when someone uses it against you, but when you want to change from blocking to jumping very quickly like you’ve always been able to do in every mortal kombat game you accidentally do it and get punished for it, now if it was a really rewarding or fun mechanic to use the trade off might be worth it and I might be motivated to just practice the timing. But the problem is there is never I time I want to up block, it’s just not worth it, it’s super easy to punish by just baiting it and landing in front of them with a low or grab and when you do get it the reward isn’t worth the risk of how punishable it is or the added aggravation every time I do it accidentally when I want to jump. If there was an option to just turn it off for myself so my character is literally incapable of doing it I’d turn it on
I fail to see how the wakeups in MK11 were worse than no-resource invincible wakeups in MK9. I also fail to see how your opponent having wakeup options changes your approach on knockdown; since if any kind of wakeup exists your options boil down to meaty or not, and if you go for a meaty when your opponent does an invincible or armoured wakeup you're getting hit anyway. Not to say there wasn't a problem with the MK11 system, there absolutely was, and it was when it applied i-frames, they were applied during the "getup" animation because there were no OTG attacks, so a regular wakeup button or jump had a very brief window of "well, they haven't got up yet so they're still invincible", even when you could see your attack "hitting" them. Thinking of MK9 though, invincible back dash deserves a mention, and the way it changed and needed stamina in MKX. It's kind of funny how this video highlights the intended mechanics and yet makes you realise so many games had the meta formed around unintended mechanics.
Firstly, you forgot the Jump Cancel mechanic in MK1. Also, I actually really liked the Intractables, this added a lot of stage awareness to the games, and yes it does fits to both MKX and MK11, as well as MK4, and MKD and MKA which also had them. And for MKX, they actually make the Rushdown aspect more fun as it both makes it more balanced to escape while also can be used to make unique combos, same thing with MK11 as it also increases the neutral in that game. Krushing Blows were excellent too, they really showcased the read-based gameplay that MK11 had. Overall my favorite mechanics in all Mortal Kombat games are: Intractables, Death Traps, Air Kombat, 3D Stance system, Variation system, Krushing Blows, Fatal Blows, and the Kameo System.
My dream MK would have the following: Running and dash block (wave dash) Bigger health pools for bigger kombatants. (Don’t understand how 120 pound woman has just as much health as a four arm dragon man) Variation system that can be changed with meter mid combo. (Like stance but better) Give all characters all their moves that they had throughout the series just balanced them better. offense and defense meter mechanic of MK 11 but has a lot more meter management involved. You gain offensive meter by moving forward and defensive meter by blocking (flawless blocks make you gain more defensive meter… one flip out but you can no longer use your defensive meter) x-ray meter with the breakaway system in it. The armor system with armor break moves as well . Flawless block but combos are scaled but give you better Okie. The crushing blows that have way more easier requirements, but are only there for style points.. they don’t do extra damage or have extra effects. Fatal blow, but can only be used in the second round by the loser. As a desperation last stand. If used in a combo it is scaled very heavily. And if you miss it does not come back. Last breath . Air combos but have a hit limit. Cameos are cool, but if you choose that you don’t get access to your offense and defense bar. (Brutalities, stage fatalities, aminalites, babealites, the works) Finally more free form of combo structure. Like in MK X….. or just make Shaolin monks 2, and let me make my own character. lol
Man the 3D era gameplay looks wayy more interesting and fluid than modern day MK. The stances and martial arts focus are really cool cause it allowed for this whole dance between you and your opponent. I wish we could get a new 3D MK game with those mechanics brought back. WB is selling off their game divisions so there's hope... My dream MK would be a 3D fighter with Dead or Alive 6 type ganeplay (and some Tekken mixed in). Dead or Alive counters and parries are some of the most realistic combat I've ever seen in a fighting game. I want an MK that looks, feels, and plays just like the cinematic reveal trailers from MKX, MK11, and MK1 but in actual gameplay 😂 I'm telling you Dead or Alive 6 type gameplay is the CLOSEST we can get to that type of cinematic gameplay (There's also the Sifu game but it's outside the fighting game genre). In the MK1 reveal trailer there's a part where Shang Tsung lunges toward Liu Kang with his claws and then Liu Kang immediately kicks him to the ground. This could literally translate to a Dead or Alive 6 type counter or parry. The hold system is really cool in DoA and it's also the most fast paced, the most fluid 3D fighting game out there (even more so than Tekken). That's why I love Dead or Alive. Also the break blows, the fatal rushes, DoA has the most badass combat mechanics 🔥 The only NRS game I actually enjoyed was MKX cause it was really fast paced. Both MK11 and MK1 are TERRIBLE in terms of gameplay. Very stiff, limited, repetitive, and boring. The kameo system isn't even fun to use cause it's a half-baked gimmick. NRS needs to learn from DBFZ tag assists that actually give you hella freedom.
I agree with most things here, but i really dont like Fatal Blows man, I liked x-rays more, since there was hype when someone used it. If a player used an X-ray it most probably was in a tricky situation and it was their only smart option. What im saying is, that it was a hard decision to make, but if done right the whole match turns your way. But with fatal blows?... Well you have to change your game-plan when the opponent gets to low health, i mean its a HUGE reward for losing. I think that a super should be harder to pull of if it is given for free to the player or it should do less dmg. The best thing to do is to just make it cost bar again and buff the dmg. That way it will be hard to do and it will cost everything, but you get more dmg. Also it should be very easy to punish if blocked/dodged, like 100 frames, so if you miss, you are screwed for sure. This way it will be worth using the traps that characters may have, like kitana and quan chi from mk1 with their traps. EDIT: Btw i meant that it will be worth for newer players to learn how to use the traps, since there will be more of a chance to use them.
I agree that X-Rays are better than Fatal Blows, mostly because nobody ever used X-Rays, so you rarely had to see a ten billion year long cutscene mid-match.
I loved the variation system in mkx but I think something that would’ve made it better was to have the option for you to switch into the stances mid gameplay. Similar to how we do with variation kameos like tremor and khameleon
Some of the variations within MKX themselves had stance switches, being able to switch between all 3 sounds like something only Tekken would do. It wouldn't be accepted by the community.
There is one more character that is sure to hate wakeup attacks and that is Oberyn Martell as The Mountains wakeup attack ended up giving him a splitting headache.
No mention of Object Toss in MK4? or Weapon Impale in MKDA? or the Battle States (the tri-color gauge) in MKD? Or the Meter Separation in MK11? Or the finisher types across the franchise? (I mean technically they are all a mechanic)
Amazing video, love your passion sir! The gameplay of MK11 is the most fun I have with, I only agree with breakaway/armor break, everything else I prefer in that game, including amplify moves over enhanced/EX moves. 100% agree on kameos in MK1, great idea but still needs some work. I think MKX/MK11 variations are still something that give better replay value to the game, even though the kameo combinations seem to be endless.
To me, it was fun at first, but get very repetitive very quickly. Invasions can stand to use a rework, and the kameo system needs some balancing, but it's one of those games that's good to come back to with breaks in between and great at a casual level.
I absolutely loved variations. This made MKX have so much depth cuz we basically had 99 characters. Which then made me absolutely hate kustom variations in MK 11, in my opinion it was done so poorly. I also hated the fact that krushing blows replaced execution to get high damage. People have different reasons why they didn't like mk11 and those two were my main ones. Every other MK Ive enjoyed and mechanics included in them.
I remember Kano had a keto and you could do the the 4D move where you like moving the direction like an MK4 and then you could command grab throw them so you could do like Steven seagal your opponent it was so funny
I miss the krushing blow mechanic. Not for the way it shaped gameplay but for how cinematic it was. I make music videos from my matches and the KB is often the perfect punctuation to the end of a string and/or the end of a song's bar. I'd be fine if they tweaked it somehow to make the gameplay either better or not as affected by them, but my MK11 videos are missing that extra oomph without them.
I always thought the interactables in MKX were a callback to MK4, where you had those giant heads/weapons on the ground and you could throw em at your opponent. It would make sense too since this was the new timeline's retelling of the events of MK4. Still they felt a bit out of place for sure.
Ahhh I know it's MK but Injustice mechanics were so GOOD. hope we see them again some day. Push block and air escapes were so beloved between my roommates and I
I don't know if this counts as a mechanic, but MK2 added crouching low punch, which didn't exist in MK1, since either punch would trigger an uppercut when crouching. I'm pretty sure these crouching pokes are important in MK2. Also, you didn't mention the Mercy mechanic from MK3 which was pretty prominent in competitive MK11 when it returned.
I’m probably in the minority but aggressor felt like an idea that could be used for old school classic Brutality finishers, or as a way to drastically speed up the pacing by allowing some MK X features to return like restanding grab cancels and a better dashing speed/run feature to use the temporary attack buff in full effect. Breakout is still the worst feature from 11, the only redeeming way it can return is if you are able to get back up immediately or replace it entirely for tech rolls from the Smash Bros series. There are still other mechanics that feel like they can be recycled and improved on like the regenerating meter system (only up to 1 bar, the rest has to be earned) and short hops if they lead to combo openers but that would be way too much work and I highly doubt enough people would like them.
No mention of Kreate-a-Fighter? While it is not a mechanical feature on its own, custom movesets certainly are and it's certainly not a game mode like Krypt or Konquest either. Also should have mentioned fatalities, brutalities etc. too :P
okay technically MKX has 4 variations. The base three you get from the start for each fighter and you cannot forget about the *No variation* as well. It offered original skins and base moves from older games.
Maybe one day you'll do a video of the best moves characters have in an MK game. Frankly, i think Sub Zero's slide is one of the best moves a character can have
Honestly I thought KBs made sense a flying kick going faster than 30 mph should break a couple ribs 🤷🏿♂️ I think it should have came back but to a smaller degree as you mentioned not completely for combo extensions but I enjoyed alot of the applied stats like bleed/burn dot damage etc
I love krushing blows. It increased the hype of matches 100x imo. I didn't like all the requirements which rendered some kb not worth going for or impossible to get. As well as easy damage taken, which doesn't bother me outside of an easy mashable, no skill needing, non-reading, uppercuts. If they had gotten rid of the uppercut KB, I believe the players would have been much happier with kb in MK11.
Personally, I thought the Variation System (in both X and 11) were good idea but very badly executed. Depending on the character, you might get the liberty to have a dream moveset or get things you liked removed. So that's why I disliked both games. Similarly, with current M1K, their mechanic also had the disadvantage of limiting the base moveset of characters.
For me personally i hate the last breath mechanic, i do an unsafe move to chip you out and you can just survive it an then punish me ? However i love the up block, to be fair its need some work maybe a higher reward but also a higher con , but it keeps jump spamming opponents on check
Wasn't sure about a few possible inclusions.
Delayed Wakeup has always been an important element to NRS games so perhaps it should have been in the MK9 section.
Air Kombat returned in MK1 but it felt a bit strange to mention twice when the function is actually pretty similar to MKA, minus the infinites.
Dash blocking is 8/10. Enjoyed it a lot but prefer run.
Also Hi everyone I missed you
Hey don't worry about it. Competitive Tekken player and former mk player here. I still enjoy your channel and love mk. Thank you for letting us know these inclusions here! 😁
also given that there are some arenas in mk4 that have stones to pick up and throw, would that count as it's own mechanic? (like map interaction in mkx)
@@pinospin9588 I think he attached that with the weapon section of mk4
The block button?
The run mechanic from MKX was the best
yes it was awesome the ability to use it to combo from something that would usually send the player across the screen was nice
It took me so long to get used to, takes me a while every time I play MKX again, but once you have it down, alongside invincible dashes, it’s so fun.
Genuinely felt so satisfying. No more light stepping
Honestly im fine with it but a fighter that can withstand very severe injuries i mean by xrays should be able to run a little more.
It's akin to a run in an Anime Fighter.
Wtf I’ve NEVER seen that toasty boost a day in my life. Had no idea it existed.
I think it only got discovered, like, a couple years ago
@@birdfacemd It was discovered within the first year, but wasn't seen used much until the following year and beyond. it's still a VERY rare thing to even occur in tournament.
@@PNDKM Huh, I must be thinking of when I first heard of it from *I think* your MK Meta video on 9? Should return to that series, one of my goto comfort playlists.
@@PNDKMwhat does it do though you didn't really explain what it does only how to do it
@@mildcholester6741 he was awarded a full meter
My issue with Variations is that I felt like it limits certain characters. It made no sense to have moves that didn’t take up a input slot not be apart of the base move set imo
It's weird cos I agree, but in other ways it also opened them up. Like Sonya having a really cool drone variation, and a cool grenade variation. She probably wouldn't have had those, or at least both, in a game with no variation. But then some variations, like Displacer, feels like it's giving a character a move they should have anyways
They were definitely better in MkX than Mk11.
Also, it slightly changes the character's visual, I know it's petty, but it always bothered me that I couldn't pick variation AND appearance individually, sometimes it just looks lame or overdesigned
@Nobody-wu8so ok so while I see the points your making, I think your missing there point. (I believe) what they were talking about is how some of the moves that required slots didn't make sense and should of just been apart of their base kit. Rambo is a good example of this. His variation move that give his main string a grab should of just been part of his base kit, and NOT cost 2 slots.
Again, this is assuming I understand the original post correctly. Apologies if I'm incorrect. Having said that, what I just described is my main issue with variations.
@Nobody-wu8so also, it can't be objectively wrong how you described it. mk1 doesn't have variations so it's not fair to base the validity off their comparison in this regard.
I agree with you on the run mechanic, I think thats why 3, 4 and X are so much fun to play.
Also I liked the variations in MKX, it reminded me of Melty Blood. Had a lot of fun just labbing out combos.
No run in 4
Nice to see an old school out of ten ranking instead of the tier list
Tier lists are fine, I just hate when they go from least to greatest
The best thing with MKX variations is the different outfits characters got.
Ever since I discovered this channel, I've been confused when I'd see Quick Fall being used in Armageddon because I only ever played the game on PS2, felt like it was just a mechanic I'd never known existed, but being added for the Wii version? That explains it.
It took me until right now to realize that Block Breakers existed in MKX.
Wow this is an awesome video! I’ll never get tired of hearing the two of you talk about MK! Especially if you’re talking about 3D era MK 😌
Variations in MKX were so good. Genuinely felt like there were 3 different characters in one because they were so deep. Then came MK11 variations..
Meh I liked them regardless, it was a good way to think of ways to euther catch someone off gaurd to to learn a new way how to avoid this character you've fought before.
Thing is for me is that people only went for the same movesets and hence were always predictable
Skill issue.
Locking certain moves behind variations was a dumb decision. Mkx variations suck
@Dctctx yeah but they give a vast amount in playstyle it makes your character play different, that actually makes the game more unique especially online because you might need to adapt to handle the opponents character differently every match ( like for example one game their character is projectile based then another person uses the same character but is instead grapple based)
I kinda just wish the mk1 kameos were all in-lore instead of just "here's kung lao again!" I love how they incorporated characters like khameleon, goro, motaro, mavado, darrius, etc. into the actual story rather than just kinda being there like jax, kano, sonya, etc.
Wished he talked about tag team in mk9. Yeah it’s a different game mode but had a few unique mechanics that make me nostalgic for it
I honestly wish that we go Back to Stance/ Martial Art Kombat & Death Traps in Modern MK.
But I know that will never happen
Yeah. I never played 3d Era but mk feels so behind compared to other fg out there, and if we won't get an actually good assist system, a 3d style game with stances would provide something no other game does rn
@@teomcnastytekken better
@@teomcnastytrust me, you are not missing much.
Man I miss stage transitions.
A small note arguing for MK8/MKX x-rays: they're unbreakable damage. In the niche case you need to secure a win and have a setup to actually land an x-ray, but the opponent has two bars, the x-ray is an option, albeit a very costly one. Example: MKX Kitana is usually floating in bar and with the fact that her x-ray is an overhead with a fast startup, a d1 poke when she has full bars can potentially end the round.
Once again, x-rays are incredibly costly and niche.
Yall are way too hyper focused on competitive. Xrays are amazing spectacle/hype generators in a casual setting where no one even knows how to do the breaker.
Ex D2 in MK1 is so whatever that even Ketchup missed it! 😂
I feel like that mechanic was never properly explained in the game except in the move list when you check D2 stats but who would bother looking at it when everyone knows what it is anyway, so that mechanic remains somewhat hidden
As a side note, 2 bars are never worth it for such dumb move, maybe if it will get buffed to be only 1 bar people would consider using it
I completely forgot that exists
@@waris2208 It is explained in the game, in the Tutorial mode for MK1.
It's not just D2 that you can cancel it from, you can do it from any launcher in MK, the actual name of the mechanic is "Jump Cancel".
So uhh, unintended mechanics tier list when?
I think I put 800 hours into MKX and I had no idea the block breaker existed.
i wish in mkx you could push the stance button to switch between variations on the fly... that would have made the game CRAAZY fun
Deception had my favorite stage fatalities such as the spikes at the bottom of the pit and the kamidogu chamber where the opponent flies off into infinity which cracks me up every time I do it!
This was an excellent video, pretty insightful too. Speaking from personal experience, my favorites include the MKX/11 Variations, pretty much everything MK9 brought to the table, and the stances from the 3D games. I'm also a fan of fighting games giving their stages something to interact with outside of just looking pretty. That's why I like both the arena traps and interactables, contentious as they can be.
As much as I love MK11, I definitely agree on those criticisms. Breakaway and the regenerating meters aren't particularly good. And MKvsDC's mid-match minigames might be the worst gimmicks in the whole series. But overall, I appreciate that the devs are willing to shake things up as much as they do, it keeps the games from getting stagnant or obsolete. And on average, the worst mechanics in MK and Injustice don't tend to get as obtuse or annoying for me as some games can get.
Seeing his gameplay again made me really miss MK11 Rain. He’s my main again in MK1 but damn, I like 11’s version of him so much more in cosmetics and his moves
I'd rate the X-Ray mechanic as dead last. It's cool for maybe a fight or two, but afterwards it just breaks the pace of the fight.
It also tremendously devalues the rest of the gore. Why do I care about seeing the opponent's guts if I win if I... Can just see the opponent's guts when I play? I also know MK has never been realistic by any means, but the more obviously fatal a move is, the harder it is for me to suspend my disbelief. At this rate MK13 (MK2?) will just be fights between clones, a new one getting cranked out after the last one dies at the end of a combo string
I seriously never remembered MKX having Block Breaker lol.
I gotta give it to MK11 for turning the cinematic super moves into something you can actually watch in matches. Meter is so fundamental to anything you want to do that Xrays were not gonna be seen in high level matches.
indeed, the best mk channel in the whole yt
Having played from MK9, and including the Injustice games, Fatal Blow is easily my least favourite mechanic. MK11 hqd enough issues to stop me playing it anyway but Fatal Blow almost makes me want to drop MK1, even though I mostly like the game
Hey great video dude! Hey can you perhaps do a top 10 WORST MK Mechanics in the history of MK, like Breakaways for one lol. Always fun watching your vids! But this was also cool how you rate each one in your opinion, that works too.
I dont know if youll see this comment but I just wanted to say I love your videos dude, especially these types of videos and your countdowns, I played a lot of MK but took a REALLY long break never touching them again for an extremely long time but binging your videos actually got me to play MK again and I remember why I loved it so much now, keep it up bro
Block breaker in MKX doesn't just cost the meter, it also costs your stamina. If you don't have full stamina you can't do it.
i swear i must be the only one that doesn't like variations in MKX/MK 11. Yea they added a bit of variety to the character but for the most part, you usually only used the best variation of each character and each variation took core moves away from the characters kit. MK9 did it right where they just gave you a complete character with a complete kit and you get to choose which moves to use. Limiting a character is never a good idea in a fighting game and I think it's why none of the other popular fighting games does that
There better be AIR KOMBAT in this video
For a while I thought I was the only one who liked fighting styles/stances, glad y’all think it’s a 9 haha
Hopefully they find a way to reintroduce it!
I really loved variations in MKX (specifying because they didn’t feel the same in MK11 and you were able to make custom ones anyway) since the idea of a focus on a certain aspect of a character that gives them a different playstyle was such a dope concept to me. Like not even just gameplay-wise but character-wise like how Ronin Takeda explores swordplay he likely learned from Scorpion while pairing it with Kenshi’s telekinesis, or Mournful Kitana using Jade’s weapons since she died in the previous game, or even the plentiful references fit into the guest characters. I would even appoint certain variations to different costumes I felt fit them the most. I also saw it as a solution to having so many ideas for what moves to give to a character that they just ended up splitting them into three categories. I wish they stayed around. Who knows what kind of stuff MK1 might’ve been able to cook up.
thought for sure Fatalities would be rated here too. As they're technically a game mechanic and are the most iconic thing everyone knows about Mortal Kombat
I dislike first hit meter because it snowballs too hard coupled with how meter build works for offense. It's also not like mk needs incentive to engage right away
I've been watching this channel off and on for a while now, and I kinda' how NRS watches it too, to catch gems like this video, hah.
Thakns for the content, folks!
I think a cool idea would be to rank all mk or all netherrealm games easiest to hardest, that sounds dope I think
I almost forgot one, if we ever get another tag team system please bring back the tag in combos from MK 9.
I wish he brought up armoured attacks with the inclusion of the meter system
Everybody knows the best MK mechanic was the double ice backfire!
I love MK videos that give the rundown and share a personal opinion with it. Great video!
I really hate the run/stamina system (mk3,umk3,mk4,mkx) but really like the dash canceling/block dashing system (mk9,mk11,mk1) because it's less commitment, more controlling and allow more playstyles in my opinion.
Aggressor being a way they looked at punishing people for holding the block button too much was interesting but, maaaaan.. Really bad
I’m gonna add the D2 jump cancel for 2 bars in MK1 as a potential 1/10 or 2/10
I have always felt since the 90s , every character should be able to parry. Make it a 3 to 4 input move and have 1 for highs and 1 for lows. Every form of martial arts has blocking and parrying, so why should some characters get it, and the majority don't always have been my question?
Played MK9 since it was released, i know tons of weird and cool stuff as game mechanics, only now i discovered theres a Toasty boost
The lack of running in mk11 makes it feel so fucking slow I can’t stand it.
I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I've NEVER liked the variations.
It felt to me like a way to make it seem like there was more content in the game than there actually was and there were a lot of characters with multiple iconic moves who suddenly couldn't use all those moves in the same fight.
Personally, I'd rather have everything in the same box.
What about the enhanced uppercut from MK1 where if you duck a throw and use the uppercut, you can burn 2 bars of meter to get a jump follow up combo extension? You know, that thing that’s almost never used?
Love your vids I’m just being annoying 😊 keep it up
You forgot d2 cancel for 2 bars in mk1. Given the importance of this mechanics, I'm not surprised.
It's a 2/10 for the 2 bars it costs
@@abofazl_thelioni think for two bars it should have literally no scaling, then it will be at least usable sometimes :/
It's not just D2 that you can cancel it from, you can do it from any launcher in MK, the actual name of the mechanic is "Jump Cancel".
@@dyna7053 It is usable, it's just very situational.
@@RoyArkon its completely useless. at all. only dumb will spend 2 or more bars for ~250-300 breakable damage.
I HATE Kameos, imagine a tag team game where all those characters are apart of the main roster! No variations, full move sets, Mkx style run/stamina system, & bring back Kotal and D’vorah!!
That doesn't seem particularly fair. Kameo characters aren't playable because kameos are easier to implement than a full character. It's either a Kameo or nothing for a lot of these marginal characters like Shujinko and Mavado
@@kie2 The take would make sense if it was for someone like Movado or Goro if people wanted to state that (even though he worked in MKX)
Yet you forget the whole thing with those characters and their moves is that they'd basically be their specials if implemented into the game. Do you know how crazy Shujinko would truly be if he basically did Shang Tsung's job, but better? I can give you the Movado one because he's pretty much the OG Takeda given what they both do.
But every other Kameo character is straight up capable of being a fully playable character excluding the 2 copycats of Sub-Zero and Scorpion.
@@DondonII That would take a lot of development time to turn kameos into full on characters with the same level of polish as the base roster. If this was an indie game and the devs were allowed to have all the time in the world to make this game, then they could do that, but in the real world where deadlines, release schedules, and corporate pressure exists, it just won't happen.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see another armageddon-style mk game, but I highly doubt that'll ever happen (or at least in the way that the fans would imagine).
Like motaro, right?😂
Kan y'all please make a Kompetitive History of Scorpion 🦂? 👊🏻🎮🐉🦂🦂🦂✌🏻
Before even watching the video just wanna say idk if this is a hot take or not I don’t have many friends who play the game to get their opinion but, Up-block is the worst mechanic ever put in a fighting game, it’s not even really that annoying when someone uses it against you, but when you want to change from blocking to jumping very quickly like you’ve always been able to do in every mortal kombat game you accidentally do it and get punished for it, now if it was a really rewarding or fun mechanic to use the trade off might be worth it and I might be motivated to just practice the timing. But the problem is there is never I time I want to up block, it’s just not worth it, it’s super easy to punish by just baiting it and landing in front of them with a low or grab and when you do get it the reward isn’t worth the risk of how punishable it is or the added aggravation every time I do it accidentally when I want to jump. If there was an option to just turn it off for myself so my character is literally incapable of doing it I’d turn it on
I fail to see how the wakeups in MK11 were worse than no-resource invincible wakeups in MK9. I also fail to see how your opponent having wakeup options changes your approach on knockdown; since if any kind of wakeup exists your options boil down to meaty or not, and if you go for a meaty when your opponent does an invincible or armoured wakeup you're getting hit anyway. Not to say there wasn't a problem with the MK11 system, there absolutely was, and it was when it applied i-frames, they were applied during the "getup" animation because there were no OTG attacks, so a regular wakeup button or jump had a very brief window of "well, they haven't got up yet so they're still invincible", even when you could see your attack "hitting" them.
Thinking of MK9 though, invincible back dash deserves a mention, and the way it changed and needed stamina in MKX.
It's kind of funny how this video highlights the intended mechanics and yet makes you realise so many games had the meta formed around unintended mechanics.
Firstly, you forgot the Jump Cancel mechanic in MK1.
Also, I actually really liked the Intractables, this added a lot of stage awareness to the games, and yes it does fits to both MKX and MK11, as well as MK4, and MKD and MKA which also had them. And for MKX, they actually make the Rushdown aspect more fun as it both makes it more balanced to escape while also can be used to make unique combos, same thing with MK11 as it also increases the neutral in that game. Krushing Blows were excellent too, they really showcased the read-based gameplay that MK11 had.
Overall my favorite mechanics in all Mortal Kombat games are: Intractables, Death Traps, Air Kombat, 3D Stance system, Variation system, Krushing Blows, Fatal Blows, and the Kameo System.
Never thought I'd see a WolfeyVGC shout-out on the K&M channel 😮
My dream MK would have the following:
Running and dash block (wave dash)
Bigger health pools for bigger kombatants. (Don’t understand how 120 pound woman has just as much health as a four arm dragon man)
Variation system that can be changed with meter mid combo. (Like stance but better)
Give all characters all their moves that they had throughout the series just balanced them better.
offense and defense meter mechanic of MK 11 but has a lot more meter management involved. You gain offensive meter by moving forward and defensive meter by blocking (flawless blocks make you gain more defensive meter… one flip out but you can no longer use your defensive meter)
x-ray meter with the breakaway system in it.
The armor system with armor break moves as well .
Flawless block but combos are scaled but give you better Okie.
The crushing blows that have way more easier requirements, but are only there for style points.. they don’t do extra damage or have extra effects.
Fatal blow, but can only be used in the second round by the loser. As a desperation last stand. If used in a combo it is scaled very heavily. And if you miss it does not come back.
Last breath .
Air combos but have a hit limit.
Cameos are cool, but if you choose that you don’t get access to your offense and defense bar.
(Brutalities, stage fatalities, aminalites, babealites, the works)
Finally more free form of combo structure. Like in MK X….. or just make Shaolin monks 2, and let me make my own character. lol
crazy how experimental the devs have been over the years. definitely stands out in comparison to other fighting games
Man the 3D era gameplay looks wayy more interesting and fluid than modern day MK. The stances and martial arts focus are really cool cause it allowed for this whole dance between you and your opponent. I wish we could get a new 3D MK game with those mechanics brought back. WB is selling off their game divisions so there's hope...
My dream MK would be a 3D fighter with Dead or Alive 6 type ganeplay (and some Tekken mixed in). Dead or Alive counters and parries are some of the most realistic combat I've ever seen in a fighting game. I want an MK that looks, feels, and plays just like the cinematic reveal trailers from MKX, MK11, and MK1 but in actual gameplay 😂 I'm telling you Dead or Alive 6 type gameplay is the CLOSEST we can get to that type of cinematic gameplay (There's also the Sifu game but it's outside the fighting game genre).
In the MK1 reveal trailer there's a part where Shang Tsung lunges toward Liu Kang with his claws and then Liu Kang immediately kicks him to the ground. This could literally translate to a Dead or Alive 6 type counter or parry. The hold system is really cool in DoA and it's also the most fast paced, the most fluid 3D fighting game out there (even more so than Tekken). That's why I love Dead or Alive. Also the break blows, the fatal rushes, DoA has the most badass combat mechanics 🔥
The only NRS game I actually enjoyed was MKX cause it was really fast paced. Both MK11 and MK1 are TERRIBLE in terms of gameplay. Very stiff, limited, repetitive, and boring. The kameo system isn't even fun to use cause it's a half-baked gimmick. NRS needs to learn from DBFZ tag assists that actually give you hella freedom.
16:45 LMAO at toasty. 8/10 rating killed me
I agree with most things here, but i really dont like Fatal Blows man, I liked x-rays more, since there was hype when someone used it. If a player used an X-ray it most probably was in a tricky situation and it was their only smart option. What im saying is, that it was a hard decision to make, but if done right the whole match turns your way. But with fatal blows?... Well you have to change your game-plan when the opponent gets to low health, i mean its a HUGE reward for losing. I think that a super should be harder to pull of if it is given for free to the player or it should do less dmg. The best thing to do is to just make it cost bar again and buff the dmg. That way it will be hard to do and it will cost everything, but you get more dmg. Also it should be very easy to punish if blocked/dodged, like 100 frames, so if you miss, you are screwed for sure. This way it will be worth using the traps that characters may have, like kitana and quan chi from mk1 with their traps. EDIT: Btw i meant that it will be worth for newer players to learn how to use the traps, since there will be more of a chance to use them.
I agree that X-Rays are better than Fatal Blows, mostly because nobody ever used X-Rays, so you rarely had to see a ten billion year long cutscene mid-match.
I loved the variation system in mkx but I think something that would’ve made it better was to have the option for you to switch into the stances mid gameplay. Similar to how we do with variation kameos like tremor and khameleon
Some of the variations within MKX themselves had stance switches, being able to switch between all 3 sounds like something only Tekken would do. It wouldn't be accepted by the community.
There is one more character that is sure to hate wakeup attacks and that is Oberyn Martell as The Mountains wakeup attack ended up giving him a splitting headache.
No mention of Object Toss in MK4?
or Weapon Impale in MKDA?
or the Battle States (the tri-color gauge) in MKD?
Or the Meter Separation in MK11?
Or the finisher types across the franchise? (I mean technically they are all a mechanic)
Amazing video, love your passion sir!
The gameplay of MK11 is the most fun I have with, I only agree with breakaway/armor break, everything else I prefer in that game, including amplify moves over enhanced/EX moves.
100% agree on kameos in MK1, great idea but still needs some work. I think MKX/MK11 variations are still something that give better replay value to the game, even though the kameo combinations seem to be endless.
People say MK1 is disappointing. Personally, I actually like mk1 it may not be perfect but it’s still a lot of fun to grind
To me, it was fun at first, but get very repetitive very quickly.
Invasions can stand to use a rework, and the kameo system needs some balancing, but it's one of those games that's good to come back to with breaks in between and great at a casual level.
I absolutely loved variations. This made MKX have so much depth cuz we basically had 99 characters. Which then made me absolutely hate kustom variations in MK 11, in my opinion it was done so poorly. I also hated the fact that krushing blows replaced execution to get high damage. People have different reasons why they didn't like mk11 and those two were my main ones. Every other MK Ive enjoyed and mechanics included in them.
You missed the Uppercut Jump cancel for MK1 (not that I blame you, nobody ever thinks of it)
I remember Kano had a keto and you could do the the 4D move where you like moving the direction like an MK4 and then you could command grab throw them so you could do like Steven seagal your opponent it was so funny
I miss the krushing blow mechanic. Not for the way it shaped gameplay but for how cinematic it was. I make music videos from my matches and the KB is often the perfect punctuation to the end of a string and/or the end of a song's bar. I'd be fine if they tweaked it somehow to make the gameplay either better or not as affected by them, but my MK11 videos are missing that extra oomph without them.
I always thought the interactables in MKX were a callback to MK4, where you had those giant heads/weapons on the ground and you could throw em at your opponent. It would make sense too since this was the new timeline's retelling of the events of MK4. Still they felt a bit out of place for sure.
I'm here to see if krushing blows are appropriately low enough
Mk11's Kustom variation was my favorite
I hope the variation system comes back it made every character feel unique
Ahhh I know it's MK but Injustice mechanics were so GOOD. hope we see them again some day. Push block and air escapes were so beloved between my roommates and I
Xrays are amazing spectacle/hype generators in a casual setting where no one even knows how to do the breaker.
Thank-you for making my work day go a bit quicker boss man
Something that waS underrated and needs to come back was being able to do a throw on an airborne opponent in mkx
This is actually a good analysis video that can be applied on MK Mugen games.
👌
You forgot weapon impalement, where you make the enemy slowly lose hp for the rest of the round by sacrificing your weapon
Running is my fav mechanic. And the worst? Hit stop since mk11...
I didn't know block breakers exist
The Xray and meter system in MK9 was perfect.
Is it me or did you not mención meter burn moves being added in Mk9 onwards?
Shout out to the Uppercut Cancel in MK1. It so useless and forgettable that Ketchup and Mustard didn't include it in this video. Haha
I don't know if this counts as a mechanic, but MK2 added crouching low punch, which didn't exist in MK1, since either punch would trigger an uppercut when crouching. I'm pretty sure these crouching pokes are important in MK2.
Also, you didn't mention the Mercy mechanic from MK3 which was pretty prominent in competitive MK11 when it returned.
Every Mechanic? What repair person are you talking about?
/DefinitionOfMechanic
The wolfeyvgc reference
I love being an MK & VGC competitive player !!
In Gameplay MKX is the King
X-Ray’s in MKX pro play are an S+ tier for me. They’re so hard to pull off.
I’m probably in the minority but aggressor felt like an idea that could be used for old school classic Brutality finishers, or as a way to drastically speed up the pacing by allowing some MK X features to return like restanding grab cancels and a better dashing speed/run feature to use the temporary attack buff in full effect. Breakout is still the worst feature from 11, the only redeeming way it can return is if you are able to get back up immediately or replace it entirely for tech rolls from the Smash Bros series. There are still other mechanics that feel like they can be recycled and improved on like the regenerating meter system (only up to 1 bar, the rest has to be earned) and short hops if they lead to combo openers but that would be way too much work and I highly doubt enough people would like them.
No mention of Kreate-a-Fighter? While it is not a mechanical feature on its own, custom movesets certainly are and it's certainly not a game mode like Krypt or Konquest either.
Also should have mentioned fatalities, brutalities etc. too :P
okay technically MKX has 4 variations. The base three you get from the start for each fighter and you cannot forget about the *No variation* as well. It offered original skins and base moves from older games.
Maybe one day you'll do a video of the best moves characters have in an MK game. Frankly, i think Sub Zero's slide is one of the best moves a character can have
Honestly I thought KBs made sense a flying kick going faster than 30 mph should break a couple ribs 🤷🏿♂️ I think it should have came back but to a smaller degree as you mentioned not completely for combo extensions but I enjoyed alot of the applied stats like bleed/burn dot damage etc
I love krushing blows. It increased the hype of matches 100x imo. I didn't like all the requirements which rendered some kb not worth going for or impossible to get. As well as easy damage taken, which doesn't bother me outside of an easy mashable, no skill needing, non-reading, uppercuts.
If they had gotten rid of the uppercut KB, I believe the players would have been much happier with kb in MK11.
The only thing good about then was the visuals
Personally, I thought the Variation System (in both X and 11) were good idea but very badly executed. Depending on the character, you might get the liberty to have a dream moveset or get things you liked removed.
So that's why I disliked both games.
Similarly, with current M1K, their mechanic also had the disadvantage of limiting the base moveset of characters.
For me personally i hate the last breath mechanic, i do an unsafe move to chip you out and you can just survive it an then punish me ?
However i love the up block, to be fair its need some work maybe a higher reward but also a higher con , but it keeps jump spamming opponents on check
What about throwing rocks in mk4? You forgot that