Anyone else want better story presentation in MKX?

MK9 was a bunch of chained together fights with the story peaking in for about a minute before and after each for the most part.

Injustice was slightly better, but supplemented good opportunities for awesome cutscenes with bad mini-games.

MKX can be better than that, and should be better than that.


There are a bunch of things that NRS should and can easily do for MKX's story mode to make it better than the last two:
-Better pacing.
-Cutscenes that are just long enough to build tension so that when you actually get into the fights you feel the hype, or the anger, or the satisfaction instead of just feeling like you stumbled into a random encounter on every fight when the camera pans a bit and the health bars pop up.
-In fight dialogue for ever battle, so that it doesn't feel like the story stops so that a game can begin. It should feel like a flowing work of art. If you're Subzero fighting Scorpion in a scene in the story you should hear dialogue from either based on who's winning or dishing out big damage.
-Graphic violence in cutscenes. We only got very limited tastes in Injustice and MK9 and the deaths in MK9 were laughably soft compared to the actual fatalities. Like Shao Kahn just snapping Kung Lao's neck instead of obliterating his body with his hammer. I want to see Kotal Kahn straight up punch through someone's throat, clean, and shower in the following blood fountain.
-No immersion breaking mini-games.
-Give major opposing character improved or unique moves to make them feel like bosses and not like just another enemy. Like Shang Tsung in MK9 Arcade, he's mostly the same but he has tweaks that make him more formidable. For example if D'vorrah has been a major driving force in the story and you finally have to confront her she should have some added to her like maybe a homing(block able) swarm attack or flight with insect wings and air projectiles. One or two things exclusive to the story fights that make them difficult bosses.
-If you lose in story mode the computer should always do a fatality on you. After that you get the option to quit or retry.

Also, more of this.

Except the part where it's cut too short, wasting a potentially good scene that could have had more good character building dialogue.

Anyone have any ideas they think would make this story mode a great one?

More story/longer cutscenes will always be supported by me. But honestly I thought MK9 did a pretty good job, the only fights that felt like random encounters as you said were tournament fights, which are understandable since they don't really have any reason to fight other than the tournament usually. Also random lackey fights like Baraka/Reptile etc, but they can't do too much with them i guess. As I said though, would definitely support more dialogue.

I don't think story minigames will be brought back, doesn't seem like something that would fit MK.

Suggestions for story mode:
1. If there is a tournament, it should actually have rules and/or make sense
2. Sektor
3...

Will edit in stuff later probably, need sleep.

I'm pretty sure MKX will be way better, specially when Ed said all of the characters will know each other, which will make the story mode way deeper than mk9

As long as MKX has cutscenes that you can actually skip, I'm really not fussed.

Mk 9 storymode was awesome.

Even Ono said he would like to make the next SF with similar theme in single player mode.

The idea of the storymode is cool, but the story as such is very bland. MK9's was an improvement over MKvsDC, and it is true that save for the minigames, Injustice was slightly better. i hope it improves, but I don't think it will ever actually be good.

People loved MK9's story mode because compared to other story modes we had in fighting games, it was the only one where you could get the whole story in one playthrough, where the story was treated with a modicum of respect (Also, @Dark that the tournament doesn't make sense actually makes sense if you consider that the first two tournaments, Shang and Shao Kahn are trying to stack the deck in their favor so they can merge Earthrealm) and where the conditions to getting the whole story were not completely obtuse.

Even Arc System Works changed their whole approach to story since MK9 came out - If you compare, say the GGXX and their revisions' story modes :
- Obscure, unlisted things that completely change the storyline
- Difficult requirements if you don't play that specific character
- You need a full playthrough with every character to find out the story, and it doesn't have a "canon" timeline that's easily accessible.

to BBCS (they addressed everything in a certain way - in-game help in the form of Help Me Prof. Kokonoe if you screw up, requirements are far less obtuse, actual beginning and true end)

and finally, to BBCP, where they adopted a more visual novel style that's closer to MK9 than to anything they'd done before (Pick a story, follow the events of that story - the problem is that there was barely any gameplay).

Now, they're at least trying to incorporate elements of the story in regular gameplay with the intro quips (which was, in my opinion, the only weak part of MK9's story as it was self-contained to the story mode). Honestly though I really think they have a good grasp on what they need to do for the story mode.

TarkatanDentist said:

As long as MKX has cutscenes that you can actually skip, I'm really not fussed.

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Whats the point of story mode if you're just going to skip the cutscenes? Thats what arcade mode is for.

So far NRS has hit it out if the park with their past 2 games. Still everything op mentioned can be applied and would be welcomed.

Also they should try to explore the world more, MK lore is huge and it could mean a better story.

Wetdoba said:

Whats the point of story mode if you're just going to skip the cutscenes? Thats what arcade mode is for.

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What if you just watched a 15 minute cutscene leading to a difficult fight and lost, which resulted in having to watch it over again? I'd hate to be forced to watch it all over again.

Also, what if someone wants to do multiple story mode runs for some reason?

Cutscenes should always be skippable.

Eldriken said:

What if you just watched a 15 minute cutscene leading to a difficult fight and lost, which resulted in having to watch it over again? I'd hate to be forced to watch it all over again.

Also, what if someone wants to do multiple story mode runs for some reason?

Cutscenes should always be skippable.

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MK9 cutscenes were skippable on second playthroughs.

I already love NRS storymode, I just wish they would let us play every single character in storymode. Let me play my villains!

coolwhip said:

MK9 cutscenes were skippable on second playthroughs.

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Yes, I know. But only up to a certain point. I think you had to wait for the background loading to finish.

I could be wrong, however. I haven't played MK9's story mode in a long time.

NRS story modes > all other fg's combined.

Im ready for thisssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

i thought mk9 story was great and injustice's was really boring

While I want and expect improvements, most here have to realize that the story will always be somewhat generic if we're comparing it to single player games since no matter how refined, this is a fighting game. So when we judge the story, we have to judge it by comparison to fighting game expectations.

I trust NRS for story mode.

They earned it with the MK and IGAU story modes.

I expect they'll take another step forward in MKX.

The mini games should stay and there should be more of them. As much story as can be told through gameplay the better. More fights with conditions and variables too, like low health, high health, endurance, poison, no specials, win with xray, etc. Whatever gives the writers more leeway. Then what NRS needs to do is a chapter select or at the very least a re-watch scene option. Being able to replay the chapter of the character I like when I'm stumped with one I hate or immediately replay a chapter that was just epic would do wonders for replay value, and being able to pick up slightly before where I left off to try and remember would be a huge benefit to anyone who doesn't have time to power through the entire story in a night.

Beyond that, the next evolution is definitely to do branching stories. Instead of it always being lose = game over, lose should be one story path, and win should be another, maybe add a third path for doing a fatality. Then they could do fakeout battles where you can't win and that would free up the writers to do more varied stories, stories where the chosen character doesn't just win win win win win and then switch to another.

Eldriken said:

What if you just watched a 15 minute cutscene leading to a difficult fight and lost, which resulted in having to
watch it over again? I'd hate to be forced to watch it all over again.

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NRS has never done this. Even vsDC had quick rematch in story. Also, 15 minutes? Are you high? This isn't Xenosaga. We're talking 2-3 minutes of waiting tops.

trufenix said:

The mini games should stay and there should be more of them. As much story as can be told through gameplay the better. More fights with conditions and variables too, like low health, high health, endurance, poison, no specials, win with xray, etc. Whatever gives the writers more leeway. Then what NRS needs to do is a chapter select or at the very least a re-watch scene option. Being able to replay the chapter of the character I like when I'm stumped with one I hate or immediately replay a chapter that was just epic would do wonders for replay value, and being able to pick up slightly before where I left off to try and remember would be a huge benefit to anyone who doesn't have time to power through the entire story in a night.

Beyond that, the next evolution is definitely to do branching stories. Instead of it always being lose = game over, lose should be one story path, and win should be another, maybe add a third path for doing a fatality. Then they could do fakeout battles where you can't win and that would free up the writers to do more varied stories, stories where the chosen character doesn't just win win win win win and then switch to another.



NRS has never done this. Even vsDC had quick rematch in story. Also, 15 minutes? Are you high? This isn't Xenosaga. We're talking 2-3 minutes of waiting tops.

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It was an example, dude. You really need to lighten up.

Eldriken said:

It was an example, dude. You really need to lighten up.

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An example that doesn't exist. In retort to a legitimate response. okay. you know what, never mind.

I have to agree with most of what's said here. At first I came in like, "How are you going to make the fighting game with the best story mode better?" Very good suggestions.

trufenix said:

As much story as can be told through gameplay the better. More fights with conditions and variables too, like low health, high health, endurance, poison, no specials, win with xray, etc. Whatever gives the writers more leeway.

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Yeah that ties into my suggestion for major fights having boss-like qualities to make them feel like actual major fights.

Fight conditions being used more is a really cool idea.

Say you're using Kano for whatever reason and Cassie shoots him in his cybernetic eye during a scuffle in the cutscene before the actual fight begins. Kano should then not be able to use his eye laser attacks for that round.

This was something MK9 had a problem with, I remember there being two or three times where a character was disabled or disarmed prior to a match beginning and yet still end up fighting as normal.

Stryker having his gun knocked away by Reptile being the most obvious one I can think of, as it just reappears in his holster like 2 seconds afterwards when the fight kicks in.



Another idea that I have, that I think would really make the story mode more interactive and meaningful than ever is to give the player choices to make, a semi-choose your own adventure even, where there are still unavoidable plot points but getting to them and who you have to fight or fight with depends on the choices you made previously.

Like TellTale games but a lot more violent and with a simpler set of choices.

For example: You are Subzero and you have to fight Goro and D'vorrah, who Kotal Kahn has ordered to kill you. You defeat them, but Kotal Kahn is displeased with their loss and decides that he wants to execute them. You can save one or the other. Saving them unlocks something, so you actually have incentive and weight to your choices. It could unlock an alternate costume for the character, the character themselves, a variation for the character, concept art for them, or any number of other things as well as effecting the story onward. You save Goro, he helps you on your quest in his own unique way, and he'll have different interactions and dialogue in cutscenes than D'vorrah would if you saved her.

The choice doesn't always have to be characters, it could be where you want to go if your group decides to split up to find answers. The Kove or the Jungle? What should you say in order to convince ___ to do ___ ? You're offered items by someone, they each give you different passive buffs for the next fight or two, which one do you want?

It wouldn't be a right and wrong sort of thing, just more of a what do you think is best for you sort of thing.

it would be incredible if they could make story mode look like the original mkx trailer BUT that wouldnt fit on the disc most likely... tooo much data!

but how sick would that be?

trufenix said:

The mini games should stay and there should be more of them. As much story as can be told through gameplay the better. More fights with conditions and variables too, like low health, high health, endurance, poison, no specials, win with xray, etc. Whatever gives the writers more leeway. Then what NRS needs to do is a chapter select or at the very least a re-watch scene option. Being able to replay the chapter of the character I like when I'm stumped with one I hate or immediately replay a chapter that was just epic would do wonders for replay value, and being able to pick up slightly before where I left off to try and remember would be a huge benefit to anyone who doesn't have time to power through the entire story in a night.

Beyond that, the next evolution is definitely to do branching stories. Instead of it always being lose = game over, lose should be one story path, and win should be another, maybe add a third path for doing a fatality. Then they could do fakeout battles where you can't win and that would free up the writers to do more varied stories, stories where the chosen character doesn't just win win win win win and then switch to another.



NRS has never done this. Even vsDC had quick rematch in story. Also, 15 minutes? Are you high? This isn't Xenosaga. We're talking 2-3 minutes of waiting tops.

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I think DBZ Budokia for PSP did this. It's a great idea to me.

Best story in a fighting game has to be Blazeblue, the story itself was convoluted and confusing but choosing the "wrong" typically had me in stitches. Unless MK can do that I really don't care