Customization's biggest missed opportunity

[Gamer68]

NO STORY SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD ARE ALLOWED

First of all, I want to make it clear that I like most of the skins in the game. Some characters look really bad (Sonya and Cassie IMO), but characters like Scorpion, Raiden, and most others look the best they ever have. I also don't really mind that the game has been more or less bloated with skins that only serve as alternate colors. But I do have a problem with the customization system.

Let me use Injustice 2 as an example: that game has DC superheroes like Superman and Batman who have obviously been around for decades. They have been in TONS of comics, movies, TV shows and more. NetherRealm had literally dozens of designs that they could have allowed as gear and/or premier skin options, right? Yet, most of the gear in that game are completely new designs. Even some of the characters returning from the first game don't have their original skin.

Mortal Kombat 11 is the same way, but almost worse in my opinion. The entire focus of the game is on timelines and past/present versions of characters, yet there is a huge lack of klassic skins. Even some of the skins that are suppose to be their "klassic look" aren't actually. Scorpion has a skin that's suppose to make him look closer to a klassic ninja, but it's not the real deal. Even MK3 Scorpion that was shown in the trailer doesn't seem to be in the game. I know they could be added later, but waiting to add them is a problem in my opinion because: 1) it means they can't be in the Story even though it would make sense, 2) from what we know, unlocking skins can be a bit grindy so NRS adding more to the pool could make things even worse for those who are trying to unlock a specific skin, and 3) If they are paid DLC, well then that just sucks.

I don't know, I just find it weird that this game has 60 skins or more per character and yet most of them are new designs, borderline duplicates, and/or palette swaps. I'm glad we have more options for our characters (WAY MORE) coming from MKX, but it just strikes me as such a missed opportunity for them to NOT put more klassic skins in the game. Also, wouldn't people be more willing to buy these "Time Crystals" to quick unlock skins if there were more skins that they actually cared about? Even at a business standpoint it doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Blade4693]

I imagine some could be saved for Time Tower unlocks. I would love MK2 costumes for the ninjas.

 

[Gamer68]

I imagine some could be saved for Time Tower unlocks. I would love MK2 costumes for the ninjas.

I wouldn't be surprise if we do get some klassic skins that can only be obtained in limited-time towers in the future, but I don't expect a lot to be added. Injustice 2 had a lack of classic gear as well but in the gear updates, NRS decided to pretty much only do movie tie-in skins and more original gear.

Even if we get, say, 6 or so klassic skins in the future, that still feels so lacking when the base game had the perfect opportunity to do a ton of them.

 

[Juggs]

There’s already skins planned for DLC. So we are likely to have more options and more klassic skins in the future.

 

[Jhonnykiller45]

Maybe the klassic MK1/2/3 skins will be added as free DLC later, kinda like MK9 and MKX?

 

[Gamer68]

There’s already skins planned for DLC. So we are likely to have more options and more klassic skins in the future.

Maybe the klassic MK1/2/3 skins will be added as free DLC later, kinda like MK9 and MKX?

I'm not saying that we won't get klassic skins, it's that it's a missed opportunity that they aren't in the base game.

They would make sense because of the game's theme (timelines), they would entice players to participate in the gameplay loop with the Towers of Time and Krypt, and they would even entice players to buy more Time Crystals to quick unlock skins. It would also offer more variety day one because you have these new original skins to choice from, or you could just stick with the klassics. I really do feel like the gear and skins should have been designed with the klassics in-mind, but it seems NRS wanted most of the cosmetics in this game to be original ones like in Injustice 2.

I also don't have a lot of faith that NRS will actually be adding a lot of klassic skins. I know we have DLC skins coming in the Kombat Pack, but it seems that one of them have been confirmed to be a new take on Ninja Mime for Johnny Cage so probably not a good start on the klassic skins front. Aside from that, if they are free skins, then that means we probably won't be getting much because I don't see them handing out a ton of freebies.

• No MK1 skins for the original 7 characters.
• No "authentic" klassic skins for the ninjas.
• No "fan favorite" designs like Deception Sub-Zero aka the Shredder skin.
• No MKX skins for the characters introduced in MKX, with the exception of D'Vorah maybe. This is literally the second game that Cassie has been in, yet you can't give her the original body suit she wore or her undercut haircut. A complete redesign on all fronts for a character that is still pretty new.

^ That's a LOT of missing klassics. Even if we get some, it will only be SOME. This is even weirder to me, because characters like Scorpion has his MK2, MK9, and MKX masks yet he doesn't have a skin to go with it.

 

[pure.Wasted]

• No MK1 skins for the original 7 characters.
• No "authentic" klassic skins for the ninjas.

I'm confused. How are these not MK1 skins?



The only characters who don't have MK1 "skins" are Johnny, Liu, and Kano, and in Johnny and Liu's case that's just a case of not having the right color scheme to go with their MK2 skin... because their MK1 color scheme is just that god damn boring. The way I see it, Kano and Shang are the only characters who could stand to have an MK1 skin added at this point.

 

[Gamer68]

I'm confused. How are these not MK1 skins?

View attachment 14051View attachment 14055View attachment 14054

The only characters who don't have MK1 "skins" are Johnny, Liu, and Kano, and in Johnny and Liu's case that's just a case of not having the right color scheme to go with their MK2 skin... because their MK1 color scheme is just that god damn boring. The way I see it, Kano and Shang are the only characters who could stand to have an MK1 skin added at this point.

Because they are not MK1 skins. These are MK1 skins:

That Scorpion skin you posted doesn't even look ANYTHING like MK1 Scorpion. He's using a new outfit and his MK2 mask.

 

[pure.Wasted]

Because they are not MK1 skins. These are MK1 skins:

Uh... by "MK1 skin" do you mean an exact replica? Because the Sonya and Scorpion images you just linked are not exact replicas of MK1 skins, so they actually fail your own test. Lol.

You're never going to get a 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin. There was not a single 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin in MK9, there was not a single 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin in MKX, and there won't be one in MK11 either. Maybe some of the remakes were closer than what MK11 is giving you, but trying to figure that out is entering some seriously subjective territory. Once you've opened the door to some change, you've opened the door to all change.

Actual Klassic skins are boring and bad looking. NRS doesn't want to make them. They wouldn't give you exact replicas even if they gave you 50 DLC skins for every single character. They will give you creative reinterpretations of those skins, as they have done with the skins I linked above, that are inspired by Klassic appearances but improve upon them. It's up to you whether you find that satisfying or not. But again, it has nothing to do with DLC.

That Scorpion skin you posted doesn't even look ANYTHING like MK1 Scorpion. He's using a new outfit and his MK2 mask.

You know that you can change the mask, right...? What do you want me to do, break into GameStop and steal a copy of MK11 so I can put the skin and the mask combination together for you for a screenshot? Bro. :/

 

[Gamer68]

Uh... by "MK1 skin" do you mean an exact replica? Because the Sonya and Scorpion images you just linked are not exact replicas of MK1 skins, so they actually fail your own test. Lol.

You're never going to get a 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin. There was not a single 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin in MK9, there was not a single 100% authentic remake of a klassic skin in MKX, and there won't be one in MK11 either. Maybe some of the remakes were closer than what MK11 is giving you, but trying to figure that out is entering some seriously subjective territory. Once you've opened the door to some change, you've opened the door to all change.

Actual Klassic skins are boring and bad looking. NRS doesn't want to make them. They wouldn't give you exact replicas even if they gave you 50 DLC skins for every single character. They will give you creative reinterpretations of those skins, as they have done with the skins I linked above, that are inspired by Klassic appearances but improve upon them. It's up to you whether you find that satisfying or not. But again, it has nothing to do with DLC.



You know that you can change the mask, right...? What do you want me to do, break into GameStop and steal a copy of MK11 so I can put the skin and the mask combination together for you for a screenshot? Bro. :/

Obviously I'm not talking about exact replicas, but the skin looks nothing like MK1. At least the MK9 interpretation I posted above actually looks closer to the real deal. MK1 should look simple and clean, not have skull belts and shit like that.

"Actual Klassic skins are boring and bad looking."
It's literally just yellow ninja, I don't think it's that big of a deal.

"NRS doesn't want to make them."
I've never heard NRS say this.

"They will give you creative reinterpretations of those skins, as they have done with the skins I linked above, that are inspired by Klassic appearances but improve upon them."
Again, creative reinterpretation or not, that skin looks nothing like MK1 at all. It's not a good substitute for those that one the klassic skins, and I don't think it's crazy to want klassic skins.


MK1 skins was only part of what I was talking about anyway. Where are the MK2, MK3, MK4, Deadly Alliance, Deception, Armageddon, MKvsDC, MK9, and MKX skins? Where's the Injustice 1 and 2 skins for Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden? Are these boring now? Is there some kinda rumor floating around that NRS doesn't want to do these?

My point is that there are a ton of klassics, good or bad, that NRS could pull from and trust me, there are people out there that want them. What better time to include them than in a game that is literally about all the different timelines? The lack of klassic skins IS a missed opportunity.

 

[Jay Rupp]

And this is why early copies bother me..

 

[Swindle]

Has the “7 skins/7 sets of gear” in the Premium edition leaked yet?