Has NRS silenced the Mortal Kombat 1 critics?

[TarkatanPeriodontik]

Soul Calibur V tried a new story where they brought in like half the cast being new and a bunch of changes, and it was so ill received that the game literally never recovered lol

as a “boomer” I have to add SF3 is patient zero for this. Capcom really cooked (as the kids say) with the “next gen” roster but it took near a decade for it to be really appreciated in the USA. It’s the wind waker of street fighter games. Now we are mostly stuck with sf2 reps.

edit: just to bring this back to mk1 I think people downplay the inventiveness of bringing new gameplay archetypes to the series. I can’t comment on this but there seems to be a KI influence as well! Maybe with time people will acknowledge this, but this MK1 imagining of the cast (gameplay wise) is more than sufficient to keep me interested in the next game. I have a feeling they’re going to more closely iterate this time for the next game though I don’t have any evidence.

 

[M2Dave]

I don’t see any drama. What I said was they finally gave subzero something that many of us, including myself I’ve asked for. A year and a half is a bit long to make some of these changes, I feel like many of these changes could and should have been done much sooner. I then also said that the game right now is something that I probably would’ve had a lot of fun streaming and grinding the possibilities of. I feel like if the game were released like this, I would’ve had a lot of fun on it. However, at the year and a half point, I’m not going to come back to it. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the game right now, just that they took a very long time and I’m not interested in revisiting it. There’s nothing dramatic that I’m saying here, nor did I insult the game in any way nor was I negative about it. It’s OK for someone to say I wish this happened sooner, I’m not going to come back at this point, but I’m happy for the players who are still here.

"A year and half" is relative considering Capcom and Namco took a lot longer to fix Street Fighter 5 and Tekken 7, respectively.

Nonetheless, I understand that people have different standards, so your talking point is not necessarily wrong.

However, you have been moving the goal post for a year and half (and counting).

NRS has addressed many of the issues that you and I complained about for a year (i.e., Sub Zero's nerfs, low power levels, lack of character variety, etc.)

When the correction of these issues is mentioned, you resort to the predictable year-one arguments (i.e., the game was bad on release, the kameo system is flawed, the offline tournament numbers are low, etc.), which no rational person is denying.

More importantly, for a guy who has made a prominent name for himself playing Mortal Kombat for over three decades, you consistently disparage the franchise as well as the NRS (and fighting game) community on Mike's YouTube channel. You come across as condescending and resentful. For two months, you fabricated and discussed a nonissue.

Why would anyone associate you with positivity or give you the benefit of the doubt?

I would like to believe that I am consistent. When the game was legitimately bad, I said so. Now that NRS is improving the game, I say so.

I still heavily criticize the game but in productive and meaningful ways that will hopefully result in a superior game.

 

[just_2swift]

These Wishlist changes are ass.

Kung Lao is fine.

Balance adjustments for Kung Lao

Dismantle the 2121 string.

Take the 3rd hit (the elbow strike) make this his F1.
Add the chain fist at the end of 21. Make chain fist -7

Remove the armor off BF2. Allow the windmill punches on block, keep it unsafe (make it safe with a kameo ya know like he does now).

MB version is +2 on block with push back. Use the palm strike from the last hit of 2121 as the ender for MB BF2.

An additional spin added to Lao with DF1 input 7 frame start up. Pops up for combos and anti airs.

Also it would work in tandem with EX DU3 spin armor cancel. Allow 2in1 cancel into DF1 spin from DU3 ex cancel.

This would not be broken and will be a hard read into a just frame cancel which is death on block and costing a resource. This is ingenuity compared to EX BF-2 Goro and adds skill floor to the character. Think of a just frame link.

 

[Afk Skinny]

I'm still a little conflicted on kameos, I do like the idea of them but I just prefer 1 on 1. But if we can get the gameplay we have now, throw in some wider customization options, and stop with the multiverse story stuff, it'd probably be my favorite fighting game ever. I hate that it takes nrs until the 'tail end' of their work on a game to cook. Let another studio do a MK side game so NRS can get more time to develop cause the launch of this game was just not it and hurt a lot

 

[Tom Brady]

1) Tag me next time, you huge pussy.

2) Naturally you prove you're not being a toxic, drama-farming shithead by arguing with another random on a forum about how not toxic you are.

Actual clown.

I’m actually not sure why stuff like this is still tolerated here. Nothing in what this guy is talking about was present in those posts, and him going around policing people that he deemed to be a “shithead” is something that you would find people doing in grade school.

The person was seriously misinterpreting what I wrote on Twitter, and we cleared it up peacefully and without name-calling. You come in with your ad hominem attacks, and I simply pointed out that you took the bait and just couldn’t resist insulting me when nothing was directed at you in any way.

 

[Tom Brady]

"A year and half" is relative considering Capcom and Namco took a lot longer to fix Street Fighter 5 and Tekken 7, respectively.

Nonetheless, I understand that people have different standards, so your talking point is not necessarily wrong.

However, you have been moving the goal post for a year and half (and counting).

NRS has addressed many of the issues that you and I complained about for a year (i.e., Sub Zero's nerfs, low power levels, lack of character variety, etc.)

When the correction of these issues is mentioned, you resort to the predictable year-one arguments (i.e., the game was bad on release, the kameo system is flawed, the offline tournament numbers are low, etc.), which no rational person is denying.

More importantly, for a guy who has made a prominent name for himself playing Mortal Kombat for over three decades, you consistently disparage the franchise as well as the NRS (and fighting game) community on Mike's YouTube channel. You come across as condescending and resentful. For two months, you fabricated and discussed a nonissue.

Why would anyone associate you with positivity or give you the benefit of the doubt?

I would like to believe that I am consistent. When the game was legitimately bad, I said so. Now that NRS is improving the game, I say so.

I still heavily criticize the game but in productive and meaningful ways that will hopefully result in a superior game.

I’m not sure why you deem how long it took to fix these issues as irrelevant and should not be brought up now that they’re finally getting to what their vision of the game is almost 2 years later.

 

[ImpostorOak]

I’m not sure why you deem how long it took to fix these issues as irrelevant and should not be brought up now that they’re finally getting to what their vision of the game is almost 2 years later.

It's irrelevant only because people here are not interested in the conversation.

MK1 has improved greatly from its launch version, and I've even considered re-downloading it recently, but the bloom is off the rose for me, and I'm sure many others.

Kameos pissed off a lot of gameplay focused fans, New era and Multiverse shit pissed off a lot of lore focused fans, and the gameplay being so dry for more than a year was enough to make a lot of people move on.

I do not think balance updates will bring people back, but the MK1 updates have been amazing for its players.



I've heard people call MK the most popular fighter. I've seen people defend MK1 in many ways. Anyone with criticisms of the game is met with adversity here, but look at the numbers. People really don't play this game.

I'd quit coming HERE to talk about it, too, but Mortal Kombat has been a big part of my life for years, long before I knew eSports existed.

NRS deserves praise for continually trying to fix the game and the changes they've made are fresh and exciting, but are they enough?

 

[Vulgar]

I’m actually not sure why stuff like this is still tolerated here. Nothing in what this guy is talking about was present in those posts, and him going around policing people that he deemed to be a “shithead” is something that you would find people doing in grade school.

The person was seriously misinterpreting what I wrote on Twitter, and we cleared it up peacefully and without name-calling. You come in with your ad hominem attacks, and I simply pointed out that you took the bait and just couldn’t resist insulting me when nothing was directed at you in any way.

Cry bully behavior.

I stand by what I said.

 

[Vulgar]

Balance adjustments for Kung Lao

Dismantle the 2121 string.

Take the 3rd hit (the elbow strike) make this his F1.
Add the chain fist at the end of 21. Make chain fist -7

Remove the armor off BF2. Allow the windmill punches on block, keep it unsafe (make it safe with a kameo ya know like he does now).

MB version is +2 on block with push back. Use the palm strike from the last hit of 2121 as the ender for MB BF2.

An additional spin added to Lao with DF1 input 7 frame start up. Pops up for combos and anti airs.

Also it would work in tandem with EX DU3 spin armor cancel. Allow 2in1 cancel into DF1 spin from DU3 ex cancel.

This would not be broken and will be a hard read into a just frame cancel which is death on block and costing a resource. This is ingenuity compared to EX BF-2 Goro and adds skill floor to the character. Think of a just frame link.

Corny changes. The character is good as he is.

 

[Vulgar]

I’m not sure why you deem how long it took to fix these issues as irrelevant and should not be brought up now that they’re finally getting to what their vision of the game is almost 2 years later.

Everyone knows what the game was like year one.

No serious person defends it. Yet, you bring it up anyway because you are incapable of saying anything good about a game you do not even play.

You'd think you'd just switch gears and talk about another fighter or Diablo 3 or a game you do like.

But alas, you'd never do that.

I think NRS listening to their players and improving the game with every update is a good thing, actually. It definitely needs a few more features but it's clear that they're trying to make the game better.

SFV followed a very similar path.

 

[Tom Brady]

Everyone knows what the game was like year one.

No serious person defends it. Yet, you bring it up anyway because you are incapable of saying anything good about a game you do not even play.

You'd think you'd just switch gears and talk about another fighter or Diablo 3 or a game you do like.

But alas, you'd never do that.

I think NRS listening to their players and improving the game with every update is a good thing, actually. It definitely needs a few more features but it's clear that they're trying to make the game better.

SFV followed a very similar path.

I actually did play Mortal Kombat 1, played for over a year and I have plenty of good to say about it right now, and if you’d like to test who knows more about the game between your or I, I will gladly come back to the game just to play you and find out which one of us really doesn’t know anything about the game anymore.

Also, this game is not comparable to SFV

 

[Vulgar]

I actually did play Mortal Kombat 1, played for over a year. And I have plenty of good to say about it right now, and if you’d like to test who knows more about the game between your or I, I will gladly come back to the game just to play you and find out which one of us really doesn’t know anything about the gameanymore.

Sure. Let's do it. When's good for you, Tom?

Let's schedule it.

NINJA EDIT: I'm booked tonight, but what about Sunday? You down?

 

[ImpostorOak]

Someone say beef?

 

[Tom Brady]

Sure. Let's do it. When's good for you, Tom?

Let's schedule it.

NINJA EDIT: I'm booked tonight, but what about Sunday? You down?

Sunday isn’t good, how about one during the week, are you only free at night? Do not have any afternoons free?

 

[Vulgar]

Sunday isn’t good, how about one during the week, are you only free at night? Do not have any afternoons free?

I work Mon-Fri, during the evening. Weekdays I can play but it would be late at night.

Best times for me are weekends or late in the evening on week days.

ANOTHER EDIT: To sweeten the pot, if I lose, I will never criticize, make fun of, or talk about you again.

I will hold that.

 

[Tom Brady]

I work Mon-Fri, during the evening. Weekdays I can play but it would be late at night.

Best times for me are weekends or late in the evening on week days.

ANOTHER EDIT: To sweeten the pot, if I lose, I will never criticize, make fun of, or talk about you again.

I will hold that.

I didn’t say I would play because I want anyone to hold anything. You don’t seem to believe that I can even play any fighting game anymore on even a basic kindergarten level. I don’t care if I win or lose, quite frankly, I haven’t played the game in over six months so I wouldn’t be surprised to lose at all. You are right in the sense that I have no idea what to do with any of subzero changes since September because I haven’t even tried them, I don’t even know the right combos to do for the changes he’s got so I will be playing the game like it’s day one of the expansion. But just because I don’t really know what it’s like to play the game today doesn’t mean that I’m incapable of understanding the good things that have changed about it, nor does it make some of my current criticism invalid because I can still understand what is being done. What I’m trying to do is de-escalate whatever you and I have for the better

Edit: unfortunately it also has to be done on Wi-Fi as I don’t have anything set up anywhere near where a direct connection would be accessible because I really didn’t plan on playing another fighting game until the next Mortal Kombat.

 

[Vulgar]

I didn’t say I would play because I want anyone to hold anything. You don’t seem to believe that I can even play any fighting game anymore on even a basic kindergarten level. I don’t care if I win or lose, quite frankly, I haven’t played the game in over six months so I wouldn’t be surprised to lose at all. You are right in the sense that I have no idea what to do with any of subzero changes since September because I haven’t even tried them, I don’t even know the right combos to do for the changes he’s got so I will be playing the game like it’s day one of the expansion. But just because I don’t really know what it’s like to play the game today doesn’t mean that I’m incapable of understanding the good things that have changed about it, nor does it make some of my current criticism invalid because I can still understand what is being done. What I’m trying to do is de-escalate whatever you and I have for the better

Edit: unfortunately it also has to be done on Wi-Fi as I don’t have anything set up anywhere near where a direct connection would be accessible because I really didn’t plan on playing another fighting game until the next Mortal Kombat.

You're putting a lot of words in my mouth. I said you don't play the game - yes - but I should have said that you don't play the game anymore.

My largest criticisms of you are that you are performatively negative for attention and that even as NRS improves the game, you rarely - if ever - contribute anything of positive note to the scene.

When the Pro Komp was announced, you were negative.

When the news cycle was slow, you went for manufactured drama just to keep the negativity going.

Even now - as you admit that you don't stay current with the game - you want to re-litigate that the game was bad at launch.

Okay. We know that. What else you got?

It'd be one thing if you just stopped talking about something you didn't like and moved onto something you do like. You could tweet or make content about anything you want - or not do it at all - and you consistently choose to be toxic.

You CHOOSE to be this way.

Wi-fi? Dear God. I'll deal with a wi-fi connection, I guess.

 

[TarkatanPeriodontik]

You guys hyperfixate on Tom Brady’s commentary though. The observation that the MK changes are “too little too late” is quite poignant and basically the r/fighters mainstream consensus. Early Evo registration numbers were posted and MK is still lower than Under Night, MVC, gbvs, etc.

This is all more poignant because the game is actually great now, in 2025. All that’s left to change is (drum roll) being able to practice while the game searches for a match. @just_2swift why don’t you speak it into being oh ancient one

 

[Grashade]

The fact that we don’t have training mode queue in 2025, when vanilla SF IV had it, is absolutely freaking insane

 

[Vulgar]

The fact that we don’t have training mode queue in 2025, when vanilla SF IV had it, is absolutely freaking insane

Agreed. Here's hoping we get it before the end of the year

 

[Eldriken]

You're putting a lot of words in my mouth. I said you don't play the game - yes - but I should have said that you don't play the game anymore.

My largest criticisms of you are that you are performatively negative for attention and that even as NRS improves the game, you rarely - if ever - contribute anything of positive note to the scene.

When the Pro Komp was announced, you were negative.

When the news cycle was slow, you went for manufactured drama just to keep the negativity going.

Even now - as you admit that you don't stay current with the game - you want to re-litigate that the game was bad at launch.

Okay. We know that. What else you got?

It'd be one thing if you just stopped talking about something you didn't like and moved onto something you do like. You could tweet or make content about anything you want - or not do it at all - and you consistently choose to be toxic.

You CHOOSE to be this way.

Wi-fi? Dear God. I'll deal with a wi-fi connection, I guess.

Shut your ass up. lol

You have no issue playing me on a WiFi connection, you wanker.

 

[Vulgar]

Shut your ass up. lol

You have no issue playing me on a WiFi connection, you wanker.

No, I have issues.

I just put up with it BECAUSE I LOVE YOU YOU BASTARD

 

[TarkatanPeriodontik]

a wifi grudge match is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I love it

 

[Vulgar]

a wifi grudge match is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I love it

It's very TYM branded

 

[Eldriken]

No, I have issues.

I just put up with it BECAUSE I LOVE YOU YOU BASTARD

You know I love you too, my friend. =D