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Ketchup and Mustard Play Shaolin Monks!

Charybdis

We are returned! Death to the False Emperor!
One of the most polarising games in the entire pantheon of Mortal Kombat is 2005's Shaolin Monks.




Although much lauded for incredibly fun gameplay (which is among the best adventure/platformer games out there, fight me), excellent level design and absolutely gorgeous art design and vision of Outworld, standing as the apex of the 'Eastern mythology meets Enter the Dragon' vibe of MK1 and MK2, when it comes to writing, story and coherence within Mortal Kombat canon, it drops the ball so hard it actually registered on the Richter scale.

Impaled through the stomach, stabbed in the heart, stabbed in the head and flung around 20 feet through the air. Lying on the ground absolutely motionless. "Are you okay?"

From totally reworking the plot of Mortal Kombat 2 to a gigantic idiot plot, killing multiple characters who don't die in Mortal Kombat 2, making almost every character not named Shang Tsung a total dunce, giving Kabal an inexplicable Tennessee accent....I could go on. I really could.

It's also notable as the genesis of the alternative incarnation of Kung Lao. Originally in Mortal Kombat canon, Kung Lao was a peaceful pacifist and incredibly close friend of Liu Kang, but his reinvention as an impetuous, jelaous frenemy with no regard for authority and a thirst for violence going far beyond his dutiful need to avenge his ancestor's defeat to Goro took significant enough root in the fandom that the MK9 version of Kung Lao essentially combines both aspects.

Although originally designed as the ultimate expansion to the plot of Mortal Kombat 2, the colossal internal plot holes and contradictions with the actual long established canon of Mortal Kombat 2 saw the game immediately downgraded to "if it doesn't contradict MK2, it's canon" and then further to "totally non canon". Personally, I'm very partial to the explanation that it's the Johnny Cage movie version of Mortal Kombat 2.

With that said, it remains a beautiful game, incredibly fun and filled with some absolutely wonderful easter eggs. If you've gotten all nostalgic from this, or if you've never actually experienced Shaolin Monks yourself, you owe it to yourself to check out the amazing LP series done by pillars of the scene Ketchup and Mustard!
Check out the entire Let's Play here: https://www.twitch.tv/pndketchup/videos/all

Check out the PNDTwins Twitter accounts here: https://twitter.com/PNDKetchup and https://twitter.com/PNDMustard

Will we ever get another non fighing MK game? Will the break in the cycle lead us to the much vaunted Fire and Ice? Who knows. But as always, check back to TYM everyday for all the latest discussion on the NRS scene, both competitive and lore-based, and all the latest news on Injustice 2 and the Mortal Kombat series!
 
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Icefyre

Shadows
I really miss this game. My friend and I were so excited to play it through a second time with Scorpion/Sub. Despite it's many flaws, game was incredible.
 

MKF30

Fujin and Ermac for MK 11
Ha, fun game. I want to see them play Mythologies, it'll make them rage.
 

Roy Arkon

I will leave my seal on you!
Ha, fun game. I want to see them play Mythologies, it'll make them rage.
Actually Ketchup already played Mythologies, although so far he posted a video of finishing just the first stage, don't know if he did the rest though. And yeah, it made him rage, hard. This game is indeed very hard, but that's how classic console platformers were back then.

 
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MKF30

Fujin and Ermac for MK 11
Actually Ketchup already played Mythologies, although so far he posted a video of finishing just the first stage, don't know if he did the rest though. And yeah, it made him rage, hard. This game is indeed very hard, but that's how classic console platformers were back then.

Nice, yeah lol doesn't surprise me. Most people give up after the first few stages, Fujin's stage(the second stage) is beyond difficult for most people lol
 

Roy Arkon

I will leave my seal on you!
Maybe one day we'll see MK SM 2 or a game similar to the cancelled Fire & Ice
I actually didn't know that there was a game called Fire & Ice that was cancelled, that's news to me.

And yeah, I really wanna MK11 at the end, but if NRS/WB can find another studio to work an a game like this, NRS giving them help in order to make sure the games is done right, while NRS are working and supporting MK11 at the same time, that will be awesome for sure. After all, MK:SM was done by Midway Studios LA, working in conjunction with Ed Boon and his team. So that will be awesome indeed.
 

MKF30

Fujin and Ermac for MK 11
I actually didn't know that there was a game called Fire & Ice that was cancelled, that's news to me.

And yeah, I really wanna MK11 at the end, but if NRS/WB can find another studio to work an a game like this, NRS giving them help in order to make sure the games is done right, while NRS are working and supporting MK11 at the same time, that will be awesome for sure. After all, MK:SM was done by Midway Studios LA, working in conjunction with Ed Boon and his team. So that will be awesome indeed.
Yeah it was the sequel to Shaolin Monks featuring Scorpion and Sub-Zero but got shelved due to other projects. It was a while ago. Oh yeah me too, personally I wouldn't mind if NRS took a breather between MK and Injustice sequels for say 3 or 4 years and made an adventure MK game or something in between. I think anything with Boon involved and time taken winds up solid honestly. Midway rushed the MK team, and it showed with some of their games while WB lets them take their time, polished, patched etc and they've been very successful thus far.

An old saying I like that applies to lots of things in life, work, games whatever. " You can't rush Art" (unless you're Bob Ross lol)
 

Dankster Morgan

It is better this way
I want a game like it but not developed by NRS, I’d like monolith to make it, they made Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War and they too are a WB studio. It could be playing as Scorpion and/or Sub and you go through the realms and draw out bosses like Quan Chi/Shinnok in the Neatherrealm, Shao Kahn/Goro in our world, etc similar to how you’d draw out war chiefs and that’s how they could integrate the MK characters other than the one(s?) you play as
 

HeavyNorse

#BlackLivesMatter
I want a game like it but not developed by NRS, I’d like monolith to make it, they made Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War
Shadow of Mordor/War had a cool premise, but quickly became incredibly repetitive and boring, so please don't have them make any MK games.