Video Essay: What Makes a Satisfying Fatality?

[Xerclipse]

What are your favorite fatalities, do you agree with the video, be sure to comment below.

Sure it doesn't have to do with replay-ability like online or having fun in matches, but I do feel like one of their main selling trademarks could be discussed in general.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I think they can’t be too overly drawn out, they have to be somewhat shocking, but not too over the top. MK9 had the best balance I think, MKX felt like edgy gore porn at times but it had some great ones, MK11 is a little too overt stylized to me, I don’t like the freezing.

Sub-Zero’s spine rip is my favorite my far

 

[Xerclipse]

I think they can’t be too overly drawn out, they have to be somewhat shocking, but not too over the top. MK9 had the best balance I think, MKX felt like edgy gore porn at times but it had some great ones, MK11 is a little too overt stylized to me, I don’t like the freezing.

Yeah I did say in the video that its not necessarily about how nasty/gory the fatality is. MK9 did have the balance but there are a good portion of them that I felt were underwhelming. For MK11 I guess I could have mentioned something about the freezing at the end. Here is what I have to add about it:

Although it may look cool, they restrict themselves like losing the eye twitching in Scorpion's MKX trailer fatality. Its also a bit more natural and satisfying to see some of the blood and body drop showing some post climatic action. Matrix slow motion of punching the face works to get a good look, but its the snap back to the real time reaction that adds icing to the cake. If they really wanted to, they could get out of freeze frame right after the "Fatality" text. Some of them work as the way they are but not all.

 

[HeavyNorse]

Build-up and climax. Kinda like sex. And with the same amount of blood and screaming too.

 

[-Nachtmahr-]

It should make sense. I don't like it when they chop off the head first, rip off the arms first dammit, the person is already dead, so why bother playing around some more? The build up should be exciting too and the ending should be something cheeky. It does not make sense when miss Briggs runs up to you in a climactic way just to do nothing. Kotal's mkx fatalities and Sub's ice bed were my favs of the last 2 games

 

[VSC_Supreme]

I prefer either nicer simple fatalities and fatalities that use the characters abilities. I'm not sure what it was about MKX fatalities but I didn't like most of them, just kind of overtly weird and gross I guess. I love most of MK9's fatalities, good use of character ablities and goofy and entertaining enough.

I also enjoy a majority of MK11's fatalities as well, some of them are quick and to the point like Jades, where she cuts off all the limbs and impales them, while others make great use of the characters abilities like Noob. My criticism for them is also the freeze frame shot on the fatalities, I don't mind them on some fatalities but I kind of wish some others would return to normal after the freeze frame. I'd prefer a little ending animation after the freeze frame that you could skip if you want, maybe something where most characters just walk away. Frost for example, her cyber Lin Kuei fatality is great and the freeze frame is perfect, but for the Ice sculpture fatality I wouldn't mind it returning to normal speed to a skippable scene of Frost walking past it and casually tips it over so it shatters as she keeps walking.

 

[Xerclipse]

I prefer either nicer simple fatalities and fatalities that use the characters abilities. I'm not sure what it was about MKX fatalities but I didn't like most of them, just kind of overtly weird and gross I guess. I love most of MK9's fatalities, good use of character ablities and goofy and entertaining enough.

I also enjoy a majority of MK11's fatalities as well, some of them are quick and to the point like Jades, where she cuts off all the limbs and impales them, while others make great use of the characters abilities like Noob. My criticism for them is also the freeze frame shot on the fatalities, I don't mind them on some fatalities but I kind of wish some others would return to normal after the freeze frame. I'd prefer a little ending animation after the freeze frame that you could skip if you want, maybe something where most characters just walk away. Frost for example, her cyber Lin Kuei fatality is great and the freeze frame is perfect, but for the Ice sculpture fatality I wouldn't mind it returning to normal speed to a skippable scene of Frost walking past it and casually tips it over so it shatters as she keeps walking.

Yeah I did mention freeze frames but only in this thread. Again I wished I at least put my 2 cents about freeze frames in the video itself. I feel like simple fatalities that use character abilities are more like brutalities with the direction they are going. I also believe freeze frame works for some but not for all unfortunately.