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Question What makes MK9 stand out?

The Abbot

The Abbot

Unit LK-52O
Recently, I dove back into MK9 practice mode just to see if I still remember my BnBs, set ups, block strings, ETC. I came to realize that this game was about as fun as a game could get to me.

When Injustice originally approached, I was still playing and enjoyed every match until Injustice dropped and I made the transition while occasionally playing MK9 until everyone on my friends list stopped playing. Now, with the same situation happening with MKX, I currently don't have the same drive I did for MK9.

Don't get me wrong, I like playing MKX but MK9 was so much more to me. Be it MK9 was unbalanced and the NETCODE was shit but the game had a godlike Ora to it.

I could watch tournament footage of MK9 and feel the hype. Even clans felt different back then.

With that said I would like to point out that I have played almost every NRS game since MK1 (except MK vs DC) and loved every one but MK9 takes the cake.

So what makes MK9 stand out? What is the X factor about that game that people genuinely have a passion for?

Is it fundementals? The meta? Character design?

NRS has put plenty of resources into making the most of MKX and making people happy but I would be more hyped for UMK9 then Injustice 2 100%

Do y'all agree?
 
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Jynks

Jynks

some heroes are born, some made, some wondrous
I do not agree at all. MK9 is much worse than MKx in nearly every aspect.

Every time I went back and played it after MKx I found it to feel archaic. Injustice 2 is even worse. The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, it feels floaty and that nothing "connects". There is no impact.

Also the balance is completely rubbish. I mean people complain about balance in MKx but I'm convinced they do not know what that word means, think it is actually pretty good, but in MK9 is was legitimately broken and again, even worse in injustice.

MK9 came out 5 years ago. Now this is not a massive amount of time but it is long enough that people change. I'm an old fart and I see a lot of people confusing new games with sucking with the fact that they are older now.

Many of the kids playing MK9 24/7 are now adults, they have jobs even kids. Their priorities are different and the truth is that games are just not as important. They can not sit and play 9 hours a day strait and the big thing is "they wouldn't want to either". No matter what the game. This is not exactly nostalgia but something close.

It is not about MK9 being better or worse, though imo it is not only worse it is massively worse, it is about how you as a person relate to games period. All games. To put it in my generations terms... is Master of Orion really the best 4x game ever made, if Final Fantasy 7 really the best jRPG ever made.. or was I just a young in the 90s and not only had tons of time, no commitments, no real job (only part time waitress) and was more "into" games period.
 
M2Dave

M2Dave

Zoning Master
The Abbot said:
So what makes MK9 stand out? What is the X factor about that game that people genuinely have a passion for?
Click to expand...
Mortal Kombat 9 plays like a traditional 2D fighting game. Mid range control (i.e., footsies and anti-aerial attacks) is strong and prevalent. No vortexes exist, but offensive options remain powerful. The game's meta is diverse and nonlinear. Cyrax is a predominately combo character, Johnny Cage is a rush down character, Freddy is a traditional full screen zoning character, Kabal is a high execution character who is versatile, Kenshi is a mid range zoning and defensive character, Kitana is a mid range zoning and offensive character, Kung Lao is a mobile rush down character with great defense, Smoke is an anti-zoning, footsies character, Sonya is a footsies-based rush down character, etc. These aforementioned characters are all top tier characters with varied abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. A gameplay style exists for all types of players, which results in the game being enjoyable to play and watch. The superior player, even among the best of the best, always wins in Mortal Kombat 9, with no exceptions other than the game's poor balance, which leads me to discuss the negative aspects of the game.

Unfortunately, the game is profoundly unbalanced, mostly because of Kabal and to a lesser extent Cyrax and Kenshi. The game is also plagued with some peculiar glitches such as the infamous input bug and the frustrating meter drain glitch. If Mortal Kombat 9 had received one or two more patches, I sincerely believe that nobody would be playing Mortal Kombat X right now.
 
The Abbot

The Abbot

Unit LK-52O
I am not a teen and have had a full time job long before MK9.

The broken aspect was messed up but made victories against a player using those characters that much more gratifying.

I've had Sindel players whoop my ass because they played that character like no one else did. I saw Lui Kangs with crazy pressure, Baraka players like xBuryxMexInxBlackx that were completely unique with how they used that character.
You don't see that in MKX. Cyrax had millions of combos months and months after the games release (Thanks TonyT).

MK9 just had more in depth stuff and tech was always being discovered. Even Somberness helping with the frame data was something special. Toasty boost at the end was hype trying to figure them out.

And... Let's not forget the babies
 
21122

21122

Kombatant
The ugly graphics.

Not trolling, being serious. When I played MK9 I wasn't really good at fighting games (no clue with anything related to frame data) so all that I am reminded of MK9 was how ugly the graphics were...And Noob Saibots, he was cool!
 
Mikemetroid

Mikemetroid

Who hired this guy, WTF?
Lead Moderator
There was no "your character is carrying you" at the highest level, no question at all.

I never once thought, wow I lost because that guy has that character.

The game is HELLA fucking broke, but why is it more fun to play? Why does it feel like our SFIV? Shrug, it is what it is.
 
Toodrunk2combo

Toodrunk2combo

Sub and kotal FTW
God I miss mk9, I sold my 360 for an xb1 but kept mk9. I keep waiting and hoping for backwards compatibility, but to no avail. The game was pure nostalgia re-imagined for me, all the characters and even some new ones like skarlet. The story mode was fantastic, plenty of character backgrojnd stories and the tournament was front and center. I played Mkx's story mode once, and I feel no need to do it again.
 
xKhaoTik

xKhaoTik

The Ignore Button Is Free
Toodrunk2combo said:
God I miss mk9, I sold my 360 for an xb1 but kept mk9. I keep waiting and hoping for backwards compatibility, but to no avail. The game was pure nostalgia re-imagined for me, all the characters and even some new ones. The story mode was fantastic, plenty of character info and the tournament was front and center. I played Max's story mode once, and I feel no need to do it again.
Click to expand...
I must've played MK9 story mode AT LEAST 5 times, even on max difficulty. That story was perfect.
Only did MKX story once and don't plan on doing it ever again.
 
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