With the end of year fast approaching, has MK11 been everything you'd hoped?

[Freestyle Disco]

Not so much. There’s various arguments about what’s wrong with MK11 but for me it just feels a bit bland and not fun to play. I stuck with it for a while, partly because of a love for the series and partly because I don’t have the energy or inclination to learn another fighting game. Lately I just have a look now and then to see if anything changed.

 

[hatyr]

No.

 

[John Grizzly]

I've never gotten bored with an MK game quicker, so nope. It's so incredibly boring to play and ESPECIALLY watch. For the people who enjoy it, I'm happy for them. I can't remember the last time I sat down and played the game. Probably when Sindel released. I enjoyed her briefly and then found her to be sort of boring as well, like the rest of the cast.

Even when I watch streamers play MK11, I feel like they're playing it because they feel like they have to, not because they want to.

I'll take MK9 and MKX over MK11 any day (or either INJ game, for that matter). It makes me sad because this, out of ALL the games NRS has made over the past near decade is the one they're going to support for a long time coming. The game is completely devoid of any hype or excitement.

I have no idea how people find the game fun, but I really wish I did, too.

 

[John Grizzly]

You don't realize how dry this game is until you watch Vman SP footage of it and compare it to previous MKs.
In the old MK videos you can tell he was having a blast pulling off all his cool combos, but then in this game it's just string special or generic jump kick combos.

You mean to tell me Liu Kang's super hype midscreen combo of short string into double amplified bicycle kicks isn't the hypest shit you've ever seen?

Seriously though....Liu Kang and Kitana are great examples of how fucking watered down and boring they've made these characters in MK11 for seemingly no reason. I don't want to hear people say "I hate watching these long combos". This is MK! The combos are supposed to be ridiculous and fun!

Game is an absolute borefest.

Even if there WERE long combos, people have breakaway 3 times a round anyway so it doesn't matter.

 

[thlityoursloat]

You mean to tell me Liu Kang's super hype midscreen combo of short string into double amplified bicycle kicks isn't the hypest shit you've ever seen?

Seriously though....Liu Kang and Kitana are great examples of how fucking watered down and boring they've made these characters in MK11 for seemingly no reason. I don't want to hear people say "I hate watching these long combos". This is MK! The combos are supposed to be ridiculous and fun!

Game is an absolute borefest.

Even if there WERE long combos, people have breakaway 3 times a round anyway so it doesn't matter.

Sonya is top 1 to me when it comes to complete character botching. How do they take an oppressive rushdown character and turn it into a stupid zoner???? That doesn't even have any depth??? Why would they do that? I couldn't imagine if they turned Jax into a Kenshi. WTF happened to Scarlet? How does Kano go from a solid wellrounded character in MKX to this moron whose best button is d1?
They toned down the combos to accomodate the sexy cinematic blow mechanics no doubt.

 

[John Grizzly]

Sonya is top 1 to me when it comes to complete character botching. How do they take an oppressive rushdown character and turn it into a stupid zoner???? That doesn't even have any depth??? Why would they do that? I couldn't imagine if they turned Jax into a Kenshi. WTF happened to Scarlet? How does Kano go from a solid wellrounded character in MKX to this moron whose best button is d1?
They toned down the combos to accomodate the sexy cinematic blow mechanics no doubt.

Speaking of Skarlet, that character going from what she was in MK9 to what she is in MK11 is shameful. She MIGHT be the most boring character in a game FULL of boring characters. Like...is she not played EXACTLY the same way she was played day 1 of the beta?

 

[John Grizzly]

I can't stop wondering how are they planning to support the game for 4 years tho. So far... they showed that they don't really have anything to offer.
DLC characters are being released with 2 months gap between them. There were only few Kombat Kasts after the game release, and they were all before the DLC character release. We only got one major balance patch. They added zero stages so far. No new finishers. No stage fatalities... Only thing they did is 3rd variation and crappy Kombat League. I really wonder what are they planning to do and how can they keep this game alive for 4 years like they said.

I feel like NRS' idea of "supporting the game longer than normal" is just simply not releasing another game for a while. There's no chance people are going to remain interested in this borefest for another year, let alone 4. I feel like it's dying already and it's only 8 months old.

 

[John Grizzly]

The only thing I don't like is how little time I have to play. There are at least 6 characters I'd like to learn, but I just don't have the time for that.

It only takes 10 mins in practice to learn any character in this game. I think you have plenty of time.

 

[Eddy Wang]

Speaking of Skarlet, that character going from what she was in MK9 to what she is in MK11 is shameful. She MIGHT be the most boring character in a game FULL of boring characters. Like...is she not played EXACTLY the same way she was played day 1 of the beta?

right in the feels man.
WTF just happened to Skarlet!!

 

[xWildx]

MK9 was such a great accident. I really wish they’d quit trying to reinvent the wheel with each game and just go back and build upon what made MK9 such a success.

 

[Ilthuain]

It only takes 10 mins in practice to learn any character in this game. I think you have plenty of time.

Learning the inputs != learning the character.

 

[John Grizzly]

Learning the inputs != learning the character.

It does in MK11. There's really not much to any of the characters.

 

[MrArcher15]

It has been by far the shortest amount of time I have ever put into a NRS game, I dont like a plethora of things in the game. I dont like the hurtboxes/hitboxes, dont like that I risk my life for tryna anti air where in other games that isnt an issue, dont like the block stun (why can two moves be -12 and one be punishable and the other not?), dont like fatal blows, dont like the poke meta, honestly I can go on and on. Once i tried to learn other characters besides jax and saw just how many glaring issues the game had besides the ones I already disliked, I couldnt do it anymore. Back to street fighter for me

 

[Sutter Pain]

I do enjoy playing the game with the couple friends I have for sure but I have fun playing any FGs with friends so its kind of a wash.

I will say this though it is the first NRS game I have absolutely zero interest in watching tournament streams. Everything including the stream structure from NRS to commentators it just seems like fake hype and incredibly boring matches.

 

[kevkopdx]

I have played this game a ton and really tried to like it, but I’m thinking I’m at the end of the road here... KL is not fun, kasual matches are dwindling in numbers... I think NRS took waaaaay too many risks here;

not a fan of krushing blows not being universal, too many characters have advantages just based on accessibility.

Fatal blows are tiresome to watch and the mechanic is lazy.

breakaway mechanic is lame and gives advantages to characters with grounded combos.

strike throw is boring

staggers replaced 50/50s and honestly I’m not sure which is more annoying

but most of all, characters feel half baked, simplistic and spread thin across variations.

if it works there’s no need to fix it and i feel like they tossed away too many things that worked in previous games.
Might boot up Injustice 2 at this point.

 

[MEJBelloz]

I don't usually reply to these kinds of threads, however as a mainly casual gamer (fighting games mainly) I wanted to share my thoughts.

Mortal Kombat has always been my main fighting game; when I was around 6, I used to 'borrow' my cousins copy of MKT as I loved it so much. Jump forward to 2019, I was super hyped for MK11. I've gotten to a stage in FGs where I actually understand them and can play beyond a casual level. I never go to locals, but I could hold my own online. I found MK11 exciting when it first come out, beyond the whole item grind mechanic which I hated (why hide key things like brutalities behind grind mechanics).

Anyway, I've put more time into MK11 than any other fighter, yet I don't feel emotionally invested when I play. I feel like I go through the same flowchart with my characters, I have the same frustrations every match and I don't enjoy watching live streams (but I'll actively watch Smash and SF5 ones). I don't know what it is about the game, because I want to love it, but likewise maybe I've got caught in the 'hardcore' forums where bashing is quite common and thus I feel uninformed about how basic the game might be. I won't lie, I do enjoy playing the game, but SF5 I would sit in the lab for hours... MK11... 15 mins with a character to learn their main moves/punishes and then online.

I can't answer the question if the game is deep, I don't have that experience, but I know there are a lot of mechanics in this game which I doubt will change and thus is leading me to feel this game might have missed the mark at a competitive level... but at a casual level... it is bang on the money!

I feel this forum sometimes forgets that MK11 is made to make money and appease fans, not just make the hardcore community happy! Casuals love the KBs, fatalities after every match and even simple gameplay... but this won't hold FG connoisseurs for long (and I'm already considering going back to SF5 - I can only ever play one FG at any one time).

So in summary, it has and hasn't been everything I wanted... and deep down, for my love of MK, it makes me a little sad!

 

[aj1701]

MK9 was such a great accident. I really wish they’d quit trying to reinvent the wheel with each game and just go back and build upon what made MK9 such a success.

This has been the problem with almost every single MK since the beginning. MK1 -> 2 they made some good tweaks, but then starting MK3 it was "lets just add a bunch of new shit," and they continued that for every new game (oh, 3D is in now, lets do that!). I thought MK9 was them learning their lesson and getting back to basics, but nope, "hey lets add run again!" FFS.

 

[Hellbringer]

This has been the problem with almost every single MK since the beginning. MK1 -> 2 they made some good tweaks, but then starting MK3 it was "lets just add a bunch of new shit," and they continued that for every new game (oh, 3D is in now, lets do that!). I thought MK9 was them learning their lesson and getting back to basics, but nope, "hey lets add run again!" FFS.

Every other fightinggame keeps pretty much same mechanics except nrs. Cause they wanna be innovative i guess...

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

Where expectations met? Mostly. I expected it to still be an offensive onslaught, braindead game like MKX and I was pleasantly surprised when it was not.

Positives:
- Slowed down gameplay. Focuses on space control, whiff punishing, and general footsies. Less unga bunga hard to blockable bullshit like Quan Chi in MKX.
- Meter System. I love have different sets of meter for offensive and defensive purposes. And only having 2 stops stupid shit like cancels that are plus or neutral on block from being abused.
- Graphics. No more weird sweaty clay people with shitty faces. Using actual face models was a huge step up from previous titles.

Negatives:
- Fatal Blow system. While having xray/super type moves is totally fine... they should absolutely NOT be given freely and should require some type of resource (aka meter) to use. And if you whiff or have them blocked they should be GONE. Also they should all be more punishable than they are.
- KB system. I actually love the KBs but can we make it so the requirements are universal? Every should have D2 Kb, punish KB, number of hits in a combo KB, and 1 fun, goofy ass troll KB. Throw KBs don't actually bother me, but no one should have 2 throw KBs imo.
- Roster. Don't get me wrong, it's decent but it's missing too many classics like Reptile, Human Smoke, Cyrax/Sektor, and yes even Mileena (who I despise). Instead we have shitters like Dvorah, Frost, and Cetrion. And it's only gonna get worse as we're gonna start piling on the guest characters, MK11 being a purely MK game was fun while it lasted.
- Locking all cosmetics and character customization things to bad single player modes (towers of time). Ain't nobody wanna play that shit for hours on end to unlock a skin. And not everyone has a turbo controller to spam the AI for them and I'm sure af not gonna sit there watching AI to be ready to mash X 4 times. This should have been like injustice 2 where you can unlock things just by playing whatever mode you want to. Play online and get a new set of boots after a match.
- Costumes/Skins. They went way too conservative here for the females while the dudes can run around shirtless in speedo diapers with loin cloths (baraka) and skin tight pants showing off their bulges (jax) and have the nerve to say they aren't sexy. Meanwhile, here have a full body robe and face covering Skarlet! Or oh hey Cassie we had all these badass concept arts for you, but there was too much skin in them so here have this knockoff mass effect space suit and for your default, you can have the same basic bitch skin as the NPCs in story mode cause it needs to be realistic!!! Ok, so... the guys don't have to armor up for a fight but the girls do? Who's being sexist again?

Then there's the 1421581 color palette swaps of the same costume. I'd rather have it be like MK9 (no costume customization, you get a main, an alt, and maybe some dlc ones) if that's how the customization is gonna be.

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It may look like the negatives outweigh the positives here but 3,4, and 5 are more nitpicky things and personal taste. I think if fatal blows and KBs were tweaked the game would be damn near perfect cause I really enjoy the gameplay.

 

[kingjolly]

This has been the problem with almost every single MK since the beginning. MK1 -> 2 they made some good tweaks, but then starting MK3 it was "lets just add a bunch of new shit," and they continued that for every new game (oh, 3D is in now, lets do that!). I thought MK9 was them learning their lesson and getting back to basics, but nope, "hey lets add run again!" FFS.

I don’t like it when fighting game sequels are too similar to their predecessor. It comes across as kinda lazy to me. And pointless.

 

[LiangHuBBB]

I like this game, the only thing I dont rly like is that some Fatal B in this game gives the opponent way too much comeback potential.
Today Ive played an Erron B player and it was 1-1, third match it was the last round. Ive avoided 2 FBs in that last round and before I could kill him he got a 3rd FB IN THE SAME ROUND and hit me with it and I lost, like come on NRS wth.
I cant jump and shoot projectiles, can only dash forward and block and when Im too close Ive to guess the unreactable 50/50 from mid range vs either dropkick or slide while all I have is Subzero's close range unsafe FB.

 

[M2Dave]

MK9 was such a great accident. I really wish they’d quit trying to reinvent the wheel with each game and just go back and build upon what made MK9 such a success.

If the NRS community played Mortal Kombat 9 right now, they would cry incessantly about the broken characters, glitches, and various other aspects that I prefer not to discuss in detail at the moment. If NRS balanced the game, removed the glitches, and altered some of its gameplay mechanics, the community would then claim the game is "boring" and "watered down".

Mortal Kombat 9's success is owed to the fact that NRS had created the first competitive fighting game in a long while at a time when local scenes were active and thriving. When the game's high level gameplay was perfected two years after the game's release, nobody wanted to play any longer because nobody likes to play games with broken rush down, broken zoning, 100% combos, and infinite armor.

I am kindly asking people to stop romanticizing Mortal Kombat 9. The game sucked fundamentally and should not be used as a basis for any future Mortal Kombat game. I have no idea why many people in the community continue pushing this talking point.

 

[John Grizzly]

I am kindly asking people to stop romanticizing Mortal Kombat 9. The game sucked fundamentally and should not be used as a basis for any future Mortal Kombat game. I have no idea why many people in the community continue pushing this talking point.

I think it just comes down to one thing - MK9 was fun. Did it have a ton of broken shit? Yup, but so do games like Marvel 2 and people also love that game.

MK11 can be considered a fundamentally better game, but it's bland and boring in many people's eyes. The comparisons to a beloved game of the past will never stop.

 

[Zviko]

Some of you talk about MK11 being boring like it's a fact. Looking at steam numbers, people seem to enjoy MK11 a lot and PC is the least populated platform. This game is far from dead. And there's cross play in the making too.

 

[FonicSox]

Overall game mechanics and balance take a backseat to fun factor, always. The game is just lacking in the fun department. I also don't happen to think there's a great deal of depth. I say this because the way we and pro players approach and play this game has honestly not changed one iota from like month two to where we are now (month 8?). One or two months is awfully quick to have essentially unpacked everything this game has to offer.

I'm admittedly unsure of the message M2Dave is trying to send. In a different thread he seemed to suggest the state of the game and even our perception of it is contingent on whether or not big name supporters, content creators and players speak highly of it. As if our opinion hinges on us being able to flock like sheeple to some grand standing champion who sings its praises from the rooftops. I apologize if I'm misinterpreting the message there.

It's true there's a core group of players that won't be happy no matter what you do, and it's also true that NRS has done an admirable job listening to players and catering to their whims (think how infrequent patches have become in contrast to older games; directly due to us bitching about the game changing every couple months). I even agree that MK9 is grossly over-romanticized (SFV has had this same issue in regard to people viewing SF4 thru rose colored nostalgia goggles), but I feel like we're being told how we should feel about the game with some of these posts. I think we should absolutely speak out and express discontent so these issues can be addressed, if it's not feasible to do so for this game, at least for the next title.