Top 10 Reasons Mortal Kombat Deserves to Be as Big as Street Fighter

Major League Gaming will be host to the second Mortal Kombat tournament of the year this weekend in Raleigh. Some of the best players in the country will be in attendance to compete for $7,000 on the MLG stage. While Mortal Kombat has received positive acclaim from various outlets, most consider Street Fighter, Tekken, and now Marvel vs Capcom as the pinnacle of fighting game titles. Even so, Mortal Kombat deserves to be held in that same breath, and here’s why:

1. It’s Mortal Kombat. With a 1992 debut, Mortal Kombat (MK) is the second-oldest fighting game in the world, after Street Fighter. The game caused a storm of controversy in the US when it released, with its violence, bloody nature and signature fatalities making it a hallmark name in homes around the country ever since. Nine games, two movies (both of which are arguably better than their Street Fighter counterparts) and one short-series later, Mortal Kombat is a name and phrase that will never be forgotten.

2. Take my money. Mortal Kombat is the only fighting game franchise that has sold as many copies as Tekken and Street Fighter. Mortal Kombat 9 has sold 1,907,104 worldwide Xbox and PlayStation 3 combined copies in its first ten weeks of release, compared to 1,132,879 for Super Street Fighter 4, and 1,151,870 for Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Sales figures provided by VGChartz.com). As of August 15, Warner Bros announced it had sold close to 3 million units worldwide, and that Mortal Kombat had surpassed expectations originally set for the title.

3. 2D is back. Mortal Kombat started and made its bones in a 2D universe. While the years of 3D Mortal Kombat games—including Deception, Armageddon and DC Universe—were interesting, it was not the same game that we’d all grown up playing. Mortal Kombat 9 return to 2D (2D-3D specifically) — the same style that the newest Street Fighter employed — gave fans exactly what they wanted, and has been a great success.3D universes in fighting games have worked for titles that have used the medium since the beginning, such as Virtua Fighter and Tekken, but 3D Mortal Kombat did not have the history, engine, medium or experience in the space that the other titles have had for a decade, so it was always a bit off. The reimplementation of 2D means that MK’s jumping, dodging, running, blocking and other core mechanics feel right again.

4. The reboot rocks. If you look at the official website, box art, press releases or anything else branded with the new Mortal Kombat, there is no 9 accompanying the name. Mortal Kombat’s developers Nether Realm Studios were asked by publisher Warner Bros to bring the game back to its roots.It has done just that with a reboot of the franchise, which falls in line with the resurgence of other classic franchises such as Street Fighter and Sonic the Hedgehog. As MK’s creator Ed Boon recently told Chicago Now: “There’s sort of a lightning strike situation going on.”

5. The developers listen to the fans, and update accordingly - Nether Realm hasreleased several free patches for Mortal Kombat 9, not just for bug fixes, but for balance changes. The studio has also released a detailed changelog every time it makes an update, something you never see from other fighting game developers (including the ever-popular Capcom). The developers make it a point to attend community tournaments and listen to the top players when deciding what changes tomake. Kung Lao’s spin was deemed too fast and too powerful and both were reduced, while infinites from Kabal, Cyrax and Ermac were removed entirely. This seems simple on its own, but you’d be surprised by how few developers actually participate in this way.

6. Consistency is key – The Mortal Kombat competitive scene has thrived since the release of MK9, just as the Street Fighter scene has since the release of SF4. MK9 has been added to the main lineup of almost every major tournament across the country, and although it hasn’t had numbers as strong as SF4 or MvC3, it still draws in a decent amount of players. MK9 has been featured in a major tournament at least once a month since releaseacross North America, drawing people to Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, Toronto, and nearly a 1,000 signups to the EVO 2011 World Finals in Las Vegas.

7.EVO 2011 Grand Finals – While the $21,000 PDP National MK9 Tournament showcased the best of the best in MK9 early on, the EVO 2011 Grand Finals were the height of competition and hype for the competitive fighting game scene thus far. Although the game has already been out quite a while, thousands of people watched and cheered in the audience while 50,000 fans watched at home, the most ever for a Mortal Kombat event. The hype was enough that champion Perfect Legend trended on Twitter through the entire US, a feat accomplished by few in the world of competitive gaming. Part 1 – Part 2.

8.The Players – Although most fighting game players compete in multiple games,the Mortal Kombat community has seen several pro players over the past few months who are identifying themselves with MK more than any other game. Perfect Legend and Tom Brady, two staples in the Dead or Alive community, have found more success and legitimacy in MK 9’s short life than in several years of DOA. Less known players such as REO and Michaelangelo have now become MK mainstays, and Capcom players Arturo Sanchez, Chris G, PR Balrog and the infamous Justin Wong have all seen consistent action, with the latter being PDP National Champion.

9.The Media – There has been more media and coverage for the competitive MK scene recently than ever before. TestYourMight, TRMK, and UltimateMK, among others, have kept up with the competitive scene and provided tournament updates, player and developer interviews, match videos, and commentaries on a daily basis since the game’s release. Larger fighting game media on the normally Capcom-focused sites like Shoryuken, EventHubs and IPlayWinner have done the same, giving MK its fair share of exposure.

10. What Else Would Be There? –Capcom titles are by far and large the biggest competitive fighting games in the world, with the most players, most spectators, and most interest. Tekken is the most played game in Japanese arcades, and is the only fighting game to have a show on TV in Korea.Although a good game, Blaz Blue was never really seen as Guilty Gear’s true successor, and Dead or Alive and Soul Calibur, among other games, are considered more of a joke than a true competitive experience. Mortal Kombat is the only game outside of Capcom titles and Tekken that captures the right recipe for success.


Source Major League

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