All too well.

Hey, I'm sorry if this has been posted already, but, I don't think I've seen a post regarding this picture, so, here it goes:



It's like a second part of this Gameland Magazine preview that has Kitana.

He looks pretty cool (that's not Sektor, right?).

It's definitely Cyrax. You can tell from the face.

I Agree....And as far as i can see, is actually the best modelled outfit that Kitana has ever had since the past games....She looks just like a warrior princess....sexy but misterious still.....and im happy finally she is showing more skin....STILL, back to the hair topic, i like the IDEA of the hair style, im sure they will polish a bit the animations (i hope).....greetz

And the design on his chest.

I kind of hope that it's not his only render (for him or any character, actually). I want more then 1 awesome render (+ tons of promotional pictures) for all characters.....not just the boring ninjas.

I hope to see more flashy wicked stuff.



And I missed you! So glad to see you back.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. Way to eliquently put into words what I would have said and made sound foolish. The people that don't like this design are just upset because it doesn't fit into their own perception of the character.

Did anyone else notice the twitpic of the colorizing?
http://twitpic.com/2r2b5y
There seems to be a whole lot more detail than you could see in other pics. By the way, is there any other news from this articel than we can take away besides most people don't like Kitana's design?

I really love the new silver and lighter blue color scheme and I hope she keeps it for awhile. Lots of nice details on her outfit as well.

Which does nothing to discount those people's criticisms, or the criticisms of a lot of mainstream outlets that have seen MK marginalized. In fact, one might argue that the majority of dissenting voices have exhibited much more interest in the precedent of character than those content to accept any old rag of cloth, as long as it includes a covering over the nose and mouth.

MK does not have an especially good reputation for design, which is a critique founded in a bit more than just personal preferences for the characters. This perspective considers more than a resignation to accept whatever whim for the sake of accepting it, drawing upon the established nature of characters, and the broad expectations of a good trademarked design founded in internal logics and relevant external precedents.

Kitana's outfit in this game does not particularly satisfy any aspect under scrutiny. It is neither consistent with what we know of her character, nor is it in any way admirable as a graphic concept unto itself.

Sure, there are a lot of people who like it. MK fans have generally never been known to be too discriminatory against gaudy, simplistic costumes, nor have they been known to seek greater justification for them. That doesn't make that acceptance any more admirable, or the design any better.

Resting on the assumption that the creators of this "imaginary" world and "imaginary" design sensibility are unimpeachably right is exactly the kind of non-opinion that would lead someone to accuse the supporters of being mindless in their praise. It is a resignation of opinion, completely antithetical to any scholarly claim. As for the accusation of a shallow reaction to it 'not fitting ones perception,' it seems that would be ironically more relevant to the supporters, than the disenfranchised.

These grapes seem sour...

I've already spoken my piece. I like the design, and I've given very good reasons WHY I like the design. It is aesthetically pleasing to me and I find it consistent with her past. Others don't. Ultimately, things like "consistency" and "aesthetically pleasing" are entirely open to opinion because, as the wise saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Some people find the work of Jackson Pollock to be beautiful works of art.

I don't share those sentiments, but I can respect it without calling those people tasteless, simplistic, or flat-out wrong.

Meanwhile, there is a huge group of people that absolutely HATE the work of artist Thomas Kinkade. There's even entire websites dedicated to mocking his work.

(Oh God, burn it with fire!)

I, meanwhile, adore the works of artists such as Andrew "Android" Jones, Aleksi Briclot, Philip Tan, and more comic book-flavored art.


This is all a roundabout way of throwing up my hands and saying "it's all subjective". Nobody can say for sure what is right, what is wrong, what is too sexual and skimpy, what is perfectly consistent and elegant. I like it. Others like it. Others don't.

Yeah...character consistency be damned!
Hey Temp, we're back to consistency! The thread does make sense!


Often, people develop a perception of a character for a reason.

Looking back in the olden days...I don't know...there's something about how Kitana looked, was presented, and generally, was described to us....not to mention what's been established about the character since those days....somehow, THIS is not what leaps to mind.

I guess I'm just psychotic then.

As an update of her old look, that maintains some consistency, this outfit actually suits her. Unfortunately, they spent that nickel (twice)...perhaps further proving why it's fucking dumb to rehash the past AGAIN.


But okay. Kitana...and Mileena, and I guess Jade as well....was always that way. And maybe this is just one of those late in the game "Oh BTW" things...just like how it turns out Kung Lao has always been jealous of Liu Kang and we just never knew about it until Shaolin Monks...or how Sub-Zero apparently always knew Noob Saibot was his brother....and he just never brought it up.

So Kitana, Mileena, and Jade...rather than the more traditional warrior type assassins, who would hunt down and fight & kill their target & opponent as we were led to believe...were actually "seductive" assassins who used their feminine wiles to seduce their victims, luring them into........

.......

........I'm bored just writing it.

Granted, Kitana has a Kiss of Death move and that has seductive connotations, but.....a belly dancer? Really?


So, what's the score? In Shaolin Monks, we got "Kitana the Faux Action Girl." In MK/DC, we got "Kitana the Spaced-Out Clown Princess."
And from the looks of it, in this game, we're in for either "Kitana the Slave Girl" or "Kitana the Skanky Dragon Lady."

I don't know about anyone else...but I call that "strike three."


EDIT:
But I don't know....ignoring how cliche and potentially sexist it may be (because that hasn't stopped Mortal Kombat before)....maybe revealing Kitana was a Dragon Lady when she was working for Kahn is not such a bad idea in and of itself (though the belly dancer outfit is still BORING).
And maybe her alternate will be one that emphasizes the Kitana NOT working for Kahn and will ring truer to the character we DO know.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no faith in the MK team whatsoever to portray that well. Their track record ain't so hot in that department.

They'll probably just say she was under a spell again.

This is Chewbacca. :-)




A sexy spell... for kicking, I mean! Heehoo!

You should have faith because is imaginary, they are imaginers, were are all just imagined because they imagine the imaginary world. Gosh, I've said what I wanna say, imho. With a picture now, too! So I mustn't be an idiot!

Classy move just abandoning whatever shred of logic and relevance your argument had just to outright insult Garlador because his opinion differs from yours. This of course following your previous long-winded post that only reitarated points that have been made multiple times before concluding with your " I hate the design" opinion.

See just because a redundant post is well written grammitcally, it doesn't make it " right" or full of infallible insight. It just means you decided to write a thesis on something that could've been said in one or two sentences. Wrapping a piece of shit in Christmas lights and bedazzling it with costume jewelry still doesnt make it worth anything.

Children, please.... let's stop bickering and get back on topic. I'm trying to be mature about this. I rather enjoyed discussing the artistic merits of character design, costume aesthetics, and narrative relevance....

... that is if we're still discussing that.

I dunno, criticizing the way Mick talks exactly like the Architect from the Matrix sequels does sound more fun than spending any more time on Kitana's stupid costume.

Yup.... me too initially (see previous posts). I think at this point though future discussion related to character conception and how it impacts aesthetic design ( or any of the other points raised) would be better served in its own thread, free from the bickering clutter.

English, lmao!! shud b more ninjerly to b in character, imho.
More classy just to throw scholarly around and call it a day, yeh??


If you actually took the time to read and understand the 'well written Christmas shit,' you might recognise that the post following was a brief, light hearted deviation from the conversation at hand. A conversation you yourself seem to be aware is becoming somewhat repetitive, whether you think the opinions are of any weight, or not.
If you took the time to read, understand, and actually reply to that original "well written" post, rather than engaging in a tit for tat exchange without a shred of awarness for the irony of that, then you might also have furthered the conversation in the manner you're inferring, rather than doing exactly what you were complaining about (granted, without idiot-speak).

If the division of opinions is going to be split between those who think Kitana's harem outfit is consistent with her established character, and vaguely well-spoken and read posters who are therefore obviously evil, I'm happy to be the latter. If the conversation is actually going to stay on that topic, I think those disapproving have already made a much finer point. One that didn't rest on similarly long-winded posts, with pictures.
I would suggest that as much as the "well written grammatically" post was disregarded, so too have a lot of the simple, straight forward, well grounded points that refute the claim that this outfit can be called any kind of good design. Points not made by me, but by others.

Eleven pages in, is it easy to be flippant? Yes.

There's a big difference between talking intelligently and just complicating your sentences to the point laymen can barely understand them for no other reason than to create a false sense of intellectualism. You seriously do sound like the Wachowski Bros. write all your dialogue, not like a person who is talking the way they naturally talk.
Real cute the way every time someone brings it up, you pull the exact opposite for a post or two just for "humor" though instead of ever actually acknowledging it's a problem.

Oh, it's a real burden. You wouldn't believe how many insecure internet dorks I run into in day-to-day life, who want to be right all the time. It's a constant struggle. That, and the secret agents who just assume I'm plotting against the monarchy. Kahil Grigesh is a real thing! It isn't a bloody terrorist threat, damn yous! Having a sense of humor about it is how I cope with my agony, in between rounds of "Highway Crossing Frog."

lol. Wow. 11 pages over that pic? For real? For the record, I don't see any prob at all with that costume whatsoever, but eh, that's just me.

Although, EVEN IF you do think the costume is too slutty or whatever, isn't that part of her deal though? Not only for her, but for Jade and Mileena also.

Seeing those types of outfits and believing that they're sexy women who wouldn't hurt a fly, when in reality are some of the most deadliest assassins in the universe. That's exactly what they're looking for their enemies to believe. I dunno, maybe that's just me. I always thought them wearing outfits like that was apart of what they do. Bleh.

Fine then, Colonel Sanders. Just keep doin' what you do. But one day I'm gonna get me a British thesaurus and then I'll finally decipher from your mad ramblings what the 11 herbs and spices really are AND the real explanation for how absorbing Neo made all the Agent Smiths blow up. And then won't you look foolish?

In terms of established characterization, no. That isn't part of Kitana's deal.
Conventional wisdom in these sorts of games usually grants that each character should be painted with a vivid brush. MK blurs those lines pretty regularly with it's dedication to post-palette swapping, but the point still stands that the only one of them to ever be overtly sexual is Mileena. That's her character trait, one that has nothing to do with Kitana.

There was a funny remark posted earlier in the thread that seemed to equate Kitana's cleavage to beauty. Yes, Kitana is the beautiful daughter, and envy of Mileena, but no. Big breasts and a harem outfit does not constitute beauty. She's empowered by spirit and confidence, not overt sexuality.


I am overwhelmed by your complex foreign metaphors and cannot possibly decypher their intricate meanings. I can only assume you're insulting me, partly because I read all of your posts with a condescending tone and an English accent. Even so, this is the most interesting thing you have ever posted, and I will appreciate that over the course of my next seven edits. Maybe I'll try some Irish or Australian accents. Those people speak English, too. Or so I hear.

But while under Shao Kahn's rule, Mileena and Kitana dressed exactly the same. Kitana had a Kiss of Death fatality, sexy is part of her appeal, she's always fought in nothing more than a leotard. There's nothing in the story that says Edenians dress like harem girls, but there's also nothing that says they didn't. Creative differences I guess.

Her fans are kinda lame.What's the big deal?she seems pretty normal to me.Listen,MK is set in a fictional setting.ok?so why freak out about this costume.It's no very different from her past costumes.And yes it is a little revealing but thats it only a little people,i'm not going to be distracted if i fight her in arcade so it's not like it'll hamper your playstyle.and anyway is there anything new about that article?

Why must Mileena be the only one with overt sexuality? Where has it been established anywhere that Kitana has not and cannot be a sexually attractive and seductive woman of her own? You make it sound like Mileena is a whore while Kitana is some chaste nun when we've never actually explored that aspect of Kitana before. Just because her sexual prowess has never been at the forefront does not mean that it does not exist.

Case in point; Mass Effect's character Tali is routinely seen as the sweet, demure innocent quiet girl that most fellas find attractive because she doesn't seem as overtly sexual as many of her surrounding female companions. But the recent "Shadow Broker" DLC has a very interesting dossier about her buying habits and late-night activities. Turns out, she is quite the sexual woman in private (and it's awesome).

You claim that impressive breasts and a sexy outfit do not constitute beauty and that Kitana's solely empowering traits are her spirit and confidence. I disagree. Beauty, once again, is entirely subjective, and I'll gladly admit that I find an ample bosom and seductive attire to be things of beauty. Yes, breasts and cleavage can be very beautiful. And I've known many women empowered by their good looks who are similarly independent free-thinkers with strong character qualities.

What I'm trying to get at is that sexuality is not in and of itself a mutually exclusive trait to "loose" women like Mileena. I've always thought that in the 10,000 years that Kitana has been alive, she's loved and lost many lovers. She's lived ten thousand lifetimes of a normal human being. It is understandable that she would know what men desire, and how to subvert that to accomplish her goals. For all we know, she seduced Liu Kang into helping her only to genuinely develop feelings for him later.

It's a tricky subject to approach, sexuality in gaming, but Kitana is far from being the sole recipient of this. Sonya has routinely been depicted as a woman confident in her own sexuality (though this has also been a point of contention with her as well). Tanya was most certainly a seductress in her own right. If we want to get into darker territory, during the Mythologies era it was stated once that Sareena was also a slave and concubine to Quan Chi against her will, which is partially the whole reason she betrays him in Mythologies, but the connotations of what she had to endure before, and after, are rather unpleasant.

Concluding, there are many aspects of Kitana's personality that have not been addressed, including her views on sexual behavior and fashion, but that void in story and character development doesn't mean that they are non-existence character traits, just like how Mass Effect's Tali's behavior was never brought up until recently. Kitana being a beautiful, busty women with a vibrant and healthy sexual appetite does not negate her as a strong, independent woman with an indomitable spirit and relentless confidence. It is possible for her to be BOTH. Sexuality does not weaken a woman or negate her strength and courage. I've ALWAYS viewed Kitana as a flawless combination of skill, strength, and sex appeal, and her current design does nothing but affirm these traits.