Actually, the first game to say Stryker's from New York was Armageddon (His bio card video, to be specific). And since storywise, MK3 happens in the city Stryker's from...there you go.

Before that, none of the games ever really said where they were supposed to be, though the stages in MK3 are mostly based on landmarks and locations in Midway's hometown of Chicago.
Although, in the skyline of Shao Kahn's death scene, you can definitely see the Chrysler Building, one of NYC's most famous buildings.



I would guess their plan was always for it to be New York since New York is the biggest and most famous city in America, that's why it's always the center of the action, the place where disasters and attacks always happen in movies and stuff. They just used what was local when designing the city because it was the easiest thing to do. They used photography a lot when designing all the stages in MK1, 2, and 3. For example, one of the devs, I forget which, said the Buddha statue in the MK1 Palace Gates stage was a lawn ornament in his neighbor's yard.

That's quite comical. Would have you preferred having a fictive city like Gotham for MK? There are literally dozens of games that situate in NYC.

Well...before MK9, if you'd have asked, I'd have said I'd prefer the city to be Chicago just 'cause it'd be something different, and I wouldn't want them to make up a fake city like Gotham or Metropolis, real ones with real buildings and landmarks have more character to them. Besides, how does Kahn know what cities are important on Earth? He's never been there. Where he chooses to set his castle down and make his capital should seem a little random.

And personally, if I were a ruler and I were deciding where to put the center of government, I'd put it as close to the middle of the landmass as possible...but that's just me.

Now though, I like it being NYC because I like that little bit of a Brooklyn accent Stryker has in the game, it makes him sound a bit tougher and...I dunno, cockier? It's at least not as boring and generic as I would've pictured him before.

Deacon City anyone?

I kid, I kid.

Cool stuff. I remembered it was NYC, but had assumed Chicago for the longest time during the old days.

In the original MK3, I swear it was Chicago, but in the new installment it's most definately New York. That saddens me a little.

I always presumed it was Chicago until I saw the Chrysler building.

I honestly think MK3 (and now MK2011) should have taken place in a city that didn't exist in real life, and only in the MK universe. Kind of like Mortal Kombat's verison of a Gotham City.

As someone who lives in Chicago, I see Chicago. And due to that whole "Hometown Pride" factor... no one will ever convince me otherwise, lol...

Not just in the old game, damn sure in the new game too... the bridge level in the new game is like... inch by inch a real snippet of the city. I've walked through that stage, lol... frankly I think the new game resembles Chicago MORE than the old game, as someone who lives here. The old game seemed to be a random assembling of bits and pieces to just form a somewhat generic city. The new game is definitely modeled after real Chicago locales.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110330044725/mk/images/d/d5/Bridge_mk9.jpg

http://theexpiredmeter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Bridge-Up.jpg

Note the identical statues along the left river bank.

That said... as far as in-game continuity goes... I think it's supposed to be ambiguous. I don't think the city is expressly supposed to represent any one real-world locale.

Kinda like The Simpson's Springfield.

Nice!

does anybody think we'll see any more of these classic urban arenas (all from MK3/UMK3) ever again? hopefully MK9 wasn't the last time. still would love to see an adventure game designed around MK3 storyline to make full levels out of these awesome arenas. would be the perfect/logical direction for an MK:SM 2

I think it was meant to be New York, but I also think the designers used some landmarks from Chicago and put them in there to represent the city the headquarters are in. However, the city is as real as the Shaolin Temple and the Special Forces HQ, so I wouldn't think that much about it.

You know something? I never considered where specifically the final battle at Kahn's Fortress took. I always assumed it was a combination of an American city and an Outworld one, merged together, and left it at that.

It seems like the Chrysler building was of no importance in MK3 because it doesn't show in this picture that I saw in another topic, OR it was collapsed by the time of this picture (unlikely seeing how okay the other buildings are). Do you think that The Pit III situates in the Kahn helmet building also known as Shao Kahn's Fortress in the background?

That is the far background image, the Chrysler building is a mid ground prop, between the city bg, and the foreground platform you fight on.


The Bridge is definitely Chicago, because it's a drawbridge, of which Chicago has many. The Waterfront in UMK3 is also Chicago, but the drawbridge's have collapsed into the river.

The Bank/Rooftop could be NY, cause of the Chrysler building. Maybe MK3 takes place in several locations around North America, and/or the world.



Ka-Tra

Perhaps the Chrysler building wasn't visible in that picture because the MK team didn't want to determine the location of Kahn's Fortress, noticing all the Chicago stuff, or they didn't bother focusing into too much detail.

Yellowknife would be a splendid location, huh? Shao Kahn should have decorated the Statue of Liberty with his trademark helmet and loincloth.

I know where it is exactly....
CHI-TOWN!!!

*Morbo voice* Won chu take me to, Quan Chi town! Won chu take me to, Quan Chi town!



Ka-Tra

Bingo.

You win the thread.

So mapping Outworld was was useless then?


Zmoke, the Chrysler building isn't in that pic, because it's the far bg.
The stages were made with layers to simulate shifting perspectives as the level scrolled back n forth.



Ka-Tra

Yeah, it must be. Can you spot any other New York buildings? 30 Rock?