I really enjoyed it actually.
I wasn't expecting much to be honest. I thought you were going to be just some random 12 year old blogger but when I read that you're an actual gaming journalist I thought I'd give it a chance.
I was presently surprised. Couldn't stop reading it until I got to the end.

I feel the same way about multiplayer these days. The more I experience it, the more I hate it. I want to go back to my childhood and sit in my room with a few of my mates and my Amiga playing MK. Those were the good days.
I never really experienced the arcades too much. Whenever I did it was a luxury. They were way too expensive. Or atleast for us they were.
But when I did I always remember how fun it was. Playing with some random stranger.
You never got any of the shit you get online nowadays.
Everyone online always seems to be such a bad loser. I remember the first time I got my 360. When I finally got a hold of my first online game (Full Auto) I played it online and won. All i could hear through the headset were screams, shits, fucks, fags and every other profanity you can think of. I couldn't believe it. I had no idea that's what online was like. My experience before that with online gaming was playing Heroes of Might & Magic and I didn't even have a headset.
Ever since then, I don't think online has changed one bit for me. Every now and then you'll come across someone nice that you can actually talk to. But that's seriously once in a blue moon.

FYI though, the new MK isn't going to have Dial-In Combos. It's already been confirmed.

Thank you! I'm trying my best to update the blog once per month, though being on the freelance end of the stick, time is seldom permitted for person works. Please be sure to bookmark it and check in the future, I'm currently drafting a piece on the DLC movement.

Online communities used to vary; I played Diablo for a few months with a tight group of guys that I met in-game. One of them even ordered me a Domino's pizza once; a bit heavy on the sauce for my taste, but who could argue with free pepperoni deliciousness?

Unfortunately, the inner Halo mentality of folks has seeped across all communities, where no one can bow in respect to a superior player or interact with them to receive tips on how to get better, which ultimately is the breathe of a game's longevity; would you rather dominate a player and call him an expletive, or take ten seconds to describe how you knew his weaknesses right off the bat? By scaring him off, you're more likely to lose, at worst, a punching bag in the community.

Try playing UMK3 on the Xbox 360 these days, you'll likely find guys who play as Stryker, Reptile, Kung Lao and other extreme juggling character who pull off 86% damage combos, rendering the opposition useless, spitting vile insults in the process, guys who have had literally 15 years to study the game inside-out. How does a newcomer stand a chance? Instead of building onto the community, which is pretty scarce at best, they give new players little reason to keep playing.

I try my best to go easy on new players in UMK3. If I dominate them with my preferred characters like Scorpion, Smoke and Cyrax, I will move to secondary characters like Kabal, Sektor and Reptile. If I still whip them, I go to characters I want to get better with, like Nightwolf, Sub-Zero, Jax and Stryker. Where is the fun in killing someone picking up the game in two combos before they have a chance to ask which button blocks?

As for the dial-in, Hec said it's going to be very limited compared to what we've seen in UMK3; three hits most with minimal damage, I'm guessing 13% max. You can see a bit regarding what he's talking about in the popular GameSpot demo with Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero; small CQC moves demonstrate it well.

Thanks for reading!