That's a very interesting point, I always thought about whether the MK team thought ahead.

I came to the conclusion of yes. I think Ed personally has it planned out in his head till MK10. I mean, the guy knows excactly what he's going to do.

You can see that from MK2's transition to MK3, Shao Khan was always going to be the boss no matter what.

And later when they introduced MKMS they had a plan to introduce Shinnok as a boss character in MK4.

Interesting thread, I really do think the answer is yes...

I doubt it very much. Tobias had the story planned out in advance for the most part. The original three games featured the same basic storyline, which Tobias had written, and thus there was relative cohesiveness between them.

After that, Tobias started a new story arc, which featured Shinnok. He planted some backstory for Shinnok with MKM:SZ, and included Sub-Zero and Scorpion to tie him to the established MK universe, before MK4 came out.

However, when Tobias left, it meant that they had a new writer, without the same ideas as the old one. I think any real cohesive plotting went out the window right there, and everything that followed was a matter of common sense of putting the stories together, or a complete ignoring of Tobias's work.

In response, no, I doubt Blaze was intentionally placed in MK2 as a character for MK5. I think they took him from the background in order to fill out the roster in MKD, and add him in as a bonus character. For nostalgia value as well as replay and completion value. I really doubt that he was intentional in MK2 though. He and Hornbuckle were just there to spice up the background.

It's pretty obvious they make it up as they go for the most part. You wouldn't get as many plot holes and retcons that MK has currently if they did actually plan ahead.

Not really disputing the shift between Tobias and Vogel, but I think it's fair to at the very least acknowledge the forward planning for the transition from Deadly Alliance to Deception.

The Dragon King, at the very least, was forward planning that was carried through.
With the cohesion between the endings in Deadly Alliance, I'd like to also think there was probably more thought given to the future of Mortal Kombat. I just assume it was largely discarded in favour of new threads, and styles.

I think Deception became more of an exercise in recapturing the thrills of the past (re: MKII), and part of that may have been the reinterpretation of unpredictability in the stories.


I think it's pretty safe to assume Blaze was just background filler.

The Tobias storyline was - MK1, MK2, MK3, MKM: SZ, MK4

The Vogel storyline was - MKDA, MKD

MKSF doesn't really fit in either category since it was basically unfinished and rushed to meet a deadline. In my opinion, they should re-release the game to make it what it was supposed to be. Ya know, RETCON the entire thing. When Street Fighter retcons its storylines, it makes it a point to re-release the game with a new story implemented into it. If MK truly wants us to buy its "retcons", then it should do the same. I would definitely like a total remake of MKSF. It didn't do what it was originally going to set out to do.

As for MKSM, well..................in a way, it's a bit of both. Tobias' original story was taken and for the most part KEPT (you wanna argue, go ahead), but Vogel added tidbits into it.

As for thinking ahead, I agree with everyone here. In each respective storyline, there was. MK1 transitioned to MK2, MK2 transitioned to MK3. MKM:SZ started up a new arc by giving some backstory that would eventually become MK4.

After Tobias left, though, a new era had begun. Vogel's storyline, however, DID have transition. MKDA transitioned to MKD. But Vogel, I'm sure, keeps Tobias' original ideas in mind. I mean, in MKD it shows that MKM:SZ hasn't been forgotten.

And now that people have brought it up that they disliked the ending in MKSM, Vogel knows he will have some answering to do however half-assed it may be. They take the story pretty seriously - it's just fans dislike certain things about it.

Don't encourage them!!!
The last thing we need is another Mortal Kombt 3/Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3/Mortal Kombat Trilogy!

Think carefully and get it right the first time, and live with the mistakes!

Alright, man, whatever. That wasn't my intention.

But, really, admit it..............a total do-over on MKSF would be pretty damn snazzy...as long as they have their facts straight in continuity.

Yeah, seriously. Vogel's only problem is that he has a habit of retconning cool past plots. He needs to stop retconning and make Tobias' story work with his own.

It just drive me nuts when games are re-hashed.
That would probably be one of the few criticisms I'd throw Street Fighter's way. Not enough progress, and too many revamps.


Yeah, SF has potential.
Like Shaolin Monks/MK II, I'd probably rather those things just be left to the past, but I can definitely admit it would be a cool game. I remember seeing the initial screens, and everything about it looked SPECTACULAR.

Actually, I still don't understand how things went so far backwards on Special Forces. Those early pics had far superior graphics, and the levels looked a lot better! Would've been fun to have Sonya, too, for the alternate routes (like air vents still seen in-game).

Like I said, though... leave it in the past.

Maybe with Shaolin Monks out of the way, things could be built on, and a new Special Forces game could be developed dealing with an all new storyline in contemporary continuity.
It'd be pretty fun to have someone like Cyrax in the mix.

Why does everyone always act like MK Mythologies came out before MK4? Both were developed at the same time by seperate teams and MK4 actually ended up coming out first.

Um... then why would there be a preview for MK4 in MKM? I mean, they probably came out not too long after the other, then again I don't know there release dates...

That doesn't really make sense. I am aware that they came out in the same year, but MK Mythologies was supposed to come out before MK4. I don't understand why they would rush MK4 to the point of it being completely shoddy so that they could get it out before MKM:SZ, especially when that one is supposed to be the prequel, and basically what sets up the whole story.

If you are correct, and MKM was released after MK4, then Midway are a bunch of idiots. They needed to delay the fourth part of the series so that MKM could be played and the story officially established, and in that time they could have improved on the design. Instead, you are saying they released it before, looking completely horrible, completely ignoring MKM's purpose. I think I might need to have a chat with Boon and Tobias about that.

Cross promotion doesn't really have a time limit.
You ever buy a DVD and see trailers for another movie, that's 'available now'? It's the same principle.

That was the PSX version of MK4. The arcade version of MK4 had been out months before that. The arcade version of MK4 actually has an ad for MKM.

Arcade MK4 was testing in the summer of 97 and shipped nationwide in the first days of September. MKM for PSX came out around October 2nd.


Yeah it makes no sense to release MK4 ahead of MKM but keep it mind they were not made by the same development team. Tobias' lead MKM team and Boon's lead MK4 team were working on them at the same time seperatly. The idea was to release them at the same time. Since MK4 was an arcade game and needed public testing and revisions it was released first.

It would be hard to understand MK4's story without MKM but MK4's story wasn't finished when the game first came out. The first revision of MK4 had no opening bios or endings. By the time the story was being finished MKM was out around the same time.

Very very true.

Couldnt agree more if i tried.