if I've never played that series before, i go off looks, then try everyone out and see who I like gameplay wise, then a combination of the two

If i have played the series before, I'll go with past favorites first, then try out everyone else and see if i like how any of them feel or look.

In every MK i find one of the new people to be one of my mains.

But its mostly look and who i feel fits my playstyle

I've never really stuck to one character before to where I was on autopilot or even played online very much. This is the first time I'm going to try the whole "main" idea. I dunno who yet, I'll decide when I play it.

1. Look at the roster
2. Pick two characters I don't care for
3. Main every last character except those two

Well, i have 3 mains in fighting games because that way, it could thro your oppenent off and you could have two counter picks. As for how I pick my mains, first

A character that I really like. Cyrax is my most favorite MK character which is why I mained him and Bane is one of my most favorite DC characters so I mained him as well.

2, guest character, secert character or DLC character. I like picking either a secert character because I did something to unlock them, a DLC character because I want my moneys worth or a guest character if there is one. I put guest characters above the other two which is why i mained Kratos and Scorpion in Injustice

3: I just mess around with characters and try and find one. I just play around with some characters until I find one that appears good at first glance. This is how I got good with DeathStroke (And no, I don't spam) and Kano

So, with MKX, I have some troubles. None of my 3 most favorite characters are in the game from what we can tell (Cyrax, Havik and Frost) so i'm sure in that catogory. I might just use Kano since he appears to play similar to Cyrax. As for the second catogory, i'm going to try out the 4 DLC characters and then pick or, if he is in the game, i'm maining Sweet Tooth, no doubt about it. The last catogory is pretty self-explanatory.

I played a fair amount of Baraka but since he is no where to be seen probably go to Ermac or Takeda.
The story mode will also give me a chance to play as most of the characters as well so that might alter my decision as well.

Random select, betchezz!

i decide a character by his appearance and style. I like them quick and mobile. the rest is extra or less important. I bought sf4 ae just for oni, and still play him no matter his tier.

My hierarchy of character decision making usually goes something like this:

Wolf-related character

> (if none exists or I suck at them) >

Other animal character

> (if none exists or I suck at them) >

Character with coolest weapon

> (If I don't like their playstyle) >

Character I can actually win with

> (If none exists) >

Drop the game OR loop back around and put in more effort

First off I really don't know about character loyalty as none of the characters I first mained in MK9 made it into MKX. Although if Cyrax or Sektor had made it in I would feel compelled to at least be competitive with them I suppose.

As far as picking a main the character has to at least be an old favorite of mine or just really interesting with a badass look. Secondly they can't be complete shit tier wise but even this isn't a total must considering I mained fuckin Shazam and Grundy in Injustice. Mainly they have to look cool and have interesting game play. Sometimes characters I'm not originally interested in have game play that is just too fucking cool to not play as and I eventually learn to play them like Cage and Jax in MK9.

Lastly, and this is kinda weird, they can't be too popular. Like if everyone and their grandma uses them it makes them boring to me. Batman in injustice and Scorpion in MK9, even tho I LOVE those characters I just get sick of them I guess. I like to main characters that not many other people play as, the unique, slept on characters that make people go "oh shit" when you win with them. Thats really fun to me. MKX might be the game where I stop doing this hipster bullshit tho, like I'm so fucking pumped to play Shinnok I don't care if every other person I play picks him too. The hype is too strong.

Oh and their inputs and combos and pressure can't be too difficult to do. Like if I drop shit non stop because the inputs are so weird I won't play the character because its just too frustrating. Like Kabal and Skarlett in MK9, or Black Adam in Injustice who I just couldn't be good with for the fuckin life of me for some reason. Zod too. Other than BA, I just wasn't initially interested in those characters enough to hammer out the time it would have taken to truely master them. Losing a match because you kept dropping shit or getting the wrong move can be infuriating, especially when you've practiced with them and felt confident going up against a live opponent.

I used to be a Sub-Zero loyalist. Since MK2 in my brain he was always the protagonist. Fuck that lame ass Liu. Haha

But with MKX as soon as I saw Takeda I knew I'd be maining him. Then when I saw Erron Black I was like damn, someone else to learn. Im sure I'll still get good with Sub, but these new dudes are really doing it for me.

The most important thing for me is liking the character. I have to enjoy seeing them in action, meaning looks/aesthetics play a part. However, it's also very important that they be generally difficult to pick up and master; I am instantly turned off by a character who responds to button-mashing or easy 1, 2 combos. I also like technical characters, with moves and skills that aren't too far-fetched, overpowered, or unnecessarily "flashy". I like flair, but not too much flash, something more akin to how a real and very skilled person might fight.

My first fighting game was Street Fighter 2; I never liked how cartoonish it was. My first MK game was MK2, and while I enjoyed Mileena, Johnny, and Reptile, the cast didn't really do much for me. It wasn't until MK3 that I hooked up with Sonya and started stalking her through the years. I used to think Kerri Hoskins was the most beautiful thing I would ever see, and the Leg Grab and Vertical Kicks were just the right amount of flair. So thumbs-up on all aspects.

Luckily for me, their reinventions of Sonya favored aggression and rush-down, which only made her fit more perfectly for me. It's like they invented this chick for me, and conferred with me on how she should progress.

I played Tekken pretty extensively as well, from 3 to 5. Mained Nina Williams and King, technical fighters with reasonable flair and a good look going for them. Never liked Jin and his family flying around in bolts of lightning and turning into demons, and got a kick out of whooping their showy asses online. GTFO.

Character Loyalty.

Been playing as Kitana as my main and Subzero as my sub-main since the beginning. So these two will be my 1 & 2 in MKX.

My 3 & 4 will be based on which characters stand out based on great specials, gameplay and appearance.

Raiden will definitely be another of my mains, his displacer variation is to die for. I'm also loving Shinnok's appearance.

Whoever has fast tele

Never cared much for tiers or anything. There are some characters like Kano, Stryker, Cyrax, Noob Saibot and Rain that I absolutely love and always try to use. Of course, most of them didn't make the cut this time so I'll have to look around.

It really depends on the gameplay. I'm not a fan of characters with a million special moves that I can't remember or big & slow characters. I'll take everyone throught arcade mode to see their endings anyway, so I'll find someone interesting.

I do believe there's a difference between liking a character and using it. I absolutely love Quan Chi but he doesn't appeal to me gameplay wise.

Sub-Zero has always been my favourite so I'll always try to learn him as best I can. Aside from that, my reasoning tends to be rather superficial, such as who's gameplay looks cool or just fun to play as.

I try to play as everyone though, and then I make my decisions from there.