@bose645...remark to your P.S>yeah repeating yourself is a good way to bump without getting too bad of a response from the other posters and a little correction for ya...its WB developers now remember lol. But yeah I understood your Def Jam reference.I just could not see it for an MK game...sorry for the off topic but something like that would be nice for turn based action rpg battles or even a River City Ransom remake.

Back on the topic at hand though...you said you reviewed all the 2d an 3d MK games and concluded that 2d is faster and more fluid than 3d but the 3d looks amazing. There are reasons for it. Fans asked for the realism and got just that but to do it came gameplay sacrificing. Even in the older 3d MK games each character model has a large amount of polygons/bones in them to make them look as real as possible without them looking boxy or segmented. Without the wider spaced segmenting or larger scaled polygons the characters will seem either slow or stiff. A good example to give...look at wrestling games like No Mercy on the N64 and compare it to Smackdown VS Raw.
I am not saying that they should go all Virtual Fighter on us with segmented movements or even take a step back and use less polygons...I am just saying sacrifice other things to better the game play...maybe make the character models smaller,get rid of the weapon system and lose the mid fight mini games. Also other modes and side games like konquest should be just separate games. The only modes that should even matter are Arcade/Story,Versus and Online featured modes. There are many modes that are requested that hold the game back that fans don't take into consideration like survival mode and konquest....they add replay value and are enjoyable sure but this series is suppose to be a fighter not 3 or 4 games in one. If you think about it,take MK:A for example...next gen consoles use higher capacity discs and should be able to hold what it takes to make the game faster and more fluid...what they put in the last few games before MKvsDC could probably make 3 or 4 separate installments for older gen consoles like ps2. Konquest could be a game on its own...all the mini games like motor kombat,puzzle kombat and chess kombat that is a good setup for its own kollection installment or even DLC on next gen consoles...and than the base fighting game alone is a stand alone game as well. If they would do things this way,not only will it help the fighting game but it will help the franchise also...because than there will be more than one game available,more games would be released to hold the fans over until the main fighter is released and picky fans that don't like certain things won't have nothing to complain about. Not only that but different versions could be made for the last gen consoles still making sales...like I mentioned above,the ps2.

Sorry for ranting a bit and falling off topic some but I am sure there are possible ways to fix issues with 3d models besides freeing up disc space but that would probably mean sacrificing other properties in the game more than likely. I am no programmer or anything of the sort but where there is a will there is a way...if not than there should be loop holes around the corner somewhere lol. Seriously though,I actually thought long and hard about ways that could fix stiff and slow 3d models and could not come up with a lot. Mainly all I could think about on that was the way the bone joints are being used. I thought of things like the bouncing boobs effect...could they utilize that type of tech for like fat characters like Bo Rai Cho? If you watch a sumo fight you see fat jiggle right? it makes sense to me. I don't know how that tech could be used to make models move more fluidly but it would look good an be a distraction from the flaws. Than there is thoughts about cell shading models similar to Dragonball Z games...the models in them games are very fluid and quick because of there simple textures and all but I keep trying to imagine if you can be dark and gritty with graphics like that. I could actually see a dark anime style working for MK but than again it becoming a cartoon type will give more incentives for other crossovers and I honestly don't want that anytime soon.

Anyways...ranting aside now and to put my sight on your final list bose645...

Graphics- I mainly agree to stay with 3d or at least 2.5d as ThePredator151 calls it (meaning MK vs DC/MK:SM style)

Gameplay- I am on the line on this still...I somewhat agree that the fighters should always be on the same plain but with 3d graphics would look too SF4-ish I think...perhaps they could make a homing system for projectiles to go with side stepping so that the only way to dodge them is to just block,jump or duck like classic MK games of old. I still say that the controls should be more like MK:SM because its pretty fast paced,is different than other fighting games,solves issues with camera and character movement,gives players more freedom to move in any direction with a new jump button to remove it from the d-pad and/or analog stick and it kinda has a classic MK appeal but with a twist for something new. Not only that but it could open doors to new ailties and arena interactions on a more massive scale just because the character models would be a bit smaller and the arenas would be 3d isometric sandbox-like worlds.

As for your mention of agreeing with me on all fronts,I don't think you do. I think you have your own view and have me misunderstood. When I spoke of MK:SM death match mode...I meant to actually make that the actual fighting mechanic for the game entirely and not just for one multiplayer or online mode. It would control like an action adventure game but feel like an all out fighter. Basically,picture an HD version of Shoalin Monks but with player(s) VS player(s)/com(s). For Arcade mode could be made to have story lines between matches or could even have a konquest type feel to it. Another concept I thought of is coin arcade style confrontations...lets say you were fighting in a multiplayer match against a friend locally and not online...all of a sudden your other buddy shows up and wants to play also...there could be a press start feature while the battle is still in motion your friend that just gets there could grab a controller and enter in your current fight and have a 3 way battle to the death...oh wait your sister walks in and wants to play...4 people! come on that would be sick to see! free for all or team options should apply in that case.Online play like that would be intense and crazy too. I only see one thing that could be an issue and thats spawning into the current match being played...that would leave the one entering vulnerable more than likely so maybe the newcomer could come from off screen instead of magically spawning in the middle of a battle. Also,I just thought about another issue...turtling players that will want to run away if there are large arenas...a fix for that is to have and keep teleports....wow I have typed more than ever in this post. I think I am done for now LOL.

I don't think it's just a dream. Ed Boon is going to look at the mistakes of MKvsDC, and he is going to look at the success of Street Fighter 4 to come up with a 2d fighter.

The only reason previous MKs were in 3d was because there was no market for 2d fighters. Now there is a market for 2d fighters, and he may want to captitalize on thier new resurgence in popularity. For the sake of the fanbase I hope you eat your words.

By the way. I'm tired of Lycan Lusion encouraging MK9 to be a party fighter. That's bullshit. MK should be a hardcore 2D fighter. I'm talking combos, special moves, and no 3D movement what so ever.

I'm trying to get MK back to roots, and to try to update itself at the same time. Lycan just wants them to try something new again, and that's a problem.

SF4 and the upcoming upgrade is hardly a resurgence for 2D plane fighters.

@jbthrash...clearly your not for new multiplayer aspects to be made of MK but you don't have to attack my ideas. I respect that you have your favored tastes so please don't be so harsh and rude to knock mine. State your opinion yes but don't be nasty about it.
Also what you said "MK should be a hardcore 2D fighter. I'm talking combos, special moves, and no 3D movement what so ever"....my Original idea before the shoalin monks style stuff is for exactly what you said with the exception of some but not a lot of 3D elements. Basically 2D fighting with the 3d arenas. the plane between the 2 characters would be the same at all times...even if there is a side step. the only purpose for a side step should be for arena interactions and stage placement for any alities or death traps. meaning if your fighting as scorpion and use the spear on someone but they try to sidestep away to escape...that won't work it will and should just follow and hit them. logically its not realistic but its a video game so it does not have to be...but it does have to be smooth and attractive.
I know you want straight forward head on classic MK style gameplay (ah la MK2 ect. ect.) but what would be the sense of doing that? I am not saying that a lot of us would not like it or play it...being a die hard fan myself i would buy it but it would be so much like the older games it would just be a reboot/remake in my eyes. sure things could be added and still give it a gimmick or twist like the stuff you see on youtube that the fans make but the simplicity in controls that you want will still be gone. we are talking next gen console gaming and things will change in some manner. i own,love and still play every MK made (my favorite being MK:T) but its inevitable that changes will happen. I myself would like to see an HD remix of MK:T or even a downgrade of MK:A...MK:A in 2D would be neat. I would like to see a 2D version of create a fighter.
as for your SF4 hypothesis...it had its success at one point yes but it also failed to meet expectations...it fell short of mine that is for sure. the best thing about SF4 is the level of difficulty makes it playable for a good period of time but its not a must buy game imo...its a rent i guess.

@Chrome what you said in the post before this...i agree.i believe SSF4 will end up in the bargain bin as fast as the first one.