MKs relevance going forward... How should the series proceed from here?
Mortal Kombat X
Pages: 1
MKs relevance going forward... How should the series proceed from here?
0
posted07/25/2009 07:49 AM (UTC)by
About Me
<img src=http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/astro407/Baraka407---Baraka-Sig---GIF1.gif?t=1302751589
Member Since
02/25/2004 03:05 PM (UTC)
To me, MK was one of the many symbols of the 90's. Maybe that's partly because it was a segment on VH1's "I love the 90's," but this series represented the peak of the genre when the popularity of the genre itself was at it's peak.
MK, to me at least, became something of a cultural icon, surpassing video games. I mean there were the movies, the comics, the TV show, the relentless merchandising, the congressional hearings... The list goes on and on.
I don't think that anyone would take away my MK fan card for saying that since those days, the series has dipped significantly in terms of popularity and possibly even visibility. I mean, maybe it was Midway's last attempt to save themselves, who knows, but pairng MK with DC really seemed like a desperate attempt to surprise people and put MK on the map and into the minds of gamers more so than an attempt to really find something that fans would like. Either way, a new MK game, now, isn't an "event" in video games any more. There was no "Mortal Monday" or "Fatality Friday" for MK vs DC.
Am I just exaggerating MK's effect on video games and the overall popularity of the series? Maybe it was just the time that I grew up in in, but I had never seen anything like MK before, and I mean that in terms of not only popularity in the gaming world, but actually seeing a game transcend the dark basements of 15 year old "gamers" and really get into the mainstream the way it did.
Do you think that MK can ever get back there? Do you think that the decline in the fighting genre dooms MK to being more of a nitche title? What could MK do to regain it's status as a pop culture symbol? Does it even matter?
Perhaps even more importantly: What could MK do to regain it's position at the top of the genre (beyond just making a good game)?
Everyone says that the fighting genre is stagnant... What could the MK series do to overcome that going forward? What do you think the next MK game needs to do in order to help the series regain some of it's lost relevance in and outside of gaming? Not to sound too melodramatic, but are those days truly gone?
MK, to me at least, became something of a cultural icon, surpassing video games. I mean there were the movies, the comics, the TV show, the relentless merchandising, the congressional hearings... The list goes on and on.
I don't think that anyone would take away my MK fan card for saying that since those days, the series has dipped significantly in terms of popularity and possibly even visibility. I mean, maybe it was Midway's last attempt to save themselves, who knows, but pairng MK with DC really seemed like a desperate attempt to surprise people and put MK on the map and into the minds of gamers more so than an attempt to really find something that fans would like. Either way, a new MK game, now, isn't an "event" in video games any more. There was no "Mortal Monday" or "Fatality Friday" for MK vs DC.
Am I just exaggerating MK's effect on video games and the overall popularity of the series? Maybe it was just the time that I grew up in in, but I had never seen anything like MK before, and I mean that in terms of not only popularity in the gaming world, but actually seeing a game transcend the dark basements of 15 year old "gamers" and really get into the mainstream the way it did.
Do you think that MK can ever get back there? Do you think that the decline in the fighting genre dooms MK to being more of a nitche title? What could MK do to regain it's status as a pop culture symbol? Does it even matter?
Perhaps even more importantly: What could MK do to regain it's position at the top of the genre (beyond just making a good game)?
Everyone says that the fighting genre is stagnant... What could the MK series do to overcome that going forward? What do you think the next MK game needs to do in order to help the series regain some of it's lost relevance in and outside of gaming? Not to sound too melodramatic, but are those days truly gone?
0
MK is one of the last franchises from that area that truly does still have the potential to expand on numerous fronts. If they do that, it looks good.
a.) Oh sure, MK could get back to the focal. For all the shit heaped at the franchise, millions of people keep buying every game. That's not just pure nostalgia happening after almost 20yrs of games. Those are new people who have come to love the games as we did back then. So yea...hell yea, they could. Because they remain relevant to a community in and outside the core fan base.
b.) Nope. Because MK still possess the ability to expand. Not only could they expand beyond the main string of fighting games, but as we've seen (and been frustrated with from time to time to tell the truth), they have allowed the brand to encompass a few other genres as well. The irony is, although ambiguity plagues alot about MK, it has also allowed them to experiment, and associate MK with lots of other qualities that are now simply....plausible.
So if the fighting game doesn't do enough, they could tap into Action RPG, RPG, FPS, or now, even MMO, ect ect. They pretty much designed MK to have "whatever the kids are into". Even though I think that may have been an accident, or coincidence that it happened that way.
c.) Well, they could...
[1.] Stay the course. Keep pissing off old fans, and pleasing new ones. Hey, it's been working. Although I believe this eventually does doom MK. People catch wind of the tricks...eventually.
[2.] Define its identity better and expand within those principles to a maximum degree each time. I think this better merits a reinvention, and allows MK to definitively thrive for more defined periods of time, at a time. 5 year, very impressive increments or whatever.
[3.] Get a better marketing team, and produce more, longer lasting fun. No matter what, this is key anyway.
Overall I'd say, Master their trade/art, or like, "Nail down their identity".
For years now, we've been witness to all sorts of genres and forms of media nipping away at the elements in MK that make it great for their own benefit. So what I'd love to finally see, is a MK game that has all of it's elements mastered. I think if they do what they were originally good at, they could easily "reclaim the thrown" that way.
So, they need to nail down MK's own brands. Put back the choreography themed, hyper realistic, martial arts gameplay. Retrieve and execute MKs brand of graphic novel/mythos based, and anthologized story element. Mystify, and lure newcomers with it's brand of pseudo-realistic, dream-state, or surreal fantasy. Terrify us with how crucial the mood suggests in-game situations and issues are. And holy hell, Show the competition how they're supposed to be dealing with blood/gore....geez.
The themes in the game, language, styles, and overall presentation have not seemed to be nailed down properly over the years. In fact, I get the vibe that those elements are coming apart slowly but surely as they've kept on this path. So really, nailing down their identity would be the equivalent to "droppin donkey balls" on every entity that as "stolen" something from MK since its emergence back in the 90's.
Correcting all this, I believe, will fix the problems and put MK back in tip top shape. Show mastery.
The next game needs to be a gimme. A "sleeper", if you will. Something obviously superb, but that allows people to condemn it for it's flaws, and absolutely pay attention at the same time. Alot of faith//trust in MK has been betrayed over the years that needs to be mended first. One great sleeper does it every time.
I'm not saying they need to "comply", but the next game needs to be absolutely competent. It should recognize the demands of the modern player unquestioned. It needs to be one of those "STFU, we heard everything you said" games. lol
I think it should be a "momentum builder" like MK1 was, and then the follow up to that game? THAT's the "boom", like MK2 was. Take maybe 2-3 games (2 main games, 1 side game & a movie. All concurring material) and 5 years to do.
Yea...
Baraka407 Wrote:
Do you think that MK can ever get back there? Do you think that the decline in the fighting genre dooms MK to being more of a nitche title? What could MK do to regain it's status as a pop culture symbol? Does it even matter?
Do you think that MK can ever get back there? Do you think that the decline in the fighting genre dooms MK to being more of a nitche title? What could MK do to regain it's status as a pop culture symbol? Does it even matter?
a.) Oh sure, MK could get back to the focal. For all the shit heaped at the franchise, millions of people keep buying every game. That's not just pure nostalgia happening after almost 20yrs of games. Those are new people who have come to love the games as we did back then. So yea...hell yea, they could. Because they remain relevant to a community in and outside the core fan base.
b.) Nope. Because MK still possess the ability to expand. Not only could they expand beyond the main string of fighting games, but as we've seen (and been frustrated with from time to time to tell the truth), they have allowed the brand to encompass a few other genres as well. The irony is, although ambiguity plagues alot about MK, it has also allowed them to experiment, and associate MK with lots of other qualities that are now simply....plausible.
So if the fighting game doesn't do enough, they could tap into Action RPG, RPG, FPS, or now, even MMO, ect ect. They pretty much designed MK to have "whatever the kids are into". Even though I think that may have been an accident, or coincidence that it happened that way.
c.) Well, they could...
[1.] Stay the course. Keep pissing off old fans, and pleasing new ones. Hey, it's been working. Although I believe this eventually does doom MK. People catch wind of the tricks...eventually.
[2.] Define its identity better and expand within those principles to a maximum degree each time. I think this better merits a reinvention, and allows MK to definitively thrive for more defined periods of time, at a time. 5 year, very impressive increments or whatever.
[3.] Get a better marketing team, and produce more, longer lasting fun. No matter what, this is key anyway.
Baraka407 Wrote:
Perhaps even more importantly: What could MK do to regain it's position at the top of the genre (beyond just making a good game)?
Perhaps even more importantly: What could MK do to regain it's position at the top of the genre (beyond just making a good game)?
Overall I'd say, Master their trade/art, or like, "Nail down their identity".
For years now, we've been witness to all sorts of genres and forms of media nipping away at the elements in MK that make it great for their own benefit. So what I'd love to finally see, is a MK game that has all of it's elements mastered. I think if they do what they were originally good at, they could easily "reclaim the thrown" that way.
So, they need to nail down MK's own brands. Put back the choreography themed, hyper realistic, martial arts gameplay. Retrieve and execute MKs brand of graphic novel/mythos based, and anthologized story element. Mystify, and lure newcomers with it's brand of pseudo-realistic, dream-state, or surreal fantasy. Terrify us with how crucial the mood suggests in-game situations and issues are. And holy hell, Show the competition how they're supposed to be dealing with blood/gore....geez.
The themes in the game, language, styles, and overall presentation have not seemed to be nailed down properly over the years. In fact, I get the vibe that those elements are coming apart slowly but surely as they've kept on this path. So really, nailing down their identity would be the equivalent to "droppin donkey balls" on every entity that as "stolen" something from MK since its emergence back in the 90's.
Correcting all this, I believe, will fix the problems and put MK back in tip top shape. Show mastery.
Baraka407 Wrote:
Everyone says that the fighting genre is stagnant... What could the MK series do to overcome that going forward? What do you think the next MK game needs to do in order to help the series regain some of it's lost relevance in and outside of gaming? Not to sound too melodramatic, but are those days truly gone?
Everyone says that the fighting genre is stagnant... What could the MK series do to overcome that going forward? What do you think the next MK game needs to do in order to help the series regain some of it's lost relevance in and outside of gaming? Not to sound too melodramatic, but are those days truly gone?
The next game needs to be a gimme. A "sleeper", if you will. Something obviously superb, but that allows people to condemn it for it's flaws, and absolutely pay attention at the same time. Alot of faith//trust in MK has been betrayed over the years that needs to be mended first. One great sleeper does it every time.
I'm not saying they need to "comply", but the next game needs to be absolutely competent. It should recognize the demands of the modern player unquestioned. It needs to be one of those "STFU, we heard everything you said" games. lol
I think it should be a "momentum builder" like MK1 was, and then the follow up to that game? THAT's the "boom", like MK2 was. Take maybe 2-3 games (2 main games, 1 side game & a movie. All concurring material) and 5 years to do.
Yea...
0
Predator touched on this magnicificently. To recapture the magic of Mortal Kombat, you need to look at what made MK popular in the first place. It was the tongue-in-cheek surrealistic violence (albeit, not the only reason).
Many argue that with violence in video games becoming more and more prevalent, that MK has got too many competitors as far as that in concerned, but what it really comes down to is the attitude. You can turn the violence up, but you also need to move it across, into an area of parody where it is almost mocking the acts themselves. MK is so iconic that it almost sets itself up as its own punchline when it's not the in-thing, but it's hard to make fun or dismiss something that addresses its own ridiculousness first.
I also think that the next game needs to be good. They need to get their finger on the pulse of what they can deliver gameplay wise that Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter and all those other franchises really can't. I think you'll find it is character and creativity, but we'll see.
What I'd love to see is an MK RPG -- which focuses on character and in-depth gameplay. Something like that could be a massive critical hit, which puts MK back into a favourable spotlight with a lot of people.
Many argue that with violence in video games becoming more and more prevalent, that MK has got too many competitors as far as that in concerned, but what it really comes down to is the attitude. You can turn the violence up, but you also need to move it across, into an area of parody where it is almost mocking the acts themselves. MK is so iconic that it almost sets itself up as its own punchline when it's not the in-thing, but it's hard to make fun or dismiss something that addresses its own ridiculousness first.
I also think that the next game needs to be good. They need to get their finger on the pulse of what they can deliver gameplay wise that Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter and all those other franchises really can't. I think you'll find it is character and creativity, but we'll see.
What I'd love to see is an MK RPG -- which focuses on character and in-depth gameplay. Something like that could be a massive critical hit, which puts MK back into a favourable spotlight with a lot of people.
I disagree with one part. Keep pissing off the old fans and pleasing new ones? I may just be a pissed off old fan speaking here, but I dislike that comment lol. The problem with that mentality (and I have seen it in many other companies) is that, eventually, new fans BECOME old fans, and eventually come to see that things are going downhill for them as well. Why is it supposedly impossible to give both camps what they want? Before somebody jumps in and yells "you can't please everyone in this or any other business you n00b!!11!", understand I realize that, but there seems to come a point with many companies that they completely IGNORE what one segment wants from them (usually the vets), and focuses completely on what they "believe" the new segment wants. Why is it so difficult to focus their attention on both fronts? I realize time and resources are an issue, but to completely ignore an entire segment? It just never made sense to me.
Back to the topic at hand, while I would love to see MK start over, I can also see the point in going forward.
I would love to see MK start over, because to me the story is just screwed up beyond all reconning. But I have harped on this enough in other threads. It would be exciting for me to see MK start over, from MK 1, with new gameplay (what is it..2.5D you call it?), graphics, characters, and an expanded story line complete with a Konquest mode. This certainly WOULD be "wiping the slate clean" in a sense.
However, I could also see MK going forward, either from MKD or MKA, as a good thing too. Prefferably, I am of the mindset that "Um....MKA never happened! Mario had another dream after SM2, and it seems Wart was the cause of this messed up chaos all along!!!", so I would love to just see them continue from MKD.
At this point, I also believe that going back to 2D would be the best move for the MK team, to go back to their roots so to speak. MK has too many mystic attacks, special moves etc to function decently as a "technical fighter" like Tekken or VF...where MKs moves really shine is in fast and frentic 2D gameplay. Add some features like forward/backward rolling, combo escapes, improved free flowing combo systems (no air combat PLEASE), and you could have one awesome fighter.
Online, via a "virtual arcade", is also where its at for this type of fighter. The online experience needs to be vastly improved in order to compete with other interfaces out there.
Another point that Pred made, which was a great one, is the fact that as MK's worlds and settings become more deeply defined, its ability to expand into other frontiers of gaming become more natural and possible. Like he said, I think this was accidental, but it did happen, and I think this is the position that just about every game developer would DREAM to be in with his or her franchise....the ability to go in any direction or any genre. It's not all roses though; this could be a dangerous position to be in as well. In order to make a decent game, the guys really need to do their homework if they want to branch out into other genres, or they risk releasing something that just screams "these guys are a joke, they had no idea how to make a decent MMO/FPS/RPG, and it shows. These guys just wanted to sell something with the MK label on it. What a bunch of sell outs". A poorly made game can kill a franchise and its reputation faster than a good game can propel it forward.
For me, I think the best way they could move forward is to turn MK into a figher/MMO hybrid. What I mean is make an incredible fighter that is very competitive and balanced, and keep on updating it with patches and whatnot. But, have the online interface an MMO, creating your own character, exploring the multiple realms of MK with other fans, having tournaments that you can travel to, and going on quests to get equipment and experience, or for the fighting game unlock costumes, content, and new characters once they become downloadable. You can challenge people by either walking up to them asking if they want to play (to keep it less annoying, you could turn the interface on or off to automatically ignore people who want to play because you are on a quest, or just want to explore, or keep it on if you want to search for a random game), or by going into certain buildings that are designed for meeting and playing, a sort of virtual lobby area. Multiple instant transportation/teleport features would have to be instituted to make travel between places exclusively for Fighting gameplay less annoying, but I think a game like this could work. For those that hate the MMO feature, they could just stick around in one of the town arcade buildings, playing fighting games with other people in the lobby. If they want a certain item that can be obtained by a quest, but they hate the adventure aspect, they could play games for currency and buy some items, or win some items in some fighting game challenge modes or something to that effect. The MK team could also find ways to incorporate all of their mini games or past games into the worlds. For example, have a virtual arcade area with machines set up in earthrealm that have mk1-4 in it, maybe some Midway oldies like Joust and Galaga. For their mini games, you could incorporate them into quests, or ways to win currency or extra items; throw in an area with a dangerous racing game somewhat like Motor Kombat (a little less silly granted), for example.
One of the more challenging aspects of a setup like this is that everyone is going to want to bring their main character from the MMO into the fighting game, and I am not sure how that would be able to be done without extreme attention to game balance on the part of the developers.
Anyway, that's how I think they could move forward. I don't do MMOs normally, but I would sign up for this in a heartbeat. This would be a way for Midway to capitalize on so many different gaming genres at once, and, I believe, would set the bar even higher for all fighting games to achieve, by completely redefining what online arcade play could become.
Back to the topic at hand, while I would love to see MK start over, I can also see the point in going forward.
I would love to see MK start over, because to me the story is just screwed up beyond all reconning. But I have harped on this enough in other threads. It would be exciting for me to see MK start over, from MK 1, with new gameplay (what is it..2.5D you call it?), graphics, characters, and an expanded story line complete with a Konquest mode. This certainly WOULD be "wiping the slate clean" in a sense.
However, I could also see MK going forward, either from MKD or MKA, as a good thing too. Prefferably, I am of the mindset that "Um....MKA never happened! Mario had another dream after SM2, and it seems Wart was the cause of this messed up chaos all along!!!", so I would love to just see them continue from MKD.
At this point, I also believe that going back to 2D would be the best move for the MK team, to go back to their roots so to speak. MK has too many mystic attacks, special moves etc to function decently as a "technical fighter" like Tekken or VF...where MKs moves really shine is in fast and frentic 2D gameplay. Add some features like forward/backward rolling, combo escapes, improved free flowing combo systems (no air combat PLEASE), and you could have one awesome fighter.
Online, via a "virtual arcade", is also where its at for this type of fighter. The online experience needs to be vastly improved in order to compete with other interfaces out there.
Another point that Pred made, which was a great one, is the fact that as MK's worlds and settings become more deeply defined, its ability to expand into other frontiers of gaming become more natural and possible. Like he said, I think this was accidental, but it did happen, and I think this is the position that just about every game developer would DREAM to be in with his or her franchise....the ability to go in any direction or any genre. It's not all roses though; this could be a dangerous position to be in as well. In order to make a decent game, the guys really need to do their homework if they want to branch out into other genres, or they risk releasing something that just screams "these guys are a joke, they had no idea how to make a decent MMO/FPS/RPG, and it shows. These guys just wanted to sell something with the MK label on it. What a bunch of sell outs". A poorly made game can kill a franchise and its reputation faster than a good game can propel it forward.
For me, I think the best way they could move forward is to turn MK into a figher/MMO hybrid. What I mean is make an incredible fighter that is very competitive and balanced, and keep on updating it with patches and whatnot. But, have the online interface an MMO, creating your own character, exploring the multiple realms of MK with other fans, having tournaments that you can travel to, and going on quests to get equipment and experience, or for the fighting game unlock costumes, content, and new characters once they become downloadable. You can challenge people by either walking up to them asking if they want to play (to keep it less annoying, you could turn the interface on or off to automatically ignore people who want to play because you are on a quest, or just want to explore, or keep it on if you want to search for a random game), or by going into certain buildings that are designed for meeting and playing, a sort of virtual lobby area. Multiple instant transportation/teleport features would have to be instituted to make travel between places exclusively for Fighting gameplay less annoying, but I think a game like this could work. For those that hate the MMO feature, they could just stick around in one of the town arcade buildings, playing fighting games with other people in the lobby. If they want a certain item that can be obtained by a quest, but they hate the adventure aspect, they could play games for currency and buy some items, or win some items in some fighting game challenge modes or something to that effect. The MK team could also find ways to incorporate all of their mini games or past games into the worlds. For example, have a virtual arcade area with machines set up in earthrealm that have mk1-4 in it, maybe some Midway oldies like Joust and Galaga. For their mini games, you could incorporate them into quests, or ways to win currency or extra items; throw in an area with a dangerous racing game somewhat like Motor Kombat (a little less silly granted), for example.
One of the more challenging aspects of a setup like this is that everyone is going to want to bring their main character from the MMO into the fighting game, and I am not sure how that would be able to be done without extreme attention to game balance on the part of the developers.
Anyway, that's how I think they could move forward. I don't do MMOs normally, but I would sign up for this in a heartbeat. This would be a way for Midway to capitalize on so many different gaming genres at once, and, I believe, would set the bar even higher for all fighting games to achieve, by completely redefining what online arcade play could become.
0
jmo1214 Wrote:
what is mmo
what is mmo
MMO = Massive Multi-Player Online
MMORPG = Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game
--
Gotta post in here again....but not yet. Gotta get some sleep.
Pages: 1
© 1998-2024 Shadow Knight Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo and all character names are trademarks and copyright of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.