- Completely new cast of characters with some links to the past (Like a Lin Kuei or Cyromancer character)

- Completely revised Kombat system, with stringed attacks instead of dialos.

- Multiple grappling arts with multiple escape commands.

- A proper wake-up game with multiple height/property attacks, X/Y movement, and Oki moves.

- A distinction about what makes special moves “special” other than using special commands.

- Will next gen allow MK to become more frame/frame advantage based? I hope so.

- Counter-hits, or at least some system designed to make certain unuseful moves, useful under certain conditions. Helping to broaden attack/defence strategy.

- Make sure that all the moves are logical. A slow move with bad-recovery should give a bigger reward than a less slow move with ok recovery, let alone a super-fast jab, which should have a very low reward for success and a low risk of use.
If moves aren't useful to win the fight; nobody will use them.

- Make sure the animation is fluid. Let us see jabs coming, so we can counter.

- A fighting style and a weapon style, like MKA.

- No generic blocking. Some styles don't even use blocks. Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, for example, uses parries (not in the traditional VG sense); subtle deflections designed to defend without over-abuse, unlike Karate, say, which uses power blocks designed to destroy the opponent's limbs. Next Gen Mk should have a "defend" button, rather than a "block" button, with each character having specific defensive manoeuvres.

- Auto-combo/sequence reversals. Catch an opponent's attack and you'll automatically dish out damage. As seen in many other games, but perhaps Mk can go further by allowing reversals of reversals: progressively more reaction-based and difficult, but more rewarding for super skilled players.* If done properly, a system like this could make fights look more kung fu film like; it just needs the right balance of difficulty to perform and resulting reward for succeeding.
Perhaps, the more damaged a character is, the harder it is for them to perform reversals or prevent reversals by their opponent. This is where Fatalities come in...

- The new Fatalities: When an opponent's attack is caught in a reversal move when they are on extremely low health, the character will be killed with a mid-fight Fatality.
Say Sub-Zero was to reverse a Baraka on low health: He might grab Baraka's arm, and punch him to stun. Then, he might freeze Baraka's face, and punch it, hard, leaving a huge icy crater in the Tarkatan's features. Fatality.
The idea is that the fatalities come straight from the gameplay if you manage to reverse your opponent's attack when they are low on health.
For traditionalists, killing your opponent with a regular attack will allow you to "Finish Him" in the manner we have seen in all other MK games.

- Wide variety of movement options, and attack/grapple stances. Constructed, "when in stance" moves. Different holds and clinches. Ways to grab the opponent from the ground. Block Stuns. Crumple Stuns. Different states we can do new moves to the opponent in. Other fighters do this well enough; MK should try to outdo them.

- Carlos is a great guy, but hire some more motion capture people, so that the characters idiosyncrasies can be more apparent. Give the game some more personality.

- Character moves exclusively their own. NO shared moves.

- This will be helped by a smaller cast, of more balanced fighters. It may be minimal, but I'd rather have 15, really good, unique, and balanced fighters, then 25 less well developed fighters. If you do want more characters, then there is always...

- The Kreate – A – Fighter mode: returning from Armageddon with a far more expansive library of options and customizable parts. Items can be layered on a character. We can just have a character wear a shirt, or we can have him or her, wear a jacket on top of, or even without the shirt!
Move lists can be customized as well as Fatality sets.
The Online options return, as to give people who don’t want to fight potentially unbalanced KAFs, a chance to only engage the original cast.
While characters like Scorpion may not return canonically (and should not, IMO), the exact items and moves to create a small pack of the old skool cast will be unlockable.
Specific moves distinct from the non-KAFs can also be found in the mode.

- Story wise: If we are to explore old themes, bring new light and dimension to them.
A story involving fantastical events, but less of the more out of realm elements would be appreciable, too. I’d like to see the more mystical, setting of the first MK reappear, and not as some cheap rehash either, but as a well thought and rich environment.
This is only Mk. This is only a fighting game, but Mk has always had a lot of emphasis on its tongue-in-cheek story.
The right balance of more gritty, dark satire, and over the top, eighties cheese is needed. Mk at the moment is a little bit too cheesy; it should retain that, but bring out the more dark elements.

- New, interesting characters. Characters like Dairou were an attempt to bring in new, original blood, but missed the mark completely for most people, and ended up just being plain “out there”. Again, balance is needed.
Characters should not retread blatantly or satirize without style (Kobra), but find equilibrium between the comedic pop-culture cliché, and the more alien designs; never be original without personality.

- Here are some basic character ideas, for example...

- A muscular, unlovely, female convict. A character like this is original for a videogame, and smacks all the sexed-up Japanese schoolgirl characters in the mouth.
We’ve had criminals before in MK, but some of the female attempts were pretty weak. I scarcely believe Kira managed to disguise herself as a man with such gargantuan bosoms.

- Another Shaolin character would be a little boring, but perhaps a female disciple would work well here. Also, more interesting would be to have another type of monk/martial arts disciple protector other than the Shaolin group.
If Shaolin characters do remain the main defenders of earthrealm, then at least take the opportunity to showcase some of their famous weapons, like the Shaolin horsetail spear.

- A main villain/boss/sub-boss character that is not a sorcerer or some gigantic beast.
All the MK sub/bosses have been either big brutes, or magical sorcerers.
A vicious, scarred warrior who uses brutal weapons, perhaps chain claws or a meteor ball (ball and chain)
The point is: Not another giant monster that fills the screen and chucks fireballs. A more intimidating boss with a personality is needed.

- A high tech assassin of earth origin. Using more high tech weaponry than the Black Dragon/Red Dragon clan. A government hired killer. I see this character being a female and having a James Bond style flick knife in the shoe, special move, along with other, gadgetry based attacks.

- Remember to focus on the combat, not on diversions.

- Try to make any modes relevant to the main game. A 2 player tag team co-op and 4 player tag team versus couldn’t hurt. Also, I’d like a tournament mode a lot more than I want “MK Karts”.

- The audio needs to more brutal. We need to hear bone snaps and sharp cracks.

- Death Traps must have more logical triggering moves.


Did I miss anything? Add to the list.



* SC3’s impact guard is already close to this.