I still like it, kind of strange that Kang, Lao and Kitana got spots though, they probably could have been NPCs like Rain, Baraka and Sindel tbh.

I dig it though, still have to deduct a few points for Kano's though ;)

If anything it cemented the idea the roster was safe and weak and vaguely based on "story needs". Kitana, Kang and Kung Lao were just punching bags and didn't play a bigger role than the other revenants, yet they're playable. Rain and Tanya played a similar role, and are not playable. Goro is a sub boss that isn't even mentioned in the storymode. Repite and Ermac had barely any dialogue, Ferra/Torr one scene, Kenshi didn't even had a chapter. Fujin saw more action than some of them and he's not even as a fight-able NPC.

Jax episode felt completely forced and his role could have been performed by any other good side character. Scorpion and Subzero had barely something to do in the story and their character progression got glossed over. Some chapters needed to resort to flashbacks in order to justify the character's presence in the story.

The game is great, specially in the technical aspect, I'm not arguing that.
But the decisions regarding roster, story and their relationship are questionable at best.

Since when has death mattered though?

I hate the roster predictable and too safe.

My point is that they died in MK9 unlike Ermac and Reptile.

Here's my problem with the Revenants: It's all half-assed.

Jax, Scorpion and Sub-Zero: New Costumes and Revenant designs, In the roster, Revived back to life without Quan-Chi

Liu Kang, Kitana and Kung Lao: New Costumes and Revenant Designs, In the roster, dead and loving it yet they have new skins as if that never happens.

Sindel: Updated MK9 Costume, NPC, Revenant Banshee Hair Zombie

Kabal, Smoke, Stryker, Nightwolf: fuck it just put some yellow cracks on their MK9 outfits. Except for Smoke. Put him back in his MK9 Alternate.

Apparently death only matters if you're on the evil side.

3D era*

That era is in long in the past now.

Roster aside.

This whole story mode format needs to gtfo.

I'm realizing that my real gripe is with the actually story mode and how inhibiting it is to story progression rather than the actual roster.

And that ending made no sense:

"Ok people are going to wonder why the dark raiden is relevant so let's randomly throw him in at the end. And people will also wonder why kitana and Liu are relevant so let's make them rule the nether realm?"

It was a really bad story and not much happened, even with in a span of 25 years. Why? Because the linear format of story mode is a terrible way to showcase mortal kombat that needs to tell so many individual character stories.

I agree that Kitana, Kung Lao, Liu Kang and Reptile are pointless in the story but, they are popular, very popular, that Aline gives them more importence to Netherrealm than Rain, Fujin and Tanya. Same for Johnny Cage, Mileena, Raiden, Kano and Sonya.

I would even say that those characters will never miss a game ever again. It would be like Street Fighter without Chun Li, Guille, E Honda, Zangief, Cammy, Akuma and M.Bison (Street Fighter 3, it has the worst roster in that franchise), or Tekken without King, Paul, Jack, Yoshimitsu, Nina, Anna, Hwoarang, Jin, and Julia (that would be Tekken 7, but they are adding them post launch, Kazuya and Heihachi would be Scorpion and Sub Zero).

Like it or not they will always come ahead of any 3D character, that includes Kenshi, Quan Chi, Shinnok, Sareena, Tanya, Li Mei, Frost and Bo'Rai'Cho.

Literally.

I agree. I think Johnny/Kano/Sonya/Jax may be out after this one, though, to make way for the kids. It was a nice final bow for them if so.

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Mileena, Liu Kang, Raiden and Reptile are likely never going anywhere.

Yeah what the fuck did I just say right there? Weird. What I meant is that era has long since passed.

Death should matter in MK I don't want to rewatch Armegeddon again. That fucking sucked.

People still wondering why Liu, Kitana and Kung Lao are playable. Because of the fans that's why, me myself I don't think they should have been playable even though I was happy Kitana "returned". And I don't see how this is the worse roster ever, because the the original fighters were in the games with their kids?lol. I bet if Rain, Fujin, Reiko, Tanya, Sareena were playable just like the others in MK X, People wouldn't be saying this is the worst roster ever. But I have to be honest all those fighters I mentioned should of been playable

Well yeah, if some of those characters you named were playable, then the roster would show some sort of diversity.

Yup. As I was watching the fight scenes of Rain, and Tanya I'm like damn couldn't they at least put Rain in? He was the most downloadable DLC in MK 9 so common sense he should of been automatically playable in MK X

Nah, even they won't go anywere, Sonya and Johnny are actually more played than Kitana, Reptile and Liu Kang (according to the online stats that appear in the online menus, at the left corner of the screen). Also, Netherrealm seems to like them very much, Jax has appeared in all games since MK2, Sonya is named after Ed's sister and he confirmed she was one of his favorites in an interview, Johnny has become the most popular character after Scorpion, Sub Zero and Raiden (again, the online stats say so), also they confirmed nome of the children are replacing the parents in an interview last year. I can honestly live with all of them, none of them plays like the other.

The only one from the first 2 games I can see not comig back is Kintaro.

I agree NRS loves them, but with the storyline moving forward how long can they really stick around? I sort of assumed 'they're not replacing their parents' was with regards to MKX specifically.

It could be taken in a number of ways, given how Cassie doesn't plays like Sonya or Johnny I assume it's forever. Also there are hints in game that they will be back, Sonya's win pose, Johnny finding immortality in his ending and Jax's lines in Story Mode.

They can stick around has long as Netherrealm wants, Tomb Raiden has Lara Croft up to this day, Resident Evil still has Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire and Ada, they are even making a non canon Wesker playable, Street Fighter still has all it's iconic characters, If I'm not mistaken Chun Li is 50 years old in Street Fighter 3 and Rose is 50 in SF4, Nina, Anna, Heihachi, Kazuya, Weng, Yoshimitsu and Ganryu are all more than 50 years old too. Metal Gear had old Solid Snake, Eva and that other guy in 4 that I forgot the game.

If they think age is a problem they could simply make Johnny's ending canon, but I don't think that's a problemas, we had Shujinko and old Shang Tsung before.

Rain was the most badass character in story mode. his voice was epic!

I just think something's gotta give eventually. They're gonna want to keep the new characters they introduced in MKX and they're presumably gonna want to add *more* new characters in sequels. Some of the old standbys have got to go lest the roster be 40 characters or whatever, and this game was an elegant way to do that if that's the plan.

I am starting to think that WB will be making mortal kombat and injustice in altering years (every two years)

They sell well enough to warrant it.

With that said, the next installment will have the current roster with minor touch ups, and a good meaty amount of new characters on top of it. (New being more returning characters)

NRS made a jumping off game with a safe roster that they knew would be able to Lean on. Then MKXI will add to this roster.

I was going to create a thread talking about this VERY topic, but I'm glad I'm certainly not the only one that was thinking about this.

I feel like the revenants (except Jax) were nothing more than "grunts" like Reptile and Ermac, and their inclusion into the roster wasn't necessary. DLC would've been more appropriate. The biggest clusterf*#! was Kitana having the "Mournful" variation inspired by Jade, one would've obviously assumed that during the storymode Kitana would have been revived and that Jade, for whatever reason, remained a revenant and that Kitana honors her friend in this way. Well Jade doesn't make any appearance in the storymode, so I really don't get why NRS even bothered to do this with Kitana.

There are ALOT of problems in the storymode and the characters in and not in, alot of big gaps in the plots never addressed, and many other things (why was Jax, Sub Zero and Scorpion released from Quan Chi's control but not the other revenants, isn't because the others were distant???). Or in that same scene, why was Raiden able to save Johnny Cage from a mortal wound by Jax but was unable to save Liu Kang at the end of MK9?

I will cut NRS a little slack though about "some" of the plot gaps in MKX, in that they may be addressed in the following game. But, aside from that, I was very frustrated by the story mode. I suppose it shouldn't upset me so much, because after all, you don't buy this game because of the story, you buy the game because of the excellent graphics, details, and fighting with many new diverse characters. Other than the storymode, MKX is a great game.

Between the newbies and the old guys, the old guys will definetly sell more copies, I am already seeing a lot of hate in other places because people think Cassie, Takeda, Kung Jin, Jacqui and Ferra/Torr are taking roster spots from Smoke and Cyrax, imagine if they get ahead of Sonya, Jax, and Johnny, the backlash would be big.

The most popular will always come first, if the newbies don't become more popular than the veterans they can't replace them. Kotal, Kung Jin and Takeda are the only ones I see more picked than their relatives. Cassie failed to surpass Johnny and Sonya, same has Jacqui. Kotal is even questionable because Shao Kahn isn't in the game so we can't compare them.

Anyway, those newbies are guarantee for MK11 but what about MK12, look at Quan Chi, one of the least played characters in 9, now he is dead, the ones who do not become popular will die in the next one, thus preventing that something you said might happen.

Mmm well said. I feel the same way.

Story mode sucked and frustrated me yet I love playing the game, the actual mechanics of the game are outstanding, and the online modes are a great success so far.