How To Improve Mortal Kombat 1's Gameplay + A Mini Rant

[@milkbottle4u]

MKX was the last game that truly felt like Mortal Kombat imo. Fast, dark, brutal. Every hit felt impactful. Every ass-whooping felt personal

[@RoyalCam9]

“Every ass whooping felt personal” 😂💯❗️ I agree bro, I will Never 4get the time I picked up MKXL @ GameStop in 2016, at the time I haven’t played MK In years. & strictly played sports games only @ the time. But I thought It would be an easy pick up & learn MK. Man was I wrong, when I tell you I got my ass whipped that’s an understatement. I took it back that same day. MK11 was really when I got into MK seriously though I missed out on MKX

[@MyNameisMyName25]

Yup! Now we got stages and characters that looked like they hopped straight out of candy cane lane 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@btzmak2785]

@@MyNameisMyName25Fax 😂 character models just look too goofy in this. I didn’t get that impression with mk11

[@JustSendMeLocation]

“Every ass whooping felt personal” FACTS 😂

[@rexthewolf3149]

“Dark” I’m sorry did y’all play mk before x.

[@Switcheroo4542]

In case nobody else said it: Street Fighter has counter hits, which usually means that you can combo into more follow-ups (like you mentioned). The "crush counter" you mentioned was a mechanic in SF5 which was just a different name for a punish counter. It happens if you land a whiff punish and leads to an opponent being launched, crumpled etc.

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

Yup and changes the combo routes allowing for the most damaging combos and visually adding some flare

[@F1rstGrandOrder]

Crush Counters (SFV) and Punish Counters (SF6) lead to the same thing (bigger damage and more combo routes) but getting them in a match is very different. A Crush Counter (SFV) comes because landed a counter hit with a heavy button, which are often slower than most moves. This made heavy buttons these big call out moves because most character's neutral wound consist of lights and mediums, so throwing out a heavy move had this high risk high reward thing to it. One thing they did though was they made certain moves force a Crush Counter when punishing them. Mostly these moves were reversal DP's and Supers to make these more punishing when they got hard read. The Punish Counter is an extension of that last property, but now they made anything punished into a Punish Counter (except punishes with light moves). So they are no longer heavy button exclusive, infact even grabs gain substantially move dmg when they punish counter. Finally they drain the drive meter of the opponent when hit and are one of two ways to drain meter while attacking. (Drive meter is an sf6 exclusive mechanic)

[@Switcheroo4542]

@@F1rstGrandOrder That's correct actually, my mistake. I forgot it was heavy attacks only - it's been so long since SF5 now haha

[@ArcanumDragon]

Ever since MK11, NRS has made Fatal Blows/X-rays even longer in duration. They should be quick like in MK9. I believe most FBs are 11-15 seconds long in total. Kameos in FBs are around 5-7 seconds with the remaining secs for the main fighter. They're basically fatalities at this point.

[@sirruffalot]

There is a key issue you probably never knew about with NRS's top level people. From Ed Boon to Mike Boon and all of the developers/managers. NRS's senior people are all inexperienced game devs. They lacked advanced game dev knowledge when it came to 3D Graphics and design. When MK4 released, Ed boon explained to gamepro magazine about how difficult it is to do 3d programming, and that it's a huge learning curve for their team. He emphasized that everything from animations to gameplay was a challenge for them. Remember, their dev team previously took 2d pictures and turned it into a game. They had no concepts of movement or animation. My point is that these fkers never really learned proper high quality game development skills. They learned what they understood and recycled that over and over. You can see it in every game, they don't understand the deep level of programming as other game devs when it comes to animation, gameplay, networking, fighting game philosophy. I can keep going. MK1 has the same movement/feel and awkward hit mechanics as MK deadly alliance and MKA.

[@tokyobassist]

Well said! To add to what you said, it's why Mortal Kombat is known as the MKDonalds's of fighting games. The only legacy stuff carried between games are characters (somewhat) and fatalities. Just a bunch of superficial stuff and constant iteration in all the wrong places. From move inputs to mechanics. I still feel like while Kameos are interesting for MK, it feels daft and out of touch with what the MK audience expects and wants (same goes for the story). Nobody on Earth complained about Scorp's spear input. Why is it different every game now? There is zero or terrible logic to most of the game's problems.

[@carltontheduke2571]

So basically, despite this franchise being around for decades, the senior developers still have no idea what they’re doing. That’s just sad.

[@sirruffalot]

@@carltontheduke2571 Yeah exactly. Imagine being taught the wrong approach your whole life and mastering that. While rest of the FGC devs understand best practices.

[@carltontheduke2571]

@@sirruffalot Then again, I was never really the biggest Mortal Kombat fan 🤷.

[@sirruffalot]

@@carltontheduke2571 as a kid in the early 90's, I was a die hard MK nerd since it was my first fighting game. I subscribed to all the gaming magazine to get the latest news on fighting games etc. I vividly remember Ed Boon going on about the difficulty of 3d programming. As an adult, I realized what trash I was being served. Great story line, terrible execution. And btw John Tobias created the story and he was canned. Since he was fired, the lore fell apart as well.

[@dmoore7297]

3:53 "it's been awhile since i played mk1" you are doing better then most of the players who play everyday

[@N00BSYBORG]

Agree with all points. Especially the one about projectiles not clashing. I personally believe NRS zoning has the cancerous reputation that it does because of this exact reason. An entire layer of counterplay is out the window when you fight someone with a spammable projectile in these games. Did you throw out a projectile to "counter" mine? Doesn't matter. Mine is faster, has better recovery, knocks you down and still does decent damage so I win the trade.

[@derovell]

That's what happens when you have a fighting game made by people who don't play fighting games. A complete lack of basic fighting game fundamentals. Any rando could tell you that projectile clashes and crossups are at the heart of 2D fighters, and have been since SF2. Completely absent in MK, for no reason other than ignorance.

[@nasirbarbee5940]

​@@derovellI think it's the opposite I think nrs are capable of making good mk games but the focus is put on the casual audience not only that but also take into account Warner Brothers studio and the focus on microtransactions

[@RayzeCruxis]

My biggest complaint with grabs was no indicator and even if you tech you still take minor damage like wtf? Thats the stupidest thing ever.

[@KathielRayna]

I love everything about this video and the reason why you made it. I completely agree that you should talk about what you believe is wrong and what could be done to improve things, and that applies to everything. The Sonic film example you gave at the very end is the perfect example of why talking about stuff you feel is wrong is the way to go. Keep up the great work!

[@laffy7204]

Fun facts about smash's fireballs: Most fireballs clanks with all normals/specials, some projectiles are transcendent so they'll just eat through all other fireball and normals, and there's never a character with identical fireball to another character unless they're a clone

[@rbelljr29]

One more thing.....remove kameo scorpion, kung lao, and sub, and give thier moves to thier roster counterparts. Instantly makes them better overall.

[@arjunratnadev]

gamers who love this franchise have better ideas to make a much better game than these NRS devs now

[@diamondcutz1499]

How's scorpion gonna use his own spear to pull him back to reset neutral full screen 🤔 😂

[@rbelljr29]

@@diamondcutz1499 I would just scrap that move, honestly.

[@LordBaihu]

This! Scorpion should also have his ninja swords added in his play style

[@arjunratnadev]

@@LordBaihu I mean seriously what ninja fights with a roped sickle but does not have a single Katana at all?

[@GypsyHarlow]

Anything to bring the fucking neutral game back. As a Havik main, it's fucking nightmare having to chase every opponent down just to get full comboed from full screen.

[@JustSendMeLocation]

Im also a Havik main and this is the exact same issue I was having back when I was playing MK1 before T8 came out

[@ri_c_e]

khameleon just gives you a full screen combo iirc. Insane how some characters have to play everyone elses game and not theirs ever

[@BreadBeardFGC]

Don't you have numerous full screen plus OB projectiles? Also what neutral? MKX was run bullshit and top tiers in MK9 had absurd zoning

[@ri_c_e]

@@BreadBeardFGC you should buy me sf4

[@Xenoxion]

Little feedback: When you talk about comparisons like the size of characters in MK1 and MKX or how Sonic first looked like a nightmare, you should really show it in the video while talking about it. It adds so much.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Noted. I'll make sure to add more visual context next time.

[@luisdp6660]

The Naruto song on the proyectiles 😂😂❤

[@drzerogi]

Even though this is a video about a video game, there is a lot of wisdom behind this commentary that applies beyond gaming. It's very rare to see that in this space: especially in the fighting game community.

[@pinkpyjamas4090]

I totally agree with everything you said in this video. And the result of all this is that NRS no longer has ideas and creativity for the development of MK. And I really want it to be handed over to another studio or another development team.

[@badboygoodgirl]

I’m new to FGC but it is weird that this is the same studio that made Injustice 2

[@Twisted_Ozzy]

NRS tried to get creative with mk11 but people didn't like the ideas they introduce into the game.

[@DaPhenomAce]

I really hope MK1 is a wakeup call for NRS. I would like too see gameplay changes you mentioned but as long as it sales well, I doubt they will change for the better

[@MrFamous1996]

Probably one of my biggest gripes since MKX, Is how powerful grabs are. In terms of range, can beat out strings that leave you in slight disadvantage. And the fact that some characters can benefit more from kameo summons during throws. And of course how its hard to tell when someone is going for back or toward throw.

[@JokerSFC]

The chip problem has always drove me crazy, also NRS just seems to love creating player frustration from the grab 50/50 to fatal blow and just over lack of things you can do in the game

[@Xenoxion]

The chip damage and chip kill is one of the main reasons where I don't play Mortal Kombat anymore. Can't stand it.

[@harveysidhu7030]

Yes Yes Yes to everything you said. I think my biggest complaint would be character expression and you nailed it on the head. As a Sindel player, I would've loved way more banshee/scream attacks rather than her being just a zoner. I feel MK11 had some good ideas with scream cancels for mixups the air banshee dash being a quasi teleport and combo extender. I feel my girl Tanya was done incredibly dirty in MK1 because she does not have her kobu justsu and in MK1 Tanya is not acrobatic or nimble at all. I love the idea of counter-hits hits and they should also give the L2 button more functions.

[@epicon6]

These improvements might make their way to MK after 3-4 more games if we are lucky

[@ImJohnnyMajor]

Definitely agree with the kameos being different characters. Characters like Hornbuckle will NEVER make it main roster but if he was a kameo that’d be a cool Easter egg.

[@milkbottle4u]

Another thing annoying about throws in MK1, or just NRS MK games in general, is the fact that you tech them by pressing face buttons. It’d always be incredibly annoying when (talking about mainly MKX and 11, as I wouldn’t touch MK1 with a hazmat suit on) I would try to do a brutality on someone that requires a throw and they tech a throw just by mashing buttons. I don’t know why they don’t just make the throw button tech throws

[@jintekki]

My favorite video from you so far, and I agree with just about everything! I truly do believe that NRS wants the best and cares for Mortal Kombat- I think given the time frame that MK1 was developed in, it's clear tried to put some heart into this game. You can see it in the design of some of the characters, (some) of the animations like Havik's, them trying to create an all new single-player experience, them coming out with unannounced balance patches. Even if many of these things weren't well executed, I really believe they're trying. They're just... mistaken, a lot. As if they need new direction. Like you said in another video, it really does feel like everything good NRS does is by accident.

[@UnKn0wn86]

They don't need to do much. Just take MK9 as a base, it's almost perfect. But NRS is too incompetent even for that.

[@alright1239]

I think the problem is that they rebuild from the ground up. They often take the good and bad ideas from the previous game and erase all of it. Just do legacy moves like tekken and the game would be better. They have the animations too.

[@Kalyx]

Honestly what MK needs is to mechanically make sense. They have to start there before diving into unique system ideas to make their series stand out. They need to make a fighting game rather than 1v1 action games.

[@j.i.nthenobody54]

MK changes too much, but at the same time, doesn’t change at all. If they stuck to the 3 bar meter and variations, it could work

[@Kalyx]

@@j.i.nthenobody54 Those are supporting mechanics, they need base gameplay to rest on for the series before any meter gimmicks. And variations seemed unnecessary.

[@j.i.nthenobody54]

@@Kalyx variations were great. Gave three characters in one. It was better in 11 cause you could actually choose some of your moves

[@Kalyx]

@@j.i.nthenobody54 It's a gimmick that introduces balance issue NRS aren't qualified to deal with. Better to work singular complete characters.

[@devon0697]

Thank you for providing ideas that you believe will provide a better experience for the game instead of complaining. I enjoy the game. But I do believe improvements would really make this game pop more. The counter idea is interesting but it would not function properly like how it does in tekken. Yes it would be interesting to have but with how fast the game can get, I believe more people are going to drop their combos because now they have to get used to the different functions from the normal moves and The counter hits. The throw tech idea you gave was great. The throw tech is frustrating to have to guess which throw is being used against the player. The fireball idea of them clashing would be a nice addition because people love to just spam projectiles. If the projectiles clash it forces the player to get in a fight and not rely on just spamming projectiles. The fatal blows idea would be interesting. It would force the player to be wished with using the fatal blows. I believe adding more moves and personality to the special moves. However the scorpion is not Hanzo... It wouldn't make sense for him to have the hellfire and demons to him when he's not a Spector with demon powers. Some characters in the game should have more of them. The chip damage needs to go because there are so many people that have lost matches due to chip damage instead of skilled gameplay... The counter idea would be interesting with the low pokes. People love low poking. I never understood why it was so strong from mk9-mk11. You could low poke a person that literally mid air and keep them in the corner. Stage interactions were nice but I preferred it more for injustice than mk... To me it just felt silly when most people can do special attacks like teleports throw projectiles. Catwoman, cheetah and some others don't have guns or powers so it made sense for them to use interactions to gain the upper hand. But if interaction did come back I would like the escapable interactions. Especially to help get people out of the corner. The Kameo segment MAKES SENSE because I wish the kameos were characters they know they wouldn't put in the main roster. Motaro, Janet, Darius, Khameleon, and shujinko made sense because I can't picture them taking the main roster slot but two scorpions, two kung laos, two sub zeros was a bit much. All in all great video. I don't believe you hate mk... The same with Tom Brady. Y'all believe that changes need to be made to improve the projectery of the franchise. Mk is my favorite franchise I feel mixed on mk1. I enjoy mk1s gameplay and I really liked the story. But I agree that there are things the would really help mk improve.

[@kzakulenga5138]

I highly recommend bringing back Parries from Deadly Alliance and Armageddon. Using the L2 / Left trigger with the directional pad or analog stick to parry high and low attacks. It should drain meter not use an entire block but drain meter at an reasonable pace in order to enforce a defense against someone who is plus on block all the time. Itll help deal with having to deal with oppressive characters and Kameos. It should also be able to allow side switching so if youre in the oppressed end you have a way out besides armor (useless once your health reaches a certain point& against Certain characters) And flawless block (good luck blocking Raiden's storm cell on chip consistently) Bringing back Parries would change the meta and discourage players using the same combo over and over. It would force brain dead players to use strategy. Youd have to use your entire moveset.

[@kzakulenga5138]

It would also prevent chip kills

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

So like Faultless Defense in Guilty Gear?

[@kzakulenga5138]

@@LloydTheZephyrian never got into guilty gear. But I guess. I've always wanted to the characters look cool ASF and the graphics and game play look phenomenal

[@vonVile]

MK doesn't need more buttons to add new mechanics along with directionals is needlessly over complex. That's another problem NRS has. KOF has only used 4 buttons and has had tons of various inputs. To do this similar command in KOF all you have to do is while blocking press both HP+HK. You do a counter attack that interupts your opponent's attack for the cost of some of your power bar.

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

@@vonVile You could have this power guard mechanic take over the Stance Change button.

[@TooSweaty7]

Melina is a whiff punishment character she will benefit a lot from a Kounter hit system. It's hard to get whiff punishments and reads, and you should be paid properly when you get a good read.

[@RyuFatedWarrior]

21:08 bro the krillin getting impaled by frezza's horn was right there, you fumbled it. It could have been a 1:1 reference. ( just busting your balls) Good video as always.

[@zerobotico2382]

About the hit impacts, it feels like even the initial mortal kombat trilogy had more impact on the attacks ngl, my bet is primarily the sound effects

[@jaxfan]

The screen used to shake when you hit your opponent. Made it feel powerful

[@adamgeezy2000]

The whole counter hit property is a great idea. That's what I liked about crushing blows

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

Well, some krushinf blows were really weird and difficult to pull off. I believe some required you to do like 3 of the same mediocre move in a row to get a less-than-phenomenal reward.

[@nabilahmed579]

Kbs were literally high rewards who could barely put effort to get some fucking damage in. In other words, essentially a scrub’s best friend. Liu kang being a fucking example getting a 35% easy to a few simple moves bcoz of a simple counter hit when he literally has every thing. Kbs in execution was a mess and should never come back

[@adamgeezy2000]

@@nabilahmed579 I love the passion and hate for a video game mechanic.

[@Onoitsbroko]

So not many people probably know this but the reason why switch stance exists is because their engine used to create MK9 was the same as the 3D era games. The Devs just flattened the models to a 2D plane and created the switch stance button for MK9 to change character direction in case of issues. So, with saying this, NRS is definitely just lazy. MK9 came out 13 years ago. The engine is extremely archaic and needs to change. All they do is just implement new mechanics into a half assed engine and it's insane. When NRS said they created a new engine for MK1, I laughed my ass off; because it still uses an archaic foundation that doesn't fit with today's standards. It's honestly insane.

[@noble0155]

all they do is lie

[@j.i.nthenobody54]

I’ve always fucking said that MK needs more time to cook as a franchise. Releases every 4 years simply aren’t enough. Tekken and SF take their time between releases, and while those games have their respective issues, you can tell that the time paid off.

[@toasty862]

Liu Kang has at least 2 moves that are directly stolen from Lee from Last Blade 2, the animations are EXACTLY the same. These NRS guys, man...

[@kmiles450]

One thing I'd like to mention is the story. Its so bland and inconsistent, and it goes through reboots/timeline changes more than a comic book. One of my all time favorite characters Bi-Han/Noob Saibot has basicalky been rendered to a cartoon villain, whereas he used to have a complalex story and circumstances that led him to becoming a being that consists of only megative emotions.it all was forgotten and thrown out the window and by 11 every character just outright hates Bi-Han and his own brother doesnt even consider trying to save him anymore and becoming friends with his killer despite him explicitly trying and wanting to save Bi-Han in MKX. That among other things makes me tune out from the story completely. And with the gameplay being how it is now and most of the character designs being... Lackluster at BEST. Yeah man NRS really needs to make a drastic change or the seriesbitself is gonna continue spiraling forever downward.

[@marcoa395]

I feel like kameos should have been a defensive option for main characters simply because there isn't any counters or parrys of any kind. Nrs focuses too much on offense because they spend most of the development time creating new mechanics instead of improving the old.they don't even test it out and it shows. Defense gets the shit end of the stick and becomes a guessing game even when it comes to throws. Just my 2 cents. Great video as always keep working Mike.

[@userfound9006]

Well honestly I don blame them for going all offense when people say that the best mortal Kombat was mkx which let's be honest was all offense even characters that were slow were all offense

[@JustinJohnson-vc1gr]

Compared to MK11 I much prefer the gameplay of MK1. However my favorite gameplay style is still MKX. MKX proved that NRS is capable of greatness when it comes to their gameplay which is why I'm so frustrated that they fumbled with MK11 and even MK1 in some ways. That being said, I do overall like the MK1 gameplay even though it's far from perfect. However that doesn't change the fact that MK1 as a whole is shambolic.

[@videogamerlexis]

In all my years of playing fighting games, i never noticed how MK doesnt have counter hit. Like i always felt neutral/poking was a bit straight foward and flat, but it nevered occured to me why😂

[@neoconnor4395]

My one gripe for MK1 vs Tekken is how button inputs work for combos. I feel like, if you KNOW the combo, you SHOULD be able to do it with consistency. In Tekken 8, once you've memorized the combos they're super easy to do, whereas in MK1 learning the combo is only half the battle. You also need to be able to execute. There are certain combos by certain characters in MK1 I've spent months practicing. I know them like the back of my hand, and there's no guarantee I'll be able to execute. The frame data is far more unforgiving in MK1.

[@alekid]

Many good points. This was very good. I like the fact you also pointed out to the overall look and presentation of the game. MK1 has no mood or style of sorts. Everything is bland and generic. The only time when it starts looking alright is when fatality time changes the background to monochrome. For a second I always think "hey, it looks good now". A black and white scenario! Ironic and extreme, but it comes to show how distracting and redoundant the current scenes are. And I won't even mention skins and character design because the same way they destroy the identity of a character's fight style like Scorpion, they do it by redesigning their outfits and altering colors in ridiculous way.

[@LightningAlchemist13]

I was here for the original so when I saw the thumbnail I initially skipped until I noticed this was the remake. Thank you for reinstalling MK1 so we don't have to 🙏

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

Next game needs to ditch the dial up combos and add properties to moves based on punish and counter hit. Give characters more special moves add a roll on knockdown a parry similar to third strike. Air combos can stay and remove fatal blow add a separate super meter for use of two unique super moves for every character

[@rocksteady_tv5065]

I made the same point during MK 11, instead of the way they were implemented Krushing Blows should function like counter hits do in other games.

[@benetnasch1774]

The reason why they're fireballs act different is probably the same as why they use they're formula, it's different than other games, that's it. I don't think it's inherently bad to have fireballs pass through eachother, but the way mk does them is not it, a good way to incorporate fireballs passing through eachother, would probably be in a game where each fireball have different speed depending on the move, fast fireballs don't pass through eachother and do low damage, medium fireballs only pass through eachother but stop the 3 fast ones while still going, and slow fireballs stop all fast and medium and do more damage than the other 2 fireballs and only pass through eachother.

[@jonm29]

Correct me if I'm wrong but can't you duck throws like in previous MKs? If thats the case i don't think a throw change needs to happen, still watching the rest of the vid though and enjoying some of the proposed changes

[@shinfitz]

Speaking up also got the walk speed of MK1 changed after the beta.

[@Kryo_GTS]

Pressing throw to tech a throw in Mortal Kombat? NRS could never...😂

[@ToshiSan121]

They neeed to make combo breakers cost 2 bars instead of 3 like in MK9. Not having a back up EX move and being punished for trying to play the game fuckin' sucks.

[@via_negativa6183]

I used to listen to the Kombat tomb podcast allot with Slips and 16bit, surreal in itself at this point. I heard they were both bought in to work with NRS on MK Slips being a well regarded scorpion and Tekken player. The podcast vanished as if it never was. In the podcast 16bit was often a complete shill for MK as a franchise and seemingly played no other fighting games seriously. I think the fact NRS chose to keep 16bit on as a full time employee is very telling. Ed boon just wants people who completely align with his view on MK's design philosophy so don't expect anything to change. I would argue they should get rid of the block button as well, it makes gameplay very restrictive especially in a 2D game and it would allow the game to actually have proper crossups and such. (and yes I have played MK since mk1 in the arcades, and I have always felt this way.) I also think the character models size in mk1 and 11 is directly related to how this game was supposed to be an injustice game look how small the characters are in that series.

[@ZombiePicnic]

I would like MK to go back to what they were doing in Deception, but improve on it obviously. Imagine a more polished Deception with a modern Konquest mode and all those nice extras like Puzzle Kombat , the cart racing etc. I think going from 2D to 3D can also be a good way to reboot the series cause these last couple 2D games have failed and will really let the next game stand out. It shouldn''t resemble MK 1 at all so that it doesn't get compared with it. I think also going to 3D could also add a lot of depth with movement. Also let things like projectiles clash and change the mechanics like you talked about in your video. We just need new people at NRS who really understand fighters cause these current guys don't. I think all these things might get us people that are disillusioned with how things are going now with MK to go back to it if they really take the time to give us a good game.

[@DMSmith27]

definitely good video, also i do agree with the ending sentiment as well, if you want change in something, you have to talk about if not, things will inevitably stay the same and of course will get worse. also im still rage quitting and it nothing no one can do about it lol

[@tylerlopez1443]

As far as fatal blow goes i think they need to get rid of it...players shouldnt get rewarded for losing. I liked that with x-ray it still required you to manage your resources and make more tactical decisions and if you used it you lost it

[@KingJinzo2125]

The problem is mk1 feels too much like mk11, even with the kameo system. I liked mk11, but it’s not the game to start a legacy build for, if anything it should’ve been mk9 or 10

[@deadpoolmaan]

I have to say I do like the comeback mechanics a good amount but I do agree that the rate they recharge if you miss is insane

[@Bkzflyest0823]

Street Fighter basically has no chip damage, the only time you ever take chip damage is if you’re in burnout.. even then you only take chip damage from specials

[@Lonely_Gamer85]

The only character in MK1 that I personally find pleasing to watch on high level is Kenshi.

[@munem939]

One thing about the counter hits that you mentioned was that it was technically added in MK11, as Crushing Blows. Some moves had Crushing Blow effects when it was a counter hit. However, they were just once per match because, for some ungodly reason, Ed Boon doesn't understand how a typical fighting game and is only pandering to "Omg look at all this gore!" instead of making a fully fleshed out fighting game

[@KougarManx468]

I swear to god that some of the gameplay footage of MK1 that you gave looks more like Shadow Fight which is a MOBILE FIGHTING GAME might l add , rather than a member of the Big 3 of Fighting Games .

[@captainnavigator6534]

Ngl my biggest problem with this game is how samey everyone looks so they can be compatible with Fatalities. Everyone is has either a male, a bit buffer male (Geras and a few others) or female body type. It's so boring, it's a way the focus on hyperviolence limits the way characters can be unique. MKX didn't have that issue, but all characters that left that field were dlc (Goro, Bo Rai Cho etc). I'm not asking for SF6 level of variance, but something more would be great. Reiko should be way buffer for one.

[@jahdorose8659]

I do agree nrs should of let shao use is Horns Why have them just for visual and fireballs projection always been that way since original games

[@casheph4223]

I vote Mike Hollow for nrs CEO to save this game

[@bedbumps]

The mk fireball clip is giving me netotigr flashbacks

[@zore5872]

Devs seem to think that random things are good because it allows casuals to enjoy the game more sibxe there skill isnt up to par. Thats why from melee to brawl tripping was added to make the game more "fun" So the whole grab thing might be a feature for the casual

[@calvinuchiha5]

Aye we in here❗️💪🏾

[@gajodealfama2280]

Mike Hollow Speaks, im all ears

[@steveevil5326]

I'll take that challenge!! MK not having fire balls clash is I good thing because well.....ummmmm......I guess.....uhhhhhhh......I mean maybe like.....hmmmmm. Oh

[@crimsonhunter278]

This is why Deadshot was hated in Injustice 2.

[@King-N]

I feel like they already had a kind of counter system in mk11, with the krushing blows. Not all of them were triggered by counters but quite a few were and every character had a uniform counter/punish kb in the form of down 2 uppercut which turned into a launcher. The damage they did as well as the combos you could pull of with them made them a 1 shot per match, not something to be done over and over throughout. I would’ve liked to see that system return, maybe with an emphasis on counter hits & the properties it provides to the move rather than damage, cause you can already get some pretty crazy damage with kameos. The X-ray effect was also really cool looking….😅

[@ArcanumDragon]

I don't particularly like the UI of the kameo bar. Of how it's a circle. Also how its positioned in the top left/right corners. If it was a "bar", it could fit in the middle under the health; like in SF6, KOFXV, Tekken 8. And visually/audibly tell its players when its used or available; like in Fighterz.

[@riddim]

Everyone is a game developer now, but I do agree with the fireball situation

[@blazilfrazil2]

They just need to make MKX 2. That formula was excellent and should've been expanded upon

[@leonardfairell3397]

After about a couple of months I must say NRS needs to do something about Lagswitchers 122 ping ethernet cable is unacceptable, atleast let us blacklist the host its worse than 11 an that's a lot coming from me...Yeah I could have forfeited the online match but I just wanted to see if the actual connection was better. People with high ping in any fighting game cannot talk about wifi players anymore especially if you're wired.

[@Kanecobond]

49:29 - The Morgan Freeman quote and interpretation of "Stop talking about it" about race, and I believe it's always been the interpretation... it's not about ignoring the racists and letting them fester... but it's about not make race an important issue/talking point in every facet of life... the moment you mention race in any issue you make the issue racial, and you start manufacturing things in a racist/race-related context when race probably had no part in said conversation AKA you invoke racism... you start loading the conversation with problematic and emotional personal sentiment... that's what I believe is what he always meant and still means to this day about "stop talking about it"... that line was towards the interviewer bringing race to the conversation that had no part in the conversation and Morgan Freeman had no intention or desire about talking about "race", which I found very respectable... whenever we talk about race like the regressive progressives it usually tends to divide us and just invoke "racism", as in create more "racism". Morgan Freeman is about grabbing yourself by the bootstraps & individualism based on your unique character/experience... not about race nor excuses of your circumstances nor situations of your own birth & social outcomes... AKA he's not about the Woke nonsense, and he was pretty clear in that interview. Here's the interview for review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYPdlWqJoNOJqLM The video is about not wanting a Black History Month, just like all other races don't have a dedicated month for themselves. He obviously has a distaste for racial division, identity politics & getting special treatment based on your racial traits... instead of having our differences through our individual & unique diversity of thought. I believe we should decry racism at any point in time, but when we have our casual conversations... let's not make our conversations about race at the same time. We can have a world where both what Mike Hollow said and what Morgan Freeman said are both true, for two different types of nuanced applications. Let's not let racism fester, but also not create more. EDIT: Just got reminded of a more recent video. Interview of Don Lemon with Morgan Freeman, and Morgan Freeman still has the same belief and carries himself the same way with high regard for individualism and not race: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaWxdKCFd6l8l8k

[@aryferreira2375]

Scorpion in this game should play like a firebender... most of is normal should had fire on it

[@toobad111]

I just played mkx wit my bro last night, and ya this game super underdeveloped

[@slateinsertedhere]

I tried MK during the free weekend and I don't know why but combos, strings and movement felt so clunky in addition the overall lack of personality and vibe, what I mean by that is the almost non existent music, the lifeless animations for moves and overall visuals/art style. Compare Jamie from sf6 to any character to mk1. Jamie's animations , theme and super show off his personality than scorpion doing a fire move. Going from majority of the fighters released in the last 3 years MK1 feels so backwards. The game isn't all bad, I do think some of the character redesigns are cool (Rain and smoke) and also air combos are a good addition to the series.

[@AleK0451]

can you believe they made a zoning heavy fighting game when their zoning rules are this tragic

[@hanitschi]

okay but could counter hits change the application of a move and thus add a layer of depth?

[@RealMikeHollow]

They could definitely change the moves and thus add a layer of......... Depth.

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

Yup but the dial a combo system holds it back. Characters don’t need all these strings they need attacks that can be strung together based on hit

[@hanitschi]

a greater level of technical depth could be achieved by adjusting the individual player action's properties to alter upon interrupting a foes attack?

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

@@hanitschi it’s because counter hits add more hit stun and therefor allow people to link moves that would never link. It opens up more combo routes

[@ATC43]

Couter Hits also open up the Neutral game as it makes throwing out big slow moves have more risk reward. If your playing footsies and try to do a big move and someone uses a faster poke that wouldnt normally combo but now it does because you were counter hit. This is how every fighting game ever has worked and for good reason. I'll always stand by the idea that MK doesnt really have a neutral game because of its non-existent counter hit game, the dial a combo strings and fire balls that dont clash. The closest thing it has to a neutral game is Down 1 poke into special for chip/pressure or walking back after a poke to whiff punish a button or throw. There's no such thing as using spacing and single hitting moves to then cancel into a special on a hit confirm. The example Hollow gave with the d3 being able to cancel into special but not actually comboing tells as much. If the games were designed with actual movement and spacing and thoughtful footsies in mind, like they want us to believe MK11 and 1 are, then that simple thing would be possible. But its not.

[@datboyetv]

Idk bro the counter hit thing is perosnal thing u want added like saying due to being a counter hit scorpion should get extra damage or extra stun but lets be real with the breaker system in this game this would only make the games go by faster...but the basic whif punish in mk leads to so much damage that a counter hit property would only make things worst

[@daurinalvarez5302]

I feel you want mortal Kombat to have almost the same mechanics as street fighter

[@TheIcarusFalls]

Wait, there are different throw breaks for forward throw and back throw in this game? I thought you could just tap the throw button (L1,LB) and it will always tech the throw, but I haven't played MK since MK9 and MKX. That's so dumb that there's no visual indicator and a massive oversight on the dev's part. At least in Tekken you can tell what button you need to tech with based on the opponents leading hand

[@kingmayoi]

I think for tekken and mk if they one to keep the super move for low health it should only be usable once a game. Doesn’t matter if it hits or doesn’t. Once you use it can never be used again for the rest of the match. Or best just take them out the game. Like the systems are missing that sacrifice feature. When you would do a super in old mk, street fighter 5 or Fighterz you are sacrificing bar. And that bar has a ton of other purposes. So you are deciding do you wanna do a super now, but potentially can’t do an ex move next round or all the other applications bar has. Just having it for one singular use takes away a lot of thought imo.

[@themystikone]

I've never played a mortal Kombat game seriously. I watch a few tournaments and played almost all of them...is there no counter hits in MK? Or are specific situations? I can't imagine a fighting game without counter hit

[@KARS215]

NRS needs to make it into a proper assist fighter. Firstly, take away summon Kameos. Making them all ambush would open up the game without having to tweak any Kameos specifically. The fact that MK doesn’t have a counter hit system shows how incompetent NRS is 😂. Some games have counter hits and punish counters, but MK has none. Btw before anyone mentions it, Krushing Blows aren’t a true counter hit system lol.

[@GHOSTSAREFRIENDS]

the graphics are awesome of this game i wish i liked it more XD

[@magic_manl2572]

Why isn't sindel looking up at him

[@MarcosBenchi]

MK1 Players : Give us counter hits to add new combos routs and complexity to the game. MK1 Devs : June is around the corner let's add rainbow mask, blue hair man buns, and make Scorpion less aggressive by letting Them say "Come Here please".

[@jahdorose8659]

But yeah they probably should fix the projector issue

[@coltondean2709]

As much I agree with these changes and ideas, I'm not sure nrs has the competence to implement alot of these changes

[@sashimitrash8184]

With the strings in the game being basic or just barebones. I don’t wanna hurt feelings here but it’s designed this way purposely. They gave characters like really easy strings like 212 or 122 because it’s for casuals or other words “dumbed down” they prolly didn’t want to overwhelm players with really complex strings (sarcasm here) and makes it easy for them to remember. Most of the cast is pickup and play with a few exceptions like Kenshi. So you give players easy buttons = easier to understand , do cool combos and etc etc. dragon ball Fighterz also applied this philosophy to an extent but then again the game is more open and crack head crazy. My main problem is yes the strings are kinda bare bones and meh but another reason they are designed kinda garbage is because characters like Scoprion are very kameo heavy to do cool shit. So feel like they held half a little so you can use kameos more. That’s kinda why Sub-Zero kinda sucks. He only syncs with a few kameos while Scoprion relies on it or he dies. If they designed MK1 with like full characters like in MKX then you add kameos on top of it then the game would probably be the next MVC2 or Fighterz being dank as fuck. But instead we kinda got a ghetto MVC which is really watered down with the stupid stance kameos or some kameos don’t really do nothing or just garbage. So you have people just spamming the meta on KL. Which is boring. There’s a lot of criticisms I have with this game but don’t think I wanna flood the comments sections lmao. But good work Mike. You and Tom are the very few people that call out MK on its flaws and not sugar coat it.

[@nrostova5606]

Why does mk have that switch stance button? Do characters have stance specific moves?

[@RealMikeHollow]

Nope. It serves no purpose.

[@bulzienick]

Challenge accepted Mike. The reason why fireballs don't clash in mortal kombat is because everyone can neutral duck to avoid a projectile. You can't do that in street fighter or any other fighting game. Having a fireball war isn't necessarily a bad thing but there is no layer of depth with fireball wars, especially in the case of street fighter. It come off as brainless and scrubby. "WHO IS GOING TO GET HIT FIRST I WONDER. HADOKEN HADOKEN HADOKEN" Most of your examples had something that would be good in mortal kombat, which is a "tug of war" mechanic. Unfortunately MK Doesn't have that. Most characters have such great zoning tools that it would make "fireball wars" utterly pointless. Some characters can teleport. You can't even adjust the speed of your fireball in MK unless the developer design it for a characters and/or meter burn. I just think that this type of criticism towards "fireball wars" makes no sense. Of course, this is my opinion. You can disagree and thats fine. I thought i accept your challenge 😊

[@Bakino0]

Unfortunately, guilty gear people didn't stand up hard enough darn

[@gg_v2]

Why MK doesn’t implement the in game, Mini game from Mk v dc again baffles me. The love of the game isn’t there, all they have to do is get a pen + notepad and load up every 3d game for 2 hours each and boom. Cash cow

[@HatTrickzTV]

Damn you'll be at 10k before you know it

[@phenom504]

It’s a shame cuz I actually prefer the gameplay in MK1 over MK11 but it’s clear that there are a bunch of things that NRS should apply to the gameplay in their games that will improve them greatly

[@deanbrooks7297]

They need to remove that weird air kombat and add in unique parries for every character

[@edwharton]

I don’t do MK1 or SF6 online because I’m not good enough. I do Tekken 8 online because I still lose but I’m competitive with pro players. It’s fun taking that loss. And isn’t that why we play? Because it’s fun? Lighten up.

[@datboyetv]

Noq with throws i completely agree the tech is dumb since u have to much options and there is no indicator

[@jahdorose8659]

Good afternoon

[@SilentiumCivis]

NR: “How can we make MK1 just as successful as MKX, our most loved game?” MK community: “We want MKX speed” NR: “But what if its too fast for the casuals?” Tekken 8, MK1, they are failing because like other games, they are appealing to casuals who play the game for a month instead of their core community who play the same game for years.

[@Hugo_Tate]

With your gripe with scorpion, it is a different scorpion. Story wise

[@major_lag2643]

Finally, a video where he doesn’t just complain for 50+ min