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Old 05-08-2021, 02:41 PM   #69
Leo656
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I don't really have a strong preference either way. I just really like that there's variety in the genre. As I've said many times, I ain't good at 'em, but I do enjoy fighters a lot more than I used to.

I think I've seen Andrew make the point in the past that, essentially, "In Real Life if someone throws a projectile you'd be able to do more than just Jump or Duck, you'd be able to move side-to-side" and so forth, and therefore 3D-based fighters are "more realistic" and "better" - if I'm misspeaking or misinterpreting, Andrew, please feel free to correct me - and I do get the logic in that. It's one of my favorite things about SoulCalibur, for example; that extra dimension adds an entirely different element of strategy. I don't think it's "better" than Street Fighter-style gameplay, just different, and lots of fun in its own way.

But I also like Sumac's RPG analogy. In "Real Life" you don't take turns fighting and choose attacks from a menu while the enemies patiently wait their turn. But even given that, I wouldn't automatically say that Fable or Elder Scrolls are "better" than Final Fantasy just because the gameplay is more "real-time" based. I just love RPGs and I really don't have any strong preference for turn-based or action-RPG type of games.

Likewise, I've found a lot of fun with both 2D and 3D fighting games and I agree with Sumac that there are some pretty fundamental differences that go beyond just the ability to sidestep. You have to play them differently; if you try and play SoulCalibur the same way you play Street Fighter, you'll lose badly.

Given how I have no strong preference, though - and being more of a "casual fan" at best of MK at the time - I didn't have any problem with the series attempting to transition to 3D. And I really had a lot of fun with those games (even though it's been a while since I played them). But at the same time, I don't have a serious problem with them going "back to the roots" for MK9, X and 11, either. Both for marketing purposes and recapturing some of the audience that drifted away after MK4, it was probably the smart thing to do. Would I, personally, have complained if they'd kept the series in 3D, though? Nah.

I also agree with Andrew that MK vs. DC was a lot better than people say it is. I think that the MK and Injustice games since then are objectively a lot better, but I seriously think people got SO hung up on the fact that it was "neutered" by MK standards that they couldn't just enjoy the game as it was. Graphically, mechanically, and gameplay-wise, I think it's a fine game. The only thing "missing" was the splatter, and while that IS a fundamental part of the "MK Experience", if a person sincerely can't enjoy a game simply because there's no chance of seeing Sub-Zero rip Superman's head off, then that person needs to grow the f*ck up. For me, the story was decent and the character interaction was fun. And it played well. I think going back to it now, especially, since we've seen the MK games go more over-the-top than ever with the gore, the "sin" of MK vs DC being watered-down should be a non-issue. It's ONE game in a whole series that happens to be a little more tame than the rest; big deal!
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Anyways, I'm still playing MK 2011, and probably will be for a bit since there's so much to do. I've done about 215 of the Challenge Tower missions - I think there's 300? - and I still need to beat Arcade with pretty much everyone. It's a lot of fun, but some of the Challenges are pretty annoying. Some of them are super-easy but a couple of them took me almost an hour. That said, there's definitely a big "YEAH!" feeling whenever I finally get past one of the ones that I'm stuck on, and I haven't had to pay Koins to skip any of them, yet. Definitely more fun than frustrating, though. I'm sure that people who are actually good at these games can whip through it no problem.

Also, I know it's "controversial" for some people but I'm glad that they actually just have Fatalities listed in the Moves List with the newer games. That always annoyed me as a kid, having to buy or borrow magazines and write all the stuff down; I get that for some people finding all the "secrets" was part of the fun but I always would have rather they just put them in the instruction manual or something. Back in those days I'd only have rented a game like MK for a weekend and I didn't want to spend my entire time with it fumbling around trying to find the magic button combo for Sub-Zero's finisher. It's more fun to just do the thing, for me.
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For the record, as pretty much a neophyte in this genre I really like observing these conversations.
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Last edited by Leo656; 05-08-2021 at 02:51 PM.
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