This is a video for you guys to show the people who think I never have anything nice to say
about MK.
I'm going over a selection of twelve (because that's what it should've been called) things
I like about Mortal 1 Kombat so far.
Guy: "Is this, uh, an out-of-season April Fools joke?"
No, sir.
No, it is not.
But before we proceed, I'd like to take you back to a certain moment from MK11 to highlight
something that will be very important in this video.
In fact, you might say this thing is the entire reason this video exists.
Back during the second fight at the koliseum, Shao Kahn lifts Kotal Kahn up onto his shoulders.
Now, Kotal is a big guy, one of the few with the bigger male body type in MK11, so you
imagine he must be quite heavy.
And given the game's heavy Greek influence with the introduction of the Titans, this
moment's inspiration should be fairly apparent to anyone with even a passing knowledge of
Greek mythology.
That's right.
The clear inspiration for this moment is
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Okay, I'll stop.
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And now, onto that list.
1.
It's just a small thing, but I appreciate the cover not just being Scorpion and the
logo again.
MK, as a series, has never had much in the way of great or memorable covers.
There's, what, Shaolin Monks, DCU, MK9, and that's kind of it, with Netherrealm typically
opting for just Scorpion and it's so bland and uninspired.
This cover isn't anything special, but it's at least reflective of the game's plot, unlike
the prior three, where Scorpion and Sub-Zero weren't all that important.
It's a tone-setter, is what I'm saying.
And I'd like to take a moment to welcome back all the people who used the section feature
to skip the sponsor and missed #1.
You're all going to hell.
2.
So far, I'm liking what I'm seeing of the stages.
The unspookified Living Forest looks gorgeous.
The Wu Shi Academy stage has a miniature version of the classic platform arena from prior games
in the background.
We've finally gotten what looks to be a new Edenia stage for the first time since 2006,
and it's very pretty.
And Johnny Cage's home looks like so much fun to fight in, and hints that the man is
actually a popular and successful movie star again, unlike the oft-ridiculed has-been from
the Netherrealm trilogy.
Shame there's no stage interactions anymore, though.
It would've been absolutely perfect then.
3.
I'm glad the voice cast is so consistent this time, after how poor a job Netherrealm have
done with that in the previous trilogy where, despite having mostly the same characters
across all three entries, we only had two actors from 9 stick through to 11, and one
of them didn't even reprise his MK9 character in 11.
But here, we have Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kitana, Mileena, Kung Lao, and I think Kenshi all
coming back from their most recent appearances.
Even Kameo Kano is still using JB Blanc's voice, which could just be reused from 11,
or a sign that he's coming back.
The only recasts so far are Raiden, who is younger and less stoic, so Richard Epcar's
voice likely wouldn't fit him anymore; Shang Tsung, who was obviously going to change considering
he was a celebrity cameo last time; and Bi-Han, who I'll get to in a moment.
It really hurts a character when the voice cast isn't considered important enough to
keep around, often because of union shenanigans.
So, if they can just make Mileena sound like cartoonish, I'd love this cast to stick around
for years to come.
Especially Johnny.
4.
Now, about Bi-Han.
I try not to praise people for not making mistakes, and it wouldn't have worked the
old way anyway, but Bi-Han's new voice is so much better than what he was given in MK11.
Kaiji Tang is a great actor, so he'll really be able to bring something good if he's given
the right material.
I just hope he won't be made to go all Doctor Claw like Sean Chiplock was when he inevitably
becomes Noob Saibot again.
Because they're not going to get rid of such an iconic character all together and you're
mad if you think otherwise.
5.
It's a small thing, but Bi-Han now having a mask reminiscent of the one he wore in the
2021 movie is a nice touch that helps to identify him as Bi-Han, moreso than his previous mask,
which can easily be mistaken for Kuai Liang's.
6.
The Fatal Blows seem to proceed much quicker now.
Or maybe it's the use of two characters that makes it feel more action-packed so you don't
notice the length.
I've criticised the ever-lengthening super moves since MKX took X-rays from two hits
to three, and 11 ramped up the spectacle with awful-looking blood.
These ones are quicker, with more of a stylish flair, akin to Injustice.
Definitely a step in the right direction.
Now, if only they'd tie them to a metre and not health again...
7.
On a related note, the moves being a cross between X-Ray and Fatal Blows now, mixing
the X-Ray tech into the more cinematic presentation of FBs, is another nice improvement.
Especially after MKX ruined the visuals of the moves.
This game has clearly drawn inspiration from the way X-rays are presented in Scorpion's
Revenge and Battle of the Realms, and it looks great.
8.
On another related note, the game's Kameo Fighter concept has a lot of potential.
First, NPC fighters, like MKX Sindel and MK11 Sektor, can now have some presence on the
roster to soften the blow of them not being playable.
It's also a way to bring back characters that the 2D Era elitists would cry about seeing
return, in a way that is also low-cost for their presentation.
I've often said they should bring back less popular characters in a new form to try and
win people over, and a non-playable assist character is arguably the best way to do that.
Bring back Mavado with a revamped style and if it works, make him part of the roster next
time, but if not then he's not canon anyway, so you're free to try again later.
It's also a good way to add guests who might not be allowed to be included due to owners
or actors not wanting them being torn apart, since you can't Fatality them.
And it can be used to add secondary guests from those properties, like a Sarah Connor
or Harley Quinn Kameo to accompany Terminator and Joker.
It's just wins all around.
9.
Kenshi's new iai-inspired fighting style is a cool new direction that makes his sword
style more unique than any prior entry.
He's come a long way since he had the same moves as Scorpion.
Coupled with his blue ancestral phantom, and there's potential for a fantastic DLC skin
based on MK Legacy, where Dan Southworth, Vergil himself, played the character.
Do it, cowards.
10.
Additionally, Kenshi's new setup as a yakuza enforcer, complete with a suit and tattoos,
is a cool new direction for the character.
It brings back some of the edge he used to have in the Midway games, before MKX made
him into more of a softboy daddy.
It also distances him from the Special Forces and makes him more of a solo act like he originally
was.
I wonder how much influence Snow Blind had on these decisions.
11.
The reduction of the Special Forces' presence is a positive, in my book.
While it made sense to put focus on them in the last timeline, it did become a bit tiring
for the SF to be the central defenders of Earthrealm, especially when 11 dropped the
less soldier-ish members and turned them into, basically, a less interesting GI Joe.
I doubt they're entirely absent, since Sonya and Jax have new voice clips, suggesting new
voice actors, and what would be the point in doing that if they weren't going to be
in the story?
And Sonya will surely be in the game, at the very least.
But taking things back to more of a martial arts focus, with the shaolin taking centre-stage
again, is definitely a step in the right direction.
I just hope the shaolin don't overshadow everyone else now.
12.
It's not a big thing, but I appreciate having costumes designed for use in the story.
We don't see this too often, but I love when games have the characters use multiple costumes
throughout the story, with a real purpose behind each one.
MK9 had characters mostly switch outfits arbitrarily, like Scorpion just randomly having armour
in the final chapter.
MKX used them to differentiate between time periods, but some of them were costumes from
prior games so it felt less special.
And then, for that parts that were set during the previous game, they had new costumes.
Injustice and MK11 used them for different versions of the characters, as well as 11
using armourless versions of Cassie and Jacqui's outfits for the home base scenes.
But here, we have Kenshi in three different outfits at different points in the story:
criminal enforcer, then shaolin trainee, then his own outfit once he's (presumably) inducted
into Liu Kang's elite fighting force.
Raiden also has a shaolin getup, and we'll, presumably, see the same thing with Johnny
Cage and others.
It's good stuff.
And those are twelve things I like about Mortal 1 Kombat so far.
My thoughts on the actual gameplay are not quite as positive, so I'll save those for
the Kombat Kings podcast and leave this video off on a more positive note.
This new timeline does have promise.
It just remains to be seen how well these new ideas will be received, and whether or
not Netherrealm will have conviction in their new ideas this time.
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Today's recommended video is one of the Kombat Kings episodes where we talk about this game,
if you want to hear more about it from me.