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[LakeEarth]

Yes Mortal Kombat 2... now most people say this is the best MK ever... and I agree to a point... yes, 2 player was the best, and the fatalities had a quality that you could "feel", unlike MK3 where the fatalities felt more silly than anything.

But jesus CHRIST, what is up with the AI in the game? Why do they have insane reaction times, why can they throw you at seemingly any distance... it feels more like "okay, this time I'll let me hit you" instead of any kind of real battle. It completely ruins the game, entirely, at least the first player experience.

The shit AI forces me to keep the SNES version at Very Easy for my entire life, and even that could be challenging... what were they thinking?

 

[nitewulf]

heh, but it can be broken very easily, thats why once you learn to play it, you can beat it very easily even in hard/very hard modes. there is no gradual learning curve with this game.
just lay low till the opponent is a few steps from you, jump back, they'll jump after you, so you will counter...rinse and repeat.
only challenging fight in the game is kintaro, where you'd have to be fast to jump away from his attacks.
still a great game though, my favorite MK easily.

 

[Anyanka]

Yeah, all the 2D games have horrible AI. The reason is that back then Ed Boon was basically the only programmer and they had a strict deadline. AI for the one player game just wasn't a priority.

The arcade MK games were made by a team of like 7 guys with minimal time. That's why they're all somewhat halfassed. That's why there's the palatte swaps, glitches, and why each arcade release had 3 or more revisions until it was finally done.


I like MK3 more than II though. MK3 has better gameplay, characters, story, backgrounds, music, fatalities, it is superior in every way. Except AI. MK3's AI is even worse than II, especially the upgrades. Arcade UMK3 and the CD versions of MKT are the worst.

 

[impirius]

Yeah, now that I think about it, one-player Mortal Kombat really wasn't any count until MK3, and even then it wasn't very good. I'm still convinced that two-player MKII is the best thing the series has had to offer, though. That game had a certain visceral feel that the others haven't been able to recapture for whatever reason.

 

[LakeEarth]

At least they can't throw you at sweeping distance. And I do feel that maybe 2D fighters have the best AI, but the MK series (2 and 3 especially) has the worst case of cheating AI (where the comp can do things a player just can't) ever. And the fact that they never balanced Scorpion and Sub-Zero's overpoweredness, they just made the computer AI automatically duck or block the freeze/harpoon moves.

And I highly disagree that MK3's fatalities were better. They were so silly. Jax becomes a giant, Kabal makes someone's soul run away, and decapitations, the head would just fall on the ground instead of roll or anything. Now there were some jems (Cyrax helicopter fatality, Sektor's trash compactor), but overall they just weren't as brutal as in MK2.

The games are still some of the best 2 player experiences there are.

 

[Hellraizah]

You make me think, I can't wait till Midway Arcade Treasures 2 to play MK2 again.

 

[Error Macro]

You make me think, I can't wait till Midway Arcade Treasures 2 to play MK2 again.

Is this true? I mean, MK2 is going to be on that disc?

[EDIT]

Ok, I just peeped this:

Mortal Kombat- The first three Mortal Kombat games are included in their entirety, right down to the hidden mini-games and the "Test Your Might" bonus rounds. Two player action galore.

GOOD LORD. GAME(S) OF THE YEAR 2004.

 

[Hellraizah]

Is this true? I mean, MK2 is going to be on that disc?

And it's supposed to be arcade perfect.

 

[Anyanka]

Yes, it's true. MK, MK II and MK3 are on the disc.


I like the goofy fatalities in MK3. Well not the giant Jax one, but others. They're more interesting than II's. The decaps do look lame, but there's only a couple decapitations in regular MK3.



Scorpion isn't unbalanced and Sub was only overpowered in regular MK3.

 

[jett]

Most 2D fighters have horrible, cheating AI. What are you talking about?

 

[LakeEarth]

Scorpion isn't unbalanced and Sub was only overpowered in regular MK3.

Yeah right Scorpion isn't too powerful. His Spear/Teleport combination can be used so cheaply that even people who know how to play will have trouble. The MK series has always had balance issues (Jax also comes to mind)

Most 2D fighters have horrible, cheating AI. What are you talking about?

Not as blatant, at least in the ones I've played (MvC, Street Fighter), unless you're against some boss or something.

 

[Anyanka]

Spear/teleport? What are you talking about? Why would you do the teleport punch after a
spear? If you mean teleport/spear then how is it cheap? If you're jumping in the air you deserve to be caught in it and doing the teleport to someone who is standing there is high risk, if they block it they can retaliate with a juggle or uppercut while you bounce off them.


Yes, the MK series has balance issues. Scorpion isn't one of them. Jax and Mileena are basically universally recognized as the top tier characters among high level MK II players. Scorpion and Sub are mid tier in MK II. Sub is tops in regular MK3 but not in UMK3/MKT and Human Smoke makes Scorpion obsolete in those.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Spear/teleport? What are you talking about? Why would you do the teleport punch after a
spear? If you mean teleport/spear then how is it cheap? If you're jumping in the air you deserve to be caught in it and doing the teleport to someone who is standing there is high risk, if they block it they can retaliate with a juggle or uppercut while you bounce off them.


Yes, the MK series has balance issues. Scorpion isn't one of them. Jax and Mileena are basically universally recognized as the top tier characters among high level MK II players. Scorpion and Sub are mid tier in MK II. Sub is tops in regular MK3 but not in UMK3/MKT and Human Smoke makes Scorpion obsolete in those.

actually, scorp is regarded as #3 in MKII .. not a CLOSE #3., but #3 still