Sadly no. We live in a world where, unless you are an indie studio or a master negotiator, the publisher owns your IP. SEGA could give Bayonetta to some other studio and Platinum would have no say. I don’t think they WOULD do that, as they actually seem to have an abnormal level of respect for their creators, but they could if they wanted to. Bayo is owned by SEGA. Wonderful 101 is owned by Nintendo. Scalebound is Microsoft. Nier is Square Enix. None of these games have Platinum anywhere in their copyright section.
I love this stuff. Don’t know why. I’m just fascinated by copyright.
I actually like it. And I want to go into the creative industry. Especially if it’s a company I’m a fan of it would feel like an honour. Like my franchise has joined this great pantheon. And I have plenty of ideas that if one becomes completely locked off to me I can do other stuff. I actually think it would be an honor to be rebooted because that means that either someone loved my content enough to want to tell their own story in my world, or that my franchise is considered profitable and valuable by the company. Enough to keep it around. I know it sounds weird and maybe I’ve been “brainwashed” by the current industry, but I don’t care.
Anyway. Super off topic. MK11 is coming. yay? Man I wish they were doing something else.
If this game guarantees that “something else” won’t be abject garbage like Armageddon, then I will gladly take this. And in my case I prefer MK’s lore, so I actually care more for this than some spinoff or compilation like MK Trilogy (sorry Injustice, Batman ain’t enough to make me care anymore). I still hope the gameplay doesn’t get annihilated by the custom variation nonsense, it still feels like a massive red flag compared to their previous gimmicks.
Also I wonder when that new trailer is coming? Part of me knew it wasn’t gonna be on New Year’s Day, but it is most likely coming sometime this month.
To be fair, Armageddon did advance the MK story, so it’s not like we can’t have a compilation game that’s also bound to / advances the lore. We’ll just ignore that this particular example put up such a substantial narrative roadblock that it forced the devs to essentially rewrite their entire history, creating two separate timelines while seemingly retconning some of the best character development in the series lol.
But yeah, if I could have a numbered sequel with a healthy mix of characters from all eras, plus some newbies, I’ll gladly take that over a compilation or a spinoff title.
I certainly wouldn’t mind a spinoff title, but part of the fun of Shaolin Monks was that you were playing through a time period in the series that didn’t have a ton in the way of fleshed out storytelling. Plus, you were actually running through these areas that were backgrounds in MK2.
Given the way the story’s told in MK games now, we’re not really lacking for story content and many of the stages serve as the points where exposition plays out, so it’s not like you’re really missing out in that regard like we might’ve been in the past.
So basically it more or less comes down to liking Shaolin Monks fighting and beat-em-up gameplay, which I certainly enjoyed, but what would NRS really do with it at this point, in terms of a standalone game? I mean, if they wanted to use that template in a sort of “Tekken Force Mode” kind of way and make it a minigame in a mainline title, I think that could be cool, especially if they used it as a sort of narrative lead-up to the events of the main storyline, almost like the comics. That could be interesting.
But as far as a full fledged sequel to Shaolin Monks or even something along those lines, as a standalone title, I guess I’m just not sure why they’d need it. I’d take it if someone other than NRS developed it (thus allowing them to work on their own titles) the way Midway’s LA studio did Shaolin Monks while Boon and others advised / consulted. That’d be nice. Maybe finally get that Scorpion / Sub Zero “Fire and Ice” game they talked about a while back and perhaps have it deal with some side events of the current timeline.
As for Injustice, I’m not really much of a fan, especially as they go deeper and deeper in to DC’s character list. I’d much rather have a Batman-centered fighting game with all of his Gotham allies and enemies, but I know I’m in the minority on this, which is fine. I also wouldn’t mind seeing them put together a horror-themed fighting game, not because I’d have any interest in it (I wouldn’t), but maybe so it gets those characters out of MK games and we can get some guests I’d actually be interested in using lol.
Yeah, I’m a bit nervous about that too. We’ll have to see how it plays out when we learn more on the 17th, but for now, I can’t help but wonder how custom variations would affect balance, and how much we’ll be enticed to either grind or pay for more in-game unlocks that have affect on actual gameplay. I’ve read that they won’t make MK11 the same way that they made Injustice 2, with lootboxes and all that, but we’ll have to wait and see, I guess.
I’ve said it before. But with the extra wait time added on, I thought they were doing something special. Like the Slasher movie fighter people always bring up, or MKvDC2. I don’t know. I’m just finding it hard to get hyped for just… another Mortal Kombat. sighs Oh well. Let’s just hope it’s good.
I thought they might be using the extra time too. But since the release is in April it just means they delayed the announcement. This was probably smart although with such a crowded fighting game lineup for early next year I feel they might have been better off delaying. Probably WB shareholders wouldn’t like that.
In any event I would agree with others who suggest it’s not an either or choice. If WB thought the license made sense for a side scrolling sequel to Shaolin Monks they would likely farm it out to another developer, with NRS consulting on the story and visual direction.
To be fair this is Ed Boon we are talking about, he’s done nonsense before. But you’re right, I didn’t remember the reveal event when I said that.
Ed made it somewhat clear it was going to be MK11 back then. If I recall it was after IJ2 was done that he said something like “We did, MK, then Injustice. People know what will happen next based on our schedule.” Of course he always says stuff like this, but that time he wasn’t very cryptic about it.
Honestly. I thought he was deflecting. Developers are always cryptic about these things and saying we knew what was coming next would have made the surprise all the more epic.
I dunno, that seemed to be one of those rare moments where Boon was speaking clearly about something he couldn’t talk about yet. Had they continued to hold off on showing anything beyond the game awards, I might’ve started to wonder, but I think everyone more or less assumed based on what he said back then that MK 11 was coming up next.
I can see why people might start to wonder though given how they were silent for so long, breaking their own relatively well-known pattern. Honestly, I was starting to assume they’d wait on MK and announce it at 2019’s E3 as a next gen title, perhaps using that extra time to add some bells and whistles like more modes and an HD remake of the original MK titles.
Alas, given where we’re at right now, I like what they wound up doing here. There’s really no extra time involved schedule-wise, so no reason to expect something beyond what they’ve done in the past, of course we didn’t know that before. Either way, having such a small lead-in time from announcement to release should give us plenty to look over and scrutinize in the three months between whatever’s happening on 1/17/19 and the final product on 4/23/19. Hopefully they’ll keep the news flowing on a week to week basis and not just have big, monthly info drops, but even that wouldn’t be too bad.
Trying to think what other fighting games are coming out early this year beyond Dead or Alive 6 that would really steal MK’s thunder. Jump Force? A new Guilty Gear, perhaps? Seems like a bunch of niche titles might be on the way, but I can’t imagine MK has too much to worry about from most of these. If a new Street Fighter or Tekken were coming out the same month, that might be different, I suppose, but even then…
AFAIK Nintendo doesn’t have any legal power over the Bayonetta franchise beyond anything that involves Bayonetta 2 and 3 as distinct titles. Though they probably do have considerable indirect power over the franchise since the survival of the series depends on their funding now.
As far as her being included, I have to agree with the notion that she doesn’t fit MK. Sure there’s a bunch of over-the-top violence and gore in her games, but it’s always directed at heavily stylized monsters and never her or other people. It’s weird to say but the PG-rated way she’s portrayed in Smash seems much more appropriate for her character to me than MK’s dismemberment and bone-crushing would.
Just once I’d like to post an idea on here and have someone say “Aw man! That would be Awesome!” And not “No. You’re wrong. Here’s why”.
I get it. We’re having a discussion and everyone has different opinions. But it’s still really disheartening. Especially when I want to go into the creative industry. When you’re constantly told how bad your ideas are, you start to wonder if maybe you’re not just talking to the wrong people. Maybe you just have nothing but bad ideas. Which is a really depressing notion to ponder for a creative.
lol Sorry man I didn’t mean to rain on your parade. I just have obnoxiously strong opinions on Bayonetta as someone who’s been a giant fanboy of the series since the original gameplay trailer for the first game.
I just think you’re talking to the wrong crowd.
When it comes to fighting games which have a competitive scene, such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, Tekken and so on, there’s a certain mentality and some popular opinions which people tend to stick with, because it is good for the competitive scene.
From what I understand though, that is not what you’re personally interested in, but are more interested in ideas which are focused on more casual entertainment. However, because fighting games are already a rather niche genre, catering to the competitive scene keeps the games’ lifespans longer with continuous support.
So as said, in all honesty, I think we’re just the wrong crowd. It doesn’t mean your ideas are bad or wrong, we are just having our focus somewhere else. For me personally, the way my mentality works when it comes to fighting games, I usually go to what seems to be within the realm of realistic possibilities, and then what I personally want to see after that thought-process.
For example, my favourite KI character is Orchid. Absolutely love her in all her iterations, is always my main when playing KI and thought Double Helix and Iron Galaxy did a great job with her in the latest KI game. And I think it would be AWESOME to see her be a guest character in Mortal Kombat!
However… that’s when my brain goes “Is it actually possible?”…
Because KI is a Microsoft owned franchise, Orchid would not be in the Playstation or Switch versions of the game. Mortal Kombat has had a console exclusive character before, Kratos for PS3 in MK9. And it was heavily criticised, because not only did the Xbox and PC player not get any exclusive characters, but because Kratos was exclusive, he was banned from most tournaments.
To follow up on that, because most fighting games have been PS4 exclusive in this generation of consoles, most fighting game fans are usually PS4 players or PC players. Because of that, I made the choice to sell my Xbone and get a PS4 instead, so I could play a lot of those fighting games as well, as it was a lot more affordable for me than to invest in a gaming PC. That was a personal choice of mine, but it means that even if Orchid would become a guest character, I would not be able to play as her. Also, Microsoft wants to promote their own platforms first and foremost, so I doubt they would allow for Orchid to be in the PS4 and Switch versions of the game. So sucks to be me then.
Then there’s also to put into consideration that should there be a KI guest character in MK, it would most likely either be Jago or Fulgore, as they are the more popular characters of the franchise and they are the two characters who represent the KI franchise, just like Scorpion and Sub-Zero do for MK. Though Orchid is indeed the main female character of the franchise, her chances to be a guest character over Jago and Fulgore is just pretty low.
Then there’s the fact that Mortal Kombat (and Injustice for that matter) is known to focus on guest characters that are already under the WB banner, or somehow connected with them. MK has had a focus on horror characters as guest characters, while Injustice has comicbook characters like Hellboy and the Ninja Turtles. KI is neither. Yes, we have KI comicbooks now, but that’s a secondary media, just like Hellboy isn’t considered a movie character even though there are movies with him.
Lastly, there’s the issue if Microsoft would want a character from a T-rated game to be in a Mature rated game, and see them get absolutely mutilated in various gory ways, as is one of the main themes of Mortal Kombat. Seeing as KI had the camera just kinda pan away from the characters when they’re doing the killing blows in their Ultimate finishers, it could possibly imply that it’s not within their interest.
Because of these points, having Orchid be in an MK game is just not realistic, plain and simple.
That was a bit of a long example, but I hope you got the point I was trying to convey. XD
I understand. I tend to asheu realistic expectations because in the past they’ve been so far exceeded that I feel they can be elevated. I’ve had a bad steak lately but hopefully things get better.
Personally I think fulgore makes sense cause he’s the face of KI. But the way I see it, guest characters aren’t exactly necessary. A slot used for guest characters could’ve been used to bring back characters like Noob Saibot for MK11. I’m not saying noob saibot is confirmed for MK11 I was just making an example.
Obviously games like Soul Calibur will be doing it no matter what, but I still think a fighting game can stand on it’s own without guests. But that’s just me.
Now KI’s case was diffrent. (mostly). They added all the characters from KI-1 and KI-2 and then added guests plus some new characters. To this day I still consider it to be the strongest roster for KI to date.
Though I agree about it being the strongest roster in the franchise, the reason for that is definitely not because of either the guest characters or the clone characters.
Season 2 was awesome because the many new KI characters were just top quality! And I had hoped to see more of that in season 3, but overall I was greatly disappointed with S3 because it just did not bring any of that. I was happy Tusk got in, I think Mira is pretty cool, and to be fair I do think they did well with Gargos… but that’s about it. S3 and beyond just felt incredibly sub-par in comparison to S2 when it came to quality characters.
I was also heavily disappointed with the DLC for MKX for the same reason. I’m glad Tanya made it in, but there were so many other MK characters who were heavily requested to become DLC… and then we got up to four guest characters, none of which I cared for at all.
I hope it won’t be the same with MK11. Yes, there will be guest characters, and I’ll probably not care about them at all, but it would be nice to have more MK characters join in who didn’t make it to the main roster.
