Mortal Kombat 5

[K-BOMB]

Any Mortal Kombat fans out there? Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance is headed to all three next-gen consoles this fall. Midway is promising "...all new characters and worlds, never-before-seen features, and a totally new fighting engine..." What the series lacked in depth, it ususally made up for in gore. Based on the screens below, the blood will spill in buckets. I'm curious to see how creative they've gotten with the fatalities. Early info says the fighting engine will focus more on hand-to-hand and weapons combat than projectiles. You can pick up the your opponents weapon and use it against him. Each character has multiple fighting styles that can be switched on-the-fly during the battle - which should add some depth to the gameplay. Later...

GET OVER HERE!
http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august8.jpg


Is it hot in here, or is it just me?
http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august2.jpg


Clean-up on aisle 3 - bring a mop!
http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august3.jpg


The kick is up...IT'S GOOD!
http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august7.jpg


That's quite the pair of lethal weapons she's got there...and the sai swords look dangerous too! :)
http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august13.jpg

[Omega_Prime]

wheres subzero????:( ;(

[Noxious]

hes in there
i read that they might add a female subzero

[K-BOMB]

Ask and you shall receive!

http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august14.jpg

http://www.mk5.org/content/mkda/media/august15.jpg

[K-BOMB]

Here's a list of known characters, I wonder if Frost is the female Sub-Zero Nox was referring to?

Returning Characters:
Scorpion
Sub-Zero
Shang Tsung
Quan Chi
Rayden
Kitana
Sonya
Jax
Cyrax
Reptile
Johnny Cage
Kano
Kung Lao

New Characters:
Blind Kenshi
Bo Rai Cho
Drahmin
Frost
Li Mei
Mavado
Moloch

[Noxious]

j00 4gettin' J33T-Kun3-d0



5 dolla for the 1st person to say whos fighting style that is!

[Noxious]

no Lay would be Lei, her name is Li.
srry

[IamTylerDurden]

ITS COMING OUT FOR ALL 3 SYSTEMS LIKE HE SAID IN THE FIRST POST>>> BUT ITS GONNA LOOK AND PLAY THE BEST ON XBOX OF COURSE!!!

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

muhahahaha I just finished Noxious. Here's your head back d00d!

[Omega_Prime]

sure it may look better on the x-box but i bet the playstation version plays a hella lot better woot ps2 rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IamTylerDurden]

The tree trunk is the best controller out right now... unless you have teenie tiny womanly hands =)!

[IamTylerDurden]

YOU GOT SMALL HANDS... HEHEHEHE

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

The X-Box controller reminds me or a morning star. Ya know, like knights used to use to hurl around in a circle and hit their enemies with? It's kind of like flying with the old style fighter jet sticks whereas the other controllers are more fly-by-wire!

[K-BOMB]

You know I couldn't pass this debate up...another overly-analytical and wordy response courtesy of K-BOMB :)

All of the controllers have their strengths and weaknesses.

First off, let me say I have always been a fan of Nintendo's controllers (imagine that, a pro-Nintendo stance in the Gamecube forum). They are, in my opinion, the only company who actually put any thought whatsoever into the design.

The SNES pad was very nice, with all 6 buttons very accessable.

The Genesis controller (with 3 buttons across) paled in comparison. In an effort to mimic the SNES, the Sega 6-button controller was released - and it was even worse.

Then, PS1 comes out and what does Sony do? Copies the SNES controller, adds two more shoulder buttons (which I have always found very awkward) and makes the D-Pad worse - Genius.

Then the N64 comes out and Nintendo brings the joy of analog control to console gaming, and it's a godsend. The D-pad is still there and available for use - thus the N64 controller is extremely versatile (albeit a bit odd-shapen). Then, Nintendo releases the Rumble Pack and boom, force feedback on a console.

Sony sees this and says, "Must copy!" So they add two analog sticks at an auxillary location, while leaving the sucky D-pad as the primary control, and build in some rumble. The Sony analog sticks are very floaty, and don't offer near the precision of the N64 analog stick.

Sega releases an analog controller for the Saturn, but it goes largely un-noticed as only four people bought the system.

Then the Dreamcast is released, and it's controller is decent. Both analog and digital control are readily available, the 4-button layout is typical, and the triggers are analog - a very good innovation for racing games, etc.

The PS2 comes out and Sony copies ITSELF. The controller is unchanged (except the buttons are supposedly analog).

I'll get to the XBox controller in a second.

This brings us to the GameCube controller. Again, analog is the focus and is in the primary-use position. The 4 yellow "c" buttons of the N64 are replaced with an analog "c-stick". The 4 face buttons have a new twist - the primary A button is surrounded by three auxillary buttons (B,X,and Y). This is a neat design, as your thumb naturally gravitates towards the A button, and you always know where to go from there - left for B, up for Y, and right for X. A very logical, innovative design. Then, they take the analog triggers and take it a step further by adding a digital "click" at the end of the range of motion. This is like haveing two buttons in one (i.e. you use the analog range of motion as the accelerator in a driving game, then press it all the way in - the click could be your turbo). Now, they've released the Wavebird wireless controller, and it rocks. The range is insane and the control is precise. The radio frequency design means no line-of-sight problems that plagued previous wireless controllers. Again, the big N leads the way with innovation, not imitation.

Now for M$. The original XBox controller has got to be the worst controller in history. All they were trying to do was combine the Dreamcast and Playstation controller - and they screwed it up. They got the analog location right - even innovated a bit with the click when you push in the sticks (digital click...hmmm sounds familiar). The D-pad is good size. But then, the design falls apart. EVERYTHING about the face buttons is BAD. The layout (some kind of satanic trapezoid), the size (small), the shape(oval), even the texture are literally painful. The triggers are okay. How M$ screwed this up I have no idea...oh wait, I do have one.

Conspiracy Theory! Microsoft did it ON PURPOSE! In an effort to recoup some of the costs of the hardware (which is, admittedly, very powerful), they decide to release the system with a terrible controller. To make the act more convincing, they add a ton of size and plastic to the design at very little extra cost. The uneducated consumer says, if it weighs 10 pounds and is as big as a house, it must be worth $40, right? Besides what choice do I have? Everyone buys extra controllers, and learns to live with the terrible design. A few months later, here comes M$ with the type S and guess what. It is actually better :eek: It is smaller, the button layout is improved, it's cheaper...hey wait, it's a recycled Dreamcast controller!! I bet they got a great deal on spare parts - now they're making even more money off the pent-up demand for a decent controller. How evil, err clever, of them :)

Regardless of all that, each controller has its strengths and weaknesses. The PS2 is so popular that most games are designed around it's 8 button layout. It is basically the standard due to it's huge user base. But, I find it's analog sticks awkward. The Xbox controller is too huge, but it's D-pad is nice and should be good for fighting games. The sticks are OK, and the click works better than I thought it would. The Gamecube controller is a bit small, but is definitely the most ergonomic of the three. The sticks feel right, and the analog triggers with digital clicks are sweet. It sort of just melts into your hand, and the button layout doesn't keep you guessing like the XBox. However, the GC D-pad leaves a bit to be desired as it is very small. Not a big deal as almost every game benefits from analog control, except for fighters.

Which controller you prefer is a personal decision that is obviously heavily influenced by you choice of console. But I will argue with anyone that Nintendo continues to innovate, while the others just imitate. You can have all the graphical power in the world, but if the controller sucks it can completly ruin the experience. Nintendo tries the hardest to make the interface as seamless as possible so you can concentrate on the game, not the controller. Peace...

[K-BOMB]

Vicious, the GC and PS controllers are almost identical in size! The PS handles are a bit longer, but that's about it. I prefer analog control, and the GC's analog stick is just easier to use because it's the primary stick, not an afterthought.

I just checked and you're right about the PS1 sticks clicking, I never noticed. Did any games actually use this feature? I guess that means M$ didn't innovate a darned thing :)

When I talked about imitating, I wasn't referring to overall shape as much as features. The original XBox controller was as big as a football, so you're not too far off there :) Based on shape, there is a whole lot of copying going on. The original PS1 pad (before analog sticks) was EXACTLY like a SNES controller. It just added a couple of stubs on the handles and two more shoulder buttons. The N64 was out there with it's three pronged design (which I still like - it was good for FPS as you could used the c-buttons like the W,A,S,and D on your keyboard), but now all the controllers have the same basic shape - two handles, two analog sticks, and a D-pad. IMO, Nintendo's is the best, followed by PS2, then XBox.

[Noxious]

My hands fit the controller...its just the controller is STUPID!!


Well, stop whining lol.

Hes just mad he dont got an Xbox.

[IamTylerDurden]

True!!1


I just like the XBOX controller cus I gots big hands, and I LOVE the location of the anologs.... the buttons take some getting used to placement wise, this is very true, but if you learn them... its no big deal and then all of a sudden the controller feels great, the sticks are in the perfect spot.. the Dpad is accesible, and you now know where the buttons are!

[K-BOMB]

Boy, I really seem to have hit a nerve here :stick Don't take it personal, it's just a debate...

No Vic, 234234 buttons would be a bit too much :) As far as I'm concerned, less is more.

I think you're missing my point. As I already said, none of the controllers are perfect. Yes, they are all similar. And YES, most of the features that are standard these days (analog, rumble) were brought into the mainstream console world by Nintendo. Some of these ideas were improved upon by others, but Nintendo was the leader. I think Sony was smart to copy the SNES pad. I just don't like the four shoulder buttons. When they added analog, why not move it to the primary position? Analog control still seems like an afterthought on the PS controller. M$ got the stick arrangement right, they just screwed up the rest of it. The GC controller is a bit small, but still the most ergonomic IMHO, and all the buttons and sticks are in the right place. I too have big hands(just ask anybody I dunked on at the intramural center at La Tech - Dirge and Diesel would throw the oop up, and K-Bomb would throw it down):D but I still prefer the GC controller.

[IamTylerDurden]

Yes .. it was def nintendo.. with the rumble pack.

[K-BOMB]

Correct Tyler...the Rumble Pack was included with Starfox 64, and sold separately shortly thereafter. Starfox was very cool on it's own, but the Rumble Pack really took it over the top. I couldn't believe how may variations of rumble there were - it provided for a very convincing effect. There were force-feedback devices for the PC(mostly flight sticks I believe), but they cost $300+. The Rumble Pack was awesome for the price (<$15).

To this day, I think the N64 Rumble Pak had the best feedback - even when compared to the current generation of consoles.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Somebody get that :stick away from Vicious :p

[K-BOMB]

:)

I agree Vic, the rumble seems similar amongst all three consoles, and not as varied. I think either the programmers don't care or the in-controller design is more limited.

[K-BOMB]

You sure it was the kids? :) I never opened one up - but it doesn't surprise me. For the cost, it couldn't be too elaborate.

I've personally never destroyed a controller, but I did see Dirge destroy a keyboard once. I take you back to 1994 - Caruthers dorm - 7th floor - at La Tech..

DIRGE (getting owned at Doom by DagoDagger):"NOOOOOO...$%&# you, $#@% it all to #@$%^!!!" :mad:

K-BOMB: "Dirge is scary when he's angry - good thing he's not prone to violence" :{

DIRGE (picks up keyboard above his head and turns it upside down): "##$%# you #$#@$#$ piece of @#$@#$% sorry #$$# %^# you #@#@$#$ #*^%$%!!!" :mad:

K-BOMB: No way he's gonna actually throw his keyboar..."

CRASH!!!

:eek:

K-BOMB: I'm outta here...

A few minutes pass, then we hear a knock at the door.

*knock, knock, knock*

"Come in"

DIRGE: "Has anybody seen 'N'?" :confused:

K-BOMB almost wets himself he's laughing so hard :roll

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Yeah great... nice story. BTW I know what the inside of all nintendo product controllers looks like. As well as that stupid robot they came out with... :rolleyes:

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

You remeber the robot that came with the deluxe package for the original Nintendo??? I guess not ya whipper snapper.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Well, I don't know about old...:bigfart :tears

[Noxious]

i remember it.
and im not old. lol

it was R.O.B or sumthin like that.

Looked freaky, lol.

Never owned one. Glad i didnt.

Any1 remember the Power Glove?

Super Scope 6?

[K-BOMB]

R.O.B. - Robotic Operating Buddy

I do indeed remember the Power Glove. One of the dudes on our floor at Tech had the Super Scope. It's a weapon in Super Smash Bros: Melee now!

[K-BOMB]

I have no idea what you are talking about :confused: