My usual term is the Tobias era. The story and characters were mainly helped by him, he was in charge of the lore. The series went under a massive shift after he left. Thus, I consider MK1-MK4 and Mythologies as part of the Tobias Era of the franchise. It makes sense to put everything he had a part with in one neat little package. Arcade works well too, but I feel Tobias is more indicative of the feel and lore then. It's kinda like how comic book runs are usually defined by their author/head writer. And I have seen some refer to the 3D era as the Vogel era in a similar vein.
I really want to know what the plan was after 4. I feel like they really didn't have all that much after he left other than throwing everything into chaos for some reason
@CMCAdvanced Tobias said he would've done a next generation story. We don't know all the details, just that - Liu Kang is dead. - Protagonist is Liu Kang's son, who doesn't know how or why his father died. (We'd probably figure it out eventually) Over the course of the story, he'd learn the history of his father and figure out what it means to him as a person. - The main themes would've been being born into something you aren't prepared for and having to grow up at a fast rate. Which tells me, that Kang's son would've been thrust into the world of Mortal Kombat and conflicts between realms rather quickly and unexpectedly. He probably would've been young, around 16-20 range and maybe it's even a coming of age story for his side. - Kang's son would learn why his father's history was hidden from since he was young. He'd learn that it was to protect him and Kang's son would eventually discover his place in the world. I'm also guessing at this point that Kitana's history was hidden from him as well and that he might've been left to be raised by the shaolin or someone else. - Jax and Sonya, much older, would've come back into the action and actually serve as mentor figures for Kang's son. They'd be also among the people who would tell the son about his father. - There would more next gen fighters, including children of the original cast. We don't know much on his ideas other than none of the ones we actually got in X were what Tobias had in mind. - Sub-Zero would have had a major role, but unspecified to what that is. Scorpion would be his usual self, manipulated by evil forces. - John's intent was that Reiko was Shao, reincarnated/resurrected in a new form after his death in MK3. And that over time he'd become more like Shao Kahn. While this part is conjecture, some theorize the final threat of Tobias' MK5 would be Reiko Kahn, who would be defeated by Liu Kang's son. The rebirth of the major antagonist against the offspring of the protagonist. That's all we know and again, I hope we learn the full pitch someday.
@ShockwaveFPSStudios Yes. He said Kitana would've been the mom. Also since Liu Kang was based on Bruce Lee, I'd like to imagine Kang's son would've been based appearance wise on Brandon Lee
But that's a completely arbitrary separation based on ONE variable. It'd be just as valid to call them 2d era and 3d era, and MK4 would go with the 3D games (and it's not just a matter of gameplay but also the general style of MK, how the original trilogy had its distinct look with digitized actors and that is no longer the case since MK4) Or you could go with Midway era and Netherrealm era, or a number of other possibilities.
Because ppl have to put it in labels rather than categorizing it for what it is which is literally both arcade the last arcade and the first mk 3d game it was the last arcade game for mk to be featured and the first to be released in 3d I remember that time they clearly made it known back then that it was arcade but also meant to be features as the first 3d mk game at the time and it did have an arcade release it was mostly known for its home ports and the first game that was a 3d game for mk. Once again it is both the end of an era of arcades and the start of 3d at the same time. Many fans just can’t accept this it literally belongs in both boxes. If I had to only pick one I’d pick 3d bcuz well it’s legit the first 3d era game it’s just not as advanced as mk5-8 in terms of 3d graphics it was the prototype of the 3d era ones and a transitional game between mk3 graphics with mk5 ones of 3d.
@@fernandoenamorado2480 You're 100% correct... but why do people feel the NEED to put it in one of two boxes at all? It is its own thing, MKDA built a new engine from scratch, and storywise MK4 (alongside Mythologies) tells the story of the battle against Shinnok, while the original trilogy was about Shao Kahn and the PS2 games change storytelling style completely.
I swear, this is one of those topics that is never agreed upon whenever I see discussion about it. Even back in my ealrier years of being in the fandom I heard of people lumping 4/Gold in with the 3D era games and that never sat right with me. I couldn't figure out why as a kid but as I grew older I realized it's pretty much what you mentioned in the video (aesthetics, writing, gameplay, etc. all being entirely different). Glad you made this video so more people hopefully recognize it as part of the Arcade Era!
I look at mythologies and MK4 as the “Shinock era” as a intermission between the MK Trilogy and 3D era. It’s a sign of transition and a set up phase for Deadly Alliance and Deception plotlines.
Pretty much, yeah. Mk4 isn't really part of the 3d era, BUT mythologies/mk4 (i consider them 2 halves of the same whole) does function as a sort of act 1 to deadly alliance and deception, retroactively. Thus, mythologies/mk4 -> deadly alliance -> deception is more of a trilogy about shinnok's amulet & the elder gods in my mind, as opposed to calling mkda -> mkd -> mka a trilogy (and do the nrs game really even count as a trilogy narratively speaking? They're so disjointed from each lmao).
@@jackjax7921 And this matters, because? Kid, you need to release, that without 3D era there won't be MK1, since those games, as unpolished and crude they might have been were the only thing that kept MK and Midway alive for so long. You might not like those games, but show some respect and don't be a dumbo.
I feel like since MK VS DCU had largely a cast of professional voice actors that mostly came back for MK9 & X, with some of the MKX actors coming back for MK11, and due to the fact that the game had a chapter story mode system, that it feels like the start of the NeatherRealm Era.
@@ShockwaveFPSStudios I mean by the time MK vs DC was coming out, Midway was effectively toast and WB was ready to scoop em up. And despite the 3D era gameplay, it feels way more like MK9 than it does MKA.
A potential video idea along the same lines is "When do the American Ages of Comic Books" end? Because it's a similar question of very clear differences, but the more you look into it the more vague it becomes. Like, the boom in popularity that marks the Golden Age ends at least 7 years before the Silver Age starts. Do you add the Atomic Age in between or just count those years and Golden lumping them in. It gets even more confusing with regards to continuity. IIRC Aquaman has his WW2 history being referenced well into Barry Allen being the Flash, but before officially the same continuity when he joins the Justice League. I've got my own notes on how I view it all, but everyone's different, especially 1986 to now which some people lump as one mega age, which I think is really silly
4 and DCU are transitionary periods, 4 introducing 3d mechanics with its models and sidestepping and DCU introducing chapters, a lack of konquest, purely battle‐based story modes, and a difference in story quality.
my silly perspective has always been that i view each MK era based on the decade the games launched in. so the 2D era would be the 90s, the 3D era in the 00s, netherrealm in the 10s and the new netherrealm era in the 20s
I mean it makes sense Mk4 is part of the arcade area specifically cause it was the legit last MK game to be put on an actual arcade machine. Every mk game after was on console.
I'm writing now before I watch the vid. MK4 is in the Arcade Era. Had an arcade release and a 2D fighting plane. DA was the first main entry that was console-exclusive and it overhauled the fighting system. Thus it began the 3D era. Edit: You can also divide the Midway Era into Tobias (MK1-MK:SF) and Post-Tobias (MKDA-MKvDC).
@@ShadowSumac That's just being pedantix. DA was the first entry without any of Tobias' input so that's the best starting point for the Post-Tobias era.
@@ThunderJuice AFAIK, MKDA still relied on some Tobias ideas, since it was in development allegedly right after MK4, since 1997. At the time MK- Team was split into two groups - one, under Boon was making MK5, another - under Tobias, was making MK spin-offs (MKM: SF). Gold was made largely by Eurocom, with some MK-Team input, much like MK Trilogy before it. I assume that Tobias had some say about MK5 anyhow, since it fits the time frame. Which ideas of his were used we don't know. His ideas for MK5 were pretty wild, like introducing a new roster, which still kind of made it into the MKDA.
The eras are separated by play style and MK4 plays like the first three games so it’s indeed part of the klassic “arcade” era, especially considering that it was legit the LAST game to get an arcade release.
Didn't even know this was up for debate. Very clear that Deadly Alliance is the starting point of shaking up the status quo in terms of both gameplay and story so obviously it should be considered the start of the 3D era
This is how I always divided them: Original trilogy - 1, 2 and 3; Transition trilogy - Mythologies, 4 and Special forces; 3D trilogy - Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon; Non-trilogy - MK VS DC; NRS trilogy - MK9, MKX and MK11; New Era trilogy - M1K onwards. (I'll probably call it differently in the future).
At this point you might as well call the Netherrealm trilogy the Reset Era since both the gameplay and story were about rolling back everything they'd done and starting from MK1.
As a fan, I've bought and own every MK game released except for the spin-offs. With that said, one of my pet peeves is the inconsistency with the controls. Why do they constantly change up the way the moves are performed?
I'd like to offer another perspective: that of the fans of the series that played all of the games as they were released, not playing them again years after they're outdated. As a fan of this page who agrees with about 95% of your opinions, I think there's a bit of a blind spot there, at times. When SF2 first came out and everyone was trying to cash in on the fighting game craze "Midway Games decided to tackle this challenge with spectacle rather than superior gameplay" (quoting your Mortal Kombat's Inconsistent Timeline video.) MK1 drew people in with it's graphical style and violence, but it had pretty stiff and clunky controls. We knew it was like that but it still functioned well enough to enjoy at the time, particularly if you grew up with Atari and NES games. It was incredibly common for games to be clunky in that era, but as long as a game wasn't outright broken we usually accepted that most games weren't super smooth. When MK2 came out it was a dream come true because it played a lot better than MK1, had a better color palette, more interesting stages, more characters, more fatalities, and even novelties like friendships, etc. MK excitement was super high during that general time frame, and I believe that's why it's still remembered so fondly to this day. MK3 had a lot of excitement when it first came out, but a lot of that dissipated fairly quickly because fan favorites like Jonny Cage, Raiden, and Scorpion weren't there (at first), Sub-Zero's new look wasn't as good as his previous look, and while robots are cool they aren't as cool as ninjas. MK enthusiasm definitely declined a fair bit at that time. Going into MK4 there wasn't as much hype as the end of the MK2 / beginning of the MK3 phase. The first thing everyone noticed about MK4 was that it was 3D now, so it stood out and felt like a departure from the previous three games. My mom never played any of the previous games but she knew what they looked like, and when she saw MK4 she commented "oh, it's in 3D now." It's true that the game played essentially the same as MK3 but with a barely functional sidestep added in, but that barely functional sidestep make it so that players spamming projectiles couldn't get away with it as much. It did change how kids played the game at the time, making the game feel fairly different than the previous games. It's true that Shinnok and Quan Chi first appeared in SZ Mythologies, but not a lot of people played that game, and even less played it all the way through. If you skip the cutscenes and never made it to the end of the game, they're barely in there. I type this out as someone who actually played that game and beat it while on a 2 week vacation in a really remote part of Canada who had no television reception at the time. Yes, MK Deadly Alliance is a bigger style departure, but that only came out half a decade later. When MK4 was new we couldn't compare it to something that we didn't know would come into existence five years into the future. And yes, Ed Boon considers MK4 an arcade release, but MK as a series began in the arcades and MK4 was the final game to get an arcade release. Of course the co-creator of the game is going to think of how his business model changed. All of this is to say that looking back at anything in history that one didn't actually experience while it was happening removes the perspective of the people at the time. It's a bit like listening to The Beatles and saying "why does everyone say this is such a great band? other bands have come out since then with nicer singing voices, that can play their instruments more impressively, that have recorded in nicer studios with better sound quality, and have more elaborate stage shows." All of those things are true, but that doesn't change how influential The Beatles were, pretty much creating the template for all the pop and rock bands that came after them. Everyone can categorize the MK games however they like, but for those who were there at the time MK4 was the one that felt like a departure from the previous three. Finally, I'd like to say great job on Mortal May. As previously mentioned I am a fan of your page and enjoy these videos very much. I'm looking forward to the seemingly inevitable longer form video critiquing M1K (which had some things that I liked quite a bit, but some things that left me seriously scratching my head).
I do find it makes sense that MK4 fits better as part of the Arkade Era than the 3D Era mainly because of both the shift to Consoles over Arcade releases as well as the decision to basically switch out the roster completely - accentuated by Liu Kang's Death in Deadly Alliance, and then followed up with Deception, even though certain characters do return. Even the tone and style felt different to me between MK4 and DA.
I divide MK series like so: - MK1-MKT (classic 2D games (for me 2D means both gameplay and graphics)); - MKM, MK4, GOLD, MKSF (transitional era); - MKDA-MKA (3D era, mostly for the gameplay); - MDvsDC (odd one out - transtional period); - MK (2011)-MK1-? (modern era);
Hey Snake, since you just covered this long established but stupidly debate about MK4, can you discuss the long standing debate of Tanya and that is whether or not she is a female ninja like Kitana, Mileena, Skarlet, and Jade are considered to be? I remember Ed talking about this on twitter but i don’t remember exactly what he said and other youtubers have discussed this before but you seem the most invested in your research to do so now. My opinion is she is a ninja or female assassin if you feel since even though she’s never worn a mask like the others have, she canonically is the evil yellow pallete swap of Kitana introduced in the last entry of the arcade era or the “transitional” era as well as in Armageddon, Khameleon uses the other female ninjas moves in her moveset like she did in Trilogy but also now uses Tanya’s moves.
I'm trying to figure out why MK vs DC is classified as 3D Era. For the 9 in MK9 to make sense we have to presume that vs DC is 'MK8'. Vs DC also introduced the more familiar story structure and mechanically leans closer to what it would become in the Neatherrealm Era than a logical continuation of Armageddon.
it also fits in with the 2000’s games being the 3D era. it also has 3D mechanics of those games and you’re point would also apply to MK4 since it introduced a structure that the 3D era would follow despite the fact that 4 is part of the arcade and original trilogy era. Just because it has similar mechanics and stuff, it wouldn’t make sense to say MKvDCU is the start of the NRS era when Midway as well was responsible for making the game, not NRS
Here's how I classify the MK games:- 1. Klassic Era (MK1 - MK3) 2. MK4 (transition) 3. 3D Era (MK:DA - MK:A) 4. MK vs DC (transition) 5. First Netherrealm Era (MK9 -MK11) 6. M1K (transition) 7. Second Netherrealm Era (future MK games)
MK4's gameplay is closer to UMK3 than to Deadly Alliance, John Tobias was still the lead writer, it had an arcade release, Liu Kang was still the main protagonist, and it was released in the '90s. MK4 is a Klassic Era Mortal Kombat title, plain and simple.
It’s neither. It’s a transitional game that is not really part of either of them. And it’s not me being a coward/trying to stay out of the conversation saying that, it’s because it is clearly not the same style as what came before or after. The arcade era, to me, is defined by the digitized actors, and the 3D-Era is defined by both how all three of them have essentially the same graphics and all play similarly, with the stance system. MK4 doesn’t really play like either of these, being made as a 3D version of the arcade games, but still having a limited weapon system and a much more limited version of the 3D-Era’s movement. For me, the way it looks and the way it plays are too different from the way every other mainline game in those eras play. Now, do I also consider VS DC to be like this? No. I don’t consider it part of the 3D or NetherRealm era not because of the gameplay, or the company that made it, but because I don’t think it should even be considered a mainline game. This is for two reasons: 1. Every other game in the series is a continuation of the previous in some way story-wise, and this one is just completely disconnected. 2. It is a crossover with a completely different franchise, and unless crossovers are the point of the series, a game that’s main purpose is to be a crossover cannot be part of the main series. It has to be a spinoff. As you can see, I am willing to argue why these games are not a part of either era, and therefore, I am not trying to stay out of the conversation. I just fully believe That neither game is a part of any specific era, one being a transitional game and the other being a game that shouldn’t even be considered a main series entry.
Good points, tho I do think that Snake might have been slightly joking when he said that those who describe VS DCU and 4 as not belonging in any area as people trying to avoid the conversation.
I agree with most of your points: MK4 is not "just MK3 in 3D" as style is concerned. For one it did away with digitized characters and CGI / painted arenas of classic MK games. I don't think changes in gameplay were significant enough to consider them important however: weapon system and sidesteps are very barebones and basically add little to gameplay. Funny thing is that bigger change in the game is that MK4 removes individual combos for the sake of free form combo systems, which exposed major problem with MK fighting system as a whole up to that point - characters were lacking unique styles and basically were unified carbon copies of each other, sans special moves. Which is why MKDA ended up how it did. I completely agree about MKvsDC - it is a unique entry which stands on its own.
Here’s how I think the Mortal Kombat Eras are in my opinion. Klassic Era: MK1, MK2, MK3, Mythologies, MK4, and Special Forces. Konquest Era: Deadly Alliance, Deception, Shaolin Monks, and Armageddon. Raiden Era: MKVSDCU, MK9, MKX, and MK11. And finally the New Era: M1K, Onslaught-. I would’ve called the Konquest Era the Onaga Era, but Onaga doesn’t appear in Deadly Alliance and is only the main villain of Deception. Could’ve also called it the Blaze Era but because Unchained’s a port of Deception, I don’t know if ports count when it comes to MKLore and games. So I thought the Konquest Era fits better because the 3D Era was known for having Konquest Modes. I was going to call NeatherRealm’s first three games the Kronika Era, but I feel like the Raiden Era made sense considering that Raiden’s responsible for the plot of those games. He’s basically the main character of MK9, MKX wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the events of MK9, and MK11 only happened because Raiden decapitated Shinnok. So it’s fair to say that the first three NeatherRealm games, was basically related to Raiden somehow. Oh yeah and I grouped MKVSDC into the Era because Raiden acts like the main leader of the MK Side, and he’s opposite to Superman, soooooo…. Yeah it fits into the Raiden Era.
I don't see how M1K isn't considered anything other than NRS era? What would differentiate it from MK11? Nothing, really. Same producers, same design philosophy.
@@Ergeniz it’s not just simply personalities. it’s also the core of the characters such as Tanya not being a manipulator anymore but also due to the fact that it’s the first game released in the 20’s. It’s nothing different from 11 but storywise it’s a new universe. Most of us call it the “new” era because of how much we heard Kronika and such characters in 11 refer to it as the “new” era, it’s just a term they decided to call this new universe as plus it’s easy to remember like arcade, 3D, and NRS eras are
Arcade era was actually the build of characters and setting. One could argue mk2 was an expansion to mk1 with functional combos, mk3 added variety on top of multihit combos and infinites, mk4 added a 3D graph of movement. But after MK4, deception, D.A, all the way to DCvMK, was the 3D era. The release of MKX should be called the Revival Era, because its release basically took the original arcade playstyles of MK3/MK4, used characters and storylines originating from 3 to Deadly Alliance, and uses newer technology to create a more polished experience without adding ridiculous things that didn't work (namely stance changes and 3D movement)
I'll admit I did buy into the whole MK4 beong a 3D era game years ago cause my logic at the time was that it was a prototype for what Deadly Alliance would bring to the table same thing for DCU for the NetherRealm era but now I really don't care about this debate nearly as much as I usually don't like to split franchises like this era was better and instead just look at every entry for what it is.
Should the new era be called the "Neo Netherrealm Era"? Kamen Rider calls the period after Decade, W and onward up to Zi-O as the "Neo Heisei Era." But who knows, maybe something will happen years later that can distinguish it from previous Netherrealm installments.
Deadly Alliance to MKvsDC have more in common with games like Tekken, Virtua fighter or Soul Calibur. Because that's the style of fighting game that was most popular in the 2000's. MK 4 still mostly plays like MK to UMK3.
Ha, there are only 3 eras: Arcade, 3D, and Fan-Fiction. MK4 is more in line with 2D, or Arcade Era. 3D mainly focused on the home market and a new fighting engine, which I think makes the split more apparent and easy to gauge.
MK4 is pretty much a prototype 3D era game. The sidestep, the weapons, the interactables, and the 3D graphics themselves all point to that being the case. Really no debate needed. Yes it released in Arcades, and has the combo system of MK3, but the gimmick of the game was being 3D.
Also, I disagree that MK4 is aesthetically the same as MK3. Not only it goes away from digitized actors, which was a major selling point of the series up until MK4, but its also returns back to a more "mystical" settings, resembling that of MK2, as opposed to more modern arenas of MK3. If anything MK4 is closer to MK2, than MK3 as far as style is concerned. Quite similar dark fantasy style, however, without bright colors and more "basic" due to the hardware limitations of the time. They even brought some classic arenas from MK1 and 2 like Living Forest and Goro's Lair. Aesthetics and music of MK4 are unique and its not just "MK3 in 3D" or continuation of MK3 style. Like all early MK games, it has its own style and stands out, because, of that, even if gameplay is a nerfed version of the one from MK3.
I was under the impression that most people who consider MK4 a 3D era game feel that way because of the characters and the treatment of them from NRS and the fan base. Of course we all know it’s an ARCADE game so it definitively belongs in the ARCADE/2D/Klassic era
looking at the actual substance of the games mk4 is obviously in the first era of the series. the problem only comes with the naming. that's why i like the idea of calling the 3d era the 'konquest era'
i remember seeing MK4 arcade cabinets, therefore mk4 is arcade era, also i dont know if the console generation change has any subconscious impact on my bias.
I agree with you about MK4, but I’d also argue that MK vs DCU is more like a NetherRealm game than a 3D game. It did a lot of what MK9 did. It got rid of characters having multiple fighting styles, it brought the story and characters back to stuff from the arcade games, it had acinematic story mode, and six voice actors from this game carried over to MK9. I think the only thing to carry over from the 3D era is sidestepping.
With how this game was originally an arcade game that is an improved and updated version of MK3 with 3D graphics and some slight 3D movement, I still place this in the Arcade era and not in the 3D era where 3D movement was more of a standout feature compared to the games before and after.
Hi 4th Snake can You please view this comment? Actually Mortal Kombat 4 can't be part of the 3D saga because it's Actually ported in Nintendo Gameboy Color too with 2D sprites with even Shinnok mentionated in Mortal Kombat 3, Quan Chi from the non canon cartoon and it was actually meant as an end of the series with leaving a storyline about Liu Kang's son vs Reiko
I feel like for me it's easy because well, MK4 was in arcades. That's it. And I always assumed 3D era referred to the gameplay not the graphics and MK4 is barely 3d gameplay so that as well
In my opinion, I think mortal Kombat 4 was a transitional era that tried to do something but the fanbase did not like it. I think the majority of MK fans will like the games they think were good and ignore the ones they didn't like, mainly 3D era games.
1: D-did you just call 2000-2009 "the Noughties"? 2: (copy-pasted comment from MK Khronicles chapter 71, the Ghost's Companion): You said in your "top 5 Netherrealm Studios Retcons" video that prior to MK9's story alterations, MK2 had no real stakes. Earlier today as I was rewatching your video talking about Liu Kang having the best Fatality, it dawned on me that there is a rather organic way to introduce stakes to the original version of MK2 but in a new way based off of John Tobias's comics. 600 years pre-MK1: Shao Kahn begins his attempt to conquer Earthrealm, sending his minion, Shang Tsung, to do it for him. Shang Tsung co-opts a tournament hosted by the Shaolin and corrupts it into being a Mortal Kombat. 550 years pre-MK1: The Great Kung Lao defeats Shang Tsung and sends him packing. 500 years pre-MK1: Shang Tsung enlists Goro's aid to dispose of the Great Kung Lao, restarting the Mortal Kombat. leading up to MK1, Shang Tsung tells Raiden (based on his MK1 self and thus being arrogant and neglectful of his godly duties) about his tournament. Some unknown source (possibly someone working for Shinnok) hires the Lin Kuei to enter the tournament, having figured out what Shang Tsung was actually doing. This way when Shao Kahn wants to execute him for his failure against Liu Kang, Shang Tsung brings up the fact that Raiden, The Protector God of Earthrealm, competed in that very same Tournament, losing to Liu Kang (who I'm gonna assume also defeated Bi-Han in the tournament as it makes no sense for Scorpion to only have the chance after the tournament). Since Protector Gods in the MK lore are later retconned into not being legally allowed to compete in an MK tournament, this means that Earthrealm's victory in MK1 is hereby invalid and thus the MK2 one would be the real deal. I don't know if you ever saw that comment. TL;DR based on things you yourself have brought up in various MK videos, there is a good reason for why MK2 happened in the Midway Timeline.
I have Alot to say about this First if you wanted to, You could put the 3 Eras as Games of 4: 2D: MK1 - MK2 - MK3 - MK4 3D: MKDA - MKD - MKA - MKvDC NR: MK9 - MKX - MK11 - M1K And to just say up front, I wouldn’t call it cowardly to have Transistional games for the Eras Second, The Arcade Era is called that as it an Older style of Play, Not just cause they were in the Arcade, Nearly every Arcade Fighter at the Time was a 2D Fighter with Simple Combos and a Decent Roster Mortal Kombat 4 is MK’s first Transistion Game as it’s actually kinda of a Mix of the 2 Bordering Eras, MK4 has its Base being MK3, but having a 3D style of Fighting, Along with Stage Hazards, & Non-Digitized Sprites The 3D Era is called such due to its Tekken-like Combat But Mortal Kombat vs DC is also a Transistionary Game as it also has the Same 3D fighting Gameplay as the Last 3 Games, but the Engine is different, The Theme of the Game is Goofier, and the Character Models are Drastic as they are then Transistioning into the Netherrealm Era And that’d be what I call the 2 Transistionary MKs of the Franchise, I would also mention that I’m kinda Mixed on Mortal 1 Kombat though It has the Style of a Transistionary MK due to its Radical Changes, Mediocre Gameplay, & the Feeling that the Next MK is gonna be Crazy But it could also be considered part of the Netherrealm Era as its just a Smaller, De-Fined MK11 with its Engine & Character Models, Not changing much at all Like a MK Deception to Deadly Alliance if they Downgraded
But in terms of gameplay it's still more similar to 1-3 than to the 3D era games. It has no multiple fighting styles for each fighter and little to no juggling
mk4 is arcade because it barely has 3d elements besides a shitty side step and the moves and special moves are almost exactly like how they are in arcade and plays nothing like any of the other 3d era games
I feel MK4 in terms of gameplay is obviously 2D era. But in terms of the story: It begins the amulet related stories in the mainline fighting games. Shinnok to Quan Chi (and Shang Taung) to Onaga is serialized in a very similar way to MK1 to Mk3, where each game is a consequence of the last. MKA is a massive break in the story. As is MKvsDCU (in both gameplay and story). I'd do it this way in terms of story: MK1-3 (Shao Kahn era) MK4-MKD (Amulet era) MKA-MK11 (Elseworld nonsense era) this is when the story began falling apart, with MKX being the only game whose story did not involve some kind of nonsense gimmick MK12 (not sure where it will lead)
3:00 *pulls up glasses and put on a high pitch voice* would say that the Netherrealm era is defined by it's HD graphics, like what people say to distinguish between the Gta 3d universe 3-SA and the HD universe. So get pedatned on.
Yeah because they were barely present aside from Fujin & Tayna. Shit, Jarek was in like two issues in the comic & Kai might as well not even exist anymore.
Was gonna say that mk4 fits Deadly Alliance and Deception in the fact the arcade endings of the characters are more about their (possible, sometimes semi/not canon) plotline instead of "X character defeat Shang Tsung/Shao Kahn" but then remember MK vs DC and Armaggedon goes back to that (X character defeats Dark Khan/Blaze) and this goes on in the Netherealm games which makes sense since those have the arcade mode and the story mode. BUT M1K goes back to this with their arcade endings truly showing a new era
Semi-related, I feel the same way about Sonic Unleashed. People often times place it with the other Dark Age Sonic games instead of the Meta Era, a decision made pretty much purely because of the fact they like the game and they don't like the Meta Era games. Now, to be fair, there are some arguments to be made. It came out before Black Knight, a game I'd say fits less with the Meta Era than Unleashed fits with the Dark Age. It has the 4kids cast, Eggman is not the final boss and it got shit reviews. People also say that it has a better and more complex story than the Meta Era games, more akin to the Dark Age games. All except that last one are true, but like, I consider them kinda superficial? Yeah, it has different voice actors to later games, but it is the same in so many ways that are central to the game experience, pairing it with the Dark Age games is to me like saying "MK9 is 3D Era because the Krypt is not a side game and the women are all half naked", like there are obviously bigger fish to fry. Namely: The extended cast is absent, without even Knuckles appearing. The humans, though still present, are decidedly more cartoony and have moved away from the realism that had been standard ever since Adventure 1. Eggman may not be the final boss, but he's certainly the main villain and active antagonist, something that was not the case ever since Adventure 2 and debatably even earlier. The story is far, FAR simpler than previous stories with more emphasis on humour, with Orbot making his beta appearance as a comedic partner for Eggman. Sonic is the only playable character (even in the Tornado sections, you're playing as him, not Tails). All of these started in Unleashed and remain pretty much constant for all games following Colours. Which is, of course, ignoring the obvious, that THE GAMEPLAY STYLE IS THE EXACT SAME. Lost World aside, every Game from the 2010s uses the Boost style introduced in Unleashed. People say that it was actually introduced in Sonic Rush, and that's so obviously false that it makes me think they didn't play Sonic Rush, besides the fact that you can boost they are nothing alike, even in the 2D sections. To me, the people that tend to like the Dark Age games also tend to like Unleashed, and they tend to really not like the games after Colours, so they try to group all the games they like together. This is why people have this delusion that Unleashed has a complex story similar to that of 06 or Black Knight, when in reality it is about as simple as the following Meta Era games. People happen to like Unleashed's story, so to divorce it from its similarities to the games with stories they don't like, they pretend it's more complex than it actually is.
About that Eggman thing Eggman is the main antagonist in Unleashed. Dark Gaia is the final boss, but Eggman is the one you fight for 99% the game while Dark Gaia is not even concious. This is not the case for the major console releases before this. 06 does have Eggman doing stuff, but Mephiles is very clearly the main antagonist that creates most major conflicts, with Eggman being more of a nuisance than anything. Shadow is similar, Eggman does do stuff but he's very clearly less of a priority. Heroes doesn't even have Eggman do anything, spoilers for a 20 year old game but it was actually Neo Metal Sonic that was behind everything. Now, in Adventure 2, Eggman is the clear antagonist for most of the story, beating him isn't something to do while the real conflict brews in the background, like in 06, but a major threat that could have been the entire game if they wanted to. One could argue that Shadow was actually the main antagonist, since he's the one that actually manipulates the events of the story for his own goals, but I think that Eggman is too competent to completely discredit him. If you do think so, though, Adventure 1 is pretty much the same as Unleashed, where Eggman is the main villain for most of the game but then loses control of Chaos at the very last moment.
The way I have always categorized most Mortal Kombat games is usual: Side Scroller Era (MK1 - MK4), 3D Era (MK: DA - MKVSDC), Netherrealm Era (MK9 - MK11), and then New Era (MK: Onslaught - M1K).
MK 4 came in arcades. It is part of the arcade era. Alternatively, you can all it the Tobias era. He co- created the MK universe and he created all the characters for MK4. The 3D era is also the Midway era. That is MKDA, MKD, and MKA. 3D era fans like to claim MK4 because it makes the 3D era characters seem much better than they were when you can add in Quan Chi, Shinnok, Fujin, Reiko, and Tanya. Take them out and the 3D era only really has Frost, Ashrah, Li Mei and Kenshi - which is not bad but nothing compared to the Arcade era.
I consider MK4, Mythologies, and Special Forces to be part of the “Post-Arcade Era” because when MK4 released, despite it being in arcades, MK in the arcades was on its way out, and they were focusing on shifting to home entertainment. It feels experimental but not as much of a complete shift into something new like Deadly Alliance, which fundamentally changed the way MK played and killed Liu Kang all at once.
I personally always considered the pattern: -Trilogy (MK1-MK3) -Stand alone (MK4) -Trilogy (MKDA-MKA) -Stand alone (MKvsDCU) -Trilogy (MK9-MK11) -Stand alone? (MK12) Now if MK12 starts its own series the pattern is broken, but regardless it has been consistent so far. And I really don't see a reason to force MK4 and MKvsDCU in either direction (other than for some fun mental game like when you do Roster Duster), because they really are different from either in basically every way. They are both games caught in the middle of a passing of the torch, with their own behind-the-scenes reasons to exist as single releases, and their style reflects this too. Mortal Kombat 4 was a clear change of style from the previous one, in terms of graphics, story, as well as gameplay; of course you can say it was still arcade but you can see it as the supposed beginning of a new saga that was abruptly ended when the team had its internal problems and arcades became less popular, and so they had to start anew with MKDA. MKDA-MKA are obviously a solid trilogy in every way, all using the same engine, which in turn means the same gameplay as well as the same graphic style, but it also features its own style of storytelling and a plot moving naturally from one game to the next. MKvsDCU is still 3D, but it is a new engine nonetheless and it is obviously its own story, not even being part of the main canon. Then the Netherrealm era starts, and we have the trilogy MK9-11 trilogy, which features 2D gameplay with 3D graphics and tells its own self-contained timeline, followed by the new beginning with MK12, although the separation is not as sharp this time since the story of MK12 is still a direct continuation keeping the same style and themes, and also the gameplay is in-line with the previous three games... we'll see how much it will stand out in the future.
i gotta agree with the people that consider this a transition game. you can see the 3d era dna that paved the way for deadly alliance but it hasn't completely embraced it yet
If I had to choose betwen the arcade and the 3d era, mk4 is arcade, no debate. But I do prefer to have both mk4 and MKvsDC as transition games, as they both are mainly like the games that preced then, but have some similarities with the following ones ( for exemple weapons and 3d graphics on 4, or the storymode and no more fighting styles on dc). The one thing I disagree with though is with calling MK1 the begining of a new era. It is too similar to the rest of the Netherrealm era to warrant a new classification this early on. It all depends on how the next games turn out. They might be so similar to mk1 that it will be consider the "new era" or even the "cameo era"; it might make such big changes from the recent games in a way unseen in mk1, for exemple (and Im not saying this is a likely scenario at all) going back to 3d gameplay, which would solidify mk1 as part of the previous era; or it might make some significant changes from but keep some elements of 1 unseen in 9-11, making it a new 'transition game'.
My usual term is the Tobias era. The story and characters were mainly helped by him, he was in charge of the lore. The series went under a massive shift after he left.
Thus, I consider MK1-MK4 and Mythologies as part of the Tobias Era of the franchise. It makes sense to put everything he had a part with in one neat little package.
Arcade works well too, but I feel Tobias is more indicative of the feel and lore then. It's kinda like how comic book runs are usually defined by their author/head writer.
And I have seen some refer to the 3D era as the Vogel era in a similar vein.
Nice terms! I'll use them too.
So, what about MK9-MK11 Era? M1K is a "it wrote that" thing...
I really want to know what the plan was after 4. I feel like they really didn't have all that much after he left other than throwing everything into chaos for some reason
@CMCAdvanced Tobias said he would've done a next generation story.
We don't know all the details, just that
- Liu Kang is dead.
- Protagonist is Liu Kang's son, who doesn't know how or why his father died. (We'd probably figure it out eventually) Over the course of the story, he'd learn the history of his father and figure out what it means to him as a person.
- The main themes would've been being born into something you aren't prepared for and having to grow up at a fast rate. Which tells me, that Kang's son would've been thrust into the world of Mortal Kombat and conflicts between realms rather quickly and unexpectedly. He probably would've been young, around 16-20 range and maybe it's even a coming of age story for his side.
- Kang's son would learn why his father's history was hidden from since he was young. He'd learn that it was to protect him and Kang's son would eventually discover his place in the world. I'm also guessing at this point that Kitana's history was hidden from him as well and that he might've been left to be raised by the shaolin or someone else.
- Jax and Sonya, much older, would've come back into the action and actually serve as mentor figures for Kang's son. They'd be also among the people who would tell the son about his father.
- There would more next gen fighters, including children of the original cast. We don't know much on his ideas other than none of the ones we actually got in X were what Tobias had in mind.
- Sub-Zero would have had a major role, but unspecified to what that is. Scorpion would be his usual self, manipulated by evil forces.
- John's intent was that Reiko was Shao, reincarnated/resurrected in a new form after his death in MK3. And that over time he'd become more like Shao Kahn.
While this part is conjecture, some theorize the final threat of Tobias' MK5 would be Reiko Kahn, who would be defeated by Liu Kang's son.
The rebirth of the major antagonist against the offspring of the protagonist.
That's all we know and again, I hope we learn the full pitch someday.
@@commanderproton7763So, if Tobias stayed on Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang & Kitana could’ve had a son?
@ShockwaveFPSStudios Yes. He said Kitana would've been the mom.
Also since Liu Kang was based on Bruce Lee, I'd like to imagine Kang's son would've been based appearance wise on Brandon Lee
I always thought it was common knowledge that MK4 was arcade era, I mean it literally came out in arcades! Crazy
But that's a completely arbitrary separation based on ONE variable.
It'd be just as valid to call them 2d era and 3d era, and MK4 would go with the 3D games (and it's not just a matter of gameplay but also the general style of MK, how the original trilogy had its distinct look with digitized actors and that is no longer the case since MK4)
Or you could go with Midway era and Netherrealm era, or a number of other possibilities.
But it’s called the 2D era not the Arcade era if it was then I would stick with it being at that era.
Because ppl have to put it in labels rather than categorizing it for what it is which is literally both arcade the last arcade and the first mk 3d game it was the last arcade game for mk to be featured and the first to be released in 3d I remember that time they clearly made it known back then that it was arcade but also meant to be features as the first 3d mk game at the time and it did have an arcade release it was mostly known for its home ports and the first game that was a 3d game for mk. Once again it is both the end of an era of arcades and the start of 3d at the same time. Many fans just can’t accept this it literally belongs in both boxes. If I had to only pick one I’d pick 3d bcuz well it’s legit the first 3d era game it’s just not as advanced as mk5-8 in terms of 3d graphics it was the prototype of the 3d era ones and a transitional game between mk3 graphics with mk5 ones of 3d.
@@fernandoenamorado2480 You're 100% correct... but why do people feel the NEED to put it in one of two boxes at all? It is its own thing, MKDA built a new engine from scratch, and storywise MK4 (alongside Mythologies) tells the story of the battle against Shinnok, while the original trilogy was about Shao Kahn and the PS2 games change storytelling style completely.
Because it’s not. It’s 3d
You basically summed it up in one line. MK4 is basically MK3 with 3D graphics. This is why I always felt MK4 was indeed still part of the classic era.
I swear, this is one of those topics that is never agreed upon whenever I see discussion about it. Even back in my ealrier years of being in the fandom I heard of people lumping 4/Gold in with the 3D era games and that never sat right with me. I couldn't figure out why as a kid but as I grew older I realized it's pretty much what you mentioned in the video (aesthetics, writing, gameplay, etc. all being entirely different). Glad you made this video so more people hopefully recognize it as part of the Arcade Era!
I look at mythologies and MK4 as the “Shinock era” as a intermission between the MK Trilogy and 3D era. It’s a sign of transition and a set up phase for Deadly Alliance and Deception plotlines.
*Shinnok
Shintok Is so lame he doesn't even deserve that someone corrects the grammar of his name@@MazeDaGr8
Lmao big mood @@mantraki
@@mantraki Damn tell us how you really feel 😅😅
Pretty much, yeah. Mk4 isn't really part of the 3d era, BUT mythologies/mk4 (i consider them 2 halves of the same whole) does function as a sort of act 1 to deadly alliance and deception, retroactively.
Thus, mythologies/mk4 -> deadly alliance -> deception is more of a trilogy about shinnok's amulet & the elder gods in my mind, as opposed to calling mkda -> mkd -> mka a trilogy (and do the nrs game really even count as a trilogy narratively speaking? They're so disjointed from each lmao).
Arcade. It was the last one in the arcades and still uses the same gameplay formula of "every character uses the same basic attacks."
exactly!!!
What about MK Trilogy and MK Mythologies? Where do they fit in, in this case?
Yes, you used the "you're mad" bit, what a legend
0:13 hear me out m1k is called the new era
Until a newer era comes along.
I recommend renaming the NS Era to Retcon Era for MK9-11 and M1K and onward seemingly the Trendchasing Era
I despise how correct you are, it shows the horrible state of MK since MK11
@@antonirak51 Still sold more than any crap of the 3-D era.
@@jackjax7921Your Shang M1K Tsung profile explains all we need to know about your bias.
@@jackjax7921 And this matters, because?
Kid, you need to release, that without 3D era there won't be MK1, since those games, as unpolished and crude they might have been were the only thing that kept MK and Midway alive for so long.
You might not like those games, but show some respect and don't be a dumbo.
I was thinking about this question a while ago but I never thought of adding MK vs DCU to the 3D era at all
It's in-between eras, like MK4.
I feel like since MK VS DCU had largely a cast of professional voice actors that mostly came back for MK9 & X, with some of the MKX actors coming back for MK11, and due to the fact that the game had a chapter story mode system, that it feels like the start of the NeatherRealm Era.
@@ShockwaveFPSStudios I mean by the time MK vs DC was coming out, Midway was effectively toast and WB was ready to scoop em up. And despite the 3D era gameplay, it feels way more like MK9 than it does MKA.
I remember in an interview Wd Boon said a lot of stuff in MK vs DC was figuring out what did and didn’t work for the next game (later revealed as MK9)
A potential video idea along the same lines is "When do the American Ages of Comic Books" end? Because it's a similar question of very clear differences, but the more you look into it the more vague it becomes.
Like, the boom in popularity that marks the Golden Age ends at least 7 years before the Silver Age starts. Do you add the Atomic Age in between or just count those years and Golden lumping them in.
It gets even more confusing with regards to continuity. IIRC Aquaman has his WW2 history being referenced well into Barry Allen being the Flash, but before officially the same continuity when he joins the Justice League.
I've got my own notes on how I view it all, but everyone's different, especially 1986 to now which some people lump as one mega age, which I think is really silly
4 and DCU are transitionary periods, 4 introducing 3d mechanics with its models and sidestepping and DCU introducing chapters, a lack of konquest, purely battle‐based story modes, and a difference in story quality.
my silly perspective has always been that i view each MK era based on the decade the games launched in. so the 2D era would be the 90s, the 3D era in the 00s, netherrealm in the 10s and the new netherrealm era in the 20s
I mean it makes sense Mk4 is part of the arcade area specifically cause it was the legit last MK game to be put on an actual arcade machine. Every mk game after was on console.
I'm writing now before I watch the vid. MK4 is in the Arcade Era. Had an arcade release and a 2D fighting plane.
DA was the first main entry that was console-exclusive and it overhauled the fighting system. Thus it began the 3D era.
Edit: You can also divide the Midway Era into Tobias (MK1-MK:SF) and Post-Tobias (MKDA-MKvDC).
MKSF is mostly post-Tobias era really. At least, if we talk about released version.
@@ShadowSumac That's just being pedantix. DA was the first entry without any of Tobias' input so that's the best starting point for the Post-Tobias era.
@@ThunderJuice AFAIK, MKDA still relied on some Tobias ideas, since it was in development allegedly right after MK4, since 1997.
At the time MK- Team was split into two groups - one, under Boon was making MK5, another - under Tobias, was making MK spin-offs (MKM: SF). Gold was made largely by Eurocom, with some MK-Team input, much like MK Trilogy before it.
I assume that Tobias had some say about MK5 anyhow, since it fits the time frame. Which ideas of his were used we don't know. His ideas for MK5 were pretty wild, like introducing a new roster, which still kind of made it into the MKDA.
@@ShadowSumac I don't know
The eras are separated by play style and MK4 plays like the first three games so it’s indeed part of the klassic “arcade” era, especially considering that it was legit the LAST game to get an arcade release.
Since you did this video, how about one on the cancelled MK4 character, Belokk?
Or the other one who got snubbed, Ugtar Blonkco
@@voiceunderthecoversWho was that one?
Didn't even know this was up for debate. Very clear that Deadly Alliance is the starting point of shaking up the status quo in terms of both gameplay and story so obviously it should be considered the start of the 3D era
You obviously didnt grow up with mk 1,2,3 and 4
This is how I always divided them:
Original trilogy - 1, 2 and 3;
Transition trilogy - Mythologies, 4 and Special forces;
3D trilogy - Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon;
Non-trilogy - MK VS DC;
NRS trilogy - MK9, MKX and MK11;
New Era trilogy - M1K onwards. (I'll probably call it differently in the future).
perfect
At this point you might as well call the Netherrealm trilogy the Reset Era since both the gameplay and story were about rolling back everything they'd done and starting from MK1.
Reset Era...barfs....
It's cleaner to just call mk4 klassic era because that's the last game Tobias was involved with. It also has the same type of gameplay as 1-3.
As a fan, I've bought and own every MK game released except for the spin-offs. With that said, one of my pet peeves is the inconsistency with the controls. Why do they constantly change up the way the moves are performed?
Because, MK-Team can't into gameplay. Unless its borrowing something from other series.
I think that MK4 and Vs DC fit into the two eras that surround them, but if I had to pick, I'm fairly sure most people agree that MK4 is Arcade Era.
glad ur finally talking about this
I mean, I'd accept calling 1-4 the Arcade Era
I'd like to offer another perspective: that of the fans of the series that played all of the games as they were released, not playing them again years after they're outdated. As a fan of this page who agrees with about 95% of your opinions, I think there's a bit of a blind spot there, at times.
When SF2 first came out and everyone was trying to cash in on the fighting game craze "Midway Games decided to tackle this challenge with spectacle rather than superior gameplay" (quoting your Mortal Kombat's Inconsistent Timeline video.) MK1 drew people in with it's graphical style and violence, but it had pretty stiff and clunky controls. We knew it was like that but it still functioned well enough to enjoy at the time, particularly if you grew up with Atari and NES games. It was incredibly common for games to be clunky in that era, but as long as a game wasn't outright broken we usually accepted that most games weren't super smooth. When MK2 came out it was a dream come true because it played a lot better than MK1, had a better color palette, more interesting stages, more characters, more fatalities, and even novelties like friendships, etc. MK excitement was super high during that general time frame, and I believe that's why it's still remembered so fondly to this day.
MK3 had a lot of excitement when it first came out, but a lot of that dissipated fairly quickly because fan favorites like Jonny Cage, Raiden, and Scorpion weren't there (at first), Sub-Zero's new look wasn't as good as his previous look, and while robots are cool they aren't as cool as ninjas. MK enthusiasm definitely declined a fair bit at that time. Going into MK4 there wasn't as much hype as the end of the MK2 / beginning of the MK3 phase. The first thing everyone noticed about MK4 was that it was 3D now, so it stood out and felt like a departure from the previous three games. My mom never played any of the previous games but she knew what they looked like, and when she saw MK4 she commented "oh, it's in 3D now."
It's true that the game played essentially the same as MK3 but with a barely functional sidestep added in, but that barely functional sidestep make it so that players spamming projectiles couldn't get away with it as much. It did change how kids played the game at the time, making the game feel fairly different than the previous games.
It's true that Shinnok and Quan Chi first appeared in SZ Mythologies, but not a lot of people played that game, and even less played it all the way through. If you skip the cutscenes and never made it to the end of the game, they're barely in there. I type this out as someone who actually played that game and beat it while on a 2 week vacation in a really remote part of Canada who had no television reception at the time.
Yes, MK Deadly Alliance is a bigger style departure, but that only came out half a decade later. When MK4 was new we couldn't compare it to something that we didn't know would come into existence five years into the future. And yes, Ed Boon considers MK4 an arcade release, but MK as a series began in the arcades and MK4 was the final game to get an arcade release. Of course the co-creator of the game is going to think of how his business model changed.
All of this is to say that looking back at anything in history that one didn't actually experience while it was happening removes the perspective of the people at the time. It's a bit like listening to The Beatles and saying "why does everyone say this is such a great band? other bands have come out since then with nicer singing voices, that can play their instruments more impressively, that have recorded in nicer studios with better sound quality, and have more elaborate stage shows." All of those things are true, but that doesn't change how influential The Beatles were, pretty much creating the template for all the pop and rock bands that came after them. Everyone can categorize the MK games however they like, but for those who were there at the time MK4 was the one that felt like a departure from the previous three.
Finally, I'd like to say great job on Mortal May. As previously mentioned I am a fan of your page and enjoy these videos very much. I'm looking forward to the seemingly inevitable longer form video critiquing M1K (which had some things that I liked quite a bit, but some things that left me seriously scratching my head).
I do find it makes sense that MK4 fits better as part of the Arkade Era than the 3D Era mainly because of both the shift to Consoles over Arcade releases as well as the decision to basically switch out the roster completely - accentuated by Liu Kang's Death in Deadly Alliance, and then followed up with Deception, even though certain characters do return. Even the tone and style felt different to me between MK4 and DA.
I just always thought MK4/MKGold was considered part of the "Arcade Era".
I've been saying MK4 is Arcade Era this whole time, thanks for this vid, Snake!
Love your content keep up the great work
This one doesn't even NEED to be addressed. It's obvious that MK4 is part of the Klassic era.
I divide MK series like so:
- MK1-MKT (classic 2D games (for me 2D means both gameplay and graphics));
- MKM, MK4, GOLD, MKSF (transitional era);
- MKDA-MKA (3D era, mostly for the gameplay);
- MDvsDC (odd one out - transtional period);
- MK (2011)-MK1-? (modern era);
Hey Snake, since you just covered this long established but stupidly debate about MK4, can you discuss the long standing debate of Tanya and that is whether or not she is a female ninja like Kitana, Mileena, Skarlet, and Jade are considered to be? I remember Ed talking about this on twitter but i don’t remember exactly what he said and other youtubers have discussed this before but you seem the most invested in your research to do so now. My opinion is she is a ninja or female assassin if you feel since even though she’s never worn a mask like the others have, she canonically is the evil yellow pallete swap of Kitana introduced in the last entry of the arcade era or the “transitional” era as well as in Armageddon, Khameleon uses the other female ninjas moves in her moveset like she did in Trilogy but also now uses Tanya’s moves.
I'm trying to figure out why MK vs DC is classified as 3D Era. For the 9 in MK9 to make sense we have to presume that vs DC is 'MK8'. Vs DC also introduced the more familiar story structure and mechanically leans closer to what it would become in the Neatherrealm Era than a logical continuation of Armageddon.
MK vs DCU still has 3D gameplay.
it also fits in with the 2000’s games being the 3D era. it also has 3D mechanics of those games and you’re point would also apply to MK4 since it introduced a structure that the 3D era would follow despite the fact that 4 is part of the arcade and original trilogy era. Just because it has similar mechanics and stuff, it wouldn’t make sense to say MKvDCU is the start of the NRS era when Midway as well was responsible for making the game, not NRS
DCU also keeps the stage transitions from the previous two mainline games, which NRS only later implemented into Injustice.
4:49 Yay, I have a decent point for once!
Here's how I classify the MK games:-
1. Klassic Era (MK1 - MK3)
2. MK4 (transition)
3. 3D Era (MK:DA - MK:A)
4. MK vs DC (transition)
5. First Netherrealm Era (MK9 -MK11)
6. M1K (transition)
7. Second Netherrealm Era (future MK games)
MK4's gameplay is closer to UMK3 than to Deadly Alliance, John Tobias was still the lead writer, it had an arcade release, Liu Kang was still the main protagonist, and it was released in the '90s.
MK4 is a Klassic Era Mortal Kombat title, plain and simple.
It’s from the arcade era it was the last mk arcade game and although it was the first 3D MK it played like trilogy
It’s neither. It’s a transitional game that is not really part of either of them.
And it’s not me being a coward/trying to stay out of the conversation saying that, it’s because it is clearly not the same style as what came before or after. The arcade era, to me, is defined by the digitized actors, and the 3D-Era is defined by both how all three of them have essentially the same graphics and all play similarly, with the stance system. MK4 doesn’t really play like either of these, being made as a 3D version of the arcade games, but still having a limited weapon system and a much more limited version of the 3D-Era’s movement. For me, the way it looks and the way it plays are too different from the way every other mainline game in those eras play.
Now, do I also consider VS DC to be like this? No. I don’t consider it part of the 3D or NetherRealm era not because of the gameplay, or the company that made it, but because I don’t think it should even be considered a mainline game. This is for two reasons: 1. Every other game in the series is a continuation of the previous in some way story-wise, and this one is just completely disconnected. 2. It is a crossover with a completely different franchise, and unless crossovers are the point of the series, a game that’s main purpose is to be a crossover cannot be part of the main series. It has to be a spinoff.
As you can see, I am willing to argue why these games are not a part of either era, and therefore, I am not trying to stay out of the conversation. I just fully believe That neither game is a part of any specific era, one being a transitional game and the other being a game that shouldn’t even be considered a main series entry.
Good points, tho I do think that Snake might have been slightly joking when he said that those who describe VS DCU and 4 as not belonging in any area as people trying to avoid the conversation.
I agree with most of your points: MK4 is not "just MK3 in 3D" as style is concerned. For one it did away with digitized characters and CGI / painted arenas of classic MK games.
I don't think changes in gameplay were significant enough to consider them important however: weapon system and sidesteps are very barebones and basically add little to gameplay.
Funny thing is that bigger change in the game is that MK4 removes individual combos for the sake of free form combo systems, which exposed major problem with MK fighting system as a whole up to that point - characters were lacking unique styles and basically were unified carbon copies of each other, sans special moves. Which is why MKDA ended up how it did.
I completely agree about MKvsDC - it is a unique entry which stands on its own.
I’m leaning towards it being a classic arcade era transitioning into the 3D era.
Also let’s called new era the fire god Era
Arcade era... VS screen icon mini game lets go
Here’s how I think the Mortal Kombat Eras are in my opinion.
Klassic Era: MK1, MK2, MK3, Mythologies, MK4, and Special Forces.
Konquest Era: Deadly Alliance, Deception, Shaolin Monks, and Armageddon.
Raiden Era: MKVSDCU, MK9, MKX, and MK11.
And finally the New Era: M1K, Onslaught-.
I would’ve called the Konquest Era the Onaga Era, but Onaga doesn’t appear in Deadly Alliance and is only the main villain of Deception. Could’ve also called it the Blaze Era but because Unchained’s a port of Deception, I don’t know if ports count when it comes to MKLore and games. So I thought the Konquest Era fits better because the 3D Era was known for having Konquest Modes.
I was going to call NeatherRealm’s first three games the Kronika Era, but I feel like the Raiden Era made sense considering that Raiden’s responsible for the plot of those games. He’s basically the main character of MK9, MKX wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the events of MK9, and MK11 only happened because Raiden decapitated Shinnok. So it’s fair to say that the first three NeatherRealm games, was basically related to Raiden somehow. Oh yeah and I grouped MKVSDC into the Era because Raiden acts like the main leader of the MK Side, and he’s opposite to Superman, soooooo…. Yeah it fits into the Raiden Era.
I don't see how M1K isn't considered anything other than NRS era? What would differentiate it from MK11? Nothing, really. Same producers, same design philosophy.
Given that it's a soft reboot and “New” takes on Klassic characters, many in the community just call it the new era
@@thesilentsociety3252 The 'new' takes are about as 'new' as NRS take on Sindel and Shao Khan though. Changing character personalities is nothing new.
@@Ergeniz it’s not just simply personalities. it’s also the core of the characters such as Tanya not being a manipulator anymore but also due to the fact that it’s the first game released in the 20’s. It’s nothing different from 11 but storywise it’s a new universe. Most of us call it the “new” era because of how much we heard Kronika and such characters in 11 refer to it as the “new” era, it’s just a term they decided to call this new universe as plus it’s easy to remember like arcade, 3D, and NRS eras are
Arcade era was actually the build of characters and setting. One could argue mk2 was an expansion to mk1 with functional combos, mk3 added variety on top of multihit combos and infinites, mk4 added a 3D graph of movement. But after MK4, deception, D.A, all the way to DCvMK, was the 3D era. The release of MKX should be called the Revival Era, because its release basically took the original arcade playstyles of MK3/MK4, used characters and storylines originating from 3 to Deadly Alliance, and uses newer technology to create a more polished experience without adding ridiculous things that didn't work (namely stance changes and 3D movement)
I'll admit I did buy into the whole MK4 beong a 3D era game years ago cause my logic at the time was that it was a prototype for what Deadly Alliance would bring to the table same thing for DCU for the NetherRealm era but now I really don't care about this debate nearly as much as I usually don't like to split franchises like this era was better and instead just look at every entry for what it is.
Should the new era be called the "Neo Netherrealm Era"? Kamen Rider calls the period after Decade, W and onward up to Zi-O as the "Neo Heisei Era." But who knows, maybe something will happen years later that can distinguish it from previous Netherrealm installments.
just call it the New Era. don’t see why we wouldn’t 🤷🏽♂️
Deadly Alliance to MKvsDC have more in common with games like Tekken, Virtua fighter or Soul Calibur.
Because that's the style of fighting game that was most popular in the 2000's.
MK 4 still mostly plays like MK to UMK3.
Ha, there are only 3 eras: Arcade, 3D, and Fan-Fiction.
MK4 is more in line with 2D, or Arcade Era. 3D mainly focused on the home market and a new fighting engine, which I think makes the split more apparent and easy to gauge.
MK4 is pretty much a prototype 3D era game. The sidestep, the weapons, the interactables, and the 3D graphics themselves all point to that being the case.
Really no debate needed. Yes it released in Arcades, and has the combo system of MK3, but the gimmick of the game was being 3D.
Also, I disagree that MK4 is aesthetically the same as MK3.
Not only it goes away from digitized actors, which was a major selling point of the series up until MK4, but its also returns back to a more "mystical" settings, resembling that of MK2, as opposed to more modern arenas of MK3.
If anything MK4 is closer to MK2, than MK3 as far as style is concerned. Quite similar dark fantasy style, however, without bright colors and more "basic" due to the hardware limitations of the time. They even brought some classic arenas from MK1 and 2 like Living Forest and Goro's Lair.
Aesthetics and music of MK4 are unique and its not just "MK3 in 3D" or continuation of MK3 style. Like all early MK games, it has its own style and stands out, because, of that, even if gameplay is a nerfed version of the one from MK3.
This is the GTA Timeline Split all over again, at least in this case they’re all Canon to one another lol
I was under the impression that most people who consider MK4 a 3D era game feel that way because of the characters and the treatment of them from NRS and the fan base.
Of course we all know it’s an ARCADE game so it definitively belongs in the ARCADE/2D/Klassic era
looking at the actual substance of the games mk4 is obviously in the first era of the series. the problem only comes with the naming. that's why i like the idea of calling the 3d era the 'konquest era'
i remember seeing MK4 arcade cabinets, therefore mk4 is arcade era, also i dont know if the console generation change has any subconscious impact on my bias.
The reason why MK4 isn't included in the "Klassic Era" is because they simply don't like MK4 and don't think it should be considered a classic game.
I think it’s just a misunderstanding based on the naming of the eras
I agree with you about MK4, but I’d also argue that MK vs DCU is more like a NetherRealm game than a 3D game. It did a lot of what MK9 did. It got rid of characters having multiple fighting styles, it brought the story and characters back to stuff from the arcade games, it had acinematic story mode, and six voice actors from this game carried over to MK9. I think the only thing to carry over from the 3D era is sidestepping.
There's also the stage transitions, which NRS only brought back in the Injustice games, and none of the MK games from 9 onwards.
MK4 feels more closer for the 2D games gameplaywise. Its pretty much just UMK3 with side step
Unless MK4, Mythologies, Special Forces & Shaolin Monks are considered part of their own pocket era?
Arcade Era.
MKvsDC is 3D Era.
Ah using mk4 raiden to say "you're mad"
Peak content
I think we should rename the 2D era to the Arcade era, as it would be more precise.
With how this game was originally an arcade game that is an improved and updated version of MK3 with 3D graphics and some slight 3D movement, I still place this in the Arcade era and not in the 3D era where 3D movement was more of a standout feature compared to the games before and after.
People confuse 3d era because they think of 3d as 3d graphics
Arcade Era: 1-4
3D Era: DA, D, A, DC
NRS Era: 2011, X, 11, “1”
Despite not being developed by Netherrealm, DC is quite 'netherrealm-ish'
@@Nov-5062 yeah, it started the whole “story mode” bit
How about we dub the era of MK Mythologies, Special Forces, and MK4 the Experimental Era lol
Hi 4th Snake can You please view this comment? Actually Mortal Kombat 4 can't be part of the 3D saga because
it's Actually ported in Nintendo Gameboy Color too with 2D sprites with even Shinnok mentionated in Mortal Kombat 3, Quan Chi from the non canon cartoon and it was actually meant as an end of the series with leaving a storyline about Liu Kang's son vs Reiko
I feel like for me it's easy because well, MK4 was in arcades. That's it. And I always assumed 3D era referred to the gameplay not the graphics and MK4 is barely 3d gameplay so that as well
Every 4th game is an oddball entry that feels like it doesn't belong in any era.
In my opinion, I think mortal Kombat 4 was a transitional era that tried to do something but the fanbase did not like it. I think the majority of MK fans will like the games they think were good and ignore the ones they didn't like, mainly 3D era games.
Yes
1: D-did you just call 2000-2009 "the Noughties"?
2: (copy-pasted comment from MK Khronicles chapter 71, the Ghost's Companion):
You said in your "top 5 Netherrealm Studios Retcons" video that prior to MK9's story alterations, MK2 had no real stakes. Earlier today as I was rewatching your video talking about Liu Kang having the best Fatality, it dawned on me that there is a rather organic way to introduce stakes to the original version of MK2 but in a new way based off of John Tobias's comics.
600 years pre-MK1: Shao Kahn begins his attempt to conquer Earthrealm, sending his minion, Shang Tsung, to do it for him. Shang Tsung co-opts a tournament hosted by the Shaolin and corrupts it into being a Mortal Kombat.
550 years pre-MK1: The Great Kung Lao defeats Shang Tsung and sends him packing.
500 years pre-MK1: Shang Tsung enlists Goro's aid to dispose of the Great Kung Lao, restarting the Mortal Kombat.
leading up to MK1, Shang Tsung tells Raiden (based on his MK1 self and thus being arrogant and neglectful of his godly duties) about his tournament. Some unknown source (possibly someone working for Shinnok) hires the Lin Kuei to enter the tournament, having figured out what Shang Tsung was actually doing.
This way when Shao Kahn wants to execute him for his failure against Liu Kang, Shang Tsung brings up the fact that Raiden, The Protector God of Earthrealm, competed in that very same Tournament, losing to Liu Kang (who I'm gonna assume also defeated Bi-Han in the tournament as it makes no sense for Scorpion to only have the chance after the tournament). Since Protector Gods in the MK lore are later retconned into not being legally allowed to compete in an MK tournament, this means that Earthrealm's victory in MK1 is hereby invalid and thus the MK2 one would be the real deal.
I don't know if you ever saw that comment.
TL;DR based on things you yourself have brought up in various MK videos, there is a good reason for why MK2 happened in the Midway Timeline.
I like to think MK4 is part of the tobias era. This includes special forces
2:57 The Netherrealm era is HD, the 3D era is polygons
Yes?
I have Alot to say about this
First if you wanted to, You could put the 3 Eras as Games of 4:
2D: MK1 - MK2 - MK3 - MK4
3D: MKDA - MKD - MKA - MKvDC
NR: MK9 - MKX - MK11 - M1K
And to just say up front, I wouldn’t call it cowardly to have Transistional games for the Eras
Second, The Arcade Era is called that as it an Older style of Play, Not just cause they were in the Arcade, Nearly every Arcade Fighter at the Time was a 2D Fighter with Simple Combos and a Decent Roster
Mortal Kombat 4 is MK’s first Transistion Game as it’s actually kinda of a Mix of the 2 Bordering Eras, MK4 has its Base being MK3, but having a 3D style of Fighting, Along with Stage Hazards, & Non-Digitized Sprites
The 3D Era is called such due to its Tekken-like Combat
But Mortal Kombat vs DC is also a Transistionary Game as it also has the Same 3D fighting Gameplay as the Last 3 Games, but the Engine is different, The Theme of the Game is Goofier, and the Character Models are Drastic as they are then Transistioning into the Netherrealm Era
And that’d be what I call the 2 Transistionary MKs of the Franchise, I would also mention that I’m kinda Mixed on Mortal 1 Kombat though
It has the Style of a Transistionary MK due to its Radical Changes, Mediocre Gameplay, & the Feeling that the Next MK is gonna be Crazy
But it could also be considered part of the Netherrealm Era as its just a Smaller, De-Fined MK11 with its Engine & Character Models, Not changing much at all
Like a MK Deception to Deadly Alliance if they Downgraded
To me MK4 and Gold is 3D era because it’s all about the gameplay which is in 3D like Tekken is.
But in terms of gameplay it's still more similar to 1-3 than to the 3D era games. It has no multiple fighting styles for each fighter and little to no juggling
As far as gameplay goes MK4 / Gold is basically MK3, sans individual combos and some 3D gimmicks.
Arcade, PS2, PC. Done. Video over
Anything that doesn't fit one of these categories doesn't matter
Arcade era. Anyone debating that is clueless
mk4 is arcade because it barely has 3d elements besides a shitty side step and the moves and special moves are almost exactly like how they are in arcade and plays nothing like any of the other 3d era games
Mk9 through 1 is hd graphics not 3d
I feel MK4 in terms of gameplay is obviously 2D era.
But in terms of the story: It begins the amulet related stories in the mainline fighting games. Shinnok to Quan Chi (and Shang Taung) to Onaga is serialized in a very similar way to MK1 to Mk3, where each game is a consequence of the last.
MKA is a massive break in the story. As is MKvsDCU (in both gameplay and story).
I'd do it this way in terms of story:
MK1-3 (Shao Kahn era)
MK4-MKD (Amulet era)
MKA-MK11 (Elseworld nonsense era) this is when the story began falling apart, with MKX being the only game whose story did not involve some kind of nonsense gimmick
MK12 (not sure where it will lead)
Mk story went to shit when Dominic replaced vogel as lead writer🙄
3:00 *pulls up glasses and put on a high pitch voice* would say that the Netherrealm era is defined by it's HD graphics, like what people say to distinguish between the Gta 3d universe 3-SA and the HD universe.
So get pedatned on.
so can MK vs DCU be in NRS era because it has similar graphics as MK 2011 and change the name of NRS era to HD era?
Here's definitive proof that MK4 is not apart of the 3D era. The characters of MK4 were not disrespected an absurd amount during the NRS era
Yeah because they were barely present aside from Fujin & Tayna. Shit, Jarek was in like two issues in the comic & Kai might as well not even exist anymore.
@@thesilentsociety3252Let's not forget Quan Chi and Shinnok.
Even within the scope of just the original trilogy, the MK3 characters tend to get the short end of the stick.
Was gonna say that mk4 fits Deadly Alliance and Deception in the fact the arcade endings of the characters are more about their (possible, sometimes semi/not canon) plotline instead of "X character defeat Shang Tsung/Shao Kahn" but then remember MK vs DC and Armaggedon goes back to that (X character defeats Dark Khan/Blaze) and this goes on in the Netherealm games which makes sense since those have the arcade mode and the story mode. BUT M1K goes back to this with their arcade endings truly showing a new era
Semi-related, I feel the same way about Sonic Unleashed.
People often times place it with the other Dark Age Sonic games instead of the Meta Era, a decision made pretty much purely because of the fact they like the game and they don't like the Meta Era games.
Now, to be fair, there are some arguments to be made. It came out before Black Knight, a game I'd say fits less with the Meta Era than Unleashed fits with the Dark Age. It has the 4kids cast, Eggman is not the final boss and it got shit reviews. People also say that it has a better and more complex story than the Meta Era games, more akin to the Dark Age games.
All except that last one are true, but like, I consider them kinda superficial? Yeah, it has different voice actors to later games, but it is the same in so many ways that are central to the game experience, pairing it with the Dark Age games is to me like saying "MK9 is 3D Era because the Krypt is not a side game and the women are all half naked", like there are obviously bigger fish to fry. Namely:
The extended cast is absent, without even Knuckles appearing. The humans, though still present, are decidedly more cartoony and have moved away from the realism that had been standard ever since Adventure 1. Eggman may not be the final boss, but he's certainly the main villain and active antagonist, something that was not the case ever since Adventure 2 and debatably even earlier. The story is far, FAR simpler than previous stories with more emphasis on humour, with Orbot making his beta appearance as a comedic partner for Eggman. Sonic is the only playable character (even in the Tornado sections, you're playing as him, not Tails). All of these started in Unleashed and remain pretty much constant for all games following Colours. Which is, of course, ignoring the obvious, that THE GAMEPLAY STYLE IS THE EXACT SAME. Lost World aside, every Game from the 2010s uses the Boost style introduced in Unleashed. People say that it was actually introduced in Sonic Rush, and that's so obviously false that it makes me think they didn't play Sonic Rush, besides the fact that you can boost they are nothing alike, even in the 2D sections.
To me, the people that tend to like the Dark Age games also tend to like Unleashed, and they tend to really not like the games after Colours, so they try to group all the games they like together. This is why people have this delusion that Unleashed has a complex story similar to that of 06 or Black Knight, when in reality it is about as simple as the following Meta Era games. People happen to like Unleashed's story, so to divorce it from its similarities to the games with stories they don't like, they pretend it's more complex than it actually is.
About that Eggman thing
Eggman is the main antagonist in Unleashed. Dark Gaia is the final boss, but Eggman is the one you fight for 99% the game while Dark Gaia is not even concious. This is not the case for the major console releases before this.
06 does have Eggman doing stuff, but Mephiles is very clearly the main antagonist that creates most major conflicts, with Eggman being more of a nuisance than anything.
Shadow is similar, Eggman does do stuff but he's very clearly less of a priority.
Heroes doesn't even have Eggman do anything, spoilers for a 20 year old game but it was actually Neo Metal Sonic that was behind everything.
Now, in Adventure 2, Eggman is the clear antagonist for most of the story, beating him isn't something to do while the real conflict brews in the background, like in 06, but a major threat that could have been the entire game if they wanted to. One could argue that Shadow was actually the main antagonist, since he's the one that actually manipulates the events of the story for his own goals, but I think that Eggman is too competent to completely discredit him. If you do think so, though, Adventure 1 is pretty much the same as Unleashed, where Eggman is the main villain for most of the game but then loses control of Chaos at the very last moment.
The way I have always categorized most Mortal Kombat games is usual: Side Scroller Era (MK1 - MK4), 3D Era (MK: DA - MKVSDC), Netherrealm Era (MK9 - MK11), and then New Era (MK: Onslaught - M1K).
MK 4 came in arcades. It is part of the arcade era.
Alternatively, you can all it the Tobias era. He co- created the MK universe and he created all the characters for MK4.
The 3D era is also the Midway era. That is MKDA, MKD, and MKA.
3D era fans like to claim MK4 because it makes the 3D era characters seem much better than they were when you can add in Quan Chi, Shinnok, Fujin, Reiko, and Tanya.
Take them out and the 3D era only really has Frost, Ashrah, Li Mei and Kenshi - which is not bad but nothing compared to the Arcade era.
I consider MK4, Mythologies, and Special Forces to be part of the “Post-Arcade Era” because when MK4 released, despite it being in arcades, MK in the arcades was on its way out, and they were focusing on shifting to home entertainment. It feels experimental but not as much of a complete shift into something new like Deadly Alliance, which fundamentally changed the way MK played and killed Liu Kang all at once.
But the real question is Is MK VS DC a Netherrealm era game or a 3D era one
I consider MK4 apart of the classic era like MK1-Trilogy
I personally always considered the pattern:
-Trilogy (MK1-MK3)
-Stand alone (MK4)
-Trilogy (MKDA-MKA)
-Stand alone (MKvsDCU)
-Trilogy (MK9-MK11)
-Stand alone? (MK12)
Now if MK12 starts its own series the pattern is broken, but regardless it has been consistent so far. And I really don't see a reason to force MK4 and MKvsDCU in either direction (other than for some fun mental game like when you do Roster Duster), because they really are different from either in basically every way. They are both games caught in the middle of a passing of the torch, with their own behind-the-scenes reasons to exist as single releases, and their style reflects this too.
Mortal Kombat 4 was a clear change of style from the previous one, in terms of graphics, story, as well as gameplay; of course you can say it was still arcade but you can see it as the supposed beginning of a new saga that was abruptly ended when the team had its internal problems and arcades became less popular, and so they had to start anew with MKDA.
MKDA-MKA are obviously a solid trilogy in every way, all using the same engine, which in turn means the same gameplay as well as the same graphic style, but it also features its own style of storytelling and a plot moving naturally from one game to the next.
MKvsDCU is still 3D, but it is a new engine nonetheless and it is obviously its own story, not even being part of the main canon.
Then the Netherrealm era starts, and we have the trilogy MK9-11 trilogy, which features 2D gameplay with 3D graphics and tells its own self-contained timeline, followed by the new beginning with MK12, although the separation is not as sharp this time since the story of MK12 is still a direct continuation keeping the same style and themes, and also the gameplay is in-line with the previous three games... we'll see how much it will stand out in the future.
i gotta agree with the people that consider this a transition game. you can see the 3d era dna that paved the way for deadly alliance but it hasn't completely embraced it yet
It’s both for me really. At the very least it’s a transition period but it’s cool either way really not a big deal.
Has 4thSnake always been this pretentious?
Why is he pretentious in this video?
Elaborate, pretty please.
I feel like changing the "3D" era name to a more accuarate description like "Vogel" or "Midway home release" era would clear things more.
I consider the MK games released during the 5th console generations (mk4, Mythologies, and Special Forces) to be its own era - the Experiment Era.
It proto DA or mk 3 revaped thats all I gots to say
If I had to choose betwen the arcade and the 3d era, mk4 is arcade, no debate. But I do prefer to have both mk4 and MKvsDC as transition games, as they both are mainly like the games that preced then, but have some similarities with the following ones ( for exemple weapons and 3d graphics on 4, or the storymode and no more fighting styles on dc).
The one thing I disagree with though is with calling MK1 the begining of a new era. It is too similar to the rest of the Netherrealm era to warrant a new classification this early on. It all depends on how the next games turn out. They might be so similar to mk1 that it will be consider the "new era" or even the "cameo era"; it might make such big changes from the recent games in a way unseen in mk1, for exemple (and Im not saying this is a likely scenario at all) going back to 3d gameplay, which would solidify mk1 as part of the previous era; or it might make some significant changes from but keep some elements of 1 unseen in 9-11, making it a new 'transition game'.