Round 1: Characters
Obviously, both have so many great fighting game characters. There isn't much going to make this any easier. Mortal Kombat did have a few alright characters during Deadly Alliance to Armageddon period. Most of KI's roster is similar in a few major ways to an actual MK characters. At the same time, they aren't full on rip off with great stories.
Basically they are they're own characters rather than made to be similar to an MK character. Oh there's so many rip off games it could easily make a thousand people got insane especially if it plays nonstop. I do need to consider time travel or time alternations. I felt just going by the stories of their original series.
I have to give it to Killer Instinct, sure it was two games but those are well done. Beyond Deception, Armageddon wasn't a good game. Also if we were to allow the non canon crossover with DC comics, that really doesn't help their case either. I felt both sides have some a lot of interesting things. This is obviously one of those personal taste will determine a winner categories.
Honestly, some of my favorite characters got ruined in Armageddon. Keep in mind, I won't be including guest characters. I felt some characters are more interesting than others. It's very difficult in this particular case since I have to carefully look at them all. Just to depend which side simply has more characters I like more.
Yes that is the key word more. My favorite characters on both sides are Scorpion & Fulgore respectively. I do need to consider MK series do have a multiverse concept. But Killer Instinct still has an interesting world to hold up to that. Honestly, there's more actual female characters I like in Killer Instinct series.
Obviously, Mortal Kombat does have more rememberable boss characters. Although I do like Gargos a lot. Truthfully, it might actually come down to a handful of characters. This isn't about which side has more characters to clarify. If I had to limit it down to the first couple of games, Killer Instinct wins.
Also most newer Killer Instinct characters introduced in the reboot are great characters. Sure Rare wasn't as involved as the first two games. Just considering both of those, I have to give the win to Killer Instinct. It is difficult to compete with characters like Cinder, Spinal, Fulgore or Jago. Not only that, KI does have more rememberable combos for each character as well.
Winner: Killer Instinct
Round 2: Stages
Obviously, Mortal Kombat has more games with more stages. But the real question is which has stages that simply stands out more. Keep in mind, all Killer Instinct games has stage finishers. Killer Instinct does make longer falls to death more exciting. Some of the later stage fatalities prior to MK9 were cheap.
By this point, the team made stage fatalities too easy to pull off. If we left out stages with an exclusive finisher. There's still plenty of great levels to play. I felt there's more level variety surprisingly in Killer Instinct series. Yes I know, some stages in MK series are in other realms like Netherrealm & Outworld respectively.
I strongly felt if we were going for the finishers, MK easily wins. But Killer Instinct isn't weak there either. Also the music that plays for each stage does help keep you going. Let's be honest, if we go by the music alone, Killer Instinct wins. This is another of those it really comes down to personal taste. Truthfully, both of them do have a great selection of stages.
Even throwing in the boss stages makes it more difficult. I felt if we keep it strictly on the stage. Both franchises put a lot of work into them. MK series comes off more mystic while KI series is more science fiction than anything else. I have to give this a tie since both of them made it that difficult to decide a winner.
Winner: Tie
Round 3: Finishers
There is absolutely no question Mortal Kombat series has a lot more finishers. I can say majority of them are great. But there are a few that kinda sucks or felt misplaced. I never felt that with Killer Instinct series. Both of them has finishers the other lacks. Mortal Kombat has Friendships, Animalities, Mutalities, Hara Kiris & a few others.
But Friendships comes off as something random than an actual finisher. Brutalities in most versions of MK3 was simply beaten your opponent so badly they would explode. Thank god, they greatly revamp the concept with MKX. Some finishers goes way too far like a particular one shared between two cyborg ninjas.
Where Cyrax or Smoke drops a lot of bombs to blow up the Earth. Killer Instinct has Humilations that forces your opponents to dance. It also has two different combo theme finishers that really isn't ripping off Brutalities back then. Ultras are long combos that usually sends your opponent flying at the end of it.
Also you gotta love when the announcer says ULTRA!!!. Ultimates used to be a short combo followed by killing your opponent. It recently came back in the reboot game. Also do I even need to mention the famous Orchid's finisher where she reveals her breasts to her opponents. Most of them dies from the shock while Orchid simply gets jealous.
I felt Killer Instinct was more technically solid with majority of it's finishers. You got stage finishers in both series as stated before. The ones that involves an uppercut sending your opponent flying downwards. Most of those were actually more exciting in KI series. Yes, MK does have more violent stage finishers.
But at the same time, some of the later ones didn't help much. The animations overall on both sides is very good. I strongly felt, more effort was put into Killer Instinct series. I know a lot of people will disagree. They made sure majority of finishers was done exactly how they're characters would do them.
Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine that in an Mortal Kombat game. Finishers don't get too ridiculous in Killer Instinct series either. Also, I felt more of them were more surprising than those of MK series. Like Fulgore changing out his head for a weapon to kill his opponent brilliant. I just felt Killer Instinct made the finishers just a bit more entertaining & it holds up better.
Winner: Killer Instinct
Round 4: Music & Sound Effects
I am not going to lie, Mortal Kombat series does have some great songs. I felt some sound effects are better than those of Killer Instinct. But there really is no contest here. Killer Instinct always had terrific sound tracks. They even released some albums to go with some of the games. How often do you hear a game company doing that?
Sure, Dan sometimes appears on screen in a few MK games. He does have rememberable quotes, so does Scorpion with "Get Over Here!!!" But Killer Instinct may not have as much voice acting especially in newer MK games. It sure does have some amazing sound effects in it's own right. I strongly felt even if I put the best songs from both franchises against each other, my opinion won't change.
Winner: Killer Instinct
Round 5: Secrets
To be honest, there isn't much secrets within Killer Instinct series. Which makes this category incredibly easy for me to decide. It shouldn't even be a surprise by now. Mortal Kombat always had a strong secrets reputations. We are talking codes to stuff carefully hidden or movie references. MK series kept the distance to keeping the fans interested.
We gotten The Krypt mode which most versions is filled with content to buy or unlock in two game's cases. Mortal Kombat does have more cheat codes. Yes, MK games got greatly ported all over the place. Most of them still maintain some of those codes. I should mention in Killer Instinct Gold, each difficulty you beat the game on.
Actually adds more selection to a secret part of options that allows you to cheat. You can make even the most difficult setting seem like a cake walk. I do need to bring out, some codes in other MK games aren't that good. I will be honest, it is hit or miss among codes but there's a lot of surprises hidden within MK games to give it the win here.
Winner: Mortal Kombat
Round 6: Reboots
OMG, just limiting this down to a handful of games will be difficult. I didn't get to play much of MK11 yet. I played plenty of the rest to know this will be a fun one to do. MK9 has a story mode recreating the events of the first three MK games. Obviously, there are several notable changes. Killer Instinct does confirmed in Shadow Lorrds mode that Jago won KI2.
All the characters are in the present since that tournament. Although, since KI2's tournament was in the distant past. There too was notable changes among the characters. I will be honest, there was five or six dlc characters depending on which version of MK9. Most of the roster in KI 2013 was dlc characters.
Usually this would've been a major problem. But Rare was kind enough to put everything in one place for forty bucks. Which does include arcade ports of the first two Killer Instinct games. Not only that, you also get every dlc outfit as well. There's so much content added, it virtually beaten MK9 to a bloody mess.
There's challenges that will increase your leveling. Each character has their own leveling as well. Everything in this game makes sure to help you become a master of it. I will be honest MK9 did have some great dlc costumes but most of them were similar, colored differently outfits. I should mention, there is a PlayStation Vita version that adds more outfits.
It also adds a second challenge tower to challenge your skills. Sure, I wish it was more straight getting all the endings in KI 2013. But there's actually more endings than those of MK9 too. Most of them are surprisingly better than some of the finest MK9 has to offer. I felt, as great MK9 truly was, it got defeated by a more solid fighting game reboot.
Winner: Killer Instinct
Round 7: Guest Characters
I should mention, more recently both franchises allowed guest characters. Killer Instinct 2013 has General Raam, The Arbiter & Rash. Freddy Krueger was the solo guest character of MK9. WOW, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Alien & Predator are guest characters in MKX. I know it's a bit early to talk about MK11 on this.
I will be sadly for fairness reasons leaving it out this category. Clearly most guest characters in MK series are horror movie icons. I strongly felt all three of KI's guest characters holds up amazingly well. Also they actually come with their own levels & songs. Yeah top that Mortal Kombat!!! Not only that, they had a more interesting character trailer in comparison too.
Oh wait I am not done yet, during Rash testing period. If you owned Killer Instinct 2013 it doesn't have to be up to date or Rare Replay, you can play as Rash. Sure, it was for a short period but I actually glad they done that. The animations for the guest characters are more unique in comparison too.
Winner: Killer Instinct
Final Round: The Bosses
Let's be honest, the first couple games on both sides had a cheap final boss. I actually felt Fulgore as a sub boss in those games was more challenging. Eyedol can possibly do an infinite combo out of nothing. Both Gargos & Eyedol can regenerate their health during a match. I kinda felt Motaro was different enough from both Goro & Kintaro.
Some sub bosses are well alright at best. Like Noob-Smoke is two fighting style for per a character instead of three different fighting styles. I actually felt from Deception to the non canon crossover MK made the final boss similar. You can look up Onaga to Blaze to Dark Kahn to see what I am talking about.
I kinda felt yes there is more interesting boss characters in MK series. But come on, Fulgore really makes sure you are good at the game. He is also difficult to predict in comparison. Most sub bosses in MK series are predictable. I actually put more effort into defeating Gargos & Eyedol than any of the final bosses within MK series.
You also had to defeat Gargos a particular way that doesn't help much. I do like you get to kill the bosses. I will be honest, even the final bosses are more fun to play as than most sub boss characters in MK series. Killer Instinct series just simply has a better reputation. This isn't even counting the 2013 game either.
Winner: Killer Instinct
6-1-1 Killer Instinct takes home the victory here. I realized the more I was writing down. I actually had more reasons to like Killer Instinct over Mortal Kombat. Yes finally a rip off of Mortal Kombat I like more than that series. Well done Rare, you guys have some truly amazing fighting games. I just felt out of respect, Killer Instinct is simply better in most categories.
To be fair, I always been a huge fan of both series. This won't change things as some might expect. It just means if given the choice of a new MK or KI game, I'm going towards Killer Instinct. I honestly felt, they worked very hard to stand out in a great way. In my opinion, they had the most successful attempt at recreating MK series, yes even more than Eternal Champions series.
No comments:
Post a Comment