Current Events > Hot take: I would like an option to disable the gore in Mortal Kombat

(+) Yeah! (+)

These things were a huge draw when I was an edgy teen but now that I'm a grown adult they're just "meh"

I use a Fatality maybe once or twice and then get bored of ending every fight with a lengthy, violent cinematic, especially when some of the regular outros are better anyway

And while the solution for being bored of Fatalities is simply "just don't use them, idiot", there's really no option like that for the X-rays or Fatal Blows or whatever they'll be called in MK1, which will still add a 10-20 second animation of gore during a fight that also gets old after the first couple of times you see it

I'd also like to add that since graphics, sound effects, and stuff are getting better and more realistic it can be kind of disturbing or stressful to see/hear this kind of thing and it's not always what I want to see/hear when I'm trying to unwind and relax

I think I read somewhere they've considered it because of streaming

There may be mods for that on PC. I wouldnt count on it because its a request that invokes immediate laughter, but there might be.

why dont we just add an easy mode to Dark Souls while we're at it?

refmon posted...

why dont we just add an easy mode to Dark Souls while we're at it?

Why don't we? Is this the "accessibility is bad" argument again?

I remember the game boy version of the original didn't have blood or fatalities.

It is for edgy teens.

Megan Fox literally in it

Surprised it hasn't had it, regardless if that's the draw of the series.

TMOG posted...

Why don't we? Is this the "accessibility is bad" argument again?

The point was that the gore defines Mortal Kombat just as the difficulty defines Dark Souls. Change them, and its not MK / Dark Souls.

PraetorXyn posted...

The point was that the gore defines Mortal Kombat just as the difficulty defines Dark Souls. Change them, and its not MK / Dark Souls.

Eh, I mostly play the series for its characters and lore, that's what drew me in more than the violence if I'm being completely honest. Now that I'm 36 and still a huge fan of the series, I would honestly prefer to have it without gore shoved in my face at every opportunity.

the whole gross gore thingy that they try to make the audience go ewwwww omg grosss mk is so different than other fighters <333 is just cringe to me now tbh, i was like that in mk3 but its just corny now.

They should call it SNES mode. Not even joking.

ProfessorKukui posted...

Surprised it hasn't had it, regardless if that's the draw of the series.

Maybe it's too difficult to have a toggle for brutalities and x-rays/fatal blows. And fatalities you can just self-censor by never doing them obviously.

It says something about society that such a steaming pile of shit can endure on gore alone.

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

It says something about society that such a steaming pile of shit can endure on gore alone.

I don't think that's the reason. I think it has more to do with Mortal Kombat being one of the only fighting games to actually give a shit about its story. Now granted the story is usually pretty bad, but it's enjoyable and better than literally nothing at all. Other fighting games have absolutely no value for people who want to play primarily single player.

Also I think MK has more interesting characters than most other fighting games.

Were_Wyrm posted...

I remember the game boy version of the original didn't have blood or fatalities.

SNES version of MK1 has no blood and the fatalities have been nerfed.

MK used to be "fighting game, but with some gore"

Now it's more "Gore game, but with some fighting"

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

I don't think that's the reason. I think it has more to do with Mortal Kombat being one of the only fighting games to actually give a shit about its story. Now granted the story is usually pretty bad, but it's enjoyable and better than literally nothing at all. Other fighting games have absolutely no value for people who want to play primarily single player.

Also I think MK has more interesting characters than most other fighting games.

It was weird seeing the characters get so hung up about killing in the recent games, it's like, c'mon, you killed each other all the time in the 16 bit games. You guys can also get your neck and femurs shattered in a finisher and you walk it off.

I'd be fine with it. I think the gore is funny, though.

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

I don't think that's the reason. I think it has more to do with Mortal Kombat being one of the only fighting games to actually give a shit about its story. Now granted the story is usually pretty bad, but it's enjoyable and better than literally nothing at all. Other fighting games have absolutely no value for people who want to play primarily single player.

what

I'm not against gore in a vacuum, but there's such a thing as too much gore/violence that most media don't want to acknowledge. Learning about the devs needing mental treatment for all the gore references they had to look up is part of my vendetta against the constant demand for bigger and bigger graphics. You know you hit that point when the 3D artists are getting traumatized.

Dabrikishaw15 posted...

I'm not against gore in a vacuum, but there's such a thing as too much gore/violence that most media don't want to acknowledge. Learning about the devs needing mental treatment for all the gore references they had to look up is part of my vendetta against the constant demand for bigger and bigger graphics. You know you hit that point when the 3D artists are getting traumatized.

They went that in depth with it? Dang. Id have been just fine with them making it up as they went along.

The gore in the latest MK is just stupid, tbqh.

I was watching a fatalities video and I assumed a lot of those moves were the finishers. Like, you see someone's skull get lasered through in x-ray vision and then the character is just standing there with their health bar reduced?

It's very weird how they want you to suspend your disbelief for those stupid x-ray moves and overall the whole thing just comes across as cringey more than anything else.

I will never think there is anything wrong with providing more options in games.

You buy it, it's yours. Play it how you want.

VirtuousWrath posted...

The gore in the latest MK is just stupid, tbqh.

I was watching a fatalities video and I assumed a lot of those moves were the finishers. Like, you see someone's skull get lasered through in x-ray vision and then the character is just standing there with their health bar reduced?

It's very weird how they want you to suspend your disbelief for those stupid x-ray moves and overall the whole thing just comes across as cringey more than anything else.

In some of the 3D games there were death traps in the stages that characters could be knocked into and you'd see them die in some gruesome way. But functionally they were just ring-outs. Getting knocked into one just meant you lost that round. So a character could get crushed by spikes or boiled in acid and be right back up and fighting the next round.

That's sort of how the gore in MK games always worked. It's supposed to be over the top and even kinda silly and not really meant to be taken seriously.

UnsteadyOwl posted...

That's sort of how the gore in MK games always worked. It's supposed to be over the top and even kinda silly and not really meant to be taken seriously.

Tell that to the developers.

You know, I'm in full agreement with TC. If this was any other fighting game series that didn't give 2 shits about its lore or story/single player content I would disagree. If this was any other fighting game series that was limited in its budget I would disagree. But no, this is NRS, the only other fighting game (besides Smash series and Street Fighter) that basically has unlimited budget and where a lot of people actually care about the lore and story of the MK universe. They absolutely can afford to make a "disabled gore" option, especially for those players who either care more about the story/lore or MK content creators that constantly get demonitized unless they take the extra step to edit it. I can't really see any reason why they couldn't other than maybe WB stepping in and saying no.

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

Tell that to the developers.

I mean the gore is still over the top though, just the gore itself looks more realistic like the organs and all that.

So much spaghetti was harmed in the production of Mortal Kombat

PraetorXyn posted...

The point was that the gore defines Mortal Kombat just as the difficulty defines Dark Souls. Change them, and its not MK / Dark Souls.

Thats always a bad point because additional options mean that its not removed for people who want it and people can pick based on their preference. Next.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Thats always a bad point because additional options mean that its not removed for people who want it and people can pick based on their preference. Next.

There are options available for people that have those preferences. It's called playing other games.

The industry doesn't need to be homogenized because someone somewhere thinks thinks preference and customization taken to its extreme are end goals in and of themselves. If you want protagonists that speak then you wouldn't play a Zelda or a half-life game, you'd just play something else.

Maybe they should just lock the gore behind a long button code when the game is starting up.

Okay joking aside I get the point with the gore. It has gotten a kind of excessive especially with how drawn out some of things are. It's Mortal Kombat though. Gore has kind of been one of the main selling points since it first came out. So, I'm not really sure what can be done about that.

A_Good_Boy posted...

It's called playing other games.

We're not talking about other games. We're talking about adding an option to this one that would improve the experience of this game for some people based on their preference. Next.

WingsOfGood posted...

It is for edgy teens.

Megan Fox literally in it

What's ironic is that they look out the skimpy outfits but they keep fatalities with xray vision of testicles in.

It's just another case of devs kowtowing to the people who aren't even buying their games.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Next game

Sounds about right.

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

I don't think that's the reason. I think it has more to do with Mortal Kombat being one of the only fighting games to actually give a shit about its story. Now granted the story is usually pretty bad, but it's enjoyable and better than literally nothing at all. Other fighting games have absolutely no value for people who want to play primarily single player.

Also I think MK has more interesting characters than most other fighting games.

Isn't the story mode AI either braindead or absurdly cheap?

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Thats always a bad point because additional options mean that its not removed for people who want it and people can pick based on their preference. Next.

No it isnt. For MK, sure but its literally the series identity, and the number of people who would want it is such an infinitesimal minutia its not worth the minor effort it would require. Every version without it has sparked massive backlash, like SNES MK1. Adding the option is utterly pointless, because without the gore theres no real reason to even play it. There are better fighters from a gameplay standpoint. Theyve discarded the lore and rebooted it twice now, so there doesnt seem to be much reason to get invested in the story when you know theyll eventually throw it out anyway. So why play it if not for the Fatalities etc.?

For FromSoft games, it would be a massive pain in the ass to balance them if an Easy Mode was added. Thats exactly the reason Hard in most games isnt actually any harder, but just makes the enemies hit harder, have more health, etc. From games are intricately balanced, and adding an Easy Mode would give From the task of a whole other intricate balance as they wouldnt be satisfied just number tweaking like lazy devs do. If you want easy mode, just get the PC version and install an invincibility mod.

A_Good_Boy posted...

Sounds about right.

Wrong. There's no scenario where you arguing for fewer options is the right call.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Wrong

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/0/AAdbn9AAE1ZG.png

PraetorXyn posted...

No it isnt. For MK, sure but its literally the series identity, and the number of people who would want it is such an infinitesimal minutia its not worth the minor effort it would require. Every version without it has sparked massive backlash, like SNES MK1. Adding the option is utterly pointless, because without the gore theres no real reason to even play it. There are better fighters from a gameplay standpoint. Theyve discarded the lore and rebooted it twice now, so there doesnt seem to be much reason to get invested in the story when you know theyll eventually throw it out anyway. So why play it if not for the Fatalities etc.?

For FromSoft games, it would be a massive pain in the ass to balance them if an Easy Mode was added. Thats exactly the reason Hard in most games isnt actually any harder, but just makes the enemies hit harder, have more health, etc. From games are intricately balanced, and adding an Easy Mode would give From the task of a whole other intricate balance as they wouldnt be satisfied just number tweaking like lazy devs do. If you want easy mode, just get the PC version and install an invincibility mod.

MK without gore is just a clunky kusoge. There's be like 5 people who would care if you could turn it off.

IceCreamOnStero posted...

MK without gore is just a clunky kusoge. There's be like 5 people who would care if you could turn it off.

Yeah. I havent seen a reason to play it since the original reboot, but its fun to watch the Fatalities.

I never found MK interesting BECAUSE of the gore. I never really liked that kind of stuff and actually just actively avoid it. I will never understand why folks like it. If they game didn't have any of that, yeah I may be interested.

HylianFox posted...

MK used to be "fighting game, but with some gore"

Now it's more "Gore game, but with some fighting"

Thats why FGC matches always skip end round fatals, correct? They make their millions with casuals by keeping franchises traditions in place, but the longevity is fueled by those invested in the core mechanics and meta.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

We're not talking about other games. We're talking about adding an option to this one that would improve the experience of this game for some people based on their preference. Next.

Okay, and if the people making the game want to do that, then they should. But they shouldnt do it if they dont want to just to appease you.

there are plenty of other games out there, play one of those. Dont cry until you get another game changed.

TheNextLink posted...

I never found MK interesting BECAUSE of the gore. I never really liked that kind of stuff and actually just actively avoid it. I will never understand why folks like it. If they game didn't have any of that, yeah I may be interested.

The gore is all it really had in the early days. Without it, it was just a worse Street Fighter, King if Fighters, etc.

The_Wheelman1 posted...

SNES version of MK1 has no blood and the fatalities have been nerfed.

Raiden and Subzero were better with the needing in my pov.

PraetorXyn posted...

The gore is all it really had in the early days. Without it, it was just a worse Street Fighter, King if Fighters, etc.

Seriously. The original games werent even good. The games now are actually good

MICHALECOLE posted...

Seriously. The original games werent even good. The games now are actually good

They weren't bad, but as far as the violent fighting games go from that time Killer Instinct and Weaponlord were better.

Is OP the nintendo VP from the early 90's lmao

Early MK games I can see why people would call Kusoge's, but modern MK games are far from Kusoge's. Taking out the budget aspects of the game, the fact that your character will pose for the majority of the Kameo assist shows they're going the extra mile to make sure their games don't become broken. I mean even MK11 was a pure strike throw game that had some of the shorter combo's in the series by far.

So yes Fatality's were the primary reason that made MK stand out from the crowd back then, but it grew into something much bigger than that. The amount of effort NRS does to put effort into the single player content and having one of the only successful cinematic story modes (yes Tekken and Street Fighter did attempt this and failed miserably) increased their casual base by A LOT. There are plenty of people who care about the characters, story, and lore that can do without the gore.

With all that said, if NRS chooses to not add it as a option because of their creative choice, then so be it. Artistic freedom and integrity should always triumph all else.

MICHALECOLE posted...

Okay, and if the people making the game want to do that, then they should. But they shouldnt do it if they dont want to just to appease you.

there are plenty of other games out there, play one of those. Dont cry until you get another game changed.

Ok. They can want to or not want to make whatever changes they want. Bethesda doesnt want to fix bugs in their games either.