The Game OverThinker's Thoughts on MK9

[MAPS]

Arent most fighting game girls kinda made to be hot anyways?

Exactly, just like how most men in fighting games have an Adonis-like body. When you think about it, it's a double standard seeing how no one ever *****es about the men having perfect bodies and being topless (Or in Urien's and Gill's case, in nothing but a speedo).

 

[artofgarduno]

Exactly, just like how most men in fighting games have an Adonis-like body. When you think about it, it's a double standard seeing how no one ever *****es about the men having perfect bodies and being topless (Or in Urien's and Gill's case, in nothing but a speedo).

Exactly, most males in a fighting game have chiseled figures and are super ripped.

 

[Knearspoe]

Wow, some of these comments about how the girls of MK should wear more clothing and have less cleavage *shakes head*.

You guys need to know that this isn't your Street Fighter/Tekken or any other "typical" fighting game. This is Mortal Kombat, THE game that introduced the ESRB to the world of gaming. In a game that features over the top violence and gore, partial nudity is more of a welcome addition because it matches the dark grotesque and pervasive nature of the Mortal Kombat games. Haven't any of you ever heard of the term "Sex sells", that is true to all the billboards and advertisements these days, a hot sexy chick is always a way to bring in customers to the product, no matter what that product may be. Mortal Kombat should'nt be any different. The team over at NetherRealm Studios knew this and that's why they went with it.

They have in mind that a majority of the people who plays Mortal Kombat is around the 18-35 demographic age. It's safe to assume that MOST of them are males. So if they're going to bring this incredibly epic game back to its roots, why not give some more "fan service" by making a majority of the females characters more revealing? That's just how it goes.

Sorry to say this to all you who disapproves of this, but YOU are in the minority here when you want the girls of MK to wear more clothing. You might as well go into a hooters or Coyote Ugly bar and tell those waitresses that they should wear more clothing. Or better yet, for those who have girlfriends, you might as well tell them that they should'nt be wearing booty shorts or tanktops showing cleavage of their boobs because YOU DO NOT approve it. Or when you see two hot girls walking down the street, one wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans, and the other one wearing a tight tanktop and booty shorts, who is the first one you would look at first? That's what I thought, and don't even think about being self righteous about your choice because that's how most heterosexual minds are.

So why would you NOT want a girl to look sexy? whether in real life or in a game? I'm done here.

 

[Ethereal90]

Exactly, just like how most men in fighting games have an Adonis-like body. When you think about it, it's a double standard seeing how no one ever *****es about the men having perfect bodies and being topless (Or in Urien's and Gill's case, in nothing but a speedo).

Exactly, and as far as the sexualization of female characters in fighting games DOA overdoes it way more than MK.

 

[Jade]

Exactly, just like how most men in fighting games have an Adonis-like body. When you think about it, it's a double standard seeing how no one ever *****es about the men having perfect bodies and being topless (Or in Urien's and Gill's case, in nothing but a speedo).

lol, I already tried that argument in the past and people still didn't get it.

 

[Demetrius]

You know what even though I am not on the same page as you hopefully some of there alt. outfits won't be so revealing because it is understandable some people don't want to play there Mortal Kombat with Boobs flyin everywhere. But just remeber Mk is meant to be over the top in ways. It is not meant to be taken seriously. Mileena or even Kitana for that matter or not meant to be role moddles to young children or anything like that. If you want that play some Street Fighter. Seriously. Mk is meant to shake few heads from time to time. That is part of its appeal. Sorry if you want you women all proper this is not the game for you.

Thats not what I mean entirely. I know it's supposed to be over the top and all that, but Mortal Kombat is missing one of the most important Story Telling elements in all of gaming, which is a real shame because of the fact that MK is widely held to be the Fighting Genre with the best Story.

What are they missing?

Characterization (with the females, at least). If you were to look at Jade, Mileena, and Kitana's outfits, you couldn't tell them apart other than color. They all look like they were designed for sex appeal (which, I realize, they were) instead of the fact that Kitana is a princess and Jade is her bodyguard/assassin type deal. Mileena gets a by because that's what her character is supposed to be; using her body as a weapon because her face is hideous.

Also, This is the perfect game for me, I have wanted a decent MK game since MK3. But for a "Mature" game, it's not very mature in it's portrayal of women....

 

[MS3]

Wow, some of these comments about how the girls of MK should wear more clothing and have less cleavage *shakes head*.

You guys need to know that this isn't your Street Fighter/Tekken or any other "typical" fighting game. This is Mortal Kombat, THE game that introduced the ESRB to the world of gaming. In a game that features over the top violence and gore, partial nudity is more of a welcome addition because it matches the dark grotesque and pervasive nature of the Mortal Kombat games. Haven't any of you ever heard of the term "Sex sells", that is true to all the billboards and advertisements these days, a hot sexy chick is always a way to bring in customers to the product, no matter what that product may be. Mortal Kombat should'nt be any different. The team over at NetherRealm Studios knew this and that's why they went with it.

They have in mind that a majority of the people who plays Mortal Kombat is around the 18-35 demographic age. It's safe to assume that MOST of them are males. So if they're going to bring this incredibly epic game back to its roots, why not give some more "fan service" by making a majority of the females characters more revealing? That's just how it goes.

Sorry to say this to all you who disapproves of this, but YOU are in the minority here when you want the girls of MK to wear more clothing. You might as well go into a hooters or Coyote Ugly bar and tell those waitresses that they should wear more clothing. Or better yet, for those who have girlfriends, you might as well tell them that they should'nt be wearing booty shorts or tanktops showing cleavage of their boobs because YOU DO NOT approve it. Or when you see two hot girls walking down the street, one wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans, and the other one wearing a tight tanktop and booty shorts, who is the first one you would look at first? That's what I thought, and don't even think about being self righteous about your choice because that's how most heterosexual minds are.

So why would you NOT want a girl to look sexy? whether in real life or in a game? I'm done here.

agree with this completely.

Mature rated video game. Girls look hot to add sex appeal. Guys look intimidating, strong etc. to add style to a combat game... makes sense.

If you are morally objecting to this sexualization I would ask to have your head examined since you're playing a game where fantasy karacters dismember, maim, torture, disfigure, humiliate and murder eachother...for entertainment value.

If you however just feel like it gets old to see the skin on the girls because say, you're female, or you just come from a conservative background then I guess I could understand you're plight. I however do not notice Johnny Cage's muscly chest/abs etc. I'm more focused on the action than the aesthetics. At least after the initial viewings of each karacter.

Really though, what should NRS do? Put these chicks in turtle necks and Under Armour? I feel the level of sex is perfectly balanced or even inferior to the level of violence in this game.

 

[MS3]

Thats not what I mean entirely. I know it's supposed to be over the top and all that, but Mortal Kombat is missing one of the most important Story Telling elements in all of gaming, which is a real shame because of the fact that MK is widely held to be the Fighting Genre with the best Story.

What are they missing?

Characterization (with the females, at least). If you were to look at Jade, Mileena, and Kitana's outfits, you couldn't tell them apart other than color. They all look like they were designed for sex appeal (which, I realize, they were) instead of the fact that Kitana is a princess and Jade is her bodyguard/assassin type deal. Mileena gets a by because that's what her character is supposed to be; using her body as a weapon because her face is hideous.

Also, This is the perfect game for me, I have wanted a decent MK game since MK3. But for a "Mature" game, it's not very mature in it's portrayal of women....

I'm sure all of these women have their own unique stories in the story mode. They have depth and character from their bio to the voice acting.

I would call the game immature if the women were meant as sexual props, weren't allowed to fight or even had cheesy romances in the game.

I'm just having such a hard time imagining what you would consider a well presented female MK karacter and how that would sit well with the MK fan demographic.

 

[Shajita]

It's not that I don't enjoy female breasts or skin, but this madness has to got stop.
I respect MovieBob a lot. I am a huge fan of his "Big Picture" videos on the Escapist. If you haven't checked it out, please go do so. However, I disagree on this subject.

As mentioned above, I enjoy female bodies, and I must admit that it is nice to see Mileena's breasts bounce around. However, this image does not fit every female character. As a lot of people have mentioned is Sindel a queen, Kitana a princess, Jade a bodyguard/assassin and Sonya is a member of an elite United States Special Forces unit. None of which would walk around not wearing any kind of formal or protective clothes. And yet, none of them does.

Not only do I find it disrespectful for the characters to make them dress like that for the sake of "fanservice", it also only adds fuel to the stereotype flame that all gamers are simple minded teens/young adults. Again, Mileena I'm cool with because that is part of her charm, but there's plenty of material to draw inspiration from when designing the other characters to make them look sexy, hot, but also strong, serious and respectful. Take Jade from Beyond Good & Evil as an example.

If we want more people into gaming, then we need to start and respect women more than we do now. I know it's fun making perverted jokes about girls on these forums, but it only scares and disgusts females further away from our beloved hobby.

And finally, my very last rant, promise. We need to stop hiding behind the "It's just a game" excuse. Every time we use it, we just further jeopardize our culture future. If we want to be taken seriously as an art form, as a serious way of entertainment, then we need to stand up for what we are. People designing games are not toy makers, they're artists, or at least have the chance to be so. Therefore, for the sake of MKs and gamings popularity in general, we need to demand better, more respected designs for our females.

Extra Credits said it better than I did, so go check them out. They can also be found on the Escapist and really gives you a lot of stuff to think over.

Everybody is free to disagree with this wall of text of mine, but that's just my opinion on the subject.

 

[Sub-Zero_Wraith]

It's not that I don't enjoy female breasts or skin, but this madness has to got stop.
I respect MovieBob a lot. I am a huge fan of his "Big Picture" videos on the Escapist. If you haven't checked it out, please go do so. However, I disagree on this subject.

As mentioned above, I enjoy female bodies, and I must admit that it is nice to see Mileena's breasts bounce around. However, this image does not fit every female character. As a lot of people have mentioned is Sindel a queen, Kitana a princess, Jade a bodyguard/assassin and Sonya is a member of an elite United States Special Forces unit. None of which would walk around not wearing any kind of formal or protective clothes. And yet, none of them does.

Not only do I find it disrespectful for the characters to make them dress like that for the sake of "fanservice", it also only adds fuel to the stereotype flame that all gamers are simple minded teens/young adults. Again, Mileena I'm cool with because that is part of her charm, but there's plenty of material to draw inspiration from when designing the other characters to make them look sexy, hot, but also strong, serious and respectful. Take Jade from Beyond Good & Evil as an example.

If we want more people into gaming, then we need to start and respect women more than we do now. I know it's fun making perverted jokes about girls on these forums, but it only scares and disgusts females further away from our beloved hobby.

And finally, my very last rant, promise. We need to stop hiding behind the "It's just a game" excuse. Every time we use it, we just further jeopardize our culture future. If we want to be taken seriously as an art form, as a serious way of entertainment, then we need to stand up for what we are. People designing games are not toy makers, they're artists, or at least have the chance to be so. Therefore, for the sake of MKs and gamings popularity in general, we need to demand better, more respected designs for our females.

Extra Credits said it better than I did, so go check them out. They can also be found on the Escapist and really gives you a lot of stuff to think over.

Everybody is free to disagree with this wall of text of mine, but that's just my opinion on the subject.

While I agree with just about everything you said, you're about to get flamed and argued with hardcore. Nobody seems to care about the reality of anything. There's no point in arguing with people that are so blind to their own opinion that they won't accept another person's opinion.

 

[Shajita]

^ If 10 people flame me but 1 agrees, then it was all worth it.

 

[DarkSideOfTheMoon]

The woman look beautiful and sexy. I don't get why guys are complaining and are so concerned for extra skin in a fighting game. This is a mature game and if you cant appreciate that than keep yourself occupied with a "Rated T" for teen fighting game.. Majority of people on this site are men, and many are concerned with more clevage being shown? My God, enjoy it! You act like you have never seen a pair of tits before. *face palm*

 

[Sub-Zero_Wraith]

The woman look beautiful and sexy. I don't get why guys are complaining and are so concerned for extra skin in a fighting game. This is a mature game and if you cant appreciate that than keep yourself occupied with a "Rated T" for teen fighting game.. Majority of people on this site are men, and many are concerned with more clevage being shown? My God, enjoy it! You act like you have never seen a pair of tits before. *face palm*

And you act like the only pair of tits you have seen are from a video game. *assists you with your face palm*

 

[WFMMK]

I don't know why this always sparks up so many comments. It's just a game catering to their audience. And let's be honest most women do wish to look like these characters otherwise we would be seeing these bodies anywhere.

 

[Warren Carroll]

Not every game needs to needs to be culturally signicant, just like not every movie needs to be a dramatic contender for an academy award. Sometimes its great fun to sit down and watch things explode in the latest Michael Bay explosion filled popcorn flick, and to me, thats the sort of position Mortal Kombat holds as a game.

And I don't mean that as an insult, I love action movies, and I love Mortal Kombat, my point is it can be great without having to weigh in on the "games as art" issue or be a genre defining, culturally significant masterpiece. Yes I think games are as much art as a film is art, and I think there is a definite place for real, serious, mature, dramatic games that can have real impact and depict real people dealing with real issues. Take Heavy Rain for example, absolutely BRILLIANT game, and the sort of game I would want to be using as an example in a "games as art" debate. Mortal Kombat, not so much. Just like with films, I loved The King's Speech and The Social Network, great films the both of them, but I also loved Jackass 3D

Not every game has to clean up and act respectable, theres plenty of room for games that just want to have a laugh and be a bit disgusting/disrespectful/silly/excessive. I'm sure Mortal Kombat isn't trying to make a statement on society's perception of females (as someone else pointed out, the males are just as equally exaggerated in many cases), its just having a bit of fun, its a Michael Bay or Paul W.S. Anderson film, not an Oliver Stone or Michael Scorcese film. I don't think they're particularly interested in having Sonya Blade be an authentic recreation of a woman in the special forces, they just want to make a fun, slightly naughty, slightly silly, very cool game. And really, thats fine, just enjoy it for what it is and stop obsessing about it quite so much I reckon

 

[Sub-Zero_Wraith]

I don't know why this always sparks up so many comments. It's just a game catering to their audience. And let's be honest most women do wish to look like these characters otherwise we would be seeing these bodies anywhere.

I honestly think the reason why it sparks so many comments is because nobody is willing to agree to disagree. Everybody thinks they are right and assumes anyone against them is wrong. I've argued the point from both sides, and it still didn't matter.

This subject is honestly a matter of opinion, so there is no right or wrong when it comes to this, yet everybody thinks they are right.

 

[DarkSideOfTheMoon]

And you act like the only pair of tits you have seen are from a video game. *assists you with your face palm*

I dont know where you get that idea from but okay. You sound like a pansy complaining over a woman looking too reveiling. Jesus christ. If anything you should be ecstatic mortal kombat is taking this approach with many of its female fighters.

 

[REPTILE 0009]

I honestly think the reason why it sparks so many comments is because nobody is willing to agree to disagree. Everybody thinks they are right and assumes anyone against them is wrong. I've argued the point from both sides, and it still didn't matter.

This subject is honestly a matter of opinion, so there is no right or wrong when it comes to this, yet everybody thinks they are right.

If MK9 had the opposite problem and had more men running around with their shirts off, and the men starting wearing nothing but speedos, it would be just as stupid, and we'd see the the same people complaining about it, except we'd be using different words for it.. We just don't see that problem because the majority of the MK fanbase are young men.

 

[Sub-Zero_Wraith]

I dont know where you get that idea from but okay. You sound like a pansy complaining over a woman looking too reveiling. Jesus christ. If anything you should be ecstatic mortal kombat is taking this approach with many of its female fighters.

Why should I be ecstatic? Not every guy drools every time he sees a pair of tits. I'm done arguing with you.

If MK9 had the opposite problem and had more men running around with their shirts off, and the men starting wearing nothing but speedos, it would be just as stupid, and we'd see the the same people complaining about it, except we'd be using different words for it.. We just don't see that problem because the majority of the MK fanbase are young men.

I can't tell you are agreeing or disagreeing with me?

 

[Shajita]

Not every game needs to needs to be culturally signicant, just like not every movie needs to be a dramatic contender for an academy award. Sometimes its great fun to sit down and watch things explode in the latest Michael Bay explosion filled popcorn flick, and to me, thats the sort of position Mortal Kombat holds as a game.

And I don't mean that as an insult, I love action movies, and I love Mortal Kombat, my point is it can be great without having to weigh in on the "games as art" issue or be a genre defining, culturally significant masterpiece. Yes I think games are as much art as a film is art, and I think there is a definite place for real, serious, mature, dramatic games that can have real impact and depict real people dealing with real issues. Take Heavy Rain for example, absolutely BRILLIANT game, and the sort of game I would want to be using as an example in a "games as art" debate. Mortal Kombat, not so much. Just like with films, I loved The King's Speech and The Social Network, great films the both of them, but I also loved Jackass 3D

Not every game has to clean up and act respectable, theres plenty of room for games that just want to have a laugh and be a bit disgusting/disrespectful/silly/excessive. I'm sure Mortal Kombat isn't trying to make a statement on society's perception of females (as someone else pointed out, the males are just as equally exaggerated in many cases), its just having a bit of fun, its a Michael Bay or Paul W.S. Anderson film, not an Oliver Stone or Michael Scorcese film. I don't think they're particularly interested in having Sonya Blade be an authentic recreation of a woman in the special forces, they just want to make a fun, slightly naughty, slightly silly, very cool game. And really, thats fine, just enjoy it for what it is and stop obsessing about it quite so much I reckon

Very good points there.
I can definitely see where you are coming from in terms of MK being an action flick. But every once in a while, it has a chance to be so much more.

Sure, MK has a lot of silly moments, but it also tries to run with a serious, mature style. In that regard, I would like to see them being slightly more mature with the way they represent their females.

But I will give you Rep+ for that polite and respectable response. Keep that up my man.