I wish we had a thumbs in the middle option, but we don't. So here's my attempt at a fair review.

At the end of the day this is a game that just feels like it has so much less to it than both of its predecessors, and most of it I don't understand why.

- A lot of the defensive tech from 11 is gone, still adapting to it
- less combo options (I actually think this can be spun as a positive as it got out of hand in 11, see below)
- As far as anyone can tell, no stage fatalities for the first time... ever? What?
- Less game modes for single player
- Some basic features are missing like being able to permanently save your practice settings or marking certain moves/combos on screen
- The Krypt has been replaced with... an even grindier mode. Invasion mode is unspeakably tedious, it's really bad
- The story feels very rushed. I enjoyed the cheese of it but parts of it feel extremely not flushed out
- The Kameo system is a poor man's version of the multiple special move setups we had in X and 11, with the added benefit of being lore breaking
- A much smaller roster
- Currently online is pretty unstable, a lot of disconnects
- Some of the game looks gorgeous and then some things look so low quality. Compare Sonya's model in MK 11 with her Kameo model in this game and it's absolutely amateur hour

I dunno. It is cool to see some characters we haven't seen in a literal generation like Reiko and Ashrah. I do enjoy some of the fights, and I actually think toning down the combo-heaviness is a good thing especially for normal people that don't play fighting games professionally. You definitely have more of a fighting chance in MK1 than you did in X or 11 which is good. I do enjoy the game a lot when I get a match against a player that is close to my own skill level. So I'm not saying this is a bad game because that's genuinely unfair. But do I think it's the weakest of the "modern" games from 9 to now? It kinda feels like it.

Thumbs very in the middle, but that's not an option. So a Very Mild Thumb Down feels fair? God, Steam's review system is dumb. Buy this and make your own decision but just don't be surprised if you end up feeling thumbs in the middle about the whole thing too. Certainly not a title that justifies the $130 Canadian pre order price tag.

I wish we had a thumbs in the middle option, but we don't. So here's my attempt at a fair review. At the end of the day this is a game that just feels like it has so much less to it than both of its predecessors, and most of it I don't understand why. - A lot of the defensive tech from 11 is gone, still adapting to it - less combo options (I actually think this can be spun as a positive as it got out of hand in 11, see below) - As far as anyone can tell, no stage fatalities for the first time... ever? What? - Less game modes for single player - Some basic features are missing like being able to permanently save your practice settings or marking certain moves/combos on screen - The Krypt has been replaced with... an even grindier mode. Invasion mode is unspeakably tedious, it's really bad - The story feels very rushed. I enjoyed the cheese of it but parts of it feel extremely not flushed out - The Kameo system is a poor man's version of the multiple special move setups we had in X and 11, with the added benefit of being lore breaking - A much smaller roster - Currently online is pretty unstable, a lot of disconnects - Some of the game looks gorgeous and then some things look so low quality. Compare Sonya's model in MK 11 with her Kameo model in this game and it's absolutely amateur hour I dunno. It is cool to see some characters we haven't seen in a literal generation like Reiko and Ashrah. I do enjoy some of the fights, and I actually think toning down the combo-heaviness is a good thing especially for normal people that don't play fighting games professionally. You definitely have more of a fighting chance in MK1 than you did in X or 11 which is good. I do enjoy the game a lot when I get a match against a player that is close to my own skill level. So I'm not saying this is a bad game because that's genuinely unfair. But do I think it's the weakest of the "modern" games from 9 to now? It kinda feels like it. Thumbs very in the middle, but that's not an option. So a Very Mild Thumb Down feels fair? God, Steam's review system is dumb. Buy this and make your own decision but just don't be surprised if you end up feeling thumbs in the middle about the whole thing too. Certainly not a title that justifies the $130 Canadian pre order price tag.