As we can probably all agree, the main draw for this series has been its story mode for quite a long time now, and without spoiling anything this game makes a choice so obvious, even simple, that nonetheless eases both newcomers and old-timers back in to MK's rhythms while, hyperbolic as it might sound, bringing a Naughty Dog-esque comprehensive vision to a format they already weren't being challenged in.

It's admirable.

But, without saying what that little trick is, if like me you jump into an Arcade tower to see what the reward drip might feel like first, the trick makes even more sense. I'm no MK expert, but having loved pretty much all of this studio's product since MK vs. DC for its acknowledgement that shitty ass, no combo, jobber as jobbers come if/when they ever login dudes...

This CPU wants to whip your ass, too. But it clearly wants to whip your ass with a parable, or fairy tale, you're supposed to dwell on. The Arcade towers on Novice will make you relate to all three soups as Goldilocks hovers, briefly assessing your dumb ass before extrapolating. Again, being mostly a fan of these games' dumb ass stories, and actually just slamming my way through all of the Aftermath DLC for MK11 right before playing this one, MK1 doesn't play around.

It's not unfair, but unlike the last decade of MK it won't tolerate your frontin' ass in the slightest. You better know who you're playing, quickly read what the other fighter can take and give your moveset and behave accordingly because this game is not afraid to humble your ego.

In other words, I was impressed by and inspired to learn and engage with SF6. But MK1 immediately feels like it's telling stories both rehearsed and improvised about itself, you and how fighting games have grown into their complicated balancing act of combos, meters, juggles, aerials, tags, counters and everything else I have exponentially little grasp of it.

SF6 was incredible in so many ways, and even after just a couple of hours with MK1 I can tell it's too self-absorbed to equal its value as an educational tool. Like all of this engine's games, I bet it's going to quickly suck for 80% of players within a week or two.

But from a purely "dabbled in the primaries of this genre off and on for years" perspective, MK1 seems to be both boasting that it's improvised itself into something that's almost more than a fighter, yet is equally desperate to prove that it's been watching and learning from its peers all this time.

Frankly, even if I just compared 3 early hours of SF6 to these 3 early hours of MK1, I'd probably propose there's no doubt, same as ever, that Street Fighter is the more nuanced way to test your might. But I also have to admit, as a dabbler, the buzz I'm getting off MK1 reminds me of kicking the tires on SFIV, Tekken 2 or SFII for the first time.

It feels really excited to be in the ring and give players a good time.


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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
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