A Hardcore Fan's Reaction to Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat

Posted on Friday, July 22 @ 11:48:00 Eastern by Anthony Severino

He haunted my dreams all night.

Okay, I admit it. I overreacted a bit to yesterday's news of Freddy Krueger being the fourth DLC character for Mortal Kombat. When I heard the news, months of excitement and anticipation instantly turned into shame and disappointment. But like usaglory said, "At least it's not Miley Cyrus," and "There's always the choice of, you know, not downloading it."

That response to my initial reaction got me thinking... he was so right, but oh-so wrong. Thank god (Ed Boon) that it's not Miley Cyrus... though her singing would make for a gruesome fatality: You tear your own eardrums out. [And don't forget our collective dream to maim, freeze, puncture, rip out, and outright kill her... voice. ~Ed. Nick]

But for a life-long, hardcore Mortal Kombat fan like me, it might as well have been Hannah Montana. That's because there isn't a choice for me of "you know, not downloading it". I don't play Mortal Kombat half-assed. I own every DLC character. I don't stick to one fighter, I play as them all. 9 out of 10 times, I go random select and let the game choose my character. That's just how I roll.

That should give you a little bit of an idea of how hardcore of an MK fan I am. I don't fuck around. I sound ridiculous when I say this--I know--but, this is more than just a game to me.

I don't actually have this tattoo. But I should.

It all started this one day when I went to my local video rental store. They only had one arcade machine: Street Fighter II. I was obsessed. I spent $5 every time I went to rent a video, which was a lot back then (there wasn't any Netflix instant streaming, imagine the horror). But one day, it was replaced with Mortal Kombat. "WTF is this? What is this shit?!", I thought to myself, pissed that my favorite game was replaced by something I had never even heard of.

I had already cashed my $5 into quarters by then, and as a kid, you wouldn't dream of giving cash back to your parents, or God forbid, saving it. So I reluctantly inserted my coins and chose Sub-Zero. I sucked. I was beaten by the CPU in no time at all. But then... Kano ripped my still-beating heart from my chest. And from there on out, Mortal Kombat had stolen my heart forever. I was in love. Till death do us part.

If I had all the quarters I'd spent in arcades between Mortal Kombat and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, I would have enough to put a down payment on a summer cottage in the Berkshires. It may sound like an over-exaggeration, but I assure you that quarters rack up to big bucks at 50 cents a play over the course of 6 years. (At $5 per week, that would be over $1550.) I was an arcade junkie, but only for Mortal Kombat (and a little bit of Killer Instinct). I went to pool halls, my local movie theater, arcades, wherever weird place I could find MKII machines. It was like I was drawn to them. I even got into a fist-fight once because someone took my quarter off the corner of the screen signifying I had next. Like I said above, I don't fuck around.

Don't touch my QUARTERS!!!

Then Mortal Kombat 4 happened. It was... meh. I still loved it, because I loved anything MK. Then came some MK games I'd much rather forget, like Mortal Kombat Mythologies. There was a shitty TV show and two shitty movies (well, the first one was okay). Mortal Kombat had turned into a quick cash-out for anyone that wanted to pay for the name.

More installments were released. They weren't bad, but they certainly weren't what I'd call good. More so, they definitely weren't what I'd call real Mortal Kombat. It all came to a head when Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe released. I had given up. No real fatalities? Are you kidding me? It's like eating cake... but not. It was pure bullshit in my eyes. Mortal Kombat was dead.

But then, at E3 2010, a new Mortal Kombat was revealed. A new Mortal Kombat that was just like the old Mortal Kombat games. Hell, even the story was a retelling of the old Mortal Kombat games. The newly formed NetherRealm Studios pegs it as a Mortal Kombat for the hardcore fans. The best part about this was the fact that they actually delivered in all aspects. Mortal Kombat was back.

The roster featured all of the characters I loved growing up. Almost no one was missing. The few who were, I was confident that they'd make an appearance as DLC - a first for the franchise. The first of these DLC characters was Skarlett.

Skarlett as a character paid homage to my entire life as an MK fan. What I mean is, she was created out of nonsense rumors from back in the day. Skarlett was never real. She was really just a palette glitch that turned Kitana's costume crimson red. But, like Ermac before her, the fans believe in her existence so strongly that the developers gave in and made the rumor into a character. There are literally dozens more characters that could be created out of Mortal Kombat's rich lore.

Told you, I don't fuck around.

After Skarlett was released, I felt it more than ever: Mortal Kombat was a MK for the true, hardcore MK fans. Kenshi arrived next as DLC. Not my favorite, but he was a good fit. After that was Rain - a character that fans were begging for and probably should have been in the roster in the first place.

A big part of Mortal Kombat was always about the hidden characters and the secrets. So when another DLC character was announced, but was left as a mystery, my mind ran wild with speculation. Being such a storied MK fan, I could think of a handful of characters off the top of my head it could be. But it didn't matter, I thought. Whoever NetherRealm brought to the game would be for us hardcore Mortal Kombat fans... boy, was I wrong.

I shouldn't have been so shocked. A buddy of mine at TheBitBag said both Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees were coming as DLC to Mortal Kombat. I heard this before the game even released. Not that I doubted the news; I believed it. It's just that I thought that this would come down the line, after the hardcore MK fans were well taken care of. You know, maybe for Halloween or something.

And that's where I lost it. That's why I dislike this addition of Freddy Krueger so much. That's why I'm pissed. If this was truly a game for the hardcore MK fans, then there are at least 20 characters that could have been DLC before Freddy. It's not at all that I don't think he fits; he does. It's that I don't think it was the right time to do something like this. Freddy could have waited while other MK greats were added. It's not even the Robert Englund Freddy Krueger.

I've now had a shitty, sweaty night's sleep to let this settle in, and I'm not quite as upset as I was about it. I'll buy Freddy, I'll keep playing Mortal Kombat. Sure I was pissed at NetherRealm for adding Freddy over the dozens of Mortal Kombat characters out there, but hey... I can't be too mad... at least they're not Capcom.

Related Games: Mortal Kombat

Tags: Mortal Kombat

Comments

SweetHat
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:06 pm
In my opinion dude everybody has gone a little fanboyish over this, but you got to remember its just a game, i would be upset too if they added lets say "Chuck Norris" to Skyrim. Besides he isnt even out yet, you dont know how he plays yet either. Mk has got plenty of time to give you all the characters you want. and the way it looks they are going to keep pumping out dlc and thats whats good about this. I honestly think this was a move to get more people to play MK, i know im going to buy MK now.

1 5

SweetHat
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:19 pm
i see i'm already getting thumbs down, alright next time ill keep my counter point to myself. All im going to say from now on is "Grow the Fu** up its a Fu**ing game."

1 4

xxmrcyanidexx
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Did nothing about Anthony spending a possible $1500 dollars in quarters over his lifetime to Mortal Kombat signal to you that maybe it's more than a game? He works for Game Revolution. Game. Revolution. If anything, a title like GAME REVOLUTION signifies something more than just a game. Just saying.

0 1

Anthony_Severino
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
LOL. Wasn't me who gave a thumbs down. Don't let other people keep you from expressing your opinions. If you don't give your opinion, they win.

I will say, its def more than just a game for me. But I'm a rare case. I'm not like this with other games.

0 1

tinymhg
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 1:57 pm
We all play games to enjoy ourselves, but it stings when someone comes along and takes a metaphorical dump in your Easter basket.

0 1

JunkyArd
Joined: Aug 2006

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Dude. They should totally add Chuck Norris. That would be da bomb!

0 1

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Yeah, all I got was Chuck Norris in Mortal Kombat and I went and bought two copies.

0 0

usaglory
Joined: Mar 2009

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Wouldn't it be great if we got a Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat game? Of course we know the SF crew can totally wipe the floor with the MK fighters (start the hating) but that's besides the point.
And if you don't like Freddy, think about how good it is gonna feel to beat the crap out of him.

0 0

Mr-Buttons
Joined: Jul 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 1:33 pm
SF vs MK would be a fantastic idea. Now if there was a way to convince either company to do it....

By the way, this post has me wondering when Sega and Namco might team up for a Virtua Fighter and Tekken crossover...

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 5:18 pm
These are the dreams of the 90s.

0 0

SithSpectre
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 8:25 pm
...and wet dreams of the new age muahahahahahah

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 23rd, 2011 at 9:31 am
The thing is: it's actually possible now. No one would have believed you if you said there'd be a SF X Tekken game being made today but there it is.

0 0

devaldogz
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 1:27 pm
I agree with Sweethat. Just a game. But I'm a fan of MK and Freddy and I don't feel he needs to be in there. That said, I wan't him and will have him (loser me)...but his glove is supposed to be on his right hand...not both! He's not freakin wolverine.

0 1

Bretimus_v2
Joined: Jan 2009

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Next to Tekken, Mortal Kombat holds a special place for me. Much of what Anthony said (although more extreme) is met by much agreement on my part. Arcade games in general hold a special place in my heart. When I think about MK1 and 2, the smell of chlorine and popcorn come to mind (I would always play it at Sunsplash Water Park). With a character list as long as theirs, there's no need to go outside the box for characters.

0 1

DarthDiggler
Joined: Mar 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Well honestly if you have a beef with Freddy then you should have a beef with Kratos. Honestly Freddy can be shoe horned into the series just as easily as Kratos.

I kinda applaud them for thinking outside the box here and providing a few surprises. With the internet, surprises about the game industry are few and far between.

I mean the creators of the series could have played it safe and given you another character in that Mortal Kombat Tunic and just changed the color. The real saving grace here is that Mortal Kombat has never really been a narrative experience so any fictional character can fit in given the have a brutal nature and can kick some ass.

Freddy looks like he can kick some ass, you never know this may be your new favorite character. Honestly I wouldn't mind seeing Jason in MK too. :) LOL As long as they create compelling characters with balance that should be the most important thing.

1 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 5:26 pm
I think it's mostly about catering to the hardcore fans. Anthony has had his dish piled high and he just wants some more of that sweet MK curry chicken.... what, curry chicken isn't violent enough for you?

0 1

tinymhg
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 6:27 pm
How about Kung POW chicken.

0 1

Amorphis
Joined: Dec 2010

Posted: Jul 23rd, 2011 at 8:10 am
Kung Lao chicken!

0 1

tinymhg
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 23rd, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@Amorphis: Why did Kung Lao chicken cross the road?

0 1

sliverstorm
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Has the Haiku Friday winner been announced?

0 1

fix42o
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 5:51 pm
Ok ok understandable
Btw here's Ed Boons Freddy interview

0 0

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Jul 23rd, 2011 at 9:33 am
gotta leave the "

0 0

SithSpectre
Joined: Jun 2011

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I understand now, I figured out this was a touchy subject when I simply left the comment "Awesome!" and got a thumbs down on the PSLS article; I can see where people are justifiably upset over this as hardcore fans and i'm sure Boon will find some sweet way to make it up to those out there put off by this move... I love the ending statement on your article "at least they're not capcom" it's so true and in fact Boon seems to be of the dying breed of developers that legitimately care about their fans and delivers.

0 2

xclant
Joined: Nov 2005

Posted: Jul 22nd, 2011 at 9:20 pm
I love Freddy im looking forward to playing as him in mortal kombat and if my suspicions turn out to be correct ill be first in line to download the classic Robert Englund character skin..... but that's just me.....

0 0