Grasping the concept of the block-button...
By EvilDingo 7 Comments
I've been playing a fair amount of Mortal Kombat lately, and as I was playing the game earlier today I suddenly realized something:
"I don't have an issue with the dedicated block button in this game!"
It's not that in all the years I've been playing fighting games, I've been unable to utilize a block button.
It's just that I don't really have to think about utilizing it any more.
Obvious question:
You're probably wondering how I possibly could call myself a long time fan of the Mortal Kombat series, if the block-button have been an issue?
(and yes...I WILL call myself a long time fan of MK)
Answer:
Back when I first was introduced to the Mortal Kombat series my gaming-platform at the time was an Amiga. Which means the games for it was designed around a single button joystick. This was of cause also the case for Mortal Kombat.
If you've grown up with a system with multi-button controllers (which is probably the most of you) this may sound insane... or at the very least as an inferior version of the game. However the Amiga-version was in no way inferior or unplayable.
The way the controls were handled for the games was that holding down the button would block, and then it used diagonal inputs for executing some moves. So all moves were actually in the game. Street Fighter II for the Amiga did something similar, by using diagonal inputs for some moves.
Post single-button gaming:
I've generally felt that the Street Fighter/Tekken way of blocking by holding back, was way more intuitive and superior - but I realize now that with the amount of teleporting that is an core part of MK, it totally makes sense to use a block button instead.
When I got back into fighting games with Playstation, it was really Tekken 3 that was my fighting game of choice, and I wasn't really forced to deal with a block button before playing DOA2 (maybe 3... can't remember). Since I've of cause been playing a bit of games in the Soul Calibur series and Virtua Fighter, but at no point I've actually *really* gotten used to games that use a block button.
... That is of cause until this Mortal Kombat.
Some of it may actually be that the block-button isn't a face-button. I donno.
... But the main point is that I don't forget to use the block button anymore. Something that I'll admit even have been a bit of a problem even though I've played quite a lot of UMK3 on 360 and DS.