It's no secret that Tekken 6 in the late 2000s (2007) while Mortal Kombat's reboot came out in 2011. I would want to really think about how Mortal Kombat (2011) could have taken a few more notes from Tekken 6. Okay, I admit I do still think MK (2011) or MK9 has the better Story Mode and I'm not such a fan of the scenario campaign in Tekken 6. I also am complaining at how I had to play through Arena Mode to get the character endings -- something I usually skip after playing through the regular Arcade Mode way back in Tekken 5. Now, I'd like to toss a bit of nostalgia and nitpicking just for fun.
Gameplay
Tekken 6 is what I'd call to be near perfection if it wasn't for the need to play through the extremely short Arena Mode to unlock character endings. But, there's still the Arcade Mode which brings the game home into your house complete with the caption "Insert Coin". So, what do I really like about the gameplay of Tekken 6 over MK (2011)? Read and find out!
Tekken 6 just has that what I'd call more depth. I thought MK9 could've brought back the Aggressor from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 or the infamously broken Mortal Kombat Trilogy. The rage system works this way. When a character's health drops low -- they get powered up and they get desperate to win. It does turn the tide at times when both characters are in rage mode. I thought MK9 could've copied that concept of characters entering into rage mode if their health was low. MK (2011) had depth but Tekken 6 had more depth. The rage mode added more strategies to win or made you rely less on impulse and more on instinct. Also, I think the controls are easier than MK9. Both games have good controls but Tekken 6 takes the crown.
I don't want to deny MK9 is more accessible than Mortal Kombat X and the recent Mortal Kombat 11. However, I think Tekken 6 is more accessible even for newbie players. Okay, I could still say Azazel probably is too powerful a boss but I wish he were in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 as an unplayable final boss. Tekken 6 can be more easy to master considering that most of the moves can be learned by instinct. MK9 had less room to learn by instinct.
I still think MK9 badly needed an endless mode. Why did Netherrealm Studios have to wait until four years later to add that mode in MKX? I think the Ghost Mode gave me a very flexible alternative from fighting over the classic arcade mode. Ghost Mode was also a fun way to chill out while waiting for something to be done. I really like playing through Ghost Mode in order to get some fight money and bonus stuff.
Better content that you gather through gameplay
There are times I still think MK9's Challenge Tower isn't that worth it while some people do. I don't like the idea of fighting over that difficult challenge just to get a really stupid alternate costume. Was that even worth the reward? The Scenario Campaign of Tekken 6 has more rich rewards for use outside it like fight money and accessories. The Scenario Campaign for me has had better rewards than the Challenge Tower.
Maybe, one of the things I wish MK9 had was at least costume customization. I think some characters needed more than just alternate costumes. I still have a lot of fun playing dress-up with the Tekken 6 cast of characters. I thought MK9 just needed it. MK11 does have its own but it can't beat the dress-up mode in previous Tekken games. I even felt like a swimsuit package (which was from Tekken Tag Tournament 2) for the girls was needed for MK9 because it's a rated M-17 game.
A more interesting storyline to follow
I do like MK9 but I felt like the rebooted storyline can be like, "Netherrealm badly needed to do it!" On the other hand, Tekken 6 has a progressive story for Tekken 5. I don't like the Scenario Campaign that much but interesting storylines such as the Mishima conflict and how Lars fits in is very more interesting than the retelling of the first MK games in a new timeline. The unfolding saga of the father-son conflict of Jin and Kazuya unfolds more satisfyingly. I may hate Tekken 7 for wasting a good plot but come on, you have to admit Tekken 6 really has a lot of stuff going on!
I was thinking that Zafina is what I'd call an improved version of Delia from Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Delia just foresees the conflict and what, that's it? The sibling rivalry of Taven and Daegon isn't even fully developed and isn't mentioned again. Zafina appears as both someone who foresaw the conflict between the clash of two evil stars (Kazuya and Jin) that would awaken Azazel. Delia hardly got developed. Zafina is both a playable character and important plot material. Not that I'd be interested in playing Delia in any future MK game though.
I could also mention that the whole Nina vs. Anna rivalry is more developed than what MK9 could do with Kitana and Mileena. I hated how the reboot ended up changing how Mileena arrived. The original timeline had both Mileena and Kitana growing up together. Kitana would later discover that Mileena is but her replacement clone after many years of sharing the bond. Nina and Anna have a more severe rivalry because they are really biological siblings. Kitana can always dismiss Mileena but Nina can't deny she and Anna are real siblings. While Tekken 6 didn't really explore it that much but it's more developed for me than what MK could do with Kitana and Mileena. The blood rivalries also include the fathers and sons such as Heihachi vs. Jinpachi, Heihachi vs. Kazuya, and the plot keypoint with Kazuya vs. Jin. Blood is thicker than water but even blood relatives can end up murdering each other in real life, right?
Maybe, I could say that Heihachi seems to cement his status as a major villain more than Shao Kahn ever did? Shao Kahn tends to appear and disappear even if he's the main antagonist of his franchise. Heihachi? The guy actually stays in all seven games though I'm afraid he's probably gone now. Heihachi, after all, was responsible for the events of the series. Whose fault was it that the Mishimas went berserk? He had no Devil blood in him but he proved himself he didn't need it to be the evilest character in the franchise. Shao Kahn simply disappeared after MK3 and only got added back in the Gamecube version of Mortal Kombat Deception and the PSP follow-up Mortal Kombat Unchained. Then he was simply a random guy in Armageddon where he ended up winning due to his popularity. Heihachi contends having to deal with Ogre (and he was the sub-boss of Tekken 3), his father Jinpachi's revival as a vengeful ghost, and Azazel but he's always there contending to get whatever power he has back. Shao Kahn was in MK11 but it seemed more like fanservice, unlike Heihachi who still had a huge part in Tekken 6 as someone who wants to regain his status. Can you imagine if Heihachi were suddenly killed in the middle of Tekken 6's Scenario Campaign story?
Better character endings
While I don't like having to play through Arena Mode but the endings do have a lot of personalities. The problem with MK9 is that they did have a budget in creating a full cinematic story mode so why are we NOT getting fully animated endings?! The transition between Shao Kahn getting defeated in the arcade mode (with a rehash of his death animation from Mortal Kombat II) to the animated ending isn't so smooth -- viewing them all over again in the gallery isn't that satisfying. Tekken 6 may require me to play through that idiotic Arena Mode in the Scenario Campaign but it's a little bit more worth it. The endings in Tekken 6 are so well-done that I'm actually willing to play through that idiotic mode to get all the animated endings in my gallery.
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Just another friendly opinion regarding games past and present!
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