The Argument For and Against Mortal Kombat 2 Bringing Back Kameo Fighters

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 31, 2024 5 Views 6 Min Read
The Argument For and Against Mortal Kombat 2 Bringing Back Kameo Fighters

While other franchises that have been going for over three decades have a tendency to rest on their laurels, the same can’t be said for Mortal Kombat. Each and every entry of Mortal Kombat has tried to add to or shake up the formula in at least one significant way, whether it’s Mortal Kombat 3‘s Animalities, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance‘s Konquest mode, Mortal Kombat X‘s character Variations, or Mortal Kombat 11‘s gear system.

The most recent entry, Mortal Kombat 1, brought its own handful of new features to the table. The most significant of these was its Kameo Fighter system, whereby players could choose an additional character from a separate roster who could be used in the heat of battle to deliver special moves. Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kameo system has proven to be quite divisive, and there are arguments both for and against its return in an inevitable sequel.

A flaming Scorpion in the introduction to Season of the Spectre for Mortal Kombat 1 Invasions

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The Arguments For Bringing Back Mortal Kombat’s Kameo Fighters

Kameo Fighters Give Lesser-Known Characters a Spotlight

One of the greatest benefits of Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kameo Fighter system is that it gives lesser-known characters a rare chance in the spotlight. There are well over 70 fighters in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and naturally, not all of them can get a full spot on the roster every time. But with MK1‘s Kameo system, a handful of characters who haven’t been seen in years were given a triumphant return, such as 3D-era fighters like Shujinko, Sareena, and Khameleon.

These Kameo Fighters still got to show off some trademark moves without developer NetherRealm needing to program entire movesets and animations solely for them.

Kameo Fighters Add a Lot of Variety to Mortal Kombat’s Gameplay

Another benefit of Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kameo Fighters is that they add quite a bit of variety to Mortal Kombat‘s gameplay, at least in theory. Players can mix and match any of Mortal Kombat 1‘s main roster and Kameo roster, essentially giving each fighter 20 different moveset variations if players have purchased Mortal Kombat 1‘s DLC and have unlocked every Kameo character. MK1‘s Kameo Fighters also come with one unique Fatality and two Brutalities each, which is a nice touch.

The Arguments Against Bringing Back Mortal Kombat’s Kameo Fighters

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Meta Combos Lead to an Unbalanced Kameo Roster

But while Mortal Kombat 1‘s Kameo Fighters have a lot of great ideas behind them, their execution leaves a lot to be desired. One slightly frustrating element of MK1‘s Kameos is that players will likely see the same handful time and time again, with a few being regarded as the “meta” picks. So, while Kameo Fighters theoretically add more variety to Mortal Kombat‘s gameplay, that’s not quite true when the same few are chosen repeatedly and the rest of the roster is forgotten in the process.

Kameo Fighters Aren’t Traditional

Probably the most obvious argument against the Kameo Fighter system’s inclusion in Mortal Kombat 1‘s sequel is that it’s simply not traditional, and that it changes the core gameplay too much. What elevates this issue to controversial heights is that there’s no way to turn Kameo Fighters off in Mortal Kombat 1, thus forcing players to use them. If the next Mortal Kombat carries forward the Kameo system, it should at least offer an option that lets fans play without them for a more traditional 1v1 experience.

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