“Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!”
Okay, lets be honest and by a show of hands how many people really thought a Carl Douglas reference was going to be made in 2019? However, the RIAA certified Gold single is a great reference point for the topic of the day.
Fighting Games.
Not just any fighting games though; we are going to touch on one of the biggest and frankly, most popular fighting series in the world and its newest installment; Mortal Kombat 11. Like it’s reboot Mortal Kombat (which is MK9 in the series), MK11 is developed by NetherRealm Studios, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and is set for release on April 23rd, 2019 on all major platforms.
Mortal Kombat is considered undisputed king of fighting games in the modern era. It revolutionized the genre with its flashy style, near impossible combos, and an ultimate move called a Fatality that once unloaded, the poor soul on the receiving end wouldn’t survive. However, despite being as popular as it is, may not be the best choice of fighting games for audiences under the age 18 mark.
The game has an ESRB rating of M, which in gaming lingo means: it has a lot of bad things in it.
Now I wouldn’t place it on the same pedestal as a game such as Grand Theft Auto, or God of War, but it is known for it’s excessive amount of blood animations, one character will literally rip another characters spine out of his body; and of course the provocative clothing the female characters in the series likes to wear.
This article isn’t built to bash or degrade Mortal Kombat 11; or even dissuade gamers or parents from buying it for themselves, or their children. The purpose of this article is to help inform parents of children under the age of 18; that MK11 may not be the best option for their child. So this is where your friendly neighbor Foster comes in.
We are going to give you: Options.
There are alternate options in the fighting genre for those parents who are uncomfortable with their child playing a game like Mortal Kombat 11. These options are either highly suggested by the gaming community at large, or games that I have personally played in the past, in place of the MK series. So let’s get to it!
5. Super Smash Bros.
Let’s just start off strong here with Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. I will be 100% honest in saying this is going to be the most wholesome, child friendly, colorful fighting game that is going to be listed here. Smash takes place in the Nintendo world; with classic characters like Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Pikachu all thrown into an area, and have the ability to fight. You can use Mario’s fireballs, Link’s swords and bombs, you can throw a PokeBall and a Snorlax will drop on everyone.
It is probably the most player friendly, because the newest edition Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; can support up to EIGHT players on the Nintendo Switch. Smash has an E10+ ESRB rating, but it is mainly because it is a bunch of cartoon characters beating the crap out of one another. Did I mention you can throw PokeBalls at players and cause their doom with an angry Staryu?
4. The UFC Series
We are going to move from silly cartoon violence to something a bit more realistic. It’s a simple fact, that the UFC series
is the fastest growing sports organization since 2005. In 2009 the first UFC game; UFC Undisputed, hit the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 with positive reviews. In 2018, EA’s UFC 3 was released to okay reviews with most of the negative reviews going against the online aspect. Visually the game is absolutely stunning and it plays really well, and it is the perfect place to settle familial arguments like who the next person to take the trash out would be. The ESRB has given UFC 3 a T rating due to simulated blood, some language in commentary and music, and obviously violence.
In my personal opinion; UFC 3 is a teen friendly game. There are female competitors in the game, but they are respectably dressed in their fighting gear, while their male counterparts fight shirtless. The simulated blood is nothing like the MK games, or other fighting games of its genre; with spots appearing on the mat and on the competitors. Honestly, if you allow your child to watch UFC or WWE programming; UFC 3 would be fine for your student to play as an alternate to the MK games.
3. The Injustice Series
Who doesn’t want to be Batman and throw down against some of the greatest heroes and villains known to DC Comic lore? Ever wanted to be Aquaman and call a shark from out of nowhere to devour the Green Lantern? Well, look no further than the Injustice series, made by the same people who develop Mortal Kombat; NetherRealm. Now; don’t let that throw up a red flag, it may be developed by the same people who do MK but it is an entirely different monster, despite having a lot of the same control schemes.
Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2 both drop in at a T rating from the ESRB. Neither one of the installments really have blood animations, unless it is a post battle scene. There are moments of language in the cut scenes, and a few of the female characters do have tight fitting clothing. Overall, it is a great representation of the DC comic line ‘come to life’ in video game form, and would be a perfect option to play instead of MK.
2. The Dragon Ball Z Series
The massively popular anime series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z hit the video game scene WAY back in 1986 for the Super Cassette Vision. It was a simple game where you play as Goku riding on the nimbus cloud and you hit things with energy blasts and a power pole. It looked like a very simple game for its time, and honestly looking at it, I couldn’t have imagined the games that could have spawned from it.
In 2018, Developers Arc System Works along with publishers Bandai Namco Entertainment, released Dragon Ball FighterZ. Side note; when I first saw that this game was announced, the website that reported it did not capitalize the ‘Z’ in the title. So it looked like Arc and Bandai had reverted to mid 2000’s internet speak to promote this game and I was very confused.
Anyway.
FighterZ is a 2D graphical marvel. It almost feels like you are diving head first into the pages of a Dragon Ball manga. The game allows two players to face head to head with a team of 3 characters from the DBZ world. The battle does not end until all three characters have been defeated in combat. The ESRB has stamped a T rating on this game, which if you have seen the other options above, is usually the common link between fighting games. If you want to feel like you are in the middle of some of the most epic battles in DB and DBZ, please pick up Dragon Ball FighterZ.
1. Tekken
This is last; simply because it is harder to defend than the other games on this list. If Mortal Kombat is the King of fighting games, we will call Tekken the heir to the throne. First released in 1994 on the original PlayStation, Tekken was developed and published by Bandai Namco. For a long time, Tekken was considered one of the innovators of the fighting genre, but slowly lost that role to the ever evolving Mortal Kombat line.
Tekken is again, harder to defend. The lack of pure graphical content is a pro; but some of the cons do derive from stronger language than the other games, a darker storyline, and the female competitors are sometimes more scantily clad. In 2017, Bandai Namco released Tekken 7with fourteen new fighters, and a lot of the original characters returning. Tekken stays true to it’s own foundations and did not fall into the same tropes that a lot of other fighting games seemed to.
Personally, I loved the Tekken series when I was actively playing them. I myself was more of a Tekken fan than a Mortal Kombat fan, and will always strongly recommend Tekken 4 on the PlayStation 2 as the best fighting game on that console. Tekken is a great alternate to the MK series, simply because it is not as graphically gore-filled like the MK games, but keeps many of the styles that fighting game fans love. However; I would still urge a hint of caution with the Tekken series, use your core judgement!
There we go! From Super Smash to Tekken 7; this is my list of more student suitable fighting games as opposed to Mortal Kombat 11. If you are one of those parents who does not care what their students play, then thanks for reading at least! Regardless of the outcome or opinions related to this article we can all expect Mortal Kombat 11 to be a smash success, which no matter what, is a wonderful thing for the gaming industry.
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