Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: A Comparison
Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are two world-renowned franchises of fighting video games. Both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are generally considered successful mainstream fighting game franchises, to the point of having influenced the video games industry and generations of players. While there are Mortal Kombat fans and Street Fighter fans, who admire and praise each of these franchises for their own unique characteristics, fighting game players often compare these different franchises. The first Mortal Kombat video game, Mortal Kombat (1992), was developed and published by Midway. The first Street Fighter video game, Street Fighter (1987), was developed and published by Capcom.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: What are the Main Differences?
While there are many differences and similarities between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighters, new players, unexperience with both of these franchises, will often want to know their main differences. In this case, I will highlight some of the clearest differences between these franchises, while in the rest of the article there will be a deeper analysis of these differences and how they influence the gameplay and the player experience.
Perhaps the most immediately striking difference between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter is the visual difference. Mortal Kombat games, in general, have a realistic focus on their graphics, as well as dramatic visual effects, while Street Fighter games, in general, have a more "anime" style, with visual effects that often resemble the effects seen in Japanese manga and anime. Another difference is in a technical aspect of the gameplay: in general, Mortal Kombat games feature 4 buttons for fighting (4 buttons for attacks and 1 additional button for blocking), while Street Fighter games, in general, feature 6 buttons for fighting and use the movement direction for blocking. Another difference between the franchises is the difference in tone: in general, Mortal Kombat video games feature a grim atmosphere than Street Fighter games.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Which Game Did Come First?
Street Fighter came before Mortal Kombat. Both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are among the first fighting game franchises, chronologically. However, some fans wonder which of these games came first, which one is older. The first Street Fighter video game was released in 1987. However, although Street Fighter (1987) features many similarities to current fighting video games, in general while this game is considered historically important to the video games industry, the game that had a much greater influence on the industry was Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, released in 1991. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior introduced most of the essential features seen in subsequent fighting video games, among which, the feature to select among different characters and the feature for two players to fight in a versus mode in the same video game. The first Mortal Kombat game was released shortly after, in 1992, in a decade that would see the release of many fighting video game and fighting video game franchises.
The first Street Fighter game was released in 1987, and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was released in 1991, considered historically one of the most important fighting video games of the industry. The first Mortal Kombat video game was released in 1992. If we consider the first modern Street Fighter fighting game released to be Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, released in 1991, then Street Fighter would be 1 year older than Mortal Kombat. If we consider the beginning of the Street Fighter franchise, then Street Fighter would be 5 years older than Mortal Kombat. Either way, Street Fighter is a franchise older than Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Graphics
Perhaps one of the most striking differences between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, the graphics are often cited by fans of both franchises. When analyzing graphics, it is important to keep in mind that graphics change as hardware and technology advances happen, as would be expected of a technology industry, such as the video games industry.
The first Street Fighter games, including Street Fighter (1987), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and Street Fighter III, featured 2D "anime" graphics, similar to other fighting game franchises of that time, such as The King of Fighters. Mortal Kombat, on the other hand, while also featuring 2D graphics, featured a more graphically realistic approach, with motion-captured 2D actors depicted in the game environment. This graphical style of Mortal Kombat games was seen in Mortal Kombat (1992), Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat III.
Subsequent Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat video games changed and adapted their graphics to the changing technology. Street Fighter IV featured 3D graphics in a 2D environment, keeping the tradition of the first fighting video games of the 2D environment, and also keeping the tradition of the "anime" style of the Street Fighter games. Mortal Kombat, on the other hand, with Mortal Kombat 4, changed to completely digital characters, and featured 3D graphics in a 3D environment, an important change from the tradition of the 2D environment previously seen in Mortal Kombat games.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Style
Perhaps more important than the difference in graphics is the difference of style between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. While many players form their opinion of games based on graphics, in my perspective, in the cases of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, the graphics are a consequence of the art syle of each game. After a deep analysis of the style of each franchise, the graphics are better understood.
Indeed, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter feature quite different styles. Not only visually, but also regarding sound effects, soundtrack, and other effects. Street Fighter video games, in general, feature a more cartoonish, a more anime approach to visuals and to visual effects, sometimes resembling Japanese manga and anime. Mortal Kombat games, on the other hand, focus on realistic visual effects and dramatic sound effects, sometimes resembling Western movies and TV shows. This difference in style is quite coherent to the difference in graphics between these two franchises.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Gameplay
Arguably the most important difference of all, and arguably the only important difference after all, the difference of gameplay between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter is, indeed, a difference that greatly affects the player experience, being a decisive factor whether a player becomes a fan of a franchise. While both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat are traditional fighting games, at the same time there are multiple differences in gameplay between these franchises that are better seen through a deep analysis, such as the one in this article.
While it is true that both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter video games feature classical fighting game elements, such as two characters fighting each other in a versus mode, these games feature some important differences regarding gameplay.
Regarding the fighting gameplay experience, one striking difference is the pace. Beginning with Mortal Kombat 4, in general, Mortal Kombat games have a slower fighter animation speed than the fighter animation speed of Street Fighter video games. While this may seem like a minor difference to some, this difference can be quite important to players of the fighting games community and to competitive players, as fighting animations are extremely important in the fighting game environment, as differences in speed between different animations are often the deciding factor regarding which character will be able to hit first, effectively cancelling the attack animation of the opponent. While this is an important difference between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, there are also similarities, such as the fact that both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter feature special attacks, which often include special visual effects and special sound effects.
If we take a deep look into Mortal Kombat and into Street Fighter, taking into account their differences in content and in features available in the games of each of these franchises, we can reach the conclusion that Mortal Kombat video games have the objective of impressing players with their visual effects, sound effects, and impressive amount of content, while Street Fighter video games have the objective of presenting players with a competitive and technical fighting game experience, a reason why Street Fighter video games remain a favorite for competitive fighting game tournaments, events amd competitions, for decades. While these may seem as contextual differences, they are can important to the gameplay experience of players, as players looking for single player content in their fighting video games, as well as to be impressed by dramatic visual effects and sound effects, may prefer the gameplay experience of Mortal Kombat games, while players looking for more technical single player content, and competitive and technical multi player experience, may prefer the gameplay experience of Street Fighter games.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Content
In general, Mortal Kombat video games present players with a large amount of content, including not only the traditional game modes expected of fighting games, but also extra modes and extra content, such as unlockable content, secrets and easter eggs. For example, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon notoriously featured a racing mini game. On the other hand, Street Fighter video games also feature unlockable content, secrets and bonus content, including in single player game modes. While both of these franchises feature additional content in their games, I believe that the important difference is that the additional content of Mortal Kombat is often not directly related to the fighting gameplay, such as unlockable costumes, concept art, and other extra content. On the other hand, Street Fighter video games' unlockable content most often includes fighters and stages, which is directly related to the fighting gameplay. While this is my own opinion, I believe that this difference in content is also related to what I stated previously in this article, that Mortal Kombat games are often directed at providing a well-rounded single player experience, while Street Fighter games are often directed at providing a technical competitive gameplay environment.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Which is Better for New Players?
In general, the more current a fighter game is, the easier it is for new players to begin in this game. Indeed, most current fighting video games feature increasingly better tutorials and introductions for beginners. For this reason, in general, beginners can do well with either Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter video games, especially if they choose current games. In this case, the most recommended game is the game that the player is most interested in, because any fighting game will require time, practice and dedication of the player in order to improve and play either in higher difficulties or competitively.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Which is Easier?
As previously stated, most current fighting video games feature extensive tutorials and introductions to new players and beginners, effectively helping these players to learn how to play each of these games and to improve over time. Although beginners and new players can do well in either Street Fighter and in Mortal Kombat, I believe that the easier game to learn how to play averagely is likely Mortal Kombat, considering that Mortal Kombat video games feature 4 buttons while Street Fighter video games feature 6 buttons. However, players should choose the game they are most interested in, because any fighting game requires time and dedication in order to do well. For this reason, I do not suggest new players to choose the game that they think is easier to learn, but rather, the game they are most interested in, because this is the game which they will be motivated to learn, and this motivation will make the learning part easier.
Is Street Fighter Harder Than Mortal Kombat?
A question I often see is whether Street Fighter is harder than Mortal Kombat. I believe that the most accurate answer to this question is that Street Fighter is not necessarily harder than Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter is technically more complex than Mortal Kombat. And this does not mean that Street Fighter is a more difficult game, rather, that it provides players with more possibilities in fighting. In other words, considering that Street Fighter features 6 attack buttons while Mortal Kombat features 4 attack buttons (and one additional blocking button), Street Fighter games, in general, provide more possibilities of combos and attacks for players. For this reason, technically, Street Fighter games are more complex, but in general, this is seen as beneficial by competitive players, as this higher technical complexity adds more layers of strategies to the games.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Characters
One interesting difference between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter to analyse is the difference between their characters. For example, an analysis of some of the most famous characters of each franchise could provide some interesting conclusions. In the case of Street Fighter, I will consider Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li, and in the case of Mortal Kombat, I will consider Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Liu Kang. For this analysis, I will consider the standard outfits of these characters, not DLC costumes or bonus costumes.
In the case of Street Fighter, Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li are dressed as martial artists, which is quite coherent to the storyline and context of the Street Fighter video games. It is also interesting to note that these characters lack weapons, as they mostly use their own body for the fighting. In the case of Mortal Kombat, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Liu Kang are dressed differently: Scorpion and Sub-Zero are dressed as feudal Japan ninjas, while Liu Kang is dressed as a martial artist. Another interesting difference is that Scorpion, one of the most famous Mortal Kombat characters, is sometimes depicted with a sword in some Mortal Kombat games, while Street Fighter characters are rarely depicted with weapons.
Characters in Mortal Kombat are often supernatural beings and very powerful ninjas, as seen with characters such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, and characters such as Raiden, a thunder god. In Street Fighter, while there are supernatural elements, in general these characters do not have the status of deities, but rather, very powerful martial artists.
Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter: Story
The differences in story between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are also interesting to look at, considering that these differences highlight the difference in tonality and focus between these games. In Street Fighter video games, the storyline often involves the main martial artist characters, such as Ryu and Ken, looking for tougher opponents and ways to improve their skill, as well as secret organizations and conspiracies. In Mortal Kombat games, the storyline often involves different supernatural entities and gods fighting for the fate of different planes and the power to rule these planes. As it can be seen through these descriptions, Street Fighter games generally focus on the struggles of martial artists against secret organizations and among themselves, while Mortal Kombat games generally focus on supernatural power clashes. It is important to understand these differences in tonality and story context, as they provide a more comprehensive understanding of some of the other differences in aspects of these games.
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