Info about MK1: Homelander:

Official game description:
Homelander, the ultimate patriot and leader of The Seven, descends upon Mortal Kombat™. As a narcissistic sociopath with an insatiable need for validation, love and power, Homelander unfolds a new Era of tyranny in Mortal Kombat 1.  
This pack includes playable character Homelander, from 'The Boys', including all new movesets.

Release date: Jun 11, 2024

Categories: Fighting Game, Character-based Combat, Combo Mechanics, Competitive Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer, Crossover Content, Licensed Content


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: All three reviews discuss character balance, DLC quality, or general complaints without any numerical or qualitative indication of hours played, completion time, session length, or endgame duration. Therefore, no playtime metrics can be extracted.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Franchise-Faithful Brawler (buy)
    - Motivation: Playing as favorite characters from the source material
    - Playstyle: Enjoys trying out moves and comparing characters, prioritizes fun over competitive balance
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: franchise fan; character collector; Omni-Man enthusiast
    - Reference games: Invincible; other crossover fighting games
  - Competitive Perfectionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Balanced competitive play and skill-based mechanics
    - Playstyle: Avoids 'cheap' or gimmicky characters, seeks fair matches, may optimize around strong mechanics
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: balance advocate; competitive player; skill purist
    - Reference games: other fighting games; games with competitive scenes


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Positive character reception (weight 0.97): Players consistently praise the character's design, moveset, and overall quality. The character is described as cool, powerful, well-done, and fun to play, meeting expectations set by the series.
- Effective combat mechanics (weight 0.41): The character's combat abilities, including lasers, air combos, zoning, and satisfying combos, are highlighted as enjoyable and effective. The gameplay becomes strong with certain kameos, making the character rewarding to master.
- Positive references (weight 0.26): Players appreciate the references included in the character, which add nostalgic value and context. The character's portrayal as a 'milk-drinking superhero man child' is seen as a humorous and enjoyable touch.
- Impressive voice acting (weight 0.12): The impersonator voice actor's performance is praised as impeccable, adding authenticity and enjoyment to the character. This attention to detail enhances the overall experience.
- Overall high rating (weight 0.11): A player gives the character a perfect 10/10 rating, reflecting strong overall satisfaction. This rating aligns with the generally positive tone across all feedback.

Common complaints:
- Gameplay is too difficult (weight 0.57): The character is considered hard to use, heavy to learn, and difficult for casuals, with complex inputs and flight cancels.
- Missing original voice actor (weight 0.41): Multiple players report that Antony Starr did not voice Homelander, which negatively impacted their experience and was seen as a wasted opportunity.
- Unbalanced character (weight 0.27): Multiple players describe the character as unbalanced or broken, with complaints about it being either too weak after nerfs or too spam-heavy.
- Boring combat and gameplay (weight 0.25): Some players find the character's combat schemes boring and the overall game not fun, with stiff combos and annoying voice lines.
- Technical and animation issues (weight 0.25): Specific complaints include broken animations, a slightly off face model, and gameplay that feels disgusting or stiff.
- DLC should be base game (weight 0.1): One player feels this DLC content should have been part of the base game rather than sold separately.
- Lore inconsistency (weight 0.09): One player points out a lore inconsistency where the character keeps powers in the game despite losing them in the TV series.

Gameplay feedback:
- Kameos provide advantage (weight 0.18): The Kameos mechanic gives certain characters an advantage over others, impacting gameplay balance.
- Homelander's unique moves (weight 0.16): Homelander features laser attacks and air combos, with flight cancels in combos. These abilities make him stand out as a distinct character.
- Fatality with plane crash (weight 0.1): One character's fatality involves launching the enemy into a plane, then into a turbine, causing a plane crash with passengers. This is a detailed and gruesome finisher.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- Positive overall recommendation (weight 0.24): Multiple points of feedback express a general recommendation to purchase the game or value it as a reference material. These are broad endorsements without specific details.
- Omni-Man recommended as first character (weight 0.09): Feedback suggests that Omni-Man is a particularly fun character to play and should be prioritized when buying. This recommendation is based on his gameplay enjoyment.
- Rewarding for dedicated players (weight 0.09): The game is considered difficult for casual players but provides a satisfying experience for those who invest time and practice. This trade-off appeals to a specific audience.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.22): Players are disappointed primarily due to the boring gameplay and combat schemes of the character, as well as the missing original voice actor, Antony Starr. There is also criticism that the DLC should have been part of the base game, contributing to a general sense of unbalancing and lack of immersion.
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Frustration arises from significant power discrepancies between the series and game, making the character hard to use initially. Nerfs have made gameplay unbearable, forcing repetitive use of only two abilities, while chaotic attacks from every button add to the difficulty and high APM demands.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.19): Satisfaction comes from the character becoming strong with kameos, being fun and satisfying to use overall. Players appreciate the great portrayal, well-referenced moves, and the well-designed fighter that meets expectations.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement is driven by the addition of Homelander to MK1, which is considered cool and met player expectations, especially with an impressive fatality.
- Annoyance (weight 0.05): Annoyance stems from children spamming the laser across the arena and the character talking too much during gameplay.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Anger is caused by combos requiring many inputs, making the character feel broken, combined with poor animation quality.
- Approval (weight 0.03): Approval is based on the great design and moveset of the character.
- Recommendation (weight 0.03): Recommendation is given with overall positive impressions despite a learning curve that players must overcome.
- Mixed (weight 0.03): Mixed feelings are due to stiff combos but redeemed by worth-it references.
- Controversy (weight 0.03): Controversy surrounds the character because it was broken on release, leading to balance issues.
- Minor criticism (weight 0.03): Minor criticism is directed at the face of the character looking off.
- Disgust (weight 0.03): Disgust is expressed due to the character animation being described as disgusting.}