Info about MK1: Khaos Reigns Expansion:

Official game description:
A New Reign of Khaos unfolds in Liu Kang's Era. This pack includes the upcoming Story Expansion + Kombat Pack 2\*.  
Available at Launch:  
Noob Saibot  
Cyrax  
Sektor  
Available Post-Launch (includes 1 week early access):  
Ghostface (Scream Franchise)  
T-1000 (Terminator 2)  
Conan the Barbarian  
\*Separate Kombat Pack 2 character bundle not available

Release date: Sep 24, 2024

Categories: Fighting Game, Story Expansion, Character-based Combat, Single-player Story, Multiplayer, Gore-focused Combat

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair - No Predatory Monetization; summary: The user reviews consistently criticize the DLC's price as too high for the amount of content provided, calling it overpriced and not worth the full-game cost. However, none of the reviews mention microtransactions, real-money gacha, pay-to-win mechanics, or any form of in-game purchases beyond the one-time DLC purchase. The complaints are entirely about the upfront price-to-value ratio, which falls under base price complaints and does not indicate predatory monetization.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.99
  - Reasoning: The community consistently indicates the DLC is overpriced at its full price of $50, with many recommending waiting for a deep discount. Specific sale prices of $10 and $15.99 are cited as fair or good value, while even a 50% discount ($25) is considered not worth it. Thus, the fair price range is approximately $10-$16.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 4.0h
  - Story completion: 2.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Story completion is supported by multiple reviews citing 1-3 hours, with 2 hours being the most common estimate. Game completion is supported by the '4 hour long' quote and other mentions of 'a few extra hours' of campaign, suggesting total DLC content around 4 hours. No evidence for session length or endgame hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players find the story mode boring and repetitive, with no point at which it becomes enjoyable; the additional DLC story is also considered weak and unnecessary.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Boring story dragged on with fights; Repetitive fights against the same characters twice; Weak and uncreative multiverse narrative; Gender and race swapped characters seen as boring and annoying; Hastily written chapters and dialogues; Additional story content not worth the price
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Noob Saibot Devotees (buy)
    - Motivation: Seeing their favorite character get proper representation, story focus, and a fun moveset.
    - Playstyle: Selects Noob Saibot whenever possible, experiments with his combos and punishes, and tolerates other content as secondary.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Noob Saibot fans
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Value-Conscious Waiters (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Getting the content at a fair price rather than paying full price for limited value.
    - Playstyle: Patient and opportunistic; waits for sales or bundles before purchasing, and may buy characters separately to save money.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Story-Disappointed Veterans (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking a compelling, coherent story that respects the franchise's lore and previous narrative threads.
    - Playstyle: Story-first; plays through the campaign and evaluates the DLC primarily on narrative merit rather than gameplay depth.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: MK fan
    - Reference games: MK11
  - Character-Gameplay Enthusiasts (sale)
    - Motivation: Exploring new characters' movesets, strengths, and matchups in actual fights.
    - Playstyle: Roster-focused; tries out each new fighter, gravitates toward strong or fun characters, and spends most time in versus or practice modes.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


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:
- Noob Saibot highlighted (weight 0.13): Noob Saibot received positive attention for his role in the story and gameplay. He was considered a good and interesting character.
- Characters well received (weight 0.09): The characters, including heroes and DLC additions, were considered quite good. The cast was a positive aspect of the game.
- Game remains great (weight 0.08): The core fighting game is still considered excellent and quite good. Reviewers expressed continued satisfaction with the base game.
- Ghostface and Noob worth it (weight 0.08): The combination of Noob Saibot and Ghostface was seen as a valuable addition. They were described as interesting and good characters.
- Graphics impressive (weight 0.05): The graphics were consistently praised as incredible and amazing. Visual quality was a standout feature for reviewers.
- Cyrax fun to play (weight 0.05): Playing as Cyrax was described as fun, especially when his gameplay is learned well. His mechanics were enjoyable.
- Overall fun experience (weight 0.05): Reviewers had fun and were entertained while playing the game. The overall experience was positive.
- Conan good for air combos (weight 0.05): Conan was noted for having great air juggles and attacks, making him easy for air combos. His aerial gameplay was a highlight.
- All characters fun (weight 0.05): Every character played so far was described as really fun. The roster offered enjoyable gameplay across the board.
- Classic characters return (weight 0.05): Reintroducing Sektor, Cyrax, and Noob Saibot was considered cool. These characters were excellent additions to the game cast.

Common complaints:
- DLC story is poorly written (weight 0.38): Players consistently criticize the DLC's narrative as one of the worst in the series, citing terrible writing, bad plot choices, and poor character development. The story is described as horrible, stupid, and insulting, with a superficial and shallow presentation.
- DLC is overpriced for content (weight 0.34): The DLC is widely considered overpriced, with many noting it costs nearly as much as a full game while offering very little content. Players feel the price is excessive, insulting, and not justified by the short story length or the amount of content provided.
- DLC story is too short (weight 0.27): The story content is repeatedly described as extremely short, ranging from one to four hours in length. Players feel the campaign is far too brief, lacks depth, and does not justify the price or expand the game meaningfully.
- Story is weak and bland (weight 0.2): The story is frequently described as weak, bland, and mediocre, failing to stand out or impress. Players note it lacks depth, is simplified, and feels like leftover content that was not properly integrated into the main game.
- DLC characters are unappealing (weight 0.14): Players criticize the playable characters in the DLC as not fun, poorly developed, and generally bad, with only a few exceptions like Noob and Ghostface. The DLC also loses good characters and lacks meaningful character development.
- DLC is disappointing overall (weight 0.12): The DLC is described as boring, a disappointment, and not worth the price unless heavily discounted. Players feel the content does not justify the full retail price and fails to deliver value compared to the base game.
- DLC has bad ending (weight 0.07): The story's ending is specifically criticized as bad, with players noting it is the worst part of an already mediocre narrative. The ending fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to the short campaign.

Gameplay feedback:
- DLC adds substantial story content (weight 0.11): The DLC is described as an expansion pack that adds five chapters to the story, including new characters and story content. This is a major selling point for players.
- Core fighting mechanics highlighted (weight 0.08): Players consistently note that the game is fundamentally a fighting game with combat mechanics. This is a central aspect of the experience.
- T-1000 and Conan gimmicky but fun (weight 0.07): T-1000 and Conan are described as gimmicky but fun, with T-1000 having different fatal blows and Conan fighting up close.
- Chapters feature varied characters (weight 0.06): The first two chapters feature red and yellow machines, one chapter is played as Rain, and the last as Cybert, providing variety.
- Guest characters featured (weight 0.06): The game includes guest characters, and Kombat Pack 2 brings back franchise staples along with new guests. This adds variety and excitement.
- Campaign and story mode present (weight 0.05): The game includes a campaign mode and a story mode, which are important for players who enjoy narrative-driven gameplay.
- Cyrax and Sektor gender changes (weight 0.05): Players note that Cyrax and Sektor are now female characters, which is a notable change from previous iterations.
- Noob Saibot complex to play (weight 0.05): Noob Saibot is considered complicated to play and is more shadow-based, requiring skill to master.
- Kameos and Tag Team modes (weight 0.05): The game has Kameos and a Tag Team mode in MK9, offering additional gameplay options.
- Machines average strength (weight 0.04): The red and yellow machines are average in strength, and Cybert has some numbers, indicating balanced gameplay.
- Khaos Reigns expansion adds story (weight 0.03): The Khaos Reigns expansion adds a story chapter, extending the narrative experience for players.
- DLC character roster detailed (weight 0.03): The DLC features characters like Havik, Kenshi, Takeda, Ghostface, and T-1000, providing a diverse roster.
- Game includes fighters, skins, fatalities (weight 0.03): The game offers fighters, skins, and fatalities, which are core elements of the fighting game genre.
- Story expansion features diverse protagonists (weight 0.03): The story expansion has different protagonists and mostly female characters, offering a fresh perspective.
- Multiverse and timelines scheme (weight 0.03): The DLC uses a multiverse and timelines scheme, adding complexity to the story.
- Ghostface mobile with tricks (weight 0.03): Ghostface is very mobile with many tricks, making him an interesting character to play.
- Low overall difficulty (weight 0.03): The overall difficulty is low, making the game accessible to a wider audience.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues in fights (weight 0.06): Players report frequent FPS drops during combat encounters, which disrupts gameplay flow and immersion. This issue appears consistently across multiple reviews, indicating a widespread technical problem.
- Performance issues in cutscenes (weight 0.06): Cutscenes also suffer from FPS drops, affecting the narrative experience. This is mentioned alongside combat performance, suggesting a broader optimization problem.
- DLC performance worse than base (weight 0.03): The DLC is reported to have even worse performance than the base game, which is particularly concerning for players who expect improvements. This suggests that the additional content was not optimized adequately.
- Overall poor performance (weight 0.03): Some players simply note that the game runs poorly without specifying exact scenarios, indicating a general lack of optimization. This vague feedback still points to a significant technical deficiency.

Recommendations:
- Not worth full price (weight 0.33): Many reviewers state the DLC is not worth its full price, with some saying it's not worth buying even on sale. The content is often seen as overpriced for what it offers.
- Buy only on sale (weight 0.31): A common recommendation is to purchase the DLC only when it is discounted, with some suggesting waiting for at least 50% off. This reflects the general sentiment that the content is not worth the full asking price.
- Buy characters separately (weight 0.21): Several reviewers advise buying individual characters instead of the entire DLC, as the characters are the main draw and can be purchased cheaper separately. This is especially recommended for those who only want specific fighters.
- Avoid if only story (weight 0.11): The story expansion is widely criticized, and many recommend skipping the DLC if you are only interested in the campaign. Some suggest watching the story on YouTube instead of paying for it.
- Not recommended at all (weight 0.11): A significant number of reviewers outright do not recommend the DLC, calling it a waste of money and time. This includes both fans and general players, with some saying they will not buy DLC from this series again.
- Only for dedicated fans (weight 0.1): The DLC is seen as primarily for loyal fans of the Mortal Kombat series, with some recommending it only for those deeply invested in the lore or characters. Casual players are often advised to skip it.
- Wait for price drop (weight 0.05): A few reviewers recommend waiting for the game to drop to around $20 before buying, or waiting for promotions and resale keys. This aligns with the general advice to not pay full price.
- Woke content criticism (weight 0.02): One reviewer mentions that fans of woke content might enjoy the DLC due to race and gender swapped characters, indicating a controversial aspect of the content. This is a niche opinion but highlights a specific concern.
- Give it a shot (weight 0.02): A single reviewer suggests giving the DLC a try, which is a rare positive note among the mostly negative feedback. This is a low-importance point due to its lack of detail and frequency.

Other player notes:
- Discounts make price fairer (weight 0.24): Many reviewers note that the DLC often goes on sale, and at a discounted price it becomes more acceptable. Some even bought it at 80-90% off and still felt it was overpriced.
- Unfavorable comparison to MK11 (weight 0.22): Reviewers frequently compare this DLC to Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath expansion, stating that MK11 offered more content for the same or less money. This comparison is used to highlight the perceived lack of value.
- Criticism of WB and NRS (weight 0.18): Reviewers accuse Warner Bros and NetherRealm Studios of greed and poor management, citing high prices and low-quality content. Some speculate that the developers are being forced to rush releases.
- Short campaign length (weight 0.16): The story campaign is reported to be very short, ranging from one to four hours. This brevity is a major point of criticism, especially given the high price.
- Included in definitive edition (weight 0.12): The DLC is part of the definitive edition and other bundles, which some reviewers see as a better value. However, upgrading to the definitive edition costs the same as the DLC alone.
- Story quality criticized (weight 0.12): The story is considered derivative and not as well-crafted as the base game's arc. It is compared unfavorably to previous MK stories and even to a Sunday movie.
- Story involves timelines and Havik (weight 0.12): The plot revolves around Havik collecting infinity stones to destroy timelines, which some find derivative and confusing. The story ends with Havik's fate unresolved.
- Contains six new characters (weight 0.12): The DLC includes six new playable characters, with three available at launch and three later. Some characters are from other franchises, like Ghostface and T-1000.
- Poor value for money (weight 0.08): Reviewers describe the DLC as a cash grab with high expense and low reward. Even on sale, some consider it a waste of money.
- Skins and cosmetics included (weight 0.08): The DLC includes skins and cosmetics as bonuses, but some reviewers feel these should have been free or more substantial. There is also criticism about the lack of movie skins for Conan.
- Bundled with Kombat Pack (weight 0.07): The DLC is not sold separately but is bundled with Kombat Pack 2, forcing players to buy the entire pack to access the story content. This bundling is seen as a drawback.
- Review bombing for message (weight 0.07): Some reviewers hope that negative reviews will send a message to Netherrealm about the timeline stuff and pricing. This indicates a coordinated effort to influence change.
- Future support uncertain (weight 0.07): Insider reports suggest that all future support and development for the game may be cancelled due to poor sales. This adds to the negative sentiment.
- Noob Saibot appears (weight 0.04): Noob Saibot is a featured character in this DLC, with his UMK3 suit available. Some reviewers appreciate his inclusion.
- Comparison to other games (weight 0.03): The DLC is compared to other games like Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate, and Diablo 4, highlighting the perceived lack of content relative to price.
- German dubbing available (weight 0.02): The game includes German dubbing and story localization, which is a positive point for German-speaking players.
- Early access to characters (weight 0.02): The pack provides early access to other characters without needing to buy an extra, which some reviewers see as a benefit.
- Cameos are appreciated (weight 0.02): Some reviewers appreciate the cameos in the DLC, considering them a gift from NRS.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.4): The DLC story is widely criticized for being too short, poorly written, and overpriced, with a narrative that reuses time travel and multiverse tropes without developing characters. Many players feel the expansion fails to live up to the base game or previous MK DLCs, offering little content for the price and leaving the story unresolved or unsatisfying.
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are frustrated by the high cost for a short, poorly written story, and by technical issues like FPS drops. The narrative's reliance on multiverse and timeline shenanigans, along with character changes and locked content, adds to the sense that the DLC is not worth the money.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Some players are satisfied with the DLC when purchased at a discount, appreciating the new characters like T-1000, Ghostface, and Noob Saibot, as well as the story and cosmetics. The well-integrated move sets and balance contribute to a positive experience for those who got a good deal.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Anger stems from the DLC's high price for minimal content, a terrible story, and poor handling of characters like Havik. Players also criticize the studio's monetization and treatment of the franchise, feeling the expansion is a cash grab.
- Boredom (weight 0.04): The DLC story is described as boring and meaningless, with repetitive fights and cutscenes that players skipped. The lack of engaging content and the focus on gender/race swapped characters contribute to the boredom.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from playing the new characters like Cyrax and Noob Saibot, and from the fun of playing with friends. The Lin Kuei conflict and the dynamic between Sektor and Cyrax are highlighted as enjoyable aspects.
- Disgust (weight 0.03): Disgust is triggered by poor dialogue, grating voice acting, and ugly character designs, as well as the story's focus on 'strong and independent women' which some find off-putting. The plot and characters are considered terrible, and the expansion is seen as an atrocity.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is expressed for the fantastic story and character development, the high-quality animations and cutscenes, and the deeper narrative that expands the world. The combat is also praised as incredible.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from the gender change of Cyrax and Sektor, with players not understanding why they are female in another timeline without clear reason. This change is seen as arbitrary and unexplained.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is felt by players who bought the DLC and immediately wished they hadn't, due to the poor writing, short length, and high price. The inevitable slow death of the game adds to the regret of spending money on it.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by the gender and race swapped characters, which are described as boring and annoying, particularly the 'annoying black women' characters. This change is seen as a negative addition to the game.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from the comedic use of Ghostface and the funny cameo of Madam Bo, providing lighthearted moments in the DLC.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement is generated by the epic DLC characters and the anticipation of Havik as the big boss, which was a highlight for some players.
- Feeling scammed (weight 0.01): Players feel scammed because the new season recycles content from a previous season, and because characters they thought would be playable after buying the expansion are locked. This leads to a sense of being misled.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0): Mixed feelings are expressed about Noob Saibot's appearance in the franchise, with players having both positive and negative reactions to his inclusion.
- Pain (weight 0): Pain is experienced from playing through the badly written story, which is a source of discomfort and frustration for players.
- Affection (weight 0): Affection is shown for the Cyrax and Sektor versions, with players expressing love for these characters despite the changes.
- Admiration (weight 0): Admiration is directed at Erika Ishii, a voice actor who is a personal favorite, adding a positive note to the DLC.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0): Dissatisfaction is primarily due to the $50 price point, which is considered too high for the content provided.
- Concern (weight 0): Concern is raised about the price being the same as a full game for only a 4-hour story, highlighting the poor value proposition.}