Mortal Kombat X is Getting Enhanced Online Netplay

Recently, NetherRealm Studios announced that Mortal Kombat X was getting updated with GGPO-style rollback netcode. This is a huge win for the game and its fans, as the dynamic latency model currently used leads to a less-than-ideal online combat kombat experience. As far as I know, a complete overhaul of a game’s netcode this long after launch, at least in a fighting game, is unprecedented.

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Super Street Fighter IV and Online Play

For the longest time, I used to wonder why pro Street Fighter IV players would bash online play so much. It seemed like every single one of them would complain about how the game doesn’t play the same online as it does locally. As an amateur player who had spent the majority of Street Fighter IV time online, I thought it worked fine. Sure, there were instances where the game would clearly slow to a crawl, but I thought that I could play this game online the same way I would locally.

However, I’ve gotten a lot better in the last few months, and I’m really starting to see what many of the pro players were complaining about. As I’m learning new techniques, combos and tactics, I’m finding more and more that they don’t consistently work online, even with a great connection.
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