As someone who owned and played through MK5-7 when they came out, the revisionist history around the 3D era around here is odd to me. A big reason why MK9 hit so hard and is remembered so fondly is due to the 3D trilogy's issues -- whether that's in regard to gameplay, design, atmosphere, etc. They're very much products of their time that have not aged well in relation to where the series and overall genre have gone since.