You might want look up HoMs portfolio before laughing.......they are doing this style on purpose, its not a lack of skill.
it literally is a lack of skill if the attack in a video game feels like trash due to clunky animations that don't convey force or direction of an attack in a way that feels satisfying.
there is no way this is on purpose, Mortal Kombat is not the only game with this issue, many western developed action games suffer from this, and have been for decades.
many western animators simply do not know how to do proper attack animations and corresponding reaction animations for the other character.
and the animations in Netherrealm's games have improved over time, they went from ungodly amounts of shit, to a state where they're tolerable... still bad, but tolerable.
the issue is simply that the combat designers want a specific attack that hits in a specific way and needs to be performed in a specific timeframe, and that's where the animators working for Netherrealm's games completely shit the bed in the past.
the quality difference of x-ray attacks or fatalities compared to normal attack animations during actual combat is gigantic.
and it's clear why. x-rays and fatalities do not have the limitations that attack and reaction animations have during combat.
that punch that character XYZ does during an X-Ray attack has no specific way it needs to hit, no specific timeframe, and no other gameplay and balance related restrictions, and so the animators have a way easier time.
it's something completely different animating a non-interactive sequence with no timing limitations compared to a light punch that has to be an overhead, 1m range, has a wind-up of 3 frames, a hitbox of 4 frames, a follow through of 6 frames and also needs to be easy to follow during zoomed out combat.
a good video game animator needs to be able to do both, and that has not been the case in Netherrealm's games yet.
if they did this on purpose then they are literally making bad fighting games with terrible visual feedback on purpose. while also somehow making well animated non-interactive special attack animations on purpose.
