You simply can't be a gamer and not have heard of Mortal Kombat, or MK as it is known to hardcore fans of the franchise (like myself). While Street Fighter started the fighting game craze, it was Mortal Kombat that brought it to a whole new level. Needless to say, it sucked a whole lot of quarters from fighting game fans. In fact, there was even a report that the MK machines in game rooms everywhere milked out a million dollars in quarters a day during the height of its popularity. This discussion will be about the first game, the game that started it all. The sequels will be coming as well.
The gameplay is simple and isn't heard to learn. Like Street Fighter, it is a versus, tournament style fighting game. You get to choose from seven fighters: Johnny Cage, Kano, Raiden, Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Sonya. Each fighter has his or her strengths and weaknesses. You have four different basic attacks on each character: High Punch, Low Punch, Low Kick, and High Kick. Combining each with directions on the control stick allowed for even more attacks, such as a roundhouse kick, sweep, and everyone's favorite, the uppercut. Each character has his or her own unique special moves, includling fireballs, electric bolts, deep freezes, and what would become a catchphrase in MK: Scorpion's spear. A successful hit with the spear and Scorpion yells "Come Here!" or "Get Over Here!", which has made it one of the most recogizable phrases in video game history.
The game is most known for three things. I'll state the obvious first. Mortal Kombat's signature was its blood, something Street Fighter didn't show. It's other noticable thing was its fatalities, which ranged from ripping hearts out from chests, ripping out spinal cords, setting people on fire, decapitation, among others. These fatalities could be inputed after winning two rounds, after which the announcer screams out Mortal Kombat's other trademark, "Finish Him!" (or "Finish Her!" if the defeated character was Sonya).
Another known feature of Mortal Kombat was that it had digitized sprites from actors who played the characters in the game. This was different from the hand drawn sprites in Street Fighter, and was motion captured instead of drawn frame by frame.
One other feature is that the game was so violent and bloody, it lead to the birth of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, or the ESRB, the company that gives ratings to every single video game on shelves today. Parents and politicians alike lashed out at the creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias, for exposing children to such violent behavior, though the game warns of its graphic nature beforehand.
In the single player mode, you fight your way up a ladder, where you face the six other fighters. After which you face a mirror image of yourself, called the Mirror Match. Passing the Mirror Match means you fight through three endurance rounds, which are something like handicap matches. You fight one opponent, and as soon as you drain his or her life bar, you fight the other. If you manage to get past those, you fight the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat: the half human half dragon, four armed Goro. He is extremely tough to beat and takes less damage than anyone else in the game and deals more damage as well. If you can beat Goro, you then go on to fight the final boss: the sorceror known as Shang Tsung. His most known ability is to morph (or shapeshift) into every other character in the game, including Goro. Defeating Shang Tsung means you win the title of champion of Mortal Kombat.
The game was ported to all four platforms that were out at the time: Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Sega Game Gear, and the Nintendo Game Boy. It was also ported to the PC, but it was extremely rare to find. On the Sega consoles, the blood and violence was intact, though you had to input a secret code to gain access to it. In the Genesis version, this code was ABACABB. On the Nintendo consoles, however, all the violence was toned down because of Nintendo's family friendly policy at the time. Because of this, the Genesis version outsold the SNES version.
There are several easter eggs in the game, most notably the hidden character known as Reptile. In the arcade version, you could fight Reptile by following three conditions: 1) Be in the fourth stage (The Pit) with some objects flying in the sky (like Santa Claus, a face, among others), 2) Get a double flawless victory (i.e., take no damage in the entire fight), and 3) perform a fatality. Once those are met, you fight Reptile, who is a hybrid of Scorpion and Sub-Zero and with a lot more speed.
The music really doesn't appeal to those who are used to gentler and catchy music, such as the music in Mario games. It fits every single stage like a glove, and the Chinese/Oriental theme is very good. The sound in the second stage (Palace Gates) is one of my favorites and is a very powerful theme. The sound effects are top notch. They have power and snap in them as well.
Mortal Kombat is one of my all time favorite fighting games. I remember the commercial very well when it was being released to the home consoles. I first discovered MK and told my brother about it, and he was hooked as well. It's a cult classic that many gamers still play today. FINISH HIM!
About the Author
Steven is an avid retro video gamer and computer specialist, also knowledgeable about other things. Other than his expertise in those things, you can check out his site on thebest desktop computer, which also reviews some desktop computer packages to go along with it.
Mortal Kombat games have been the talk of the gaming world since the first release as an arcade title back in 1992. Their style has been copied over the years but never fully duplicated. Known for it's violence, blood and gore; Mortal combat games are almost a game genre within themselves.
The first release of the Mortal combat series was released in 1992. It was released strictly on Arcade at that point. It was a basic 2D style of gameplay with all of the characters having very similar moves other than their finishing move which used a button combo to accomplish the kill in great style and macabre.
Mortal combat 2 was released on arcade in 1993. It followed in the footsteps of it's predecessor but was touted as the best MK game ever released and to this day is arguably considered the best fighting game that has ever been created. The series added slightly more complex moves to the title and fans loved it!
Mortal combat 3 was released in 1995 on arcade but was later released for the home console. This game added the "Choose Your Destiny" feature which allowed players of all skills to be able to enjoy the game with play based on their playing level.
MK Trilogy was released in 1996.This title was based on the Mortal combat 3 game but included all characters and level stages from Mortal Kombat 2 and 3.
Mortal Kombat 4 was released in 1997 on arcade like the previous three titles in the series. This was the last game in the series to be released in arcade. This title was also released on Playstation, Nintendo 64, and the PC. The game added weapons and other objects that could be used in fight to defeat enemies.
In 1999, Mortal combat Gold was released exclusively for the Sega Dreamcast. This game kept the same style and gameplay of Mortal Kombat 4 but added six additional characters that were previously never released.
MK: Deadly Alliance was released in 2002 for the Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube. This was the first title that was created just for the game console. It changed the series and enhanced the gameplay.
Mortal Kombat:Deception was released in 2004 for the Playstation 2 and Xbox. It was later released in 2005 for the Gamecube. The story followed the game from Deadly Alliance and had 26 playable characters.
Mortal Kombat:Armageddon was released in 2006 for the Playstation 2, Xbox, and for the Wii in 2009. This was the final chapter in the story from the original Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat was also released as the title: Mortal Kombat VS DC Comics. Now, the latest title is being released in April 2011 and it promises to be one of the best Mortal Kombat games ever!
About the Author
John writes about video games and gaming. You can buy Mortal Kombat xbox games at HMV with free delivery. Find out more about the History of Mortal Kombat here