It’s tough to believe that a dynasty can up and dissipate over the course of fifteen or so years and be nothing more than a shadow of faded glory. However, there was a day (actually, several years to be honest) when the Mortal Kombat series had its time in the sun as the coolest fighting game in the pizza parlors and homes of neighbors. We now wonder–whatever happened to the Mortal Kombat phenomenon? There is no denying the impact it had on video games, and for that reason alone: Mortal Kombat is a game that deserves a lengthy retrospective that will span the series and the console generations it was in.

Raiden and Johnny Cage duke it out.

The original arcade hit was everything that teenage gamers wanted; it had cool characters, realistic graphics and (most notably) buckets of gushing blood. Mortal Kombat became popular by defining itself as a realistic and bloody contender to the Street Fighter franchise. It also had an interesting, albeit ridiculous, plot and characters that ranged from a thousand year-old sorcerer, a four armed half-man-half-dragon and an assassin that can freeze people. While the arcade version did a great job at taking kids allowances one quarter at a time, the home console versions were where the biggest impacts were made. The SNES and Sega Genesis versions brought the mayhem and gore to homes all over the world, and it sparked a controversy that implemented a rating system on video games as well as the difference of ports between consoles. From 1992-1993 Senator Joseph Lieberman headed up the court hearings that lead to the creation of the ESRB rating system, and from that moment on the Mortal Kombat series was cemented in history as one of the most violent games of all time.

Test you might was an interesting aspect of the game that would be taken until several MK games later.

One of the most notable features with Mortal Kombat’s console ports are the differences between the SNES and Sega Genesis. The SNES clearly had better graphics and audio, but was lacking in the monumental attribute that made MK so great: the violence. The SNES port instead had the blood taken out in favor of the fighters sweating every time they were punched and even turned “fatalities” into “finishing moves”. It was one of the very instances where censorship in games lead to major console differences, and it was something that Sega capitalized on since their biggest competitor went for a “family friendly” approach.

Enhanced graphics and new characters made MK 2 a smash hit in the arcades and home consoles.

One year later, Mortal Kombat 2 was released to a high degree of commercial success in both the arcades and home consoles, especially since the SNES port finally allowed blood and fatalities to be readily available for Nintendo owners. To up the ante, MK 2 added several new characters to the playable line-up and improved on graphics as well as combat controls while also giving characters multiple fatalities instead of just one.

The list of MK 2 characters. Baraka still looks creepy in hind-sight.

Though MK 2 had virtually identical gameplay when compared it the original, it was still well received and well liked since it followed the motto “if it ain’t broke: don’t fix it.” MK 2 featured more blood, more fatalities and more deranged characters and it turned out to be a fan favorite because of its outrageous violence and simple gameplay. Sure, fans were upset that Sonya and Kano weren’t included in MK 2, but that just left more room for characters like Reptile, Jax and Baraka. Indeed Mortal Kombat was top of the heap in the video game world.
It would then be another two years until Mortal Kombat 3 was released in 1995, and it was a huge departure from the previous games.

No Scorpion? Reptile? Shame on you Midway.

MK 3 implemented a combo system that sped up fighting, and this was a great new addition to the series since it was refreshing to have a fluent combat system. However, this installment of the Mortal Kombat franchise did not include such classic fan favorite characters as Scorpion, Raiden, Johnny Cage and Reptile which was one of the worst decisions that could have been made for the series. It alienated its fan base by excluding these great characters as well as completely changing the look of Sub-Zero.  Even though these aspects would be rectified in with the addition of these characters in Ultimate Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, it was considered a large turning point in the series. And although it was a success; it could be considered the beginning of the end for the once great series.

Sub-Zero and the rest of the Kombat characters got a make over, but was it really a good thing?

Next: Mortal Kombat goes 3-D, and how it affected the series.