It's Offical

Our friends suck.


This past weekend, ProtoScott and myself got the opportunity to play some head-to-head Mortal Kombat (basically, all of them). The event was meant to be a gathering of old fans and newcomers, however the turnout was disappointingly limited and ended up being primarily a long series of battles between ProtoScott and myself. Regardless, it was a fun time overall. It was an especially good opportunity to recap and replay the Mortal Kombat games as a series.


Mortal Kombat (1993 SNES port)

Started a gaming phenomenon that captured hearts of gamers with its brutal moves and captivating characters. Unfortunately, we played the SNES port (no gore = snore). It was an experience, to say the least, going back to the roots of the games. As a fighting game, it contains no outstanding mechanics; our newcomer friends were not amused. If you're going to play a fighting game on the SNES, just play Street Fighter II (or another MK game).

ProtoScott's comment: Kano's censored heart rip fatality is hilarious.

ProtoScott's memory: I remember spending a lot of time trying to get the stage fatality on the pit.

H.A. Timo's comment: Sonya is tier 1.

H.A. Timo's memory: Sonya is tier 1.


Mortal Kombat II (1993 SNES port)

This toasty installment is considered by many to be the defining game in the series. It greatly expanded upon the characters and concepts created in the first game. The graphics are more crisp, the stages are darker, and the special moves are even cooler. Unfortunately, our saibot friends (see what I did there) were not very good competition for the fury that was ProtoScott and myself.

ProtoScott's comment: Ow wha? (Foul ball????)

ProtoScott's memory: Kitana's picture

H.A. Timo's comment: I really love this game; I was lucky enough recently to find and purchase a copy of the game with the box and manual included. Sick nasty!

H.A. Timo's memory: the deadpool stage really defines the game for me.


Ultimate Mortal Kombat III (1995 SNES port)

We would've played vanilla MKIII for the sake of completion, but this game is just superior. The most notable aspect of this game is the addition of a run button that gives the attacker an advantage over a defender. There are lots of cool characters, and the plot really takes off. A darn fun game, but the series really takes a turn for the goofy (especially manifest in the fatalities).

ProtoScott's comment: Smoke's "end of the world" fatality is lame

ProtoScott's memory:  in certain fatalities, the arms get left hanging in the air when the torso gets ripped off.

H.A. Timo's comment: Stryker is a cool dude who doesn't afraid of anything.

H.A. Timo's memory: the robots


Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996 Sega Saturn version)

THIS GAME IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! (Timo says)

Absolutely the best of the classic Mortal Kombats. (ProtoScott says)

The game includes every character from the first three games and uses the fast-paced fighting mechanics from MKIII (sort of the Mortal Kombat Armageddon for its time, if that parallel helps anyone). What more is there to say? Definitely a cool game.

ProtoScott's comment: way too hard, even playing as Shao Kahn.

ProtoScott's memory: some nice comebacks against Timo

H.A. Timo's comment: Rayden rules.

H.A. Timo's memory: a couple of my siblings got this for me when I was 11 for Christmas. It was a tight gift.


Mortal Kombat Gold (Dreamcast 1999)

An updated version of MK4, the first 3D Mortal Kombat game. It introduced a lot of lame characters, but also brought back lots of old classics (like Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya). It plays a lot like the 2D games, and is kind of an awkward bridge between the newer generation of MK and the original. Fun game, but punishes noobs.

ProtoScott's comment: Fujin is the only new character I found interesting.

ProtoScott's memory: rented it once (MK4 on N64)

H.A. Timo's comment: there's weapons, that's pretty cool.

H.A. Timo's memory: never really played it until now: fun game.


Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002, PS2)

Oh yeah, this game's a fun one. This game marks the real beginning of the 3D era. It's certainly not as smooth to control as the original trilogy, but it introduces some new features. Each character has the usual special attacks, but they also can switch between two different fighting styles and a weapon. The fighting styles are a neat feature, but combos are hard to learn and remember. Fights between beginners usually consist of lots of jabs and special moves.

ProtoScott's comment: this is the game that got me back into the MK series. Got it through the best video game trade ever (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance).

ProtoScott's memory: the fateful day when I unlocked "Cooking with Scorpion" in the Krypt.

H.A. Timo's comments: Mokap!

H.A. Timo's memory: my best friend in elementary school rented it once and we played it for a whole day; it was amazing, and we even beat the arcade ladder together.


Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004, Xbox)

Probably the first MK game to tell its story within the realm of gameplay. As an effective sequel, Deception takes the concepts from MKDA and improves upon them. The game includes new features like chess kombat and puzzle kombat. It's a great game, yet again, but not very easy for beginners to pick up. Also of note, it features some of the most forgettable new characters. You folks remember Dairou? I don't think so.

ProtoScott's comment:Shredder-Sub-Zero rules!

ProtoScott's memory: Playing chess kombat late into the night.

H.A. Timo's comments: Noob-Smoke is top-tier.

H.A. Timo's memory: playing against my brother (he played Kobra, I played Noob-Smoke).

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006, Xbox)

We didn't play the game that night. It's a bad game. It really is. The character roster consists of every MK character up to that point (excluding Khameleon, who is on the wii version), which sounds good on paper; however, the quality and variety of each character is limited by the memory that is taken up by all of these characters. Of note in this title is the Kreate-a-Fighter mode which is fun to mess around with. Mechanically, the game was executed poorly.

ProtoScott's comment: Kreate-a-Fatality ruined MK

ProtoScott's memory: watching Timo write about the game just now

H.A. Timo's comment: awful game, but I think it's a lot of fun

H.A. Timo's memory: messing with Kreate-a-Fighter with willtacular

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008, Xbox 360)

Somehow, this odd-sounding combination works. It's easy to pick up for nubs, and the characters look very cool (especially bats and supes!). Really, its not gameplay that draws us in; it's all about the characters. Overall, it's a novelty experience. Fun to pit the different DC heroes against each other. Most players ignore playing as any MK characters.

ProtoScott's comment: Shazaam! Captain Marvel FTW

ProtoScott and H.A. Timo's joint memory: late night, round three, specks of health each, Batman (ProtoScott) vs. Superman (Timo). Trick batarang for the Batman victory before Supes can get heat vision off.

H.A. Timo's comment: hmmmm... Shazaam?

Mortal Kombat (2011, Xbox 360)

I'm really tired of writing about these games, but this one is worth the effort. This game takes everything that was great about the classic MK games and multiplies it by nine. It features a hardy roster of classic characters who each have unique moves and play-styles. The fatalities have been taken to the next level, and the old hyperviolence of the original fatalities have been resurrected in the form of the new x-ray attacks. Players can unleash brutal mini-combos called x-ray moves on their opponents that zoom in on the damage each hit causes. By far, this game is the most satisfying fighting game to play: great (easy to learn, difficult to master) controls, beautiful visuals, and presents the most captivating story of any fighting game yet made. Play it.

ProtoScott's comment: I make this look easy.

ProtoScott's memory: I already look fondly upon beating Shao Kahn in story mode.

H.A. Timo's comment: Police brutality, comin' up!

H.A. Timo's memory: Playing online tag-team mode with willtacular.

Coming soon...

Our response to the Mortal Kombat movies. Both of them.