| Mortal Kombat II | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the home versions | |
| Developer | Midway[a] |
| Publishers | Midway Consoles Acclaim Entertainment |
| Producers | MS-DOS Robert Leingang Robert O'Farrell Billy Pidgeon |
| Designers | Ed Boon John Tobias |
| Programmers | MS-DOS Ed Boon Brian O'Shaughnessy |
| Artist |
|
| Composer | Dan Forden |
| Series | Mortal Kombat |
| Platform | |
| Release | November 27, 1993
|
| Genre | Fighting |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Midway T Unit |
Mortal Kombat II is a 1993fighting game developed and published byMidway forarcades. It was later ported to multiple home systems, includingMS-DOS,Amiga,Game Boy,Game Gear,Sega Genesis,32X,Sega Saturn,Super NES, andPlayStation, byProbe Software (later renamed to Probe Entertainment for some ports of the game) andSculptured Software, and published byAcclaim Entertainment.
Mortal Kombat II is the second main installment in theMortal Kombat franchise, and a sequel to 1992'sMortal Kombat. It improves the gameplay and expands the mythos of its predecessor while introducing more varied finishing moves (including severalFatalities per character and new finishers, such as Babality and Friendship) and several new characters such asKitana,Mileena,Kung Lao, the hidden characterNoob Saibot, and the series' recurring villain,Shao Kahn. The game's plot continues from the first game, featuring the next Mortal Kombat tournament set in the otherdimensional realm of Outworld, with the Outworld and Earthrealm representatives fighting each other on their way to challenge Shao Kahn.
Mortal Kombat II was released to enormous commercial success and critical acclaim, winning several awards and inspiring numerousclones. However, it was also involved incontroversy due to the series' continuous depiction of graphic violence. In the years since its release,Mortal Kombat II has been cited as one of the best games in the series, as well as one of thegreatest video games ever made. It was succeeded in 1995 by the directsequelMortal Kombat 3, and in 2005 by thespin-offMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which takes place during the events ofMortal Kombat II.
The gameplay system ofMortal Kombat II is an improved version of that from the originalMortal Kombat. There are several changes in standard moves: a crouching punch was added, low and high kicks have greater differentiation (be they crouching or standing up),roundhouse kicks are made more powerful (knocking an opponent across the screen, like the game'suppercut), and it is easier to performcombos due to reduced recovery times for attacks. Returning characters also gained new special moves, including some to be used in mid-air, and the game plays almost twice as fast as the original.[9][10][11][12]
As with its predecessor, matches are divided into rounds, and the first player to win two rounds by fully depleting their opponent's life bar is the winner. At this point, the losing character will become dazed and the winner is given the opportunity of using a finishing move.Mortal Kombat II lacks the "Test Your Might" bonus games and point system from the first game, in favor of a consecutive win tally where wins are represented by icons.[9]
The game marked the introduction of multipleFatalities (special moves allowing the victorious character to execute their opponent at the end of a match) as well as additional, non-lethal finishing moves to the franchise:Babalities (turning the opponent into a crying baby),Friendships (a non-malicious interaction, such as dancing or giving a gift to the defeated opponent) and additionalstage-specific Fatalities (the victor uppercutting their opponent into an abyss below, spikes in the ceiling, or a pool of acid in the background).[9] Finishing moves cannot be performed either by or against the boss or secret characters.[b]
Following his failure to defeatLiu Kang in the previous Mortal Kombat tournament, the evilShang Tsung begs his masterShao Kahn, supreme ruler of Outworld and the surrounding kingdoms, to spare his life. He tells Shao Kahn that if they hold the next Mortal Kombat Tournament in Outworld, the Earthrealm warriors must travel away from home to attend. Kahn agrees to this plan, and restores Shang Tsung's youth and martial arts prowess. He then extends the invitation to the thunder god and Earthrealm's protector,Raiden, who gathers his warriors and takes them into Outworld. The new tournament is much more dangerous, as Shao Kahn has the home field advantage.[13][14]
According to theMortal Kombat series'canon, Liu Kang won this tournament as well, defeating Shao Kahn and his bodyguard Kintaro.[15] The game's story mode can be also finished using any other playable character, resulting in a variety of non-canonical endings for each of them.[16] This game also establishes that the originalSub-Zero Bi-Han was killed byScorpion in the first game, and Bi-Han's younger brother Kuai Liang took the identity of the new Sub-Zero.[17]
The game includes 12 playable characters.
The game also features three hidden opponents for unlockable fights:Jade (played by Katalin Zamiar), a female ninja clad in green who is immune to projectiles;Noob Saibot (played by Daniel Pesina), a dark silhouetted ninja who is a "lost warrior" from the firstMK game; andSmoke (played by Daniel Pesina), a male ninja clothed in gray who emits smoke from his body.[12]
Sonya andKano are the only playable characters from the firstMortal Kombat who were not implemented as fighters, as they only appear in the background of the Kahn's Arena stage, chained and on display as his prisoners.[10] The reason for this was due to the storage limitations of arcade hardware at the time. When Midway employees ran audits on several Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets in the Chicago area, they found that Kano and Sonya were the least chosen characters. So they were cut to background sprites in order to make room for new characters.[10][21]
When we finishedMortal Kombat I,Acclaim did the home version, and they sold six million copies or something crazy like that. We had already started talking about doing aStar Wars game, and then our general manager at the time came to us one day and said, 'What do you mean aStar Wars game? You can't do aStar Wars game. You've got to do anotherMortal Kombat game.' The notion of sequels wasn't even something that we had entertained. It was just like, 'Oh, you do this game and then you move onto the next game.' Looking back now, it's really silly that we wouldn't have entertained that idea.[22]
MKII's story influences came from the same places as the first game. One influence came from the first twoStar Wars films, where you knew that there wasan emperor ruling the universe, but knew nothing else about him. It created a desire in the viewer to want to know more. I think we had something very similar with Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn and for me that came from that feeling I had as a kid when I learned more about what made theStar Wars universe tick inEmpire Strikes Back. I wantedMK fans to have that same feeling.[23]
According to lead programmerEd Boon,Mortal Kombat II was "intended to look different than the originalMK" and "had everything we wanted to put intoMK but did not have time for."[24] In 2012, Boon named creating the game among his bestMortal Kombat memories, recalling: "When we didMortal Kombat II, we got new equipment and all that stuff, but it was funny because when we started working onMortal Kombat II, the mania, the hysteria of the home versions ofMortal Kombat I was literally all around us. We were so busy working on the next one, going from seven characters to 12 and two Fatalities per character and all these other things that that consumed every second."[22] Both the theme and art style ofMKII were slightly darker than those of its predecessor, although a more vibrantcolor palette was employed and the new game had a much richercolor depth than the previous game. A new feature was the use of multiple layers ofparallax scrolling in the arcade version.[11] The game was made to be less serious with the addition of humorous alternative finishing moves. Some of the considered Fatalities were rejected as being too extreme at the time.[25]
Care was taken during the programming process to give the game a "good feel", with Boon simulating elements such as gravity into the game's design. Lead designer and artistJohn Tobias noted that the first game's reliance on juggling the opponent in the air with successive hits was an accident, and had been tightened inMortal Kombat II. Boon said that the reason to not completely remove it in favor of a different system of chaining attacks together was to set the game apart from the competing titles such asStreet Fighter, and allow for players to devise their own combinations of attacks.[26] A double jump ability was implemented but later removed.[27] At one point, a bonus stage was planned to feature "a bunch of ninjas jumping all over the place and you would swing at them, just like you're in the middle of a fight in a kung fu movie." All of the music was composed, performed, recorded and mixed byDan Forden, the series' sound designer and composer, using theWilliamsDCS sound system.[28]
As with the first game,Acclaim Entertainment published the home conversions.San Francisco Chronicle claimed in 1994 that Acclaim had spent$50 million on developing, manufacturing and marketing the game.[29]
To create the character animations for the game, actors were placed in front of a gray background and performed the motions, which were recorded on videotape using a broadcast-quality, $20,000Sony camera instead of the standardHi8 camera used for the originalMortal Kombat.[26] Thevideo capture footage was then processed into a computer, and the background was removed from selected frames to createsprites. Towards the end of the game's development, they opted to instead use ablue screen technique and processed the footage directly into the computer for a similar, simpler process.[26] The actors were lightly sprayed with water to give them a sweaty, glistening appearance,[30] while post-editing was done on the sprites afterward to highlight flesh tones and improve the visibility of muscles,[31] which Tobias felt set the series apart from similar games usingdigitized graphics. Animations of Shang Tsung morphing into other characters were created by Midway's John Vogel using a computer, while hand-drawn animations were used for other parts of the game, such as the Fatalities. For Goro and Kintaro, clay sculptures were created by Tobias' friend Curt Chiarelli and then turned into 12-inch latex miniatures that were used forstop motion filming.[26] Because of technical restrictions, the actors' costumes had to be simple and no acrobatic moves such asbackflips could have been recorded;[32] the most difficult moves to perform were some of the jumping kicks.[33]
Several characters (namely Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Noob Saibot, Reptile, Scorpion, Smoke, and Sub-Zero) were created using the first game'spalette swap technique on just two base models. The game was noted for its "strong female presence",[34] as it was featured more than one female character, which was uncommon in the fighting genre at the time. Due to memory limitations and the development team's desire to introduce more new characters, Sonya Blade and Kano, two fighters from the originalMortal Kombat whom Boon cited as the least-picked characters in the game, were excluded,[35] substituted by two palette swaps: Mileena and Reptile. In place of Sonya, two new playable female characters, Kitana and Mileena, were introduced so the game might better compete againstCapcom'sStreet Fighter II: The World Warrior featuringChun-Li.[12][36][d] Another planned female fighter, based on the real-life kickboxerKathy Long whom Tobias admired, was omitted due to time constraints.[33] A male bonus character played by Kyu Hwang was also cut from the game.[12][37]
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The first version ofMKII, revision 1.4, "was effectively a publicbeta test", featuring few Fatalities and manysoftware bugs; it also lacked the endings for the characters. It took three subsequent revisions to have the moves and finishing moves finalized and all the bugs corrected, also adding additional content, as development had still been in progress for all that time.[10] The final version was revision 3.1,[12] released in January 1994.[38]
In conjunction with the release of the arcade game,Mortal Kombat II Collector's Edition, an official comic book written and illustrated by Tobias, was released throughmail order, describing the backstory of the game in greater detail.[12]Acclaim Entertainment stated that it "had startedMortal Kombat II with a $10 million global marketing campaign" for the home versions.[39][40] A part of this sum was used to film and air the live-action TV commercial created byDavid Anderson andBob Keen. The video[41] featured Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile (with a notably more reptilian appearance), Kitana, Baraka and Shao Kahn, who were played by the same actors as in the game.[42] The game's promotional campaign'stagline was "Nothing... Nothing can prepare you."[43] In 2008,Eurogamer calledMortal Kombat II "a marketing triumph".[44]
Malibu Comics published a series ofMortal Kombat comic books featuring the characters from bothMKII and the original game.[12]Mortal Kombat II: Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack, an album featuring music fromMortal Kombat II andMortal Kombat, composed by Dan Forden,[12][45] could originally only be purchased by ordering it through a limited CD offer, which was posted on the arcade version of the game'sattract mode. Other merchandise for the game included the periodical official fanzineMortal Kombat II Kollector's Magazine published by Midway and Sendai,[46] a series of collectible stickers for an album byPanini Group, two different series of action figures (released in Argentina in 1995 and in the US in 1999, respectively),[12] and collectible card gameMortal Kombat Kard Game, which was marketed as "Mortal Kombat II trading cards".[47][better source needed]
Since 1994, multiple officialports andemulated versions ofMortal Kombat II have been released for a wide variety of home systems, including the8-bit (Game Boy,Game Gear, andMaster System),16-bit (Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) andSega Genesis/Mega Drive) and32-bit (32X,PlayStation, andSega Saturn) consoles,Amiga andMS-DOS computers, and thePlayStation Network (PSN). The Game Boy, Game Gear, SNES, and Genesis versions were released simultaneously on September 9, 1994, a date dubbed "Mortal Friday".[48] The PlayStation version was released only in Japan, retitledMortal Kombat II: Kyuukyoku Shinken (モータルコンバットII 究極神拳,Mōtaru Konbatto Tsū Kyūkyoku Shinken; "Mortal Kombat II: Ultimate Godly Fist"); this subtitle was also used for the Japanese release of the 32X port.
The game was also featured in several compilation releases, includingMidway Arcade Treasures 2 for theGameCube,PlayStation 2, andXbox,Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox as a hidden and unlockable Easter egg,Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play for thePlayStation Portable, andMortal Kombat Arcade Kollection[12][56] for theMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 3 andXbox 360. Another compilation release for theNintendo DS was canceled.[57]Arcade1Up released a home arcade cabinet compilation that included the game, as well as the originalMortal Kombat andUltimate Mortal Kombat 3.[58]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | SMD: 86%[59] SNES: 86%[60] |
| Metacritic | PS3: 72/100[61] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer and Video Games | ARC: 93%[62] SMD: 97%[63] SNES: 96%[63] AMI: 96%[64] 32X: 93%[65] GB: 90%[63] SGG: 88%[63] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | SNES: 9/10, 8/10, 8/10, 8/10[66] SMD: 8/10, 7/10, 7/10, 7/10[66] SGG: 7/10[67] GB: 6/10[67] SSAT: 5.75/10[68] |
| Famitsu | SNES: 8/10, 7/10, 7/10, 6/10[69] SMD: 8/10, 8/10, 7/10, 6/10[70] SGG: 7/10, 5/10, 6/10, 4/10[70] GB: 5/10, 4/10, 5/10, 4/10[69][71] PS: 6/10, 5/10, 5/10, 3/10[8] |
| Game Informer | SSAT: 7/10[72] |
| GamePro | SNES: 20/20[73] SMD: 17.5/20[73] SGG: 16.5/20[74] GB: 15/20[74] |
| GamesMaster | SMD: 94%[75] |
| GameSpot | PS3: 7.9/10[76] |
| IGN | 32X: 7.8/10[77] PS3: 7.3/10[78] |
| Next Generation | SNES: 5/5[79] PC: 4/5[80] 32X/SSAT: 3/5[81][82] |
| Amiga Format | AMI: 90%[83] |
| CU Amiga | AMI: 95%[84] |
| Mean Machines Sega | 32X: 92%[85] SMS: 80%[5] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | SSAT (Pre-release): 93%[86] 2/5[87] |
| VG&CE | SNES: 10/10[88] 32X: 9/10[89] GB: 8/10[88] SMD: 7/10[88] SGG: 7/10[88] |
Mortal Kombat II proved to be an enormous commercial success and even a cultural phenomenon.[90]WMS Industries, then owner of Midway, reported that its 1993 sales in the quarter ending December 31 rose from $86 million to $101 million, and said much of its revenue gain was related to the sale of the arcade version ofMKII.[91] The game went on to become America's highest-grossing arcade game of 1994, according to the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA).[92] By 1996, the number of arcade machines sold approached 25,000 units; at that time, arcade games that sold 5,000 units were considered strong titles (Midway printed special T-shirts to celebrate 300 machines being manufactured in one day),[93] and an arcade cabinet cost $3,000–4,000.[94] The arcade version went on to sell 27,000 units,[95] and grossed$600 million as of 2002[update].[96]MKII was considered an arcade game of the year,[97] taking over from the originalMortal Kombat.
On the day of the release of Genesis, Game Gear, SNES and Game Boy versions, dubbed "Mortal Friday" (September 9, 1994, celebrated annually by the fan community on the second Friday of September),[98][48] an unprecedented number of more than 2.5 million copies were shipped to be distributed, with the best opening week sales in video game history at that point.[99] Acclaim analysts expected that the number of copies sold would reach at least 2.5 million within the first few weeks of release (at an average retail price of $60)[100] and the sales to top $150 million by the end of the year.[43][101]
In the first week of its console release, the game made sales to $50 million, which Acclaim Entertainment said was "The largest introduction of a video game in history". Distribution of over 2.5 million copies around 15,000 stores required 65 trucks and 11 jumbo jets.[102] First-week sales of over $50 million in the United States surpassed the openingbox office results of that season's Hollywood filmblockbusters, such asForrest Gump,True Lies,The Mask, andThe Lion King.[103][104][105] Approximately2.5 million units were shipped to stores within a month.[106]Mortal Kombat II became the world's best-selling video game until it was eclipsed byDonkey Kong Country, released in November 1994.[107] In the United States, it was the top-selling Genesis, SNES, and Game Gear title of September 1994,[108] and the top game for the latter console the following month.[109] The Genesis version went on to sell 1.78 million copies in the United States, along with an additional 1.51 million copies for the SNES in that same region.[110] In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling game in September 1994, including for the Mega Drive, SNES, Master System, Game Gear and Game Boy;[111] it remained the top-selling game for the Master System, Game Gear, and Game Boy in October,[112] and for the Game Gear in November.[113]
By 2002, estimated gross sales of the home versions ofMortal Kombat II exceeded $400 million.[107] ThePSN version, released in 2007, continued to occupy the service's top ten monthly sales chart nearly three years later in February 2010.[114]
Initial critical reception towardsMortal Kombat II was overwhelmingly positive,[115] withSega Visions describing the way in which the sequel was directed as "sheer brilliance",[116] andNintendo Power calling it "the hottest fighter ever".[117] Tony Brusgul ofThe Daily Gazette opined that the "incredible" hype surrounding the game was "well deserved", describing it as "a perfect blend of great graphics, action and violence".[118] In his review of the arcade release, Rik Skews ofComputer + Video Games (C+VG) said that "the only true rival toStreet [F]ighter II" returned "in a sequel that bites off the head of the original."[62]
Regarding the Genesis version, Mark Patterson ofC+VG wrote that "Probe has done an incredible job with this conversion. Everything is here, and I mean everything."[63]Sushi-X ofElectronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) called the Genesis version "a great translation considering its limitations," saying that its graphics and sounds are not as good as those of the SNES version.[99] A reviewer forThe Detroit News was "very disappointed" with the Genesis port and recommended the SNES version instead.[99]
The four reviewers ofEGM hailed the SNES version as a "near-perfect" translation of the arcade game.[66] A reviewer forThe Baltimore Sun called the SNES version "the best game I've ever played - a true translation,"[99] and Patterson noted it was the bloodiest game Nintendo has yet allowed to be released.C+VG declared it "the most perfectcoin-op conversion ever".[119][63]Next Generation said of the SNES version that "with full creative license, Acclaim has produced possibly the best arcade conversion ever."[79]
Regarding the game's handheld ports, Patterson stated of the Game Boy version that "no Game Boy owner should go without this," and called the Game Gear version "still the best handheld beat-'em up" on the market, despite said version lacking much canonical content.[63]EGM reviewers concurred that the Game Gear version "has eye-popping graphics, and great control - so much so that you won't believe this is a portable", but were less enthusiastic about the Game Boy version. Though they commented that it is better than most fighting games for the system, two of their four reviewers said that it was not worth getting with the game available on much more powerful platforms.[67]
Critical reception of the Amiga version was also mostly favorable, with Ed Lawrence ofCU Amiga declaring that "every person who own an Amiga has to ownMortal Kombat 2. In terms of revitalising the Amiga market, this is far more important than anyCommodore buy-out could ever be."[84] In a rare dissenting opinion, Jonathan Nash ofAmiga Power dismissedMortal Kombat II as "a clearly nonsensical title", recommending to "buyShadow Fighter instead".[120] The later PC version was also well-received, withNext Generation stating that "if you like fighting games, this is the best that's available."[80]
Reviewing the 32X version,IGN's Levi Buchanan said that "if you do not have a SNES, this is the home version ofMKII to get."[77] In contrast,GamePro remarked that the 32X version offered too little improvement over the Genesis version, even failing to correct the control shortcomings, and was technically poor given the add-on's capabilities.[121] In a review of the 32X version,Next Generation opined that "MKII is a great game, but it's a serious case of 'been there, done that!'"[81] Brazilian magazineAção Games gave the 32X version 5 out of 5 on all six categories.[122]
Reviewing the Saturn version,EGM said that the graphics are identical to the arcade version but there are missing sound effects and "unbearable" slowdown when first performing a special move. They rated it the best home version of the game to date, but said that withMortal Kombat II having considerably aged by this point, any port needed to be near arcade perfect to stand out.[68]Next Generation said that the Saturn version was arcade perfect, but that theMortal Kombat series as a whole was grossly overrated and lacked any gameplay innovations to make it stand out from other fighting games. They summarized that "if you are a fan of the game (and you know who you are), then the Saturn version is everything you can hope for - an arcade-perfect translation - and yet, there is nothing outside of a flashy presentation and a little gore to recommend this game over a million others just like it."[82] Lawrence Neves (writing under the pseudonym "Scary Larry") ofGamePro agreed that the Saturn port "duplicates the arcade version perfectly", but argued that the slowdown and load times make the game frustrating to play. He concluded that the conversion would make a decent holdover untilUltimate Mortal Kombat 3 was released for Saturn, but fails to measure up toMortal Kombat 3 on the PlayStation.[123]Sega Saturn Magazine was extremely disappointed with the final version of the Saturn port, calling it "much worse than any of the versions seen on the cartridge format",[87] as opposed to the vastly superior pre-release version they had reviewed five months earlier.[86]
Mortal Kombat II received numerous annual awards from gaming publications.Game Players gave it the titles of "Best Genesis Fighting Game", "Best SNES Fighting Game" and "Best Overall SNES Game" of 1994.[124] The staff ofNintendo Power rankedMKII as the second (SNES) and fifth (Game Boy) "Top Game" of 1994,[50] while the magazine's readers voted it to receive the 1995'sNintendo Power Awards for "Best Tournament Fighter (all Nintendo platforms)" and "Best Play Control (Game Boy)",[125] with the game having been nominated by the staff also in the categories "Worst Villain" (positively, an equivalent of "Best Hero") and "Best Overall (all Nintendo platforms)".[126]VideoGames namedMKII the "Best Fighting Game" of 1994, also awarding it second place in the categories "Best Super NES Game" and "Best Arcade-to-Home Translation".[127] Other awards included "The Best of the Show (Super NES)" for theSCES '94 fromGamePro[128] and "Bloodiest Game of 1994" fromEGM.[129] In 2017,Gamesradar listed the game 29th on its list of the "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time".[130]
As in the case of the firstMortal Kombat game, the content ofMortal Kombat II became the subject of a great deal of controversy regarding violent video games. Nancian Cherry ofToledo Blade wrote that both games had "an army of critics too: people upset by the bone-crunching, blood-spurting, limb-ripping violence depicted on the small screen."[131] According toIGN, "Mortal Kombat II wore its notoriety as a badge of honor, boasting about it in promotional materials, and even parodying it in-game."[132] The game was banned in Germany,[133] where it was put in the index by theFederal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM), and all versions of the game except for the Game Boy version[134] were subjected to being confiscated from the German market for violating theGerman Penal Code by showing excessive violence and cruel acts against representations of human beings. Due to regional censorship, the game was also released with green-colored blood and black-and-white fatality sequences in Japan; it was at that time a unique occurrence of a western game being censored in Japan rather than the inverse.[52] Years later, Boon recalled: "I've always had the position that the rating system was a good idea and should be put in place. OnceMortal Kombat II came out, there was a rating system in place. We were an M-rated game, and everybody knew the content that was in there, so it became almost a non-issue."[22] Tobias agreed, saying that they "were content with the M for mature on our packaging."[135]
There were also some other controversies unrelated to the game's graphic content. In 1994,Guy Aoki, president of Media Action Network forAsian Americans (MANAA), criticized the game for allegedly perpetuating existingstereotypes of Asians asmartial arts experts with the game's portrayal of several of its characters. Allyne Mills, a publicist at Acclaim, responded to this by stating: "This is a fantasy game, with all different characters. This is a martial arts game which comes from Asia. [sic] The game was not created to foster stereotypes."[136] Critical studies professorMarsha Kinder accused the game of "amisogynist aspect to the combat", alleging that "inMKII, some of the most violent possibilities are against women. Also, their fatality moves are highly eroticised."[137]
Mortal Kombat actors Daniel Pesina, Philip Ahn, Katalin Zamiar and Elizabeth Malecki unsuccessfully filed two lawsuits in 1996 and 1997 against Midway, Williams,Nintendo of America,Sega of America, and Acclaim Entertainment for the unauthorized misuse of their likenesses and to seek royalties from sales of the games' home ports.[138][139][140] Pesina, who sought $10 million in the suits for his roles in the first twoMK games, had appeared in costume as Johnny Cage in a 1994 print advertisement for the fighting gameBloodStorm.[141]
Arguably the bestWesternfighting game to date, and certainly the title that definedMortal Kombat as a brand, this game launched a thousandimitators en route to becoming one of the most famous -- and infamous -- video games ever made. Its technical and artistic mastery is only matched by its gushing gore.[142]
Over the following years, multiple publications acclaimedMortal Kombat II as one of the best video games ever. It was named the 97th top game of all time by the staff ofGame Informer in 2001,[143] the 38th most important video game of all time by the staff ofGamePro in 2007,[142] and the 32nd best video game of all time byThe Boston Phoenix in 2010.[144] Featuring it in their 2003 video game hall of fame series, the staff ofGameSpot wrote: "Mortal Kombat II was so much better, as a sequel, than it had to be that it absolutely deserves a place in the pantheon of all-time classics."[10]
Many publications also listedMortal Kombat II among the best video games of its genre or era. It was named the third best fighting game by the staff ofGamePro[145] and the ninth best fighting game of all time by Rich Knight of Cinema Blend in 2008,[146] the third top fighting game of all time by Marissa Meli ofUGO[147] and the second best 2D fighting game ever made by Robert Workman of GamePlayBook in 2010,[148] and the third best fighting game of all time by Peter Rubin ofComplex in 2011.[149] It was also named the 53rd best game on any Nintendo platform by the staff ofNintendo Power in 1997,[150] featured among the 100 best games of the 20th century by Jakub Kralka of Benchmark in 2009,[151] and the tenth best 16-bit game ever by McKinley Noble ofPC World that same year.[152]
The game also received accolades for its various conversions.Mortal Kombat II was included among the ten best arcade games byWirtualna Polska,[153] and named the fifth top arcade game by the staff ofGameTrailers in 2009,[154] the 31st top arcade game of all time by the staff ofGameSpy in 2011,[155] and the sixth best arcade game of the 1990s byComplex in 2013.[156] Regarding the 16-bit console versions,MKII was named the fourth best ever Genesis game byComplex[157] and the 19th best Genesis game byGamesRadar,[133] as well as the 12th best ever SNES game by Rich Knight ofComplex[158] and the 25th top game for the SNES by Richard George ofIGN;[159] in 1995, SNES magazineSuper Play also named it the best sequel on the platform.[160] In Poland, where the Amiga was the most popular gaming platform of the early 1990s,MKII was named the ninth best ever Amiga game by Michał Wierzbicki ofCHIP[161] and the 22nd best Amiga game byPSX Extreme editor-in-chief Przemysław Ścierski.[162] In 1995,Total! listed the game at number four on its list of the "Top 100 SNES Games".[163] In 1996,GamesMaster rated the game 35th on their list of the "Top 100 Games of All Time".[164]
Most hard-core fans agree thatMortal Kombat II is the best in the entire series. Midway improved on every single aspect and ... inspired a horde ofalso-rans.[9]
GamesRadar called it "the point when the series became great".[165] In 2007,GamesRadar included four elements of this game - Dan Forden's "Toasty!" soundbite during an uppercut (also ranked as the 11th funniest moment in video games by Rich Knight ofComplex in 2012),[166] Friendship and Babality finishing moves, and the ceiling spikes Stage Fatality - among the ten greatest things aboutMortal Kombat.[167] Reviewing the PlayStation 3 release in 2007,IGN's Jeff Haynes stated that "Mortal Kombat II still manages to stand up almost 15 years later as one of the best arcade fighters around."[78] As late as 2009, many fans still consideredMKII to be the best title in the series.[152] According to a 2011 article by Mike Harradence of PlayStation Universe, the "bigger, bolder and bloodier" game remains "a firm fan favourite amongMK aficionados".[168] That year, IGN's Richard George wrote that "Mortal Kombat II is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series" and called it "still one of the most fun 16-bit fighters to play".[159] In 2013, Rich Knight and Hanuman Welch ofComplex wrote that "Mortal Kombat II took everything we loved about the original and magnified it by about a million. ... We still love this game."[156] That same year, Knight and Gus Turner from the same magazine also ranked it as the sixth best 2D fighting game of all time, stating: "Truth be told,the latestMK has nothing on this one. Nothing. A step up from the original in every way,MK II was, and still is, a solid, violent game that's an essential title to grab for any serious fan of fighting games."[169] In 2014, Kevin Wong ofComplex wrote, "Today, we rememberMortal Kombat II for its anarchic spirit—the game was endlessly intriguing and weird, and it had an uneasy atmosphere—anything could happen at any given moment. Critics deridedMortal Kombat as meaningless shock value, but its sequel proved those naysayers wrong.Mortal Kombat II was a Flawless Victory—irreverent, hilarious, and horrific in equal measures."[170]
On December 26, 2022, the source code for the game, which included cut content, was uploaded online toGitHub.[171][172][173] In response, on January 6, 2023,Warner Bros. Discovery sent a DMCA takedown notice to GitHub, and public access to the repository was disabled as a result.[174][175][176][177] The leaker then created a new repository titled "not-mk2", which contained the "Controversies" section of theNetherRealm Studios article onWikipedia.[174]
While many games have been subject tourban legends about secret features andunlockable content, such myths were particularly rampant among the dedicated fan community ofMortal Kombat in regards toMortal Kombat II.[9] According to GameSpy, "the [arcade gaming] community was abuzz about myriad secrets both true and false."[155] The game's creators did little to dispel those rumors that included supposed "Nudality" or "Sexuality" finishing moves for Kitana and Mileena, Shang Tsung's ability to transform into Kano and Goro, a chance to fight Sonya after defeating Jade in a specific way, and "Hornbuckle" being featured as an additional secret character.[10][12][132][178][179]
Some of them were eventually implemented in subsequentMK games. Among these rumors to be adapted later were theAnimalities (used inMortal Kombat 3 and its updates) and an ability to throw an opponent into the mouth of a tree in the Living Forest stage (first used inMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks).[132][180][181] Rumored characters included false reports of a red female ninja character dubbed "Scarlet" by fans, who was officially introduced asSkarlet in 2011'sMortal Kombat,[182][183] and the male ninjaErmac, who originated from a misinterpreted indicator in the original game's audits menu and was teased inMKII before finally becoming playable inUltimate Mortal Kombat 3.[12][183] A nameless, flaming palette swap of Liu Kang seen in the background of the Pit II stage, initially dubbed "Torch" by fans, officially debuted inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as secret characterBlaze, who later became the final boss ofMortal Kombat: Armageddon.[180]
Although the 1995 filmMortal Kombat was primarily based on the first game, it features elements fromMortal Kombat II, such as the characters Kitana and Shao Kahn, and the setting of Outworld.
The plot and characters of the game served as the basis for the 2005spin-off gameMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, abeat 'em up title which follows Liu Kang and Kung Lao as they fight their way through Outworld to defeat Shao Kahn. Some of the plot ofShaolin Monks, such as the death of Jade, is not compatible with the generalMortal Kombat game series.
The events ofMortal Kombat II, along with the firstMortal Kombat andMortal Kombat 3 (including its expansions), were later retold in the 2011 gameMortal Kombat, which was an effectivereboot of the series. In it, Raiden uses time travel to revisit the tournaments from the original games in the series in order to change the future in the aftermath of Armageddon.[184] The ladder/arcade mode of this game can follow the same order of bosses as inMKII (with Shang Tsung, Kintaro and Shao Kahn as the final three opponents, althoughGoro will often be the ninth opponent instead of Kintaro) and its controls and Fatality system are most reminiscent ofMKII. Classic costumes fromMKII were also brought back as alternate outfits for female ninja characters, with some of these costumes exclusive to thePlayStation Vita version.[185]
Mortal Kombat II was to be one of the three games remade in HD in the cancelled fighting gameMortal Kombat HD Arcade Kollection.[186][187] However, only a simple compilation game titledMortal Kombat Arcade Kollection was released instead.
First-week US retail revenues for Acclaim Entertainment'sMortal Kombat II video game topped $50m—more than opening week gross of summer's top film releases.
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