UNITED STATES—It was the game that everyone was chatting about in 1993. If you had a Super Nintendo it was the game that spawned the Mature rating ‘M’ in the gaming arena. The game was buzzy people, and all you heard were people saying, “Have you played Mortal Kombat?” It was like “Street Fighter” on steroids. There was blood, excessive blood, there was violence and most of all there were fatalities people. It was game that allowed you to finish off your competitor in creative and twisted ways? Are you kidding me?
Gamers were clamoring to get their hands on this game, but be warned it was not that easy because with an ‘M’ rating you couldn’t just go to the electronics or video game store and purchase the game without having a parent or being of age people. However, if you had your hands on this game, there was a strong likelihood all your friends and family were at your home indulging in this guilty pleasure. I mean it was ONLY seven players to begin with, but you did have the secret character known as Reptile, the green ninja to Scorpion (yellow) and Sub-Zero (blue). Reptile was all about acid, Sub-Zero was about ice or freezing people and Scorpion was fire or that iconic spear and his phrase, “Get Over Here!”
Great characters to say the least, but you also have red-eyed bandit Kano, the authority figure Sonya, the thunder god Rayden, movie star Johnny Cage and Kung-Fu fighter Liu Kang. Yes, there are only seven players to play with, but each are unique in terms of their special moves. I mean Liu Kang’s flying kick, Scorpion’s spear as I alluded to, Sonya’s scissor grab with her legs, Rayden’s torpedo attack, Cage’s quick kick and Kano’s cannonball and knife throw, the list is endless people.
The gameplay is exciting because to me unlike “Street Fighter” it’s a tad bit exciting. You don’t know what to expect and it was a layer of combat fighting NOT seen in the video game verse before. It added that layer of unpredictability making for compelling play; rather it’s the arcade version or combat with a friend. None of that though compares to the infamous fatalities. Some I will admit are weaker than others, but then there are those that are so amazing you cannot help, but be in awe. Rayden blowing off a person’s head with lighting, Kano ripping your heart out, Sonya’s kiss of death, Sub-Zero freezing you and then cracking you to pieces, I mean they’re all great, but nothing beats Scorpion’s big reveal when we realize he’s dead and he lights your body to flames people.
The arcade version leads you to the first four-armed bandit in the game Goro, who is not easy to say the least people. However, if you watch his strategy he becomes easier to overtake. If you defeat him your final battle is against Shang Tsung, who can be a challenge, but he’s beatable. I will admit “Mortal Kombat” is nowhere near the adversity that its sequel “Mortal Kombat II” puts you thru; Kintaro and Shao Khan are extremely difficult characters in the arcade version. Hell I remember spending like $20 bucks at the arcade to defeat both of those wicked foes and guess what I actually accomplished it, but it was not without a lot of stress and nerve in the process people.
“Mortal Kombat” was the game that established violence in video games something not seen before this entry into the gaming world. It truly redefined gaming and changed it as we know it people, it is indeed a true classic.
Written By Davy Jones
