Out of all four Mortal Kombat games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, which is the best and which is the worst?
1. Mortal Kombat (1993)
2. Mortal Kombat II (1994)
3. Mortal Kombat 3 (1995)
4. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1996)
Out of all four Mortal Kombat games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, which is the best and which is the worst?
1. Mortal Kombat (1993)
2. Mortal Kombat II (1994)
3. Mortal Kombat 3 (1995)
4. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1996)
Mortal Kombat 1 doesn't support six buttons (afaik) and is clunky to play, so it's the worst imo. Mortal Kombat 2 has alot of cut content but as a port it's actually quite solid, Mortal Kombat 3 has digitized voice samples, where as UMK3 doesn't, but as most people know UMK3 bolsters the roster considerably, and it plays the most fluid, so i'd say UMK3 is the best.
My favorite MK (excluding the recent reboot/sequel) is by far MK2. That, to me, represents the most classic arcade game I can imagine. It's straight up fun, has great graphics, filled to the brim with awesome secrets... what a great game.
That said, the genesis port of MK2 is BY FAR the worst of them all. MK2 for the genesis was the very first game I ever preordered, and I was super let down, especially since my neighbor got the SNES version. Today, they don't look THAT different, but back in the day, the chasm between the two ports was massive. The audio in the arcade version of MK2 is one of the major factors in its presentation, particularly the incredible announcer, and he's completely absent in the genesis port.
That said, the 32X port of MK2 bests the SNES port in my opinion - if I'm gonna pick up a home port to play, I pick up that version.
When you're talking about Mortal Kombat 1, there is absolutely no question which is the absolute best home port - Sega CD all the way. Completely uncesored (even more so than the genesis version), way more animation than the genesis version, plays better than the SNES version, and it has the best audio by far.
MK3 and UMK3... eh, I picked up MK3 for the genesis at launch and, while it's miles above the MK2 port, it's not as great of a game. It's an above average port of an average game, IMO. The real treat, for me, was getting UMK3 for my saturn at launch. I was completely jealous of PSX owners at the time who had this awesome home port of MK3, and UMK3 on my saturn delivered so, so hard. I still think UMK3 is inferior to MK2, but the saturn port was great. As such, I never actually played the genesis port.
Just my $0.02
Yes it does.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gogogadget
afaik = as far as i know
as in, i might know, but then again maybe i dont.
and therefore, i dont.
As far as the accuracy of the ports go, MK3 is definitely tops, followed by UMK3 and MK2, with MK1 being dead-last.
If I had to pick one Genesis MK to play over all others, though, I'd pick UMK3.
Ya it does, but the 6 B pad is not fully compatible with MK.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSonicRetard
Kicks are awfully delayed, thanks to ass programming by Probe.
MK would get the "poorly programmed game" award no doubt.
I prefer playing MK2 over any other Mortal Kombat. I was actually really into MK2 when MK3 came out in the Arcades and I just couldn't get into it. I own Mortal Kombat CD and enjoy it quite a bit though. It is basically an enhanced version of the Genesis game but with excellent sound. I own the Genesis and 32X versions of MK2 and they are essentially the same game with the 32X game being far superior. I own Mortal Kombat 3 on Genesis and really can't make myself play it for very long. I have never played Ultimate MK3 on Genesis.
All the ports on the Genesis are pretty shitty, but I guess if I had to pick one it'd be UMK3.
The arcade games are much better, and they're not stellar by any means at that.
Man, I have the arcade board. The Genesis version feels like the arcade version. The problem is that Mortal Kombat 1 isn't that great of a game. While I am of the opinion that MK2 is an incredibly fun fighter, MK1 really was just the product of controversy. It's a sluggish, bare bones fighter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Curryman123
I dunno why people praise the Sega CD version, it's the same horrible game with loading times.
I like the game, but it's sloppy. The point is that it's a very accurate port. Way more so than the Genesis or SNES ports. It's as closes as any 16-bit system came to the arcade game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gogogadget
You misunderstood me. What I meant to say was that the kick buttons aren't very responsive. I think Probe cut corners with the 6B pad capabilities. I have to press kick twice to actually get the guy to kick. Don't tell me my controller is broken, because it works great with other games.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSonicRetard
That's odd, I'm pretty sure I only play this game with six button pads and everything works fine. I'll have to check it out again, but really, I prefer the kicks in this game and I haven't played it with a 3-button controller since back in the day.
Also, the point of the Sega CD game is that it is so close to the Arcade game compared to the Genesis and SNES versions. That's why I prefer it.
Best: UMK3 for the huge cast
Least: MK1
I love the mortal kombat games, they aren't the most balanced but the characters are so kewl and the fatalities were awesome for the time.
I'd say 2 is the best, it's the best installment in the series overall (not counting the new one), and it has the best visuals, and gameplay. The worst is probably 3, the gameplay sucks, the computer AI is notoriously cheap and the franchise is really starting to go downhill with this installment. It looks pretty bad, the grainy digitized graphics look like a major step down from the more animated, smoother visuals of part 2. 3 also has the worst roster of characters, with all the really cool fighters being absent. UMK3 is pretty bad too, but it at least has a nice cast of fighters.
Your game is broken, then, because that doesn't happen with me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Curryman123
I have exactly the problem Curryman123 described with a 6-button controller, but only with Mortal Kombat II 32X. In that game I've had kicks fail to register on many, many occasions, usually if I'm charging LK (for Jax) and attempt a HK. The first button press simply does nothing, and only the second one works. And there's nothing wrong with my pad -- it's unequivocally the game. I'm guessing that the game's implementation of 6-button control is flawed.
(I don't think I've had that problem with MK1, though I do have memories of occasionally nonresponsive controls. Do MK1 and MKII share any code -- uh, I mean "kode" -- on the Genesis?)
Anyway, since I don't really like MK3/UMK3, and since I prefer MKII SNES to both the GEN and 32X versions, it's MK1 for me. And actually, I quite like MK1 on the Genesis. I've only played the Sega CD version a little bit, but it seemed to add little more than loading times and a soundtrack I don't like as much as the chiptunes from the cart version.
So: best, MK1 for Genesis; worst is MK3, I suppose.
BEST: Mortal Kombat II
Worst: Mortal Kombat I
Best = Mortal Kombat 1 because that's as long as the series was interesting.
Saying MKII is the better game is like saying a halfbaked cookie is better than a raw. I'll take the dough.
MKIII is video game detention.
Adding 'Ultimate' to detention does not improve it. Yea I can be more characters in a crappy game! Yeah, that's much better.
So the order is 1_2_3/U3_32X/CD extra belated versions.
Back in 1993 I remember reading EGM and Gamefan religiously, looking for any and all content about the ports of MK 1 to the Genesis and SNES. I was devastated when I learned that the SNES port would be toned down, all while the Genesis version remained untouched (with the use of a code). I had only intended to pre-order the SNES port, but upon learning about the censorship, I preordered both. I can honestly say that, while the SNES looked tons better than the Genesis version, the Genesis version was the one I played most, right up until the release of the Sega CD version. While it's not by any means a deep fighter, it's a good time waster if you have a few minutes to kill (I have it on my jailbroken iphone and it sees a lot of playtime there).
With MKII I only preordered the SNES version, being caught up in the hype of Nintendo's allowing of blood and fatalities in their port. I have to say, though, the SNES MKII port, to me, is one of the best fighting arcade to 16-bit ports ever made, right up there with SFII Turbo. The graphics, while pared down, are impressive in their own right, and the audio, although muted and downsampled, is more than adequate for the job. I rented the Genesis version out of curiosity and I really didn't care for it. The colors were drab, the characters were poorly drawn - the game felt rushed to me. The 32x version, OTOH, was to me what the Genesis version should have been, and is a worthy contender to the SNES port.
MK 3 and UMK3... never ordered, only played. The writing was on the wall with both the SNES and Genesis ports, and I wound up getting the Saturn version of ultimate, which I played the hell out of. I recently picked up UMK Trilogy for the Saturn, though, and that's been seeing some good play time as well.
So, in order of preference:
1) MKII
2) MK
3) UMKIII (for the added characters)
4) MKIII
MK3 and UMK3 are actually very comparable to the SNES counterparts. I think they have the same voice samples and music compositions. This was not the case with MK1 and MK2. Both had different sound compositions and lacked a ton of voices. I don't even own the Genesis versions. Just the SCD and 32X versions.
When I bought the 32x version at launch I was so pissed off that I actually sat down and wrote a letter to Acclaim about how I felt shafted over buying such a shitty game.
I received a form letter response telling me they were sorry I was disappointed then proceeded to advertise their upcoming titles. I would had been less offended if they hadn't even responded.
The 32x version is the exact same game engine and the exact same sound engine. Any additional voices, animations, or cutscenes it had that the 16-bit version didn't have was completely due to Probe's horrid programming. The MKII Unlimited ROM hack just solidifies this concept. Hell, the only thing the 32x even outputs are the character sprites!
The 16-bit port had hardly no samples (a really big thing IMO) and had some of the weirdest animation cuts I've ever seen in my life. They couldn't fit an additional two goddamn frames in for Baraka's win pose? The fact that Sculptured Software could include virtually more of everything in a 24m cart than Probe could in a 32m cart (on a more powerful system at that!) is a travesty. Why the hell Acclaim had Probe handle so many of their properties I will never understand.
And just to rant on Probe further, their CD version is the exact same scenario as the 32x version. All they did was add some extra standing character animations (which should had been more than the paltry 3-4 frames the cart version had anyway) and some extremely bare minimal background animation. I don't know what's sums up Probe's abilities betterin a nutshell, Cage's shadow kick in both Sega versions or using the SNES screens in the shitty FMV advertisement on the SCD version.
I guess my favorite was Mortal Kombat II. I had fun playing them all except that I only had Mortal Kombat I on Sega CD. My friend had Mortal Kombat I for Genesis and I'd have to say it was the worst of them. Once we got Mortal Kombat II, we almost never played the original again. I really liked Kung Lao and Raiden in Mortal Kombat II. The robots are cool in Mortal Kombat 3 with the missiles and bombs, though. We don't get many Native Americans in games, either, but at least Nightwolf was cool when compared to T. Hawk in Super Street Fighter 2.
We played Mortal Kombat II over X-Band a lot back then. I think the only X-Band games that we played more than Mortal Kombat II were Madden 96 and NBA Live 95. I think we had played Street Fighter 2 so much prior to X-Band that most of my friends had lost interest in it by then. I loved Weaponlord but few of my X-Band friends had it because it was so expensive.
I really wanted to like MK3 when it came out, but I found it a pretty joyless experience, and am mystified by the love it seems to get. The Run button, the combo system, the look and feel of the game...it's just not much fun to play.Quote:
Originally Posted by StarMist
We'll have to agree to disagree about MKII, though, at least the arcade/SNES version which is possibly my favorite fighting game of all time (and I know that brands me with the Mark of Cain, but so be it).
I've only played the Sega CD version a few times but from what I remember, I don't remember it being accurate, I remember it having more animation than the Genesis version but still looking absolutely horrendous and having absolutely intolerable input lagQuote:
Originally Posted by TheSonicRetard
Also, MK3 imo is probably the best of the classic trilogy due to it having a combo system that makes it play like a real fighting game but for the most part, it sucks.
I like disagreement. (That ought to have been read in a Ralph Wiggum voice). And how Rabbit cannot be anybody's favourite fighting game defies all reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenband
MKII seriously isn't a bad game, just half twixt a welcome novelty and a fullgrown fighter.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is my favorite MK game on the Sega Mega Drive. Compared to the original MK3 on the Mega Drive, it does have less voices (the character name announcer has been removed as has the animality voice since animalities are not present in UMK3 on the MD or SNES ports) and arenas, however it does have more characters (although Sheeva has been removed, her character is still present in the source code of the SNES version of UMK3 which can be accessed via a glitch), fatalities, character bios, and endings. Brutalities have also been added to UMK3 on the SNES and MD, which require players to input a combination of 11 button presses in a specific sequence to activate. The difficulty in both ports is more balanced compared to the original Mortal Kombat 3 on the SNES and Mega Drive.
Genesis wise, it would be:
1) Mortal Kombat II
2) Mortal Kombat
3) Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
4) Mortal Kombat 3
solely because MK3/UMK3 have aged horribly. I do think that they (MK3/UMK3) were better ports versus the arcade games than the original or its sequel were though. Of course, by the time they came out, I already had a PSX and owned that version, so I never played the 16-bit ports of MK3 until years later.
Moving on, for all 16-bit+add on systems wise it would be
1) Mortal Kombat II (SNES)
2) Mortal Kombat II (32X)
3) Mortal Kombat II (Genesis)
4) Mortal Kombat (Sega CD)
5) Mortal Kombat (Genesis)
6) Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Genesis)
7) Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES)
8) Mortal Kombat 3 (Genesis)
9) Mortal Kombat (SNES)
10) Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES)
For me, MKII for the SNES is the best of the best as far as 16-bit ports go. It and the 32X versions are the only ports from their time that I can play anymore. The 32X makes the Genesis version completely irrelevant, so that's why it's at the bottom of the MKII ports. Probe's MK/MKCD ports, although waaaaaay better than the mess that was the SNES port, are still too far from the arcade versions as far as gameplay goes for me to take much of them anymore. And of course MK3/UMK3 comes next for the reasons stated above, with the absolute mess that was the SNES port of UMK3 (WTF, Avalanche?) making it to the very bottom of the list. A terrible port of a mediocre fighting game, awesome.
I've never played the SNES version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, what was wrong with it ?
MK3 is by far the worst on on the Genesis.
I think the best would be II.
MK2>MK3>UMK3>MK (bottom of the crap barrel for being a shitty bugged piece of crap conversion)
Conversion wise they really did a great job, lots of sound samples and only the graveyard background was cut.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bastardcat
Snes also lost that background btw, which is odd considering the Snes always managed to squeeze that stuff in.
Agreed. It's not so much the conversion, but MK3 itself. I have never enjoyed it as much as MK2. Now if Sculptured did the MK2 port for the Genesis, I believe it would have been just as good as the MK3 Genesis port. Just.....MK2......but better. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by NeoVamp
Honestly I would love to try redoing MKII myself, or even a proper MK Trilogy on Genesis,
It's possible, the UMK3 source has been leaked and seems to be complete,
If one thing MK3 showed us that Probe's decision to put the lifebar/misc stuff into the character palette is a good choice,
this leaves a full 31 colors for the background, and still decent fighting sprites.
So who wants to give it a go? program it for Krikkz everdrive so the background music can be streamed via pcm,
and if you program it to load only the necessary chars/bg from the SD card the loaded game would never be bigger then.. 500kb tops.
They are all tosh; play Street Fighter!
That's tosh too!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Smith
ur video link is broken dude ^^
Using a different megadrive solved the very same problem I was having too with Mortal Kombat cart, low kicks not being registered, more like trouble with the C button since it occurs on bonus levels too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Curryman123
Actually my multimega does the same, but not with Mortal Kombat CD (flawless).
Weird.
My X'Eye doesn't register six buttons sometimes, especially if two controllers are plugged in.