[screams in 90s techno]
I was obsessed with this series as a kid, and with this game in particular. That sentiment hasn’t changed much as an adult, really, except now I have my own money and can do things like buy a (non-original) MKII cabinet:
You probably already know how you feel about this game, but in case you don’t, here’s a quick rundown. You play as one of twelve immensely powerful warriors, and have to beat the absolute crap out of another immensely powerful warrior. You’ll have a mix of punches, kicks, and magical attacks at your disposal. If you win, you get to straight up do a murder (if you want).
If homicide isn’t your bag, you have a few other options as well.
There’s a story behind this game if you’re into that sort of thing. It doesn’t really matter what it is (and it’s also really dumb), but basically, there was some evil going on, but everything was fine when Liu Kang kicked an old man right in the kidneys. Then things got bad again, I guess.
As for the gameplay…well, it’s a bloody good time. The fighting is frantic and fun, the finishing moves are wild, and the game’s visuals and sound are top notch. Like its predecessor, the game’s characters are rendered via motion-captured actors, so there’s a bit of extra realism to everything, especially for a game from the early 90s.
As with a lot of games from this era, MKII is best played with a friend. The AI definitely leaves something to be desired at times, and veers into “extremely cheap” pretty quickly (especially with certain characters, whose moves are often pretty useless). You can’t go wrong, though. It’s still a blast.
Since this truly one of my favorites, I’m gonna share a couple of stories about my history with this game as well.
First – I vividly remember my first encounter with this game. It happened at the Mall of America, in what must have been the fall of 1993. The first MK game had just been released on home consoles (awesomely known at the time as “Mortal Monday”). I didn’t have the game, but several of my friends did, and going to their houses to play it was all I wanted to do. My parents were already pretty tired of this video game nonsense by the time we went to the MoA that day, but they kindly obliged my request to visit an arcade while we were there. Lo and behold, MKII was there in all its glory. I didn’t even know there was a Mortal Kombat II! I had to see it in action. There was no other option. My dad reluctantly left me alone to watch it for a bit, but came back just in time to see this:
That’s right – my dad’s introduction to MKII was Liu Kang turning into a dragon and eating someone alive. He couldn’t drag me out of that arcade fast enough. I, meanwhile, was enthralled. A dragon?! Are you kidding me?! My love for the series was firmly cemented.
The second story takes place just a few years ago. Many of the digital actors from the early MK games are still local to the Chicago area, where the games were made. On occasion, the incredible Galloping Ghost Arcade will host a shindig where fans can meet the actors, get photos and so on. I’ve taken advantage of this a couple of times, and it warms my hear to say that these folks are all class acts. Here’s me with Ho Sung Pak, Liu Kang himself:
He’s great. Just great – incredibly generous and kind. Also, let it be known that the guy who plays Kung Lao is very, very funny when drunk.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope your 2021 is less dumb than your 2020 probably was. We’ll be back in the new year, beginning with a Game Boy Color game that sounds even worse than that M&M’s one. I can’t wait.