Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat, released in 1992 by Midway Games, was renowned as the first fighting game to use digitized characters and blood (as opposed to the hand-animated, more cartoon-like graphics of competing games). Originally an arcade game, it was ported by Acclaim to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Genesis, the Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Master System (Europe only), and the Sega Game Gear. Because Nintendo had a problem with the realistic use of blood, it is replaced with sweat in the SNES version of the game; the Genesis version leaves the blood intact. Mortal Kombat was developed as a reaction to the popular Capcom game Street Fighter II, with simpler controls and digitized graphics. Some say the game's graphic violence was gratuitous, and was only included in order to generate a public outcry and controversy that would increase publicity for the game.Although highly controversial, the mix of realism and violence propelled Mortal Kombat to the height of popularity. An example of the game's innovations was the Fatality, a special finishing move executed against a dying opponent to create an even more gruesome death. For example, one character would grasp a defeated, wobbling opponent by the head, then rip the head and spine out of the opponent's body, which then crumpled to the ground in a pool of blood. Another aspect of gameplay that became a recurring element in games that followed was the so-called "juggle", where a series of moves could be executed against an opponent who was kept in mid-air by the force of the attacks, and who hence had no defense against further attacks as long as the "juggle" could be maintained. Mortal Kombat was also the first popular fighting game to feature fully digitized characters.
Midway created three sequels for the arcade and home systems, each one bloodier, more brutal, and stranger than the last. Finishing moves in later games included Babality (turning one's opponent into a baby), Animality (turning into animal to violently finish off opponent), the Brutality (decimating an opponent into pieces), and even Friendship (offering one's opponent a token of friendship). Throughout the series, the game was noted for its simplicity of controls and the exotic special moves it featured.
From a marketing perspective, the 1993 launch of Mortal Kombat for video game consoles by Acclaim was probably the largest launch of a video game up until that time. A "Mortal Monday" television campaign featured a flood of television advertisements, which were unusual for video games at that time, and all four home versions of the game were made available for sale on the same date.
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2 Movies and Television 3 External Links |
Characters
Some characters in the game include:
Movies and Television
Mortal Kombat was adopted into two major motion pictures, Mortal Kombat: The Movie, and Mortal Kombat: Ascensions. Both featured high action, outdated special effects and B-rate plots. A third, Mortal Kombat: Domination is slated for a release in 2004.
The franchise also sparked two television series, the animated Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and the live-action Mortal Kombat: Conquest.
