My Played Video Games Review: Mortal Kombat for the Sega Genesis

_{Image source}

Mortal Kombat is an arcade versus fighting very famous for its gory violence. It was developed and published by Midway in 1992. It is the first entry in the Mortal Kombat series and was ported by Acclaim Entertainment for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1993.

We were all shocked and dazzled by its gory violence when it came out. It was so damn revolutionary! Yet many gamers liked it because it was easier to learn and play than Street Fighter II.

The Story

Be prepared! The no. 1 smash arcade hit is here. Earth's Kombat Warriors face grueling endurance and intense mirror matches! Execute bone-breaking combos and gruesome finishing moves! Defeat the abomination, Goro, and destroy the shape-changing sorcerer, Shang Tsung, to become the heroic Supreme Mortal Kombat Warrior!

Box, manual and cartridge of the game. (Image source)

The Graphics and Sound

Mortal Kombat got animations that are really stiff on the characters. The game's color palette is poor and so are the backgrounds. The attract screens are like the arcade version. Overall, it is not bad, but the animations and color palette put down the graphics a little bit.

Mortal Kombat's audio is a little better. Regarding music, it sounds a lot better than the arcade. It comes off as more lively and action-like. There are not many sound effects and it is mostly when the character fighters get hit. A lot of voices were taken out and it comes down to the announcer and grunts from getting hit or doing moves. It all doesn't sound too bad considering the Genesis ability to do voices. Not bad, but not great, either.

Gameplay video sample of Mortal Kombat on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive as the character Johnny Cage.

The Gameplay

It is one on one fighting in an area. Win 2 out of 3 matches and you move on to your next opponent in the tournament if on single-player play. Fight each character and then endure a few endurance matches before fighting Goro and Shang Tsung. You can play against a friend and pick your character and the area you want to fight in.

You choose from seven fighters. As far as controls go, you got the basic low and high punches and kicks. Each character has some of their own special moves and a gruesome finisher known as a fatality. You have good control of your character and sluggish moments are non-existent.

Replay value is up to you. It now looks outdated. It depends on how you feel about going through it as different characters.

My Verdict

As a piece of retro gaming history, Mortal Kombat is great and valuable. I recommend it to anyone who claims to be a hardcore fighting game fan or retro gamer to play this game at least once, just to experience what the early 1990s thought was so revolutionary and cool. On top of that, you can still have a decently good time doing money matches with a friend.

Play it on the enigmatic Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console or play it on your preferred emulator.

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!