Mortal Kombat II (32X)

[Melf]

After making a huge splash on the SNES and Genesis, Mortal Kombat II arrived on the game-starved 32X. Gamers anxiously awaited an arcade-perfect port, a game that would finally vindicate their faith in Sega's add-on and give naysayers a reason to keep quiet. Did they get it? Read the review (http://www.sega-16.com/Mortal%20Kombat%20II%2032X%20review.htm) and find out!

[daminmancejin2]

too bad i don't have 32X

[Mel]

Yay, I guess you liked my review !!!...

I'm so excited to have another one up. So excilirating.


I'm gonna try to write another between playing phantasy star 2.

[Melf]

It was fine, Mel! You keep submitting, and I'll keep posting.

I did some minor proofreading, and as always, let me know if there's anything you're not cool with. :)

[Fang]

Good review. I use to know the special moves and fatalities by heart but I don't remember them now. Time really flies.

[VinnyT]

Was a bit suprised by the logo being on the pics.

Have you found other sites stealing our pics, Melf?

[Genesis Knight]

I was surprised as well.

[Melf]

Every so often I Google the site name and have found people hotlinking to them. A few is no problem, but a lot can cause strain on the server, so I'm going to place watermarks on all the pics from now on. I'm also going back and watermarking all the pics already up.

At just under a thousand pics, I should be done in time to collect SS. :)

[tim333]

I question the score on that review. Your assessment of it in the text does not seem like an "8" judment - more like a 6 or 7.

[Drixxel]

An 8 does seem generous given the number of complaints, but Mel makes it pretty clear that this version plays better than both the SNES and Genesis ports. Playability is more or less the most important facet, and in this case it would seem to more or less overshadow 32x MKII's shortcomings.

Arg.. as much as I dig the simplicity and ease of a numerical score, an opinion can't be completely summarized by a digit.

[Mel]

See the problem with the game wasn't that it was bad. The problem was that the little glitches and inconsistancies, and annoyances constantly bring up the fact that the game could have been so much more.

The game was good on the genesis/snes level, with a little sloppiness graphically/design wise. However, this game could have easily been at the lvl of a 1st generation psone game or a saturn game had the effort been put forth.

Oh, and the girls shouldn't have the same scream as the boys when I do the toasty fatality w/ scorpion.

[Drixxel]

Oh, and the girls shouldn't have the same scream as the boys when I do the toasty fatality w/ scorpion.

That is some heinous developer slop. I mean, really...

What bothers me most about the game from a visual standpoint are the backgrounds. They could have been so richly coloured and vivid, ever moreso than the SNES version, but instead often they more resemble the colour-limited Genesis counterparts. ..that, and the whole boot-up sequence is directly recycled from the Genesis version, menu screen and everything. C'mon..

Still, MKII is a hugely enjoyable fighter, and my clear favourite of the Mortal Kombats. I was playing it for a bit the other week at the local run down arcade.. and after trying unsuccessfully to pull off some skillful moves (walk right) with the "immaculately maintained" joystick, I've gotta say... Scandia Golf & Games is a hellish armpit.

..this is off-topic, but that wasn't nearly as bad as the Golden Axe machine. Jamming right on the joystick equalled attack! So innovative.

[Mel]

Yep, too much recycling, the 32x version was obviously thrown together.

[16bitter]

Didn't Probe develop this? Screw them. Every MKII port they touched turned to shit. The Genesis version was very lame compared to the SNES (though it did have the better looking sprites). I've never played the 32X version but know enough of its flaws to say that it was half-assed. And Saturn? What a freaking abomination!

[Drixxel]

Genesis MKII is good, but damn, it's a port that really suffers from lacking colour. Side by side against the SNES version is almost tearjerking, although I think for the most part Probe did a fine job with the port, especially control-wise.

[16bitter]

I have it but haven't played it that much. The biggest issue was the sound. I can almost forgive them for that, as I imagine many later arcade ports were difficult sound-wise. But then one considers what was done to the Saturn version and it almost seems like coder arrogance of some kind.

Dan Forden in black and white was painful.

[j_factor]

No kidding, that Saturn port was a damn travesty. It had such potential, too.

[16bitter]

Outside load times, it should have been arcade perfect. Instead it had to load in individual moves the first time they were performed (who ever heard of such BS?) and was missing almost all the arcade sound. One of the most sloppy and pathetic ports in history. Just lazy and arrogant.

[Drixxel]

Luckily there exists a golden MKII port on Midway Arcade Treasures 2. It took 11 years for the consoles to see a perfect rendition..

..Although I still play SNES MKII more than any other.

[16bitter]

Luckily there exists a golden MKII port on Midway Arcade Treasures 2. It took 11 years for the consoles to see a perfect rendition..

I'm going to buy that. Tonight.

..Although I still play SNES MKII more than any other.

Best 16-bit MK? Seeing as how MKII is probably the best MK game, I'd say so.

I really can't judge the 32X version as I haven't played it.

[j_factor]

Luckily there exists a golden MKII port on Midway Arcade Treasures 2. It took 11 years for the consoles to see a perfect rendition..

None of the current consoles have suitable control pads, IMO.

[16bitter]

Luckily there exists a golden MKII port on Midway Arcade Treasures 2. It took 11 years for the consoles to see a perfect rendition..

None of the current consoles have suitable control pads, IMO.

Arcade stick or converter will solve that. Although it didn't solve the problem for me, since the stick I bought was damaged.

[16bitter]

Though the Xbox versions of MKII and 3 are the arcade versions emulated to near perfection, there's one or two issues that gripe. The biggest that I have is the horrid sound balance on 3 -- there really needed be the option to adjust this. Some stages you can't really hear Shao Kahn's voice at all, nor the music. :evil: :cry:

Other than the the shadows bizarrely flickering on II that seems outright perfect, right down to the MK comic book/CD ad that's present (well, of course it is).

[David J.]

Too bad I've never been able to find the Japanese version of MKII on the PSone... Heard it was perfect.

[16bitter]

You can bet that's hype. False hype.

The chancese of the Playstation version being the all-perfect holy grail are about nil.

[Drixxel]

Let's face it, "arcade perfect" doesn't exist unless you're playing a Neo Geo.

[Melf]

...or a super gun! :D

[j_factor]

Let's face it, "arcade perfect" doesn't exist unless you're playing a Neo Geo.

Me, Saturn, Dreamcast, Coleco, and Vectrex all disagree with you. :P

[Drixxel]

...fair enough. But the arcade is as much about the arcade itself as the games you play there...! Remember the majesty!

[j_factor]

...fair enough. But the arcade is as much about the arcade itself as the games you play there...! Remember the majesty!

Oh definitely. I really wish arcades would have a revival.

[David J.]

You can bet that's hype. False hype.

The chancese of the Playstation version being the all-perfect holy grail are about nil.

I heard it was a LOT better than the Saturn version. Someday I'll find a rip and play it.

[16bitter]

I'd hope it's alot better. The SNES version is much superior to that Saturn shit.

[StRiDA CoL]

yeah and Probe actually didnt do the MK3 port to the SNES

[ary incorparated]

Btw mortal combat on snes always requeres the blood code to enable blood,Md was right on with blood and so do the al the other versions,BTW Nintendo sucks some time for be so childish with the snes console.

[ary incorparated]

Ahhh no the snes maybe is the best one,its cheap now.To many ports of that game.But where is the aladin toppic of the review,i like to discuss about that game,And over thinks like is that version better then the one on snes etc. :D

[ary incorparated]

^16bitter since you can play the mk series on a nomad,which nintendo didnt have its just fine.It is about playabillity overall the game is ported too many times to judge the graphics i dont like to play fighting games with a genesis 6 button controller,no probe with that,BTW ever seen such a fine Gamegear port of the game,better than the old gameboy,Game gear had damn good looking games.The genesis cassete is smaller which makes i nice to just take it with you and put it in youre nomad.Graphically the snes version was just lifted but i dont think that probe sucked with porting those games,Im still awed by the power that the gamegear version brought BTW i remeber how ahead sega was for it time,Nes couldnt show what GG did,Gb couldnt either,Even Gbc didnt looked as smooth,way e hey for the big mamoet.BTW snes isnt the greatest at all in the graphics,Its about animation and gunstar shows that,BTW Aladin and Tmt tournament fighters looked awful on snes,MD could surpas it.both systems have their game.I Go with the genesis version,cheap Playable on Nomad small fine controls and efective,GG MK 2 plays really fine also And lookes stunning for 8 bit. :D

[Alvatron]

I bought this the day it came out for the 32X. It was my most played 32X game along with NBA Jam TE. I couldn't get enough, despite owning the Genesis version. Then my friend bought MKII for his Sega Saturn. Lets just say we played the 32X version more than his Saturn version.

[Oi_Oi_Spanky]

I have the Megadrive version. Played the Saturn version way back, seemed okay but very glitchy. Play it on Midway Arcade Treasures now, seems much, much harder than the Megadrive version though. Mind you, most game were dumbed down for the consoles anyway.

[David J.]

Thanks to a Fighter17, I now can give the PSX version of this a shot. He hated it, and I just want to see the damn game running on the system. :)

[Mel]

Where did my review go? I so totally disagree with adam king.

[Aarzak]

Thanks to a Fighter17, I now can give the PSX version of this a shot. He hated it, and I just want to see the damn game running on the system. :)

I have a burned copy of the oh-so-elusive PS1 version of MKII, and to sum it up it's basically a lesser version of the Saturn port. Both were developed by the same people (Probe) and share the same code and interface (like the 32-Bit ports of MK3 & UMK3), except that the Saturn port (in this case) was more cleaned up and refined (better music, yet still pales in comparison to the coin-op's soundtrack) to play as best as possible with as less load times as possible (which isn't saying much).

At this point it is nothing more than a mere curiosity, like all old ports of games that have since been superceded by recent ports on modern systems. But not even the MAME/Midway Arcade Treasures emulations of the MK games are exactly perfect, making them one of the trickiest games to reproduce.

EDIT:...........aaaaaaand I just unknowingly responded to a 2+ year old post by David J. Seriously, what the **** mang!!! I heavily disliek gravedigging!!!

[Mel]

lol i grave dug because i did the original review and it went caput.... oh well.

[TheEdge]

too bad i don't have 32X

Download Kega and get the roms off of *Deleted*


Or just download the Sega torrent from *Deleted* - over 900 Sega games and 32x games included.


Just do it!

EDIT=ROM discussion is allowed. Posting sites to GET ROMS is not.
-Vinny

[TmEE]

(the above post is against forum rules...)

[Mel]

(the above post is against forum rules...)

yep, so whats with all the raul julia sigs? (que en paz descanse)

[TmEE]

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4786&highlight=temple+raul+julia

[Tanegashima]

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is the only 32bit MK port that passes muster

[vintagegamecrazy]

Melf can you please link the right review to the mortal kombat II 32x page, the one there is the genesis version.