"The most perfect-looking 2-D MK ever."

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is basically an expansion of MK3 with the addition of returning Mileena, Kitana, Reptile, and Scorpion. New characters are Jade, Human Smoke, and Classic Sub-Zero. It even includes some new stages like Jade's Desert and Scorpion's Lair.

Graphics: This is perhaps the best looking 2-D MK game ever. The action is very fast and goes well without any slowdown or any kind of stupid game bugs ruining the gameplay. The backgrounds are well-animated and the character models look impressively realistic on UMK3. The gory fatalities are nice as well even though it would have been nice to see both Classic Sub-Zero and Scorpion's fatalities which are blocked out for being the most gory on the game.

Sound: Unlike the consoles which limit the sounds of each MK game, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 has different sounds for each character such as the sound of Scorpion saying ''Come Here!'' or Jax saying ''Gotcha!'' All the smacks, bone breaking, and blood splatter make the game sound awfully real also. The creepy announcer gives responses before, after, and during each round of combat. The music for each stage is also very good with the various different stages for each environment.

Control: The controls to this game are easy to master as Mortal Kombat purists will immediately adjust to being able to do the different special moves and finishing moves with each fighter. There are a few moves that are annoying to do such as Sektor's Heat-Seeking Missile.

Gameplay: UMK3 has a wide variety of new modes to bring along for the action. Two-on-Two Kombat allows players to select a team of two warriors to use to gang up on your opponent. Tournament allows 8 players to compete in a tournament to determine who is the real MK champ. One player mode now has 4 towers to choose from which is basically the same from MK3 except with the addition of a new Endurance battle where you have to beat a certain number of opponents before advancing to the next match. The Computer's intelligence has boosted up a bit from MK3 as the bosses Shao Khan and Motaro are more tougher to beat. If you beat 1-Player or Tournament mode, you get to choose from one of Shao Khan's Treasures which gives you certain prizes such as fatality demonstrations, facing a fighter, or viewing your ending.

Overall: UMK3 was the MK3 meant to be as it delivers more features, fighters, and stages than the original. I am disappointed that the Rooftop stage from MK3 was removed from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 but players will forget about this mishap as they enjoy the intense gameplay offered on UMK3.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/01, Updated 11/17/01