Mortal Kombat II

"This is what you get for buying two hardwares?"

There's one thing in videogaming that I had always been disappointed with and that's playing a game that I myself had already owned on the same system twice with minor improvements. That's just what Mortal Kombat II for the Sega 32X was, always will be, and always going to be. The problem with MKII on the Sega 32X is not because of its price, its quality, or that it's an almost perfect port of the Super NES version (sorry it doesn't come anything as close to the arcade game) but that it's the same exact game that I already owned on my Sega Genesis. Did I really screw up for buying two hardwares just to play the same game twice I mean if I had known that there's a better version of MKII for an add-on which could be attach to my Sega Genesis which plays better than the washed-out watered-down Sega Genesis port than I wouldn't had waste this much cash getting this more superb version for this review. Anyways let's talk about the Sega 32X version of MKII and see how it fares.

Graphics:

As compare to the Sega Genesis version of MKII, it fares a lot better, the colors of every backgrounds are now more contrast, there are more details in some backgrounds such as the Wasteland and the Tower, also a few animations were also given to other background characters such as the flying shadow priests at the Tower and Portal stages or Hornbuckle and Blaze at the Pit II stage. There's also minor animation given to some characters such as Shang Tsung's new laughing win animation and Cage's win pose. All nine arenas from the Super NES version are in this game including both the Goro's Lair and the palette swap blue Portal for the hidden characters. As compare to the arcade, the story intro is the only thing arcade accurate about the graphics in this game, the rest are just Genesis updates but they are good, though compare to visual spectacles of the SNES and arcade, they aren't that much of an improvements despite the fact that they are supposed to be 32-Bit visual.

Music/Sound:

I had to say I wish I didn't hear these in this game with my Sega 32X but I did and they sound almost exactly like they did on my copy of MKII for the Sega Genesis without the used of the Sega 32X. From the flowing drip of the Dead Pool theme to the silence crowd of Kahn's Arena, the musical magic in this game are quite disappointing considering they are just the same found on the weaker version. There's nothing wrong with sharing music tracks from each version but knowing that this game doesn't improve upon the game which it is supposed to just makes it feel rush and lazy. Though I do applaud the developer for bringing back the name shouts and in-game encouragements from Shao Kahn and Forden as well as all the character's correct screams and shouts for this game.

Gameplay:

If you already had not know the rule of this game yet, then here's the thing, you choose a fighter out of the twelve already available, you enter a tournament through a series of battle against many CPU opponents and fight your way to the top until you face the final three bosses. It's that simple and challenging but rewarding, you will also get a ton of chance to spare or brutalize your opponent in different ways before your finale. If you are playing this game with a three buttons controller, you better learn the control because three buttons isn't enough to master this game but if you got the much better six buttons controller, you'll be an expert in no time. The A.I. in this game like every other versions of MKII are average at best and some could be cheap at times but practice makes perfect and once you learn their pattern or find their weaknesses, you'll gain control of victory soon enough. Besides fighting against the CPU, you could also invite a friend or rival to join you in one-on-one combat to settle your score for supremacy or just for fun and unlike the disappointing Sega CD version of the first MK, this game is now in cartridge form so you'll be treated to a load free game this time.

Replayability:

Like every version of MKII or perhaps like the Sega Genesis port, replayability is average here. You could still access the same cheat menu you found on the Genesis (though with different code inputs) version and play around with all its unique features, try to mess around with many of the fun glitches the game had to offer or better yet beat the game with every characters to seal their concluding fate but besides those there's simply nothing more to do than just competition arcade style.

Is it worth buying?

Yes, if you own a Sega Genesis console plus a Sega 32X add-on minus Genesis MKII and no if you do owned Genesis MKII plus the Genesis consoles in addition to the Sega 32X or not. Why? Because they are the exact same game with the exact same features except one had better pictures and minor features than the other. I wish I could put this Sega 32X port of MKII in the same league as the SNES or arcade version but as I play it more and more, I began to feel like I'm playing the same Genesis version just with better stuff. Of course, if you are an MK fan this game is great for your MK collection, also if you had a choice between this and the Genesis port, I say get this one since it not only plays better but had better qualities; however, if you had to choose between this and the SNES port, I had to say go with the SNES version since at least on that version it already looks, sounds, and plays close to arcade perfect and doesn't really require having two hardwares to connect to be able to experience it.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/08

Game Release: Mortal Kombat II (US, 1994)