Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat | |
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Genre(s) | Fighting Action-adventure |
Developer(s) | |
Publisher(s) |
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Creator(s) | |
Platform(s) | List
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First release | Mortal Kombat August 1992; 31 years ago |
Latest release | Mortal Kombat 1 September 19, 2023 |
Mortal Kombat is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992.
The original
The series has a reputation for high levels of graphic violence, including, most notably, its
Gameplay
The original three games and their updates,
Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon feature "Konquest", a
Finishing moves
I think [Mortal Kombat] represents the difference in philosophy. [....] So in Street Fighter when you're playing it's the moment to moment gameplay that should be the best, whether you win or lose doesn't really matter. Whereas in Mortal Kombat the fighting and playing is just a pathway to get to the result – it's the Fatality you want to see and you almost want to skip the fighting bit and get to the Fatality because that is the result.[11]
—Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono
One of the most notable features of the Mortal Kombat series is its brutal and gruesome finishing moves, known as "Fatalities". The basic Fatalities are finishing moves that allow the victorious characters to end a match by murdering their defeated, defenseless opponent.[12] Usually Fatalities are exclusive to each character, the exception being Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, which instead features Kreate-A-Fatality, a feature that allows players to perform their own Fatalities by conducting a series of violent moves chosen from a pool that is common to all characters.[1][13]
Other finishing moves in the various Mortal Kombat games include Animalities (introduced in Mortal Kombat 3), in which the victor turns into an animal to violently finish off the opponent;
There are two non-violent finishing moves in the series, which were introduced in Mortal Kombat II as a satire to controversies surrounding Mortal Kombat:[12] Friendship moves, which result in a display of friendship towards the enemy instead of slaughter,[16] and Babalities, which turn the opponent into a baby.[16][14]
Plot
The series takes place in a
The first Mortal Kombat game takes place in Earthrealm (Earth) where seven different warriors with their own reasons for entering the tournament with the prize being the continued freedom of their realm under threat of a takeover by Outworld. Among the established warriors were Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade. With the help of the thunder god Raiden, the Earthrealm warriors were victorious, and Liu Kang became the new champion of Mortal Kombat.[19] In Mortal Kombat II, unable to deal with his minion Shang Tsung's failure, Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn lures the Earthrealm warriors to Outworld for a do-over, winner-take-all tournament, where Liu Kang eventually defeats Shao Kahn. By the time of Mortal Kombat 3, Shao Kahn merged Edenia with his empire and revived its former queen Sindel in Earthrealm, combining it with Outworld as well. He attempts to invade Earthrealm, but is ultimately defeated by Liu Kang once more. After the Kahn's defeat, Edenia was freed from his grasp and returned to a peaceful realm, ruled by Princess Kitana. The following game, Mortal Kombat 4, features the fallen elder god Shinnok attempting to conquer the realms and kill Raiden. He is defeated by Liu Kang.
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the evil sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung join forces to conquer the realms, killing series protagonist Liu Kang in the process. By Mortal Kombat: Deception, after several fights, the sorcerers emerge victorious, having killed most of Earthrealm's warriors until Raiden steps forth to oppose them. The Dragon King Onaga, former ruler of Outworld, returned to merge all realms back together, but was eventually defeated by the game's protagonist, Shujinko.[20]
In
The crossover Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe does not share continuity with the other games. After the simultaneous defeats of both Shao Kahn and the alien warlord Darkseid in the DC Universe causes both villains to fuse into the entity "Dark Kahn", both the Mortal Kombat and DC Universes begin to merge. This brings the warriors and heroes into conflicts after suffering bouts of uncontrollable rage. The heroes and villains of both universes repeatedly battle each other, believing each other to be responsible for the catastrophe, until only Raiden and Superman remain. The two confront Dark Kahn and team up to defeat their common foe. After Dark Kahn's defeat, the two realms defuse, with Shao Kahn and Darkseid trapped in each other's universes to face eternal imprisonment.
In the 2011 Mortal Kombat soft reboot, the battle of Armageddon culminated in only two survivors: Shao Kahn and Raiden. On the verge of death by the former's hand, the latter sent visions to his past self in a last-ditch attempt to prevent this outcome. Upon receiving the visions, the past Raiden attempts to alter the timeline to avert Armageddon amidst the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, during the original game. His attempts to alter history mean that events play out differently to the original series. While he succeeds in preventing Shao Kahn's victory with help from the Elder Gods, he accidentally kills Liu Kang in self-defense and loses most of his allies to Queen Sindel, leaving Earthrealm vulnerable to Shinnok and Quan Chi's machinations.
Mortal Kombat X sees Shinnok and Quan Chi enacting their plan, leading an army of undead revenants of those that were killed in Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. A team of warriors led by Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, and Sonya Blade oppose them, and in the ensuing battle, Shinnok is imprisoned within his amulet and various warriors are resurrected and freed from his control, though Quan Chi escapes. Twenty-five years later, the sorcerer resurfaces alongside the insectoid D'Vorah to facilitate Shinnok's return. A vengeful Scorpion kills Quan Chi, but fails to stop him from freeing Shinnok. To combat him, Cassie Cage, daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, leads a team composed of the next generation of Earthrealm's heroes in defeating him. With Shinnok and Quan Chi defeated, Liu Kang and Kitana's revenants assume control of the Netherrealm while Raiden taps into Shinnok's amulet.
Mortal Kombat 11 and its expansion, Aftermath, sees the architect of time and Shinnok's mother, Kronika, working to alter the timeline following her son's defeat and Raiden's tampering with her work. In doing so, she brings past versions of the realm's heroes to the present, aligning herself with some while the rest work to defeat her. After nearly killing Liu Kang a second time, Raiden discovers Kronika has manipulated them into fighting across multiple timelines as she fears their combined power. Despite her interference and attacks by her minions, Raiden gives Liu Kang his power, turning him into a god of fire and thunder so he can defeat Kronika. In the Aftermath expansion, it is revealed that Liu Kang inadvertently destroyed Kronika's crown, the item needed to restart the timeline. Her defeat also revives Shang Tsung, who was absent in the base game due to his imprisonment by Kronika. To recover the crown, Liu Kang sends Shang Tsung and other Earthrealm heroes back in time to obtain it before Kronika, though Shang Tsung manipulates events so that he comes into possession of the crown. At the end, either Liu Kang or Shang Tsung becomes the Keeper of Time, depending on the player's choice (who they want to fight with in the final battle) and the outcome of the battle.
Characters
Through its iterations, the series has featured scores of
Starting with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which featured several
Development
Origins
Mortal Kombat started development in 1991 with four people:
It was the success of
Mortal Kombat didn't rely on just good looks and gore for its success. Although the intense gore was a great way to attract attention, Mortal Kombat offered another side – an often-overlooked side – that kept people coming back for more: its storyline, including the uniquely different kind of gameplay as far as the fighting system within itself.[32]
John Tobias said that his inspirations for the game's story and characters came from
The title Mortal Kombat was the idea of pinball designer Steve Ritchie,[37] following difficulties trademarking the original title of Mortal Combat.[30] Since then, the series often intentionally misspells various words with the letter "K" in place of "C" for the hard C sound. According to Boon, during the Mortal Kombat games' development they usually spell such words correctly, only making the substitution when one of the developers suggests it.[38]
Graphics
The characters of the original Mortal Kombat and its initial sequels were created using digitized
Hidden content
Most series releases included
Some Easter eggs originated from in-jokes among the series developers. One example is "Toasty", which was included in Mortal Kombat II in the form of an image of sound designer Dan Forden that randomly appeared in a lower corner of the screen after a player landed an uppercut.[44] Hidden games of Pong and Galaga were included in Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, respectively.[45][14]
Games
Title | Release | Original platform | Ports | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mortal Kombat | 1992 | Arcade | Various | The original Mortal Kombat game. |
Mortal Kombat II | 1993 | Arcade | Various | Second main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat. |
Mortal Kombat 3 | 1995 | Arcade | Various | Third main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat II. |
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | 1995 | Arcade | Various | Upgraded version of Mortal Kombat 3. |
Mortal Kombat Trilogy | 1996 | PS1, N64 | Saturn, Windows, Game.com, R-Zone | Second upgraded version of Mortal Kombat 3. |
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero | 1997 | PS1, N64 | — | First of four spin-off games. An action-adventure beat 'em up video game starring Sub-Zero. Prequel to the first Mortal Kombat. |
Mortal Kombat 4 | 1997 | Arcade | PS1, N64, Windows | Fourth main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat 3. Last MK game to appear in arcades. |
Mortal Kombat Gold | 1999 | Dreamcast | — | Upgraded version of Mortal Kombat 4, made for the Sega Dreamcast only. |
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces | 2000 | PS1 | — | Second of four spin-off games. An action-adventure beat 'em up video game starring Jax. Prequel to the first Mortal Kombat. |
Mortal Kombat Advance | 2001 | GBA | — | The Game Boy Advance version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. |
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance | 2002 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | GBA | Fifth main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat 4. |
Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition |
2003 | GBA | — | The second GBA version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. |
Mortal Kombat: Deception | 2004 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | — | Sixth main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. |
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks | 2005 | PS2, Xbox | — | Third of four spin-off games. An action-adventure beat 'em up video game starring Liu Kang and Kung Lao, set in an alternate timeline between Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. |
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon | 2006 | PS2, Xbox | Wii (2007) | Seventh main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat: Deception, and the final title of the original main series. |
Mortal Kombat: Unchained |
2006 | PSP | — | The PlayStation Portable version of Deception. |
Ultimate Mortal Kombat |
2007 | NDS | — | Re-release of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on the Nintendo DS with additional features. |
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe | 2008 | PS3, Xbox 360 | — | Eighth main game. A non-canonical crossover set in an alternate timeline between Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat 4. |
Mortal Kombat | 2011 | PS3, Xbox 360 | PS Vita (2012), Windows (2013) | Ninth main game. A reboot story containing plots from the first three games (story mode takes place after the events of Armageddon). An upgraded version containing all DLCs released as Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition. |
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection | 2011 | PS3, Xbox 360 | Windows (2012) | A compilation of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 with online play. |
Mortal Kombat X | 2015 | PS4, Xbox One,[46] Windows | Android, iOS | Tenth main game. Sequel to 2011's Mortal Kombat. An upgraded version containing all DLCs released as Mortal Kombat XL. |
Mortal Kombat Mobile | 2015 | Android, iOS, iPadOS | — | Mobile version of Mortal Kombat X, this free-to-play mobile game has received updates well into the 2020s.[47] |
Mortal Kombat 11 | 2019 | Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, PS4, Xbox One,[48] Windows | PS5 (2020), Xbox Series X/S (2020) | Eleventh main game. Sequel to Mortal Kombat X. An expansion titled Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath was released in 2020. An upgraded version containing all DLCs released as Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate. |
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught | 2022 | Android, iOS | — | Fourth of four spin-off games. An action-adventure beat 'em up role-playing game.[49] Set in an alternate timeline between Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11. |
Mortal Kombat 1 | 2023 | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows | TBA | Twelfth main game. The continuation of Mortal Kombat 11 and series' second reboot. |
Main series
The original Mortal Kombat game was released by Midway in arcades during October 1992, and has been ported to several console and home computer systems, with early ports released by Acclaim Entertainment.[50] The sequel, Mortal Kombat II, was released for arcades in 1993, featuring an increased roster and improved graphics and gameplay, then ported to the numerous home systems in 1993–1995, released again by Acclaim.[51] Mortal Kombat 3 followed in 1995 in both arcade and home versions.[52] Mortal Kombat 3 received two updates which expanded the number of characters and other features from the game: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, released that same year in arcades,[53] and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, released for home consoles the following year.[54] The following game, Mortal Kombat 4, was released in 1997, and marked the jump of the series to 3D rendered graphics instead of the digitized 2D graphics used in previous games. Mortal Kombat 4 was ported to the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. Mortal Kombat 4 was the last Mortal Kombat game released for arcades. Its updated version titled Mortal Kombat Gold was released for the Dreamcast in 1999.
At this point that the series started being targeted at consoles only. Also the series' naming scheme changed to favor the use of sub-titles instead of numbered installments, beginning with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in 2002.[55] Deadly Alliance was released initially for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube.[56][57][58] Deadly Alliance was also the first Mortal Kombat game to feature fully 3D gameplay, where up to Mortal Kombat 4 the gameplay had stayed in a 2D plane; this trend would continue for the following two games.
The next sequel was 2004's Mortal Kombat: Deception, released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube.[59][60][61] Its port for the PlayStation Portable, Mortal Kombat: Unchained, was released in 2006.[62] Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was published in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and in 2007 for the Wii.[63][64][65]
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a non-canonical crossover fighting game between the Mortal Kombat franchise and DC Comics, was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[66][67]
A ninth game in the series, a reboot titled Mortal Kombat, was developed by the former Midway Games, now known as NetherRealm Studios.[68] It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, and was ported to the PlayStation Vita in 2012 and Microsoft Windows in 2013. Downloadable content became a feature of games in the series at this time. Its first sequel, Mortal Kombat X, was released in 2015 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, and marked a return to numbered sequels. This was paired with the first Mortal Kombat game for tablet and smartphones, Mortal Kombat Mobile. A follow-up, Mortal Kombat 11, was released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. A sequel to Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 1, released in September 2023.[69]
Spin-off games
Besides the fighting games, there are three action-adventure titles that work as spin-offs from the Mortal Kombat storyline. Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero was released in 1997 for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64;[70][71] its story is focused on the first incarnation character of Sub-Zero and is focused in the timeline before the first Mortal Kombat game. The next action game was Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, released in 2000 for the PlayStation, starring Major Jackson Briggs in his mission to destroy the Black Dragon.[72] Both games were critically panned (although the reception of Mythologies was more mediocre). Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, developed by Midway Studios Los Angeles, was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, starring Liu Kang and Kung Lao and telling an alternate version of the events between the first and second Mortal Kombat games. A similar game entitled Mortal Kombat: Fire & Ice, which was to star Scorpion and again Sub-Zero, was canceled when the developers of Shaolin Monks "couldn't do it in time and under budget".[73] On October 18, 2022, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught was announced; it is a role-playing game released in 2023 for Android and iOS. NetherRealm said it would be a cinematic experience and also it will be loyal to its core visceral nature.[74]
Other media
Films
Animated
An animated
A series of direct-to-video films titled Mortal Kombat Legends began in 2020 as a co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and either Studio Mir or Digital eMation. The first, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, was released in April 2020, as the first R-rated Mortal Kombat film.[76] The second film, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, was released in August 2021.[77] The third film, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, was released on October 11, 2022.[78] A fourth film, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, was released on October 17, 2023.[79]
Live-action
Mortal Kombat was adapted into two major motion pictures, Mortal Kombat (1995) and Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), both released by New Line Cinema. The first film was released on August 18, 1995, grossing $23 million on its first weekend.[80] Despite mixed reviews from critics, Mortal Kombat became a financial success, grossing approximately $70 million in the U.S. and over $122 million worldwide; the film gained a cult following amongst fans of the video game series with Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto and Christopher Lambert starring, and its success launched the Hollywood career of its director, Paul W. S. Anderson.[81] Mortal Kombat Annihilation was directed by John R. Leonetti with Shou and Soto as the only two returning from the first film. The film received a poor reception by critics, grossing $36 million in the U.S. and $51 million worldwide.[82]
In 2010, director
A
Characters | Films | ||
---|---|---|---|
Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat Annihilation |
Mortal Kombat | |
1995 | 1997 | 2021 | |
Raiden | Christopher Lambert | James Remar | Tadanobu Asano |
Liu Kang | Robin Shou | Ludi Lin | |
Johnny Cage | Linden Ashby | Chris Conrad | |
Shang Tsung | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Chin Han | |
Sonya Blade | Bridgette Wilson | Sandra Hess | Jessica McNamee |
Kitana | Talisa Soto | ||
Kano | Trevor Goddard | Josh Lawson | |
Scorpion | Chris Casamassa (Ed Boon Voice) | J. J. Perry (Ed Boon Voice) | Hiroyuki Sanada |
Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot | François Petit | J. J. Perry | Joe Taslim |
Reptile | Keith Cooke (Frank Welker Voice) | CGI | |
Goro | Tom Woodruff, Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson Voice)
|
CGI (Angus Sampson Voice) | |
Jax | Gregory McKinney | Lynn Red Williams | Mehcad Brooks |
Shao Kahn | CGI (Frank Welker Voice) | Brian Thompson | |
Shinnok | Reiner Schöne | ||
Sindel | Musetta Vander | ||
Jade | Irina Pantaeva | ||
Motaro | Deron McBee | ||
Sheeva | Marjean Holden | ||
Sub-Zero II | Keith Cooke | ||
Nightwolf | Litefoot | ||
Ermac | John Medlen | ||
Cyrax | J. J. Perry | ||
Rain | Tyrone Wiggins | ||
Baraka | Dennis Keiffer | ||
Smoke | Ridley Tsui | ||
Mileena | Dana Hee | Sisi Stringer | |
Cole Young* | Lewis Tan | ||
Kung Lao | Max Huang | ||
Kabal | Daniel Nelson (Damon Herriman Voice) | ||
Reiko | Nathan Jones | ||
Nitara | Mel Jarnson |
* Cole Young is a film-exclusive character who has not appeared in any of the games.
Print media
Comics
Midway published official one-shot issues based on Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, which were written and illustrated by Tobias and set prior to the storylines of both games. From 1994 to 1995, Malibu Comics published a licensed series consisting of two six-issue miniseries in addition to one-shot specials and miniseries dedicated to specific characters. Special tie-in issues were packaged with the PC release of Mortal Kombat 4 and for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, respectively.[100] A Mortal Kombat X series by DC Comics, set before the game's events, ran from January to September 2015 with three miniseries of twelve issues that were released weekly in 36 chapter installments.
Novels
A novel titled Mortal Kombat was written by Jeff Rovin and published in 1995, and featured an original plot that preceded the events of the first game.[101] Novelizations of both Mortal Kombat feature films were written by Martin Delrio and Jerome Preisler, respectively.
Music
Mortal Kombat: The Album, a techno album based on the first game, was created for Virgin America by Lords of Acid members Praga Khan and Oliver Adams as The Immortals in 1994.[102] Its iconic theme "Techno Syndrome", incorporating the "Mortal Kombat!" yell first shown in the Mortal Kombat commercial for home systems, was released in 1993 as a single and was used as a theme music for the Mortal Kombat film series. Each film had their own soundtracks (including the hit and award-winning compilation album Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), as had the second video game (Mortal Kombat II: Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack). The 2011 video game saw the release of Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors, a new soundtrack album featuring electronic music by various artists.
Television
Animated
An animated series titled Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm was released in 1996. It ran for one season and received negative reviews.
Live-action
In 1998,
In 2014,
Stage show
A stage show titled Mortal Kombat: Live Tour was launched at the end of 1995, expanded to 1996, and featured Mortal Kombat characters in a theatrical display on stage.
Collectible card games
also used some of the Mortal Kombat characters.
Reception
Game | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Mortal Kombat | (GEN) 84.17%[110] (SNES) 83.33%[111] (SCD) 60.00%[112] (GB) 42.17%[113] |
– |
Mortal Kombat II | (SNES) 85.87%[114] (GEN) 85.62%[115] (PS3) 68.40%[116] (GB) 64.50%[117] (SAT) 57.50%[118] |
(PS3) 72[119] |
Mortal Kombat 3 | (SNES) 80.23%[120] (GEN) 76.67%[121] (PS1) 70.33%[122] |
– |
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero | (PS1) 53.20%[123] (N64) 44.84%[124] |
– |
Mortal Kombat 4 | (N64) 76.07%[125] (PS1) 75.75%[126] (PC) 72.14%[127] (DC) 54.97%[128] (GBC) 46.00%[129] |
– |
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces | (PS1) 40.23%[130] | (PS1) 28[131] |
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance | (GBA) 84.63%[132] (Xbox) 82.68%[133] (PS2) 81.99%[134] (GC) 81.82%[135] |
(GBA) 81[136] (Xbox) 81[137] (GC) 81[138] (PS2) 79[139] |
Mortal Kombat: Deception | (PS2) 82.00%[140] (Xbox) 81.31%[141] (GC) 77.43%[142] (PSP) 70.88%[143] |
(PS2) 81[144] (Xbox) 81[145] (GC) 77[146] (PSP) 70[147] |
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks | (Xbox) 80.64%[148] (PS2) 78.70%[149] |
(Xbox) 78[150] (PS2) 77[151] |
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon | (Xbox) 77.39%[152] (PS2) 75.33%[153] (Wii) 72.49%[154] |
(Xbox) 77[155] (PS2) 75[156] (Wii) 71[157] |
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe | (PS3) 77.87%[158] (X360) 74.55%[159] |
(PS3) 76[160] (X360) 72[161] |
Mortal Kombat | (Vita) 87.31%[162] (PS3) 86.09%[163] (X360) 85.67%[164] |
(X360) 86[165] (Vita) 85[165] (PS3) 84[166] |
Mortal Kombat X | (XONE) 85.97%[167] (PS4) 84.18%[168] (PC) 75.20%[169] |
(XONE) 86[170] (PS4) 83[171] (PC) 76[172] |
Mortal Kombat 11 | - | (PS4) 82[173] (XONE) 86[174] (PC) 82[175] (NS) 78[176] |
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught |
Sales
Mortal Kombat has been one of the most successful fighting game franchises in video game history, previously only trailing Bandai Namco's Tekken, Capcom's Street Fighter, and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. As of 2021, it has surpassed the competitor fighting game franchises in worldwide lifetime series sales. It generated more than $4 billion by the late 1990s[177] and $5 billion in total revenue by 2000.[178] A particularly successful game was Mortal Kombat II, which had unprecedented opening week sales figures never seen before in the video game industry, for the first time beating the box office numbers of summer hit films.[179] The Mortal Kombat games, however, have not been localized in Japan after the Super Famicom release of Mortal Kombat II, due to content guidelines against depictions of blood, gore and dismemberment (Tobias blaming their "very americanized" character design[180]).
Mortal Kombat games have sold more than 6 million units by 1994[181] and 26 million by 2007,[22] and the figure has exceeded 30 million by 2012.[182] As of 2022, the franchise had sold about 79 million units.[183]
Ratings, reviews, and awards
The 2008 edition of
Numerous publications described it as one of the most important and also most violent series in the history of video games; in 2011, the staff of
Legacy and cultural impact
According to
In a 2009 poll by GamePro, 21% of voters chose Mortal Kombat as their favorite fighting game series, ranking it third after Street Fighter and Tekken.[195] In 2012, Capcom's Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono said he is getting a lot of requests for Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat and understands why people want it, "but it's easier said than done. Having Chun Li getting her spine ripped out, or Ryu's head bouncing off the floor...it doesn't necessarily match."[196] In 2014, martial artist Frankie Edgar opined Mortal Kombat has been far superior to Street Fighter.[197]
The series and its characters are also referenced in the various other works of popular culture, such as in the title of Powerglove's debut album Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man and the Workaholics episode "Model Kombat". According to Complex in 2012, "Years ago, Mortal Kombat became a phenomenon far outside gaming circles alone. Its name has become recognizable enough to be name dropped on sitcoms (Malcolm in the Middle and Married... with Children), found in movies (Christian Slater plays Mortal Kombat 4 in Very Bad Things), and used as part of cultural studies (see Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins' book From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games)."[27] It was also featured in the film The Doom Generation. The name "Mortal Kombat" was even given to a dangerous illegal recreational drug that was introduced and caused multiple fatalities in early 2014.[198]
In 2012, Tobias said: "If you look at any other pop culture phenomenon—like if you look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, for instance—it became popular at the time right around when Mortal Kombat became popular, and it had its highs and lows, and here they are once again talking about a major motion picture. That's because of its place in pop culture. It's always there for someone to pick up, polish off, blow the dust off of it, and re-release it. And Mortal Kombat will always be that way. It'll be around 50 years from now."[30]
Competitive play
Fighting games have been a popular genre among tournaments since the late 1990s. Mortal Kombat has its place in some of the world's biggest fighting game tournaments including Evo and Combo Breaker, as well as many local and online tournaments around the world. Since the 2011 Mortal Kombat game was released, the game has been one of the most popular games at these events. Between 2014 and 2017, the game was mostly absent from the tournament scene, due to NetherRealm Studios being focused on their Injustice series as their top priority;[199] Mortal Kombat games returned to Combo Breaker in 2018.[200]
Controversies
The series was subject of a major video game controversy[201] and several court cases, largely related to its extremely violent content, especially in relation to the original game which paved a way for the introduction of the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) game rating system in 1994 as well as the Australian Classification Board.[28][202][203][204][205] Various games in the series, as well as advertisements for them, have been censored or banned in a number of countries. According to SuperData Research CEO Joost van Dreunen, "Because of the obvious rift between gamers on the one hand and adult society on the other, Mortal Kombat set the tone for what constituted gamer culture."[206]
In
See also
- List of best-selling video game franchises
- DC Universe
- List of fighting games
- Happy Tree Friends
- Violence and video games
- List of controversial video games
- Video game controversies
References
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- ^ Brian Powell (March 31, 2014). "'Mortal Kombat' Pills Linked to Multiple Deaths". WebProNews. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "EVO 2017 Lineup Revealed, Goodbye Mortal Kombat X". SegmentNext. January 25, 2017. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "Combo Breaker 2018". COMBO BREAKER. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ A History of Video Game Controversy: Mortal Kombat Archived November 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at GameSpot
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- ^ "Mortal Kombat 11 banned for its gore". ONE Esports. April 24, 2019. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "China and Japan ban the video game Mortal Kombat 11". efish.tv. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
External links
- Official website (Warner Bros.)
- Mortal Kombat at MobyGames