The plot of Mortal Kombat II takes place one year after the first game, with the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung (the boss from the first game) pleading for his life, after he had failed to take over the Earth. Does it deliver in terms of gameplay innovation as well as upgraded pixelized blood and gore? Released in the arcades (and then every console known to man) in the Fall of 1993 (same year as the original’s console release), Mortal Kombat II is the sequel to what was then considered to be the most violent and controversial game ever created. Thompson Legal Team assemble!: Mortal Kombat II There will be a test tomorrow.Įditor’s Note: There will not be a test tomorrow. Make sure to read the reviews below for your homework assignment.
Well I that ends today’s class of Gaming History 101. The gaming industry would give parents a helpful purchasing guide from there on out, Mortal Kombat would continue to grow in popularity and the politicians would continue (even to this very day) to complain despite getting what they wanted. As a result of this ultimatum, the ESRB was founded in 1994. Not only did Midway come under fire for developing such a violent game but the video game industry as a whole would feel the wrath of politicians like Democratic Senator (and likely closet Republican) Joe Liberman who demanded that the industry either regulate itself by implementing a rating system (like the MPAA) within one year or the government would be doing it for them. However, MK’s success didn’t come without a price. In 1992, Boon and Tobias’ dream was released, as Mortal Kombat hit the arcades (and home consoles in 1993) and quickly became one of the most popular arcade games of all time and was a best seller when the home console versions hit the market place.
The game would eventually center around a Shaolin Monk who enters a tournament in which the greatest martial arts masters (each with their own motives for entering the competition) fight to the death in order to determine the fate of the world and to avenge to the death of his brother. The game would keep its realistic graphical style but rather than having Van Damme battle a cavalcade of stock villain cliches, the duo decided to give the project a much darker edge. When video game programmer Ed Boon and game designer John Tobias’ plan to utilize digitized graphics to make a realistic fighting game based on action star Jean-Claude Van Damme failed, they decided to change the direction of their project, rather than wasting all of their hard work. Before I get this review/s started, I think it’s best to give a little history lesson about the start of the franchise.