Mortal Kombat 3 974846 226135864 2008-07-16T23:51:06Z Maxbaker35 7470238 {{redirect|MK3|the UK postal district|MK postcode area}} {{Infobox VG |title = Mortal Kombat 3 |image = [[Image:Mortal Kombat 3.png]]<br/> ''MK3'' teaser poster| |developer = [[Midway Games|Midway]] (arcade)<br>[[Sculptured Software]] (SNES and Mega Drive) |publisher = [[Midway Games|Midway]] (arcade)<br>[[Williams (video game company)|Williams Entertainment]] (ports)<br>[[Sony Computer Entertainment|SCEA]] (PS version) |designer = [[Ed Boon]], [[John Tobias]] |release = [[1995]] |genre = [[Fighting game|Fighting]] |modes = Up to 2 players simultaneously |platforms = [[Arcade game|Arcade]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Game Boy]], [[Sega Game Gear|Game Gear]], [[PlayStation]], [[IBM PC compatible|PC]], [[Xbox Live Arcade]] |cabinet = Upright |arcade system = Midway Wolf Unit hardware<br />Sound CPU: ADSP2150<br />Midway Digital Compression System (DCS) - Amplified Mono<br />Latest Game Version : Revision 2.1 |display = [[Raster graphics|Raster]] resolution 400 x 254 |input = 8-way [[Joystick]], Buttons: 6 (HP, LP, BLOCK, HK, LK, RUN) |Rating = [[ESRB]] M (Mature) }} '''''Mortal Kombat 3''''' (also known as '''''MK3''''') is the third game in the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series, released in [[Video arcade|arcades]] in [[1995]]. It was updated into ''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'', and later ''[[Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]''. ==Gameplay== ''Mortal Kombat 3'' builds further on the gameplay of the previous game. A "Run" button, accompanied by a "Run" meter, was introduced. This was primarily to address concern from fans who thought that the previous games gave too much of an advantage to the defending player. The Run meter is drained by running (the character cannot run backwards, only forwards) and by performing combos. "Chain combos", also known as pre-programmed combos (labelled "dial-a-combos") were also introduced. Chain combos are preprogrammed button presses that are unblockable once one hit connects (e.g., one of Sonya's chain combos is HK-HK-HP-HP-LP-b+HP). Some chain combos end with an uppercut or other move that knocks the opponent into the air, so that more punishment can be dealt via a traditional juggle combo. To please players of various skill levels, a "Choose Your Destiny" screen appears in 1-player mode. This new feature allowed player-selectable difficulty. For the first time, certain levels were interactive by allowing characters to be uppercutted through the ceiling where both characters would continue the battle in a different stage. This could alter the game's level cycle. Both normal uppercuts and uppercuts that are part of a ground combo would result in a level change. Kung Lao's "Whirl Wind Spin" move would also have the same effect. However, if the final hit of a round happens to be an uppercut (i.e., the character is defeated by an uppercut), there is no level change. All of the different style of finishing moves featured in ''Mortal Kombat II'' ([[Fatality (Mortal Kombat)|Fatalities]], [[Babality|Babalities]], and [[Friendship (Mortal Kombat)|Friendship]]s) return in ''MK3''. Additionally, the long rumored [[Animality]], where the character transforms into an animal in order to kill their opponent, is featured for the first time. Another new addition is the Mercy, where the character can give their opponent a small sliver of life if they have won two rounds and are at the "Finish Him/Her" screen. It is necessary that a Mercy is performed for an Animality to occur. Finally, three new stage Fatalities can be performed in the Subway, the Bell Tower, and the Pit 3. Another concept exclusive to this game are the "Kombat Kodes". These were 6 digit codes entered at the VS screen in a two player game to modify gameplay, fight hidden characters or display certain text messages. Also introduced in this game was the "Ultimate Kombat Kode", using a 10 character code using symbols, that could be entered after a game was over in single player mode. If the correct code was entered, Smoke would become a permanent playable character on the character select screen. The arcade owner, however, could reset this code by accessing the game's diagnostic menu by hitting a [[DIP switch]] within the ''MK3'' cabinet. The game's overall style was envisioned differently than in the previous ''Mortal Kombat'' games. Opposed to the heavily Oriental themes of ''[[Mortal Kombat (video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' and ''[[Mortal Kombat II]]'', ''MK3'''s theme is much more Western contemporary. The game's stages are set in modern locations, three of the characters are robots, and traditional character designs (such as Sub-Zero's or Kano's) have been dropped or modified in favour of modern replacements. The overall game has a much darker tone than its predecessors, and uses a noticeable darker and less vibrant colour palette. Characters are now heavily digitized (as opposed to the hybrid digitized/hand-drawn style of ''Mortal Kombat II.'') Many of the game's backgrounds are now, for the first time, created using pre-rendered 3D graphics. This change is also reflected in the sound track, in which all Oriental motifs have been dropped in favour of modern instrumentation. ==Characters and cast== ===New characters=== *[[Cyrax]] (Sal Divita) - Lin Kuei cyber assassin. *[[Kabal (Mortal Kombat)|Kabal]] ([[Richard Divizio]]) - Former [[Black Dragon]] warrior. *[[Nightwolf]] (Sal Divita) - Native American shaman. *[[Sektor]] (Sal Divita) - Lin Kuei cyber assassin. *[[Sheeva]] ([[Stop motion]]) - Female Shokan who serves [[Shao Kahn]]. *[[Sindel]] ([[Lia Montelongo]]) - Resurrected Queen of Edenia who is being controlled by [[Shao Kahn]]. *[[Kurtis Stryker]] (Michael O'Brien) - Riot control officer. ===Returning characters=== *[[Jax Briggs|Jax]] (John Parrish) - Special Forces major who joins Sonya in attempting to apprehend Kano. *[[Kano (Mortal Kombat)|Kano]] (Richard Divizio) - Black Dragon thug who escaped arrest by Sonya and Jax. *[[Kung Lao]] (Tony Marquez) - Shaolin monk who seeks what Kahn is planning. *[[Liu Kang]] ([[Eddie Wong]]) - Returning Mortal Kombat champion. *[[Sonya Blade]] ([[Kerri Hoskins]]) - Special Forces lieutenant setting out again to capture Kano. *[[Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)|Sub-Zero]] ([[John Turk]]) - Rogue Lin Kuei ninja who fled the clan after refusing to be converted to a cybernetic unit. *[[Shang Tsung]] (John Turk) - Shao Kahn's devious sorcerer. *[[Smoke (Mortal Kombat)|Smoke]] (Sal Divita) - Cyber assassin from the Lin Kuei, who was once was a close friend of Sub-Zero. (Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode) ===Boss and sub-boss=== *[[Motaro]] (Stop-motion) *[[Shao Kahn]] ([[Brian Glynn]]) ===Other characters=== *[[Noob Saibot]] ==Arenas== *The Subway *The Street *The Bank *The Rooftop *The Balcony *The Bridge *Soul Chamber *Bell Tower *Kombat Temple *The Graveyard *The Pit III *Noob Saibot's Dorfen (Vs. Noob Saibot only) *The Hidden Portal (Vs. CPU-controlled Smoke only, and seen only if the Ultimate Kombat Kode is not yet entered) ====Layers==== The following displays the Kombat Zones where a character can be uppercut into different backgrounds. *The Subway → The Street *The Bank → The Rooftop *Soul Chamber → The Balcony ==Storyline== Fed up with continuous losses in tournament battle, Shao Kahn, who had lost to Liu Kang in the Outworld tournament, enacts a 10,000 year-old plan. He would have his Shadow Priests, led by Shang Tsung, revive his former Queen Sindel, who unexpectedly died at a young age. However, she wouldn't be revived in the Outworld. She would be resurrected in the Earthrealm. This would allow Shao Kahn to cross the boundary lines and reclaim his queen. When Sindel is reincarnated in Earthrealm, Shao Kahn reaches across the dimensions to reclaim her. As a consequence of his action, the Earthrealm becomes a part of the Outworld, killing billions instantly. Only a few are spared, as [[Raiden (Mortal Kombat)|Raiden]] protects their souls. He tells them that Shao Kahn must be stopped, but he cannot interfere; due to his status, he has no power in Outworld, and Earthrealm is partially merged with Outworld. Shao Kahn has unleashed extermination squads to roam throughout the Earthrealm and kill any survivors. Also, Raiden's protection only extends to the soul, not to the body, so his chosen warriors have to fight the extermination squads and repel Shao Kahn. Eventually somehow every human on Earthrealm comes back. ''Mortal Kombat 3'' follows ''[[Mortal Kombat II]]'' and shares continuity with both ''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' and ''[[Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]'' which were both updates of this game. The next new game in the series was ''[[Mortal Kombat 4]]''. ==Reception== Although the game was a hit, some MK fans disliked the inclusion of new main characters in place of highly praised characters such as Raiden, Johnny Cage, Reptile, and Scorpion.<ref>[http://www.videogamecritic.net/snesmr.htm#Mortal_Kombat_3 The Video Game Critic's Super Nintendo Reviews M-R<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In fact, this was the first mainstream Mortal Kombat game to lack the traditional palette-swapped masked ninjas (Sub-Zero is not counted due to his new appearance). This proved to be unpopular with fans of the series, which lead to the ninja concept being reinstated in ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3''.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Also, many fans found the urban areas such as subways and city streets which served as the games "Kombat Zones" uninteresting in comparison with the previous games, which contained Oriental and fantasy settings.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Some of the returning characters from the previous games in ''Mortal Kombat 3'' were actually portrayed by new actors, since their original portrayers left Midway due to royalty disputes. [[Ho Sung Pak]] (Liu Kang and MK1 Shang Tsung), [[Phillip Ahn]] (MKII Shang Tsung), [[Elizabeth Malecki]] (Sonya Blade), [[Katalin Zamiar]] (Kitana/Mileena/Jade) and [[Dan Pesina]] (Johnny Cage and Scorpion/Sub-Zero/Reptile/Smoke/Noob Saibot) were not involved in the production of ''Mortal Kombat 3''<ref>[http://www.ipcounselors.com/19970616.htm#a2 Epstein Drangel Bazerman & James, Intellectual Property, Technology and Media Law<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, resulting the use of new actors for Liu Kang ([[Eddie Wong]]), Sonya Blade ([[Kerri Hoskins]]), Shang Tsung and Sub-Zero (both played by [[John Turk]]) in ''Mortal Kombat 3''. In ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'', all of the male ninjas would also be played by [[John Turk]], while the female ninjas (Kitana, Mileena and Jade) were played by [[Becky Gable]]. Johnny Cage would be played by [[Chris Alexander (martial artist)|Chris Alexander]] in ''[[Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]''. Carlos Pesina, who played Raiden in the first two games, did not appear in ''Mortal Kombat 3'' as a penalty for his involvement in the rival game ''[[Tattoo Assassins]]'', but was still employed by Midway. His character returned in ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', using his sprites from the first two games. ==Ports== ''Mortal Kombat 3'' was ported to nearly all of the major home consoles available at the time of its release: [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Super Nintendo]] and [[PlayStation]]. It was also released for portable game systems such as the [[Game Boy]]. To fit on the Game Boy major sacrifices had to be made. Only nine of the original fifteen fighters (Kano, Sonya, Sub-Zero, Cyrax, Sektor, Sheeva, Sindel, Kabal, and Smoke) were available, only five stages existed, there were no button-link combos, no Motaro sub-boss, and no finishers outside of fatalities and babalities. Shao Kahn used his moves from [[Mortal Kombat II]]. Although rated M for mature, this version did not include much of the overt gore and violence seen in its parent systems but kept some of the "burning" fatalities (immolating a defeated opponent down to just a burnt skeleton). However, the graphics are superb for a Game Boy title, with smoother animation and greater attention to detail on the fighters than the older MK titles for Game Boy. There was also a scaled down [[Game Gear]] version of MK3 which was never released in the US. Only Europe and Japan saw a release, and it is rare to find; a complete packaged version can be seen on Internet auctions for as much as $90. It is almost the same as the Game Boy version, although it includes blood and gore, is in color, and features Noob Saibot as a hidden character. There was also a port for the [[Master System]], which is nearly identical to the Game Gear version, although it was only released in [[Brazil]] by [[Tec Toy]], distributor of [[Sega]]'s products in that country. There were 2 different versions of ''MK3'' for the PC. The first was a DOS version, which is unique as it does not closely resemble any of the other ports. It features good animation, sound, graphics, and it implements the gameplay of the arcade with a high level of precision. This version contains a hidden redbook audio track with a narration of a story in reverse. The second version was a Windows version. It is a direct port of the PlayStation version of the game, featuring the same menus, identical sprite sizes and qualities and the same gameplay as the PlayStation version. ''MK3'' for Windows and for PlayStation is also the base for ''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' for the Sega Saturn. These games feature the same sprite sizes and qualities and almost identical menu systems but the Sega Saturn version has the additional content from ''UMK3'' roughly added in as well. Mortal Kombat 3 is also available as part of [[Midway Arcade Treasures 2]] for the [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]], [[PlayStation 2]], and [[Xbox]]. It is also available as a part of [[Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition]] for the PC (this title included a 'making of' documentary about the game), and in [[Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play]] for the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]]. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== <!-- Editor's note: Add a link here ONLY to the MK3 page on the site being added - any pages not explicitly about MK3 will be removed! --> *[http://mk.amks.ru/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=3 Rare MK3 Demo (MS-DOS)] *[http://mk.amks.ru/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=22 Rare MK3 videos: making of, interviews and trailers] *{{moby game|id=/mortal-kombat-3|name=''Mortal Kombat 3''}} *[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=M&game_id=8754 Mortal Kombat 3 at The Killer List of Videogames] {{Mortal Kombat series}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mortal Kombat 03}} [[Category:1995 video games]] [[Category:Arcade games]] [[Category:Game Boy games]] [[Category:Game Gear games]] [[Category:Mortal Kombat games]] [[Category:DOS games]] [[Category:PlayStation games]] [[Category:Sega Mega Drive games]] [[Category:Sega Master System games]] [[Category:Super NES games]] [[Category:Video game sequels]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Video games with digitized sprites]] [[es:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[fr:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[it:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[pl:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[pt:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[ru:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[sv:Mortal Kombat 3]] [[tr:Mortal Kombat 3]]