Back to the Future Sega Master System Reviews Mobygames
Mortal Kombat Two (MK2) was released right at the start of my loser phase. For those that don't know me (which is basically everyone reading this) this was a period from 1992 to 1996 when I was a certified junior college dropout working at an Electronics Bazaar. Needless to say I had a lot of spare time to blow at the local arcade, and a lot of that fourth dimension was spent perfecting MK2. I'g non going to claim I was unbeatable, merely I always managed to play for an absurdly long time on a single credit. MK2 was the summit of fighting games at the time, it was the last great second fighting game. Information technology had a wide selection of characters each with their own array of moves and combos. They lacked the balance found in the original MK where all the fighters were pretty much equal for a skilled player. This caused players to actually weigh their choice carefully based on their opponent. Fifty-fifty the Street Fighter series, where 2-4 characters where considerably amend than the balance, missed this element. A while later MK3 was released simply I never got into information technology. The first time I watched it in activeness I saw someone hit an arbitrary button sequence which acquired his graphic symbol to break out into a frenzy of moves. A little message appeared that said something similar "philharmonic +5". I idea "gee, it's not really a combo if the game did all piece of work" and I never looked at MK3 once again. When the subsequently sequels came out in that location was no longer a local arcade nor the time to play them.
Anyway, back to MK2.. Being an arcade smash at that place were several home versions made. At the ol' Electronics Boutique nosotros sold a ton of them. Maybe I fifty-fifty sold you lot a copy. All the time customers would inquire "hey dude, what'southward the best home version of MK2?" I'd ordinarily recommend the Super Nintendo version without thinking well-nigh it too much. It was much ameliorate than the Sega Genesis version but shoppers were rightly skeptical subsequently the debacle with the original game. Despite the expanses of free fourth dimension I had back then I never got effectually to trying the dissimilar versions to come across how they checked out. So roughly eleven years after their initial release, I decided to have a stride back in fourth dimension and endeavor them all again with the intention of ranking them from all-time to worst.
Games are ranked on the following criteria:
Play control: This is considered the virtually important cistron. The port should play like the original arcade game with working combos and whatnot.
Graphics: Information technology's unrealistic to await the home versions to look exactly similar the arcade but information technology should exist equally close as the hardware supports.
Sound: The same goes for the sound effects, music, and voices.
Extras: Was anything extra added to the abode version?
Instead of a dull 10 point scale I'll use the following system based on my personal ranking of the characters:
I suppose at some point I should explain why I ranked the characters in that club. Perhaps I'll save that for the time to come..
#one Sega 32X
Although I don't have a single statistic to back this argument up, it's safe to say this is the to the lowest degree played port of MK2. The 32X was never a large seller and MK2 was released well afterward its brief heyday. I had a 32X when it was new and but didn't purchase a re-create until 2004. That's unfortunate considering this was a nifty dwelling house translation.
Play control: 
Strictly from a play control standpoint this is the closest to the arcade version. Everything most it just feels correct. The moves, combos, and finishers work exactly as expected.
Graphics: 
The additional colors of the 32X really pay off hither, peculiarly when compared to the Genesis version. The characters are shorter than the arcade version only expect very detailed.
Audio:
The soundtrack is shut to the original.
Extras: 
There'south adjustable difficulty and support for that goofy Activator gizmo.
#two Super Nintendo
The Super Nintendo version of the original Mortal Kombat was technically superior to the Sega Genesis one. However, the play control was off and, as we all know, it was missing the claret and some fatalities. These ii factors caused the Genesis version to hugely outsell the Super Nintendo one. This was remedied with the release of MK2. The Super Nintendo version was better than the Genesis one in every measurable fashion. Nintendo conceded and immune all the gore to be included likewise. The result was the Super Nintendo version of MK2 being the clear winner among sixteen-bit platforms, both in quality and in sales.
Play control: 
The play command is very close to the arcade, the differences are difficult to notice. The timing of some combos are slightly different but nothing major. I found that Kintaro and Shao Khan are easier to vanquish in this version than the original likewise.
Graphics:
The characters and animation look great on this version.
Sound:
Very solid port of the soundtrack to the Super Nintendo.
Extras:
This version has one of the coolest features of any fighting game, an viii-man elimination match (likewise called "tournament mode"). I judge this is kinda ripped off from King of Fighters but whatsoever. I spent hours playing friends in this manner, it was even more than fun than playing at the arcade. In add-on to that it has adjustable difficultly, configurable controllers, and a host of cheat codes.
#iii Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for Nintendo Gamecube
Dissimilar the others on this list, this appears to be an emulated version of the arcade game. What gets me is that MAME does a much better job emulating this game. It's astonishing how MAME developers, working for free, can outdo the presumably highly paid crew at Midway. The biggest flaw with this version is that it appears to be high on speed. It runs faster than the arcade and is a bit hasty. You lot're given well-nigh x milliseconds to execute a fatality, that's if you can fifty-fifty wrestle it out of the Gamecube controller..
Play command: 
The Gamecube controller is but not right for this type of game. This isn't Midway's fault of course, they did what they could past allowing the player to customize the buttons. It doesn't really matter though. Combos and fatalities are well-nigh impossible. Moves such every bit Kitana's fan, Sub-Nada/Reptile'south slide, and the acrid fatality simply tin non be executed. Both the analog and digital pads are equally miserable to work with. I would rank this lower than Reptile but I'm going out on a limb that if y'all could find an arcade way joystick for the Gamecube information technology would play better.
Graphics:
The graphics are absolutely perfect if everything is standing still. The blitheness is occasionally jumpy and the shadows have a addiction of flickering. It looks like this is due to the emulation running too fast.
Sound:
The sound emulation is spot on perfect.
Extras: 
All the settings from the arcade DIP switches are bachelor. There'southward a much-needed menu to configure the controller. It includes some promotional material from the original arcade release; a scan of the pamphlet that went to arcades and a grainy video, nothing to write habitation almost. High scores are also saved.
#4 Sega Genesis
As consoles go, I favor the Genesis over the technically superior Super Nintendo. Sega used to run commercials that "demonstrated" the technical "advantage" of the Genesis by "running" Sonic the Hedgehog on a Super Nintendo. Nobody bought it. MK2 is a fine case of how the Super Nintendo was a technically superior console to the Genesis. They both run at the same speed and the play command is comparable. However, the Genesis conspicuously lacks the colour depth of the Super Nintendo. If you compare them side-past-side you'll see how banal the Genesis version looks. This is however a good translation, but owners of both systems would accept been well-advised to purchase the Super Nintendo edition.
Play control:
The control is very good, non perfect but close. The length of the jumps seems to exist off just a trivial scrap.
Graphics:
The color palette of the Genesis is pretty much maxed-out hither and gives the entire game a tiresome appearance. Information technology lacks the detail found in the Super Nintendo version just is still quite good for a Genesis cart.
Sound:
The Genesis had an impressive audio chip then it was able to respectably imitate the original.
Extras:
There's adjustable difficulty and back up for that goofy Activator gizmo.
#v Sega Saturn
I'chiliad completely puzzled why the Saturn version of this game turned out and then bad. Other fighters worked slap-up on it merely somehow they butchered Mortal Kombat II. Information technology looks like a Saturn game but plays like a Sega CD game due to horrible load time problems.
Play control: 
The first fourth dimension a character does a special motility in a fight the game pauses for i-2 seconds to load the animation. Same for Shang Tsung's transformations and all the finishing moves. It seriously breaks-up the cadency of the game and is terribly annoying.
Graphics:
This version looks really great, practically a clone of the arcade in that regard.
Sound:
The music is fine only some sound effects are off.
Extras:
Although this came out after than previous installments, it doesn't actually offering anything new. It's got the standard stuff similar adjustable difficulty and custom controller configurations.
#6 Sega Game Gear
The Sega Game Gear was essentially the aforementioned hardware every bit the Sega Principal System. Their versions of MK2 are logically quite similar. The screen sizes are cropped differently to business relationship for different resolutions. The sound is most identical. The Game Gear gets the nudge over the Master Organisation because information technology looks so much brighter and plays a tad better (due to having an extra button to work with).
Play control: 
It takes a while to learn how to execute moves with only 2 attack buttons (i.east. D+boot for a leg sweep). The first push button serves as block just on an actual Game Gear is awkward to employ.
Graphics: 
The characters look fairly good, they're bright and colorful. Plus they're almost the same relative height as the arcade version. On the downside, the backgrounds are cropped forth the top.
Sound:
The soundtrack is pretty scratchy and experiences some brief pauses at times.
Extras:
3 levels of difficultly to choose from.
#vii Sega Master System
The Sega Master System had a long shelf-life in Europe and an even longer 1 in Brazil. Information technology was pop plenty in these markets that it outlasted the NES past several years. It even survived long enough in Brazil to get a port of MK3 released. Unfortunately, 8-bit consoles just aren't able to handle games like the MK series. If they didn't try to replicate the await and feel of the original they might have been able to pull-off a decent fighting game. Instead they tried likewise hard to duplicate the arcade experience on a platform that just couldn't handle it.
Play command: 
It was very hard to rank this above the Gameboy version because the control makes this edition about unplayable. To compound matters, the Sega Chief System only has a two-push button controller. No get-go or select push button either, just one more push than a 2600. This means the only way to block is to hold dial+kicking together. Needless to say this makes the game play difficult. Even with a 3rd push button this would nevertheless play badly though.
Graphics:
They did near the all-time they could with the colors available. The backgrounds consist of roughly 2-iv colors with the characters taking up the rest. The animation is pretty bad though. When you lot jump information technology looks like there are no frames betwixt the "standing" and the "fully in the air" animations. Uppercuts and leg sweeps have the aforementioned problem.
Sound:
The Sega Master System had some decent sound capabilities, encounter Phantasy Star, Outrun, or Ys for instance. The MK2 soundtrack is identical to the scratchy Game Gear version. They could accept done improve in this category.
Extras:
Three levels of difficultly to choose from.
#8 Nintendo Gameboy
The Game Boy was, and still is in some form, the well-nigh pop handheld organization. Naturally they had to release MK2 for it, the potential market was just besides large to ignore. Of course the resulting product resembles MK2 in name simply. I tin can't be too critical almost this version. It accomplished what information technology prepare out to do, offering Game Male child owners some version of MK2. No one could reasonably await a great translation of MK2 to this platform so there'southward not much to be disappointed about.
Play control:
Unlike the other versions this makes no apparent attempt to copy the arcade experience. That actually helps this game a fiddling. This platform couldn't replicate the original controls so why make a bad game in a vain attempt to do so?
Graphics:
Hey it's a Gameboy. there's non much to piece of work with. The backgrounds look reasonably good merely the animation is atrocious and fatalities comical.
Sound:
By Gameboy standards the audio is alright.
Extras:
The original MK on Game Boy had a characteristic to play as Goro. That alone make the game worth buying. No such luck for MK2 which doesn't have anything actress other than adjustable difficulty.
Versions I Haven't Played Yet
In that location are a couple of other MK2 habitation versions that I haven't been able to become a concord of. If I get a chance to play these I'll add them to this list.
Amiga: The merely decent info I could find about this version is on MobyGames and this review. I actually have an Amiga that meets the bare system requirements so I might have to scan for this one on eBay
PC: This is just a matter of being besides lazy to try and brand this run under Virtual PC.
Humorous Footnote
When MK2 was new there were tons of weird animality rumors floating around the arcades. Kids would be talking about how they saw Sub-Nix transform into a polar carry and eat his opponent. It sounded so incredibly stupid that I never believed it. Of form I thought the same nearly the Babalities as well. These animality rumors proved to be false in fourth dimension. For some reason they decided to include this rather airheaded -ality into MK3 (all the same some other reason why I never liked that game).
At the Electronics Boutique we'd have kids enquire "Do you have a magazine that lists all the animalities for MK2?" We'd respond "no that'southward just a stupid rumor" and they'd and then explain how they saw them in the arcade and we didn't know what we were talking well-nigh. We decided to take some fun with this. At the arcades nosotros'd target gullible-looking players and tell them near the underground "Fruit-and-Vegetabalities". These were surreptitious finishing moves where you'd plow your opponent into a fruit or vegetable. For example, Sub-Null would plow his opponent into a purse of frozen peas, Scorpion would turn his into a banana and and then on. We made them about incommunicable to execute. First, you lot had to win using just special moves. Try this with Sub-Zero where sliding is his simply damage-causing special motion. So we created insane button sequences; not besides crazy that they weren't believable merely crazy enough that they were difficult to pull-off. It took merely nether a week for kids to come rushing into Electronics Bazaar, adamant that they saw a "Fruit-and-Vegetabality" in action. Nosotros'd mockingly explicate that we fabricated the whole thing upwardly to meet how long before some moron came to the store to effort and find the codes. The funny part is that they didn't believe u.s.a., they were 100% convinced that the "Fruit-and-Vegetabalities" were real and we were either liars or wrong. People are dumb.
Related
Source: https://huguesjohnson.com/features/mk2_rankings/home_versions.html
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