Arcade Video game published 26 years ago:
Mortal Kombat II (c) 1993 Midway Mfg. Co.
Mortal Kombat II is a direct sequel to the 1992 original featuring new fighters (increasing the character roster from 7 to 12) and improved graphics.
As with its predecessor, MKII's matches are divided into rounds, with victory awarded to the first player to win two rounds. At the point of defeat, the losing fighter will become dazed and the winner is given the opportunity to execute a 'finishing move'.
Some of the standard fighting moves (moves shared by all characters) have now been expanded or enhanced. A crouching punch has been added and the 'roundhouse kick' is more powerful and now knocks opponents across the screen. Also, the difference in hit boxes between high and low kicks is now more marked.
Additionally, returning characters gain new special moves and MKII marks the first appearence of multiple Fatalities - as well as additional, non-lethal finishing moves - in the series. In addition to the Fatalities of its predecessor, MKII offers 'Babalities' (turning a defeated opponent into a crying baby), 'Friendships' (a non-malicious interaction, such as dancing or giving a gift to the defeated opponent) and stage-specific Fatalities (the winner uppercutting their opponent into an abyss below, spikes above, or a pool of acid in the background).
Each character still shares generic attributes - speed, power, jump height and airtime - albeit with differing hit boxes. The sequel drops the points system of its prequel in favour of a consecutive win tally.
- TECHNICAL -
Midway T Unit hardware
Main CPU : TMS34010 (@ 6.25 Mhz)
Sound CPU : ADSP2105 (@ 10 Mhz)
Sound Chips : DMA-driven (@ 10 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 5
=> [1] High Punch, [2] Block, [3] High Kick
=> [4] Low Punch, [5] Low Kick
- TRIVIA -
Mortal Kombat II was released in June 1993 in USA.
MKII was the first Midway release to use the DCS Sound System.
'Noob Saibot' backwards spells 'Boon' and 'Tobias' who are the names of the principle game designers.
'Jax' was originally supposed to be in the original "Mortal Kombat" game and named Kurtis Stryker. Jax was then moved to MKII and the Stryker character debuted in "Mortal Kombat 3".
'Kintaro' was originally intended to be a humanoid tiger, similar to the creature in Japanese mythology. This idea was scrapped, however, due to the fact that creating the costume would not have been feasable. However, thanks to this original idea, the Shokan we know as Kintaro has the tiger stripes on his back.
Real life : Philip Ahn, who played the regenerated Shang Tsung, is in fact a doctor.
Three of the cast members for MKII filed a lawsuit against Midway shortly after the game was released. The claim? The physical instructors/martial artists Elizabeth Malecki (Sonya Blade), Catalin Zamiar (Kitana/Milenna) and Philip Ahn were under the impression that they were hired under typical acting contracts and were entitled to a small modicum of benefits including royalties of title sales, etc. The plaintiffs banded together against Midway, who took the case to court. Eventually the judge failed on Midway's behalf, citing that the work done by the plaintiffs for Midway was done strictly as a 'work-for-hire' and Midway owned all the property and benefits on the characters/titles/etc. As a consequence, all three left the project, and were recast for "Mortal Kombat 3".
SFII / MK2 : both games were supposed to be released within weeks of each other (at this time, "Street Fighter" and "Mortal Kombat" were the dominant fighting games). Capcom released "Super Street Fighter II - The New Challengers" early so that they could attract fans away from MK. At the same time, Midway released MK2 early for similar reasons. As you can see, the result meant that both came back to square one.
One of Jade's clues references Chun Li from Street Fighter "Chun who?"
'Friendships' and 'Babalities' (see 'Tips And Tricks' section for more info) in MKII were used in making light of the violence controversy in the first "Mortal Kombat" game.
Two non-existent hidden characters were 'Torch', and 'Hornbuckle'. In MKII there is a location called 'The Pit II'. Far in the background of this stage there is another bridge across the chasm. Standing stationary on this bridge are two fighters : one of them is a Liu Kang sprite with green pants who was named Hornbuckle by fans. One of Jade's hints was 'Hornbuckle who?', which people thought was the name of a hidden fighter, and was apparently given to the guy opposite 'Torch' on The Pit II. If you watch the ending credits, one of the programmers' last names is Hornbuckle. The other fighter is a humanoid character that seems to be made of fire. As these two characters never move, it has been suggested that the 'other fighter' is actually a funeral pyre. Finally, there is a cloaked figure who floats in front of the window during fights in The Tower and Portal stages in MKII. This character was dubbed Cloak by fans, and was assumed to be a hidden character. The character of Torch, who had been very popular with fans, eventually showed up as a playable character in "Mortal Kombat : Deadly Alliance". Unfortunately, due to trademark issues, he had to be called Blaze instead of Torch. The true identity of Cloak was revealed in "Mortal Kombat : Shaolin Monks" to be one of Shang Tsung's servants, a shadow priest.
The head that occasionally appears after an uppercut and says 'Toasty' is the digitized head of Dan Forden who worked on the sound and music for the game.
Ed Boon's face was superimposed onto the trees for the Living Forest stage.
Jimmy Cardenas holds the official record for this game with 282,000 points.
Midway released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Mortal Kombat II: Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack - 123770-C1) on December 1, 1993.
An arcade-perfect emulation of this game is an unlockable feature in "Mortal Kombat - Shaolin Monks" for the Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft XBOX.
Popular pirate hacks of MK2 are known as:
"Mortal Kombat II 4.2"
"Mortal Kombat II 9.1"
"Mortal Kombat II Challenger.."
- UPDATES -
REV. 1.1 :
* First version released to the public even though unfinished.
* Free Play on by default.
* Contained almost all moves but not many fatalities (certain characters have none, Babalities/Friendships/Stage Fatalities missing completely).
* Kintaro and Shao Kahn very difficult to beat.
* Shao Kahn, Kano, and Sonya missing from Kahn's Arena stage.
* No ending stories.
* Several sounds missing (Sub-Zero's freeze, Baraka's blade swipe, All of Shao Kahn)
* Kung Lao is extremely buggy, walls can block hat toss.
* Shang Tsung had the ceiling walk bug.
* Could beat Kintaro by just punching the entire match.
* High score missing (Longest Winning Streaks).
* Certain characters use alternate colors by default.
* It says "Battlezone" instead of "Kombat Zone" at the bottom of the 2-player Vs. screen.
* You cannot throw the CPU.
* Fight ladder is static.
* Player 2 always has the 2nd palette.
* P2 Button 6 crashes the game (not used).
* Briefly locks up/No announcement if character(s) remain unchosen.
REV. 1.4 :
* Mileena's ground roll move added.
* Kung Lao's aerial kick added.
* Player 2 now has the 2nd palette only in 'Mirror Matches'.
* Sub-Zero could do the first part of the freeze-uppercut fatality during the match.
* Danger indicator added.
* Longest Winning Streaks added
REV. 2.0 :
???
REV. 2.1 :
* First 'official' release version.
* Intro text slightly changed.
* It now says "Kombat Zone" at the bottom of the 2-player Vs. screen.
* Reptile's slide added.
* Shao Kahn, Kano, and Sonya added to background in Kahn's Arena stage (Shao Kahn is only seated on the throne when he is not fighting).
* Ending story and credits added.
* Computer intelligence improved.
* Nearly all fatalities were added.
* Friendships and babalities were added.
* The Pit II/Kombat Tomb fatality was added.
* Smoke and Jade were added.
* Kintaro and Shao Kahn became easier to defeat.
* Could keep Kintaro and Shao Kahn up in the corner by using repeated punches.
* Could crash the game through baby brutalization.
* Doing Shang Tsung's soul stealing fatality against Jax could sometimes crash the game.
REV. 3.0 :
???
REV. 3.1 :
* More amounts of blood added.
* Dead Pool fatality added.
* Noob Saibot added.
* Raiden's super uppercut fatality added.
* Kung Lao's friendship added.
* Pictures of the creators added after the credits.
* Revolution X and DCS ads added.
* Comic and CD offer shows picture of CD.
* Computer intelligence increased.
* Computer has ability to do missile weapons in the air.
* Multiple babality problem fixed.
* Repeated punches in the corner against Kintaro fixed.
* Kitana's multiple fan lifts in the corner fixed.
* Sub-Zero freeze - punch - freeze - punch... fixed.
REV. 3.2
* European release only ?
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Secret EJB MENU:
Press P1_BLOCK (5 times), P2_BLOCK (10 times), P1_BLOCK (2 times), P2_BLOCK (8 times), P1_BLOCK (2 times)
* Display Top Fifteen Players : press down on any joystick during the attract mode.
* Disable throws in Versus Mode : hold Down+HP on player one and two's controls after both fighters have been selected. A message will confirm correct code entry.
* Fight against Jade : progress through the game until the match that precedes the '?' match. Defeat your opponent using just low kicks. Jade will now be your opponent during the '?' match.
* Fight against Noob Saibot : win 50 consecutive matches.
* Fight against Smoke : in a 2UP game, press Down+Start when Dan says 'Toasty' on The Portal stage.
* "Pong" : accumulate 250 battles at the versus screen. Both players can play the Pong mini-game.
* Random character : press Up+Start at the fighter selection screen without moving the selection box from its original position.
* Fatality - REPTILE :
1. (jump distance) Back(x2), Down, LP - Reptile shoots his tongue towards the victims head, bringing it back where he goes about eating it.
2. (you must be invisible - close) Forward(x2), Down, HK - While invisible Reptile cuts the torso off the victim.
* Fatality - SUB ZERO :
1. (far) hold LP, Back(x2), Down, Forward, release LP.
2a. (one step distance) Forward(x2), Down, HK - Sub-Zero will ice the victim over, putting them in a deep freeze.
2b. After deep freezing the victim, press Forward, Down, Forward(x2), HP - Sub-Zero will shatter the top part of the body.
* Fatality - SCORPION :
1. (two step distance) hold Block, Up(x2), release Block, HP - Scorpion removes his mask and breathes fire at the feet of the victim, which then twitches and explodes.
2. (anywhere) hold Block, Down(x2), Up(x2), release Block, HP - With the addition of the two downs at the beginning, Scorpion may do the fatality at any distance, and always get the "Toasty!".
3. (close) hold HP, Down, Forward(x3), release HP - Scorpion slices the victim across the neck then cuts them in two.
* Fatality - JOHNNY CAGE :
1. (close) Down(x2), Forward(x2), LP - Cage grabs the victim and rips their torso off, throwing it to the ground.
2a. (close) Forward(x2), Down, Up. Cage crouches and punches off the head of the victim with a powerful uppercut.
2b. To knock off three heads, hold Down+LP+HK+Block until the first head is knocked off.
* Fatality - BARAKA :
1. (close) Back(x4), HP - Baraka extends his blades from his arms, then decapitates the victim with one swipe.
2. (close) Back, Forward, Down, Forward, LP - Baraka stabs the victim and lifts them up, then they slowly slide down the blade.
* Fatality - KUNG LAO :
1. (one step Distance) Forward(x3), LK - Kung Lao removes his razor hat and slices the victim down the middle.
2. (far) hold LP, Back(x2), Forward, release LP, Up - Kung Lao throws his hat which decapitates the victim. Make sure to guide the hat up so it hits the head.
* Fatality - RAIDEN :
1a. (close) hold LK for 3 seconds and release - Raiden grabs the victim and lifts them up, then proceeds to shock them.
1b. After a dose of the shock treatment, press Block+LK repeatedly - The victim will explode into bits.
2. (close) hold HP (soon before the 'Finish Him') for 5 seconds and release - Raiden explodes the top half of the victim with a powerful uppercut. A few moments later the head falls to the ground.
* Fatality - JAX :
1. (close) hold LP, Forward(x3), release LP - Jax claps the victims head with a loud pop, and the skull crumbles in pieces to the ground.
2. (one step distance) Block(x4), LP - Jax grabs the victim by the arms and rips them off the body.
* Fatality - LIU KANG :
1. (close or one step distance) hold Block, 360 degrees - Liu Kang will do a cartwheel kick then a massive uppercut.
2. (close) Down, Forward, Back(x2), HK - Liu Kang will transform into a dragon and bite the victim in half, leaving the legs standing.
* Fatality - KITANA :
1. (close) Block(x3), HK - Kitana draws her fan and decapitates the victim with one swipe.
2. (close) hold LK, Forward(x2), Down, Forward, release LK - Kitana leans and kisses the victim, which then expands to unnatural proportions and explodes.
* Fatality - MILEENA :
1. (close) hold HK for 2 seconds and release - Mileena removes her mask revealing Baraka-like teeth and inhales the victim, spitting out the bones.
2. (close) Forward, Back, Forward, LP - Mileena repeatedly stabs the victim, lifting them up as blood sprays everywhere.
* Fatality - SHANG TSUNG :
1. (one step distance) hold HK for 4 seconds and release - Tsung turns into a mist and enters the victims body, which explodes.
2. (close) hold Block, Up, Down, Up, release Block, LK - Tsung picks up the victim with one hand, and drains their life force into his other hand.
3. (one step Distance) hold LP at the round start and release it 3 seconds after the 'Finish him' - Tsung turns into Kintaro, who punches the torso of the victim across the screen.
* Fatality - level 'Dead Pool'
All players : (close) hold (LP+LK), (Down+HP).
Oh Woah! : hold Down.
* Fatality - level 'Kombat Tomb' and 'Pit II' :
REPTILE : (close) Down(x2), Forward(x2), Block.
SUB ZERO : (close) Down(x2), Forward(x2), Block.
SCORPION : (close) Down(x2), Forward(x2), Block.
JOHNNY CAGE : (close) Down(x3) HK.
BARAKA : (close) Forward(x2), Down, HK.
KUNG LAO : (close) Forward(x3), HP.
RAIDEN : (close) hold Block, Up(x2), release Block.
JAX : (close) hold Block, Up(x2), release Block, Down, LK.
LIU KANG : (close) Down, Back, Forward(x2), LK.
KITANA : (close) Forward, Down, Forward, HK.
MILEENA : (close) Forward, Down, Forward, LK.
SHANG TSUNG : (close) Down(x2), Up, Down+Block.
* Spikes Trick : Hold Player1 and Player2 Down at the end of the stage fatality in the Kombat Tomb to send the character down from the spikes.
* Finish him - Friendship (don't use LP and HP during the last round)
REPTILE : (anywhere) Back(x2), Down, LK - Reptile attempts to sell you a Reptile doll.
SUB ZERO : (anywhere) Back(x2), Down, LK - Sub-Zero attempts to sell you a Sub-Zero doll.
SCORPION : (anywhere) Back(x2), Down, HK - Scorpion attempts to sell you a Scorpion doll.
JOHNNY CAGE : (anywhere) Down(x4), HK - Cage autographs his photo for his best fan.
BARAKA : (anywhere) hold Block, Up(x2), release Block, Forward(x2), HK - Baraka offers the victim a present.
KUNG LAO : (anywhere) Back(x3), Down, HK - Lao pulls a rabbit out of his hat.
RAIDEN : (anywhere) Down, Back, Forward, HK - Raiden creates Kidd Thunder, a miniature likeness.
JAX : (anywhere) Down(x2), Hold Block, Up(x2), release Block, LK - Jax creates a string of paper dolls.
LIU KANG : (anywhere) Forward, Back(x3), LK - A disco globe drops from the ceiling, and Kang gets down.
KITANA : (anywhere) Down(x4), hold Block, Up, release Block, LK - Kitana turns around and produces a cake with candles.
MILEENA : (anywhere) Down(x3), hold Block, Up, release Block, HK - Mileena grows a flower beneath her outstretched hand.
SHANG TSUNG : (anywhere) Back(x2), Down, Forward, HK - Tsung creates a rainbow above his head.
* Finish him - Babality (don't use LP and HP during the last round)
REPTILE : (anywhere) Down, Back(x2), LK.
SUB ZERO : (anywhere) Down, Back(x2), HK.
SCORPION : (anywhere) Down, Back(x2), HK.
JOHNNY CAGE : (anywhere) Back(x3), HK.
BARAKA : (anywhere) Forward(x3), HK.
KUNG LAO : (anywhere) Back(x2), Forward(x2), HK.
RAIDEN : (anywhere) Down(x2), hold Block, Up, release Block, HK.
JAX : (anywhere) hold Block, Down, Up, Down, Up, release Block, LK.
LIU KANG : (anywhere) Down(x2), Forward, Back, LK.
KITANA : (anywhere) Down(x3), LK.
MILEENA : (anywhere) Down(x3), HK.
SHANG TSUNG : (anywhere) Back, Forward, Down, HK.
- SERIES -
1. Mortal Kombat (1992, Arcade)
2. Mortal Kombat II (1993, Arcade)
3. Mortal Kombat 3 (1995, Arcade)
4. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995, Arcade)
5. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 [WaveNet Edition] (1995, Arcade)
6. Mortal Kombat Trilogy [Model SLUS-00330] (1996, PS)
7. SUB-ZERO - Mortal Kombat Mythologies [Model SLUS-00476] (1997, PS)
8. Mortal Kombat 4 (1997, Arcade)
9. Mortal Kombat - Special Forces [Model SLUS-00824] (2000, PS)
10. Mortal Kombat Advance [Model AGB-AM5E-USA] (2001, GBA)
11. Mortal Kombat - Deadly Alliance [Model SLUS-20423] (2002, PS2)
12. Mortal Kombat - Tournament Edition [Model AGB-AW4E-USA] (2003, GBA)
13. Mortal Kombat - Deception / Mystification (2004, PS2)
14. Mortal Kombat - Shaolin Monks (2005, XBOX, PS2)
15. Mortal Kombat - Armageddon (2006, XBOX, PS2)
16. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008, PS3, 360)
17. Mortal Kombat (2011, PS3, 360)
18. Mortal Kombat X (2015, PS4, One)
19. Mortal Kombat 11 (2019, PS4, One, Switch)
- STAFF -
Design and software : Ed Boon
Design and graphics : John Tobias
Background graphics : Tony Goskie
Sound and music : Dan Forden
Additional graphics : John Vogel
Senior hardware technician : Sheridan Oursler
Executive producers : Neil Nicastro, Ken Fedesna
Hardware designers : Ray Macika, Pat Cox, Cary Mednick, Ray Gay, Al Lasko
DCS sound system : Matt Booty, Ed Keenan, John Lowes
Speechs : Steve Ritchie, Jon Hey, Vince Pontarelli, Dan Forden (TOASTY), Ed Boon
Game Testers / Specialists : Kerry Marzo, Eddie Ferrier, Jeff Johnson
* CAST :
Baraka : Richard Divizio
Liu Kang : Ho Sung Pak
Raiden : Carlos Pesina
Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Reptile and Scorpion : Daniel Pesina
Kitana and Mileena : Katalin Zamiar
Kung lao : Anthony Marquez
Shang tsung : Phillip Ahn M.D.
Jax : John Parrish
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[EU] Sega Master System (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model MK-29029-50]"
Sega Master System [BR] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model 028.530]" by Tec Toy
[US] Sega Genesis (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-81346]"
Sega Mega Drive [BR] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model 047070]" by Tec Toy
[EU] Sega Mega Drive (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-81346-50]"
Sega Mega Drive [AU] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Sega Platinum Collection]"
Sega 32X [US] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-8101B]"
Sega 32X [BR] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model 153010]" by Tec Toy
Nintendo Super NES [US] (sept.1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model SNS-28-USA]"
Nintendo Super NES [EU] (sept.9, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model SNSP-28-EUR]"
[JP] Sega Mega Drive (sept.9, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-8104A]"
[JP] Nintendo Super Famicom (nov.11, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken [Model SHVC-28]"
Sega 32X [EU] (mar.1995) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-8101B-50]"
Sega Super 32X [JP] (may.19, 1995) "Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken [Model T-8104A]"
[EU] Sega Saturn (1996) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-8103H-50]"
[US] Sega Saturn (mar.28, 1996) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-8103H]"
[JP] Sega Saturn (mar.29, 1996) "Mortal Kombat II Kanzenban [Model T-8107G]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (aug.2, 1996) "Mortal Kombat II [Model SLPS-00444]"
Sony PlayStation 2 [AU] (2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model MWO-3201W]"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model DOL-GAYE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (oct.11, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model SLUS-20997]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (oct.29, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2"
[EU] Sony PS2 (oct.29, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Model SLES-52844]"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [US] (apr.12, 2007)
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [EU] (june.8, 2007)
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [US] [EU] [AU] (aug.31, 2011) "Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection"
* HANDHELDS:
Sega Game Gear [US] (1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-81278]"
[US] Nintendo Game Boy (sept.1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model DMG-AMKE-USA]"
[JP] Sega Game Gear (sept.9, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Jinken [Model T-81107]"
[EU] Sega Game Gear (sept.9, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model T-81278-50]"
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy (oct.27, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II [Model DMG-AMKE-EUR]"
[JP] Nintendo Game Boy (nov.11, 1994) "Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken [Model DMG-AMKJ-JPN]"
[US] Nintendo Game Boy (nov.1997) "Mortal Kombat & Mortal Kombat II [Model DMG-AK2E-USA]"
[JP] Nintendo Game Boy (sept.10, 1998) "Mortal Kombat & Mortal Kombat II [Model DMG-AK2J-JPN]"
[US] Sony PSP (dec.13, 2005) "Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play [Model ULUS-10059]"
[EU] Sony PSP (feb.24, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play [Model ULES-00180]"
* COMPUTERS:
Commodore Amiga [US] [EU] (1994)
PC [MS-DOS, CD-ROM] [US] [EU] (1994)
PC [MS-DOS, CD-ROM] [US] (sept.10, 1998) "Mortal Kombat & Mortal Kombat II"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (feb.17, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (mar.17, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition" by Zoo Digital Publishing
PC [MS Windows, Online] [US] (aug.31, 2011) "Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection"
PC [Steam] [US] (feb.2, 2012) "Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection"
- CONTRIBUTE -
Edit this entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?&page=detail&id=1676&o=2
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