Mortal Kombat 4 (version 3.0)

Arcade Video game published 22 years ago:

Mortal Kombat 4 (c) 1997 Midway Games

The 4th installment of the classic 'Mortal Kombat' series. New graphics, new fighters and a whole new challenge awaits you. Prepare to do battle and take on a whole new dimension.

- TECHNICAL -

Midway Zeus hardware

Main CPU : TMS32031 (@ 50 Mhz)
Sound CPU : ADSP2104 (@ 16 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) DMA-driven (@ 16 Mhz)

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 6

- TRIVIA -

Mortal Kombat 4 was released in September 1997 in USA. It was the first Mortal Kombat game to be rendered in 3-D. Many fans consider this game to be the weakest in the series.

In the pre-release trailers both Reptile and Fujin had God-O-Mite as a name in their lifebars.

Kitana was originally planned to be in Mortal Kombat 4. However, her color palette was changed to brown to make Tanya.

Noob Saibot was originally going to be in the arcade version of Mortal Kombat 4. He made an appearance in a few of the earlier versions of the game.

Unfortunately the game needed more new characters and so in beta version 5 (Release : September 2nd, 1997) Noob Saibot's place on the character select screen was taken by the Kano-like character Jarek. And so Noob Saibot skipped the first official release (known as Revision 1) of the game.

Noob Saibot also made an appearance in the first beta version (Released : September 26th, 1997) of the second official release of the game. In the second beta version, his place was taken by the newcomer, Reiko. This is unfortunately the last appearance of Noob Saibot in the arcade version of Mortal Kombat 4.

Like Kitana and Noob Saibot, Kano was also planned for MK4, however, due to there not being enough new characters in the game, they left Kano out of the roster and put Jarek instead of him.

Jarek directly had Kano's signature moves and fatalities, which caused a lot of complaints from fans simply born by the fact that there was nothing original in Jarek.

Midway / Toasty Productions released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Music: MK3 & MK4 Arcade Video Game Soundtrack) on January 1, 1997.

- UPDATES -

Beta 1 - July 25th, 1997
* The Special 'Road Tour' version of MK4.
* 9 Playable Characters : Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya, Liu Kang, Shinnok, Fujin, Raiden, Noob Saibot, and Quan Chi.
* 6 empty spaces
* Auto-Combo's are in the game. Usually some easy combination like 4 High Punches.
* Timer Frozen at '99' the entire match.
* No 1-player mode. 1-on-1 playing only.
* No moves or weapons in this version for Noob Saibot, Shinnok, and Quan Chi.
* Sub-Zero's Freeze and Clone effects not yet implemented.
* Many glitches in gameplay and sounds/graphics.
* The game crashed or reset itself every 10 minutes on average.
* For some reason, the machine didn't like it when you play as the same character as your opponent.
* Moves are extremely glitchy in the corner.

Beta 2 - August 9th, 1997
* Kai and Reptile are now selectable.
* 'Hidden' and 'Random' buttons on Select Screen now work.
* You can now fight against each other with the same character without the game locking up, however the corner glitches and camera problems continue.
* The Game Counter now works.
* The 'Wins' Counter still doesn't work, however there is a 'Top 20 Wins List'.
* Sub-Zero's freeze and clone effects now work correctly.
* Kai's name isn't on his powerbar, and his name isn't announced.
* Shinnok and Fujin get new select screen pictures.
* Noob Saibot, Quan Chi, Reptile, and Shinnok still have no moves or weapons.
* Kai has one move where he stands on his hands.
* Still no 1-player mode. 1-on-1 fighting only.

Beta 2.1 - August 10th, 1997
* A very small upgrade that simply fixed a few bugs in Beta Version 2.

Beta 3 - August 18th, 1997
* Tanya is now selectable.
* Auto-Combos removed.
* Shinnok's Impersonation moves added.
* Shinnok get a bladed staff, Quan Chi gets a straight edged sword, Tanya gets Sonya's spinning bladed wheel. Reptile and Noob Saibot still don't have any weapons.
* Quan Chi gets a new Green Skull move.
* 1-Player mode now available. The 'Choose Your Destiny' screen moves in full 3-D.
* Reptile and Shinnok still don't have moves.
* Tanya has one move, an air fireball.
* Kai now has a leg spin along with the leg grab when he gets in his handstand stance.
* A number of small revisions were made to this upgrade, fixing small bugs and glitches.
* Select screen switched around. Kai and Reptile are on top, and bottom row is moved around.

Beta 4 - August 22nd, 1997
* Tanya gets her fireballs, Kai gets his fireballs, Quan Chi gets new moves, Shinnok's Impersonations added, Reptile gets new moves, Noob Saibot gets a teleport and slam, and a few other new moves for various characters.
* 'The Living Forest' and 'The Prison' background stages added.
* Many of the glitches from previous upgrades have been cleared up, however the camera glitches and lockups continue to be a problem.
* Noob Saibot gets a spiked club.

Beta 5 (Ver 0.99) - September 2nd, 1997
* Jarek replaces Noob Saibot on the Select Screen.
* Jarek has 2 moves, a Cannonball and a Telekinetic Slam.
* Lots and lots of weapon changes. Kai and Reptile both have Shinnok's staff, Jerek has Raiden's hammer, and Sub-Zero no longer has his axe. Instead, he has some type of sword.
* No Boss, No Character Profiles, No Ending.
* Prison Stage Fatality added.
* Introduction Storyline with Raiden added, without speech.

Ver 1.0 - September 11th, 1997
* First OFFICIAL Release of MK4.
* Raiden's Introductory speech added.
* Only 2 Fatalities in this Version : Sub-Zero's Spine Rip and Shinnok's Leg Rip, where he first must impersonate Sub-Zero, then do the same movement as Sub-Zero's Spine Rip. This may have been an error on the part of the Design Team.
* An Error in the DIP switch settings, where switch one, labeled 'Fatalities ON/OFF' needed to be OFF in order for Fatalities to be shown.
* Prison Stage Fatality movements for most characters added.
* Camera lock-ups and glitches continue to be a problem, this late into development.

Ver 1.44 - September 26th, 1997
* 1st Beta Test of the next Official Release, Version 2.0
* Tested in Chicago only.
* The 3 Question Marks in the middle of the screen are now taken by Johnny Cage, Jax, and Noob Saibot.
* Interactive Background feature added : Scattered rocks in Goro's Lair and Decapitated Heads in the Furnace stages that the players can pick up and throw at each other.
* 3-D Sidestep added, which gives the player the ability to 'sidestep' projectiles by pressing D+RUN
* Computer AI increased
* Sub-Zero has a 'Freeze Wand' for a weapon, with which he can freeze you with. If your opponent picks it up, he can freeze you back.
* 'Danger' added (when you only have a sliver of life left)
* Character Introduction Biographies added, however still no endings.
* Shinnok is at the top of every tower, which denotes him as the
final boss.
* VS. Screen Added, Complete with VS. Screen Codes
* Characters can now throw and drop their weapons.
* Sub-Zero's Spine Rip from Version 1.0 doesn't seem to work in this version.

Ver 1.72 - October 13th, 1997
* 2nd Beta Test of the Official Release, Version 2.0
* Tested in Chicago only.
* 'Reiko' takes the place of Noob Saibot on the select screen.
* Endings have been added for everyone but Reiko.
* Raiden now has electricity flowing effects around him. It happens more often than it did in MK1.
* Sub-Zero's Spine Rip has been enabled again. A red stripe has been added to his face, which denotes that he's the Sub-Zero from MK3/UMK3.
* Sub-Zero can no longer freeze you with his freeze wand after a
breaker move.
* Scorpion has his 'Fire Breath' move, where he takes off his mask, and breathes a stream of fire straight out.
* Tanya has a boomerang for a weapon.
* Jax and Johnny Cage both have fireballs now.
* Jax has his Quad-Throw added.
* Shinnok has a Reiko Impersonation.
* Quan Chi gets a new select screen picture.
* Jarek has a new fireball, different from his previous one.
* A lot of things added to the Attract Mode, like an ad for MK : Mythologies and a 'Powered By : Zeus' ad.
* The game uses a new font for everything but the power bars, just like it was in MK3/UMK3.
* The MAXIMUM DAMAGE system added, which prevents you from doing any combo over 40% in damage.
* The computer draws, uses, throws, and picks up weapons quite effectively now.
* Alternate Color/Clothing system added, where you can do a certain button combination to change the color scheme of your character.
* Instead of the characters being direct palette (color) swaps as it was in MK3/UMK3, the characters now have small differences in their clothing. For example, Sub-Zero can either have his mask on or off, Liu Kang can either have his shirt on or off, etc.

Ver 2.0 - October 15th, 1997
* Second OFFICIAL release of MK4.
* Reiko's Ending Finished, although all he seems to do is walk through a portal in Scorpion's fire stage, and that's it.
* Many more Fatalities Added
* Basically the same as Version 1.72. Just a few bug fixes
here and there.

Ver 2.1 - October 17th, 1997
* Exactly the same as Version 2.0
* The only thing fixed was a nasty CPU bug which was making the computer extremely easy to beat, and even allowing someone to control the computer with the second controller. This was causing arcades to lose revenue, because the game was so easy that you could beat it within minutes to see the endings, then never play it again.

Ver 3.0 - January 20th, 1998
* 3rd and supposedly final OFFICIAL release of MK4.
* Had been testing for about a month in Chicago before going national.
* A 2nd Fatality for every character.
* Stage Fatality added to Goro's Lair where you uppercut them into spikes on the ceiling. Requires a different movement than the Prison Stage Fatality.
* Spiked balls added to the floors of the Purple Stage for throwing.
* Most bugs have been fixed, however camera flaws still exist,
especially in the Purple Stage.
* More Kombat Kodes added.
* New weapon for Johnny Cage.
* Fatality 'Demo' added at the beginning of the game. It shows fatalities being performed, and just before any killing is done, it fades to black and the 'Fatality' sign appears.
* More breakers have been added and switched around.
* Close Captions have been added to the endings for noisy arcades.
* The Combo System has been modified, and Air Combos and linkers are now possible.
* There was a glitch in Version 2.92 (A beta of Version 3.0) where
if you chose the 2-on-2 Kombat, then each player chose either Sub-Zero or Scorpion as 1 of their 2 characters, when the match began, one of each player's characters would be a bloody corpse! The skeletons would fight each other and everything. With the recent remark 'Meat Lives' made on Ed Boon's MK4 Page, the rumors have been flowing on if this corpse is secretly playable in MK4. Meat IS in fact playable in this version.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Alternate Costumes : enter one of the following codes at the character selection screen while highlighting that particular Character.
FUJIN : hold Start, then press LP + HP + HK
JAREK : hold Start, then press HK + HP + RN
JAX : Hold Start, then press RN + LP + BL
JOHNNY CAGE : hold Start, then press RN + LP + LK
KAI : hold Start, then press HP + BL + LK
LIU KANG : hold Start, then press HK + BL + LK
QUAN CHI : hold Start, then press HP + RN + HK
RAIDEN : hold Start, then press LP + BL + HK
REIKO : hold Start, then press RN + HP + LK
REPTILE : hold Start, then press LP + BL + LK
SCORPION : hold Start, then press HP + HK + BL
SHINNOK : hold Start, then press HP + BL + LP
SONYA : hold Start, then press LK + HP + RN
SUB-ZERO : hold Start, then press RN + BL + HP
TANYA : hold Start, then press HK + LK + HP

* SHINNOK : the Morphing list...
CAGE : Down(x2), HP
FUJIN : Forward(x2), Back, HK
JAREK : Back(x3), LK
JAX : Forward, Down, Forward, HK
KAI : Forward(x3), LK
LIU KANG : Back(x2), Forward, HK
QUAN CHI : Back, Forward, Back, Forward, LK
RAIDEN : Down, Forward(x2), HP
REIKO : Back(x3), Block
REPTILE : Back(x2), Forward, Block
SCORPION : Forward, Back, LP
SONYA : Forward, Down, Forward, HP
SUB ZERO : Down, Back, LP
TANYA : Back, Forward, Down, Block

* Fatality - CAGE :
1. Forward, Back, Down(x2), HK
2. Down(x2), Forward, Down, Block

* Fatality - FUJIN :
1. Run+Block(x5)
2. Down, Forward(x2), Up, Block

* Fatality - JAREK :
1. Forward, Back, Forward(x2), LK
2. Up(x2), Forward(x2), Block

* Fatality - JAX :
1. Hold (LK 3s), Forward(x2), Down, Forward, Release LK
2. Back, Forward(x2), Down, Block

* Fatality - KAI :
1. Hold Block, Up, Forward, Up, Back, HK
2. Up(x3), Down, Block

* Fatality - LIU KANG :
1. Forward(x3), Down, HK+LK+Block
2. Forward, Down(x2), Up,HP

* Fatality - QUAN CHI :
1. Hold (LK 5s), Forward, Down, Forward, Release LK
2. Up(x2), Down(x2), LP

* Fatality - RAIDEN :
1. Hold Block, Forward, Back, Up(x2), HK
2. Down, Up(x3), HP

* Fatality - REIKO :
1. Forward, Down, Forward, LP+Block+HK+LK
2. Back(x2), Down(x2), HK

* Fatality - REPTILE :
1. Hold (HP+HK+LP+LK), Up
2. Up, Down(x3), HP

* Fatality - SCORPION :
1. Back, Forward(x2), Back, Block
2. Back, Forward, Down, Up, HP

* Fatality - SONYA :
1. Hold Block, Down(x3), Up, Run
2. Up, Down(x2), HK

* Fatality - SUB ZERO :
1. Forward, Back Forward, Down, (HP+Block+Run)
2. Back(x2), Down, Back, HP

* Fatality - SHINNOK :
1. Down, Back, Forward, Down, Run
2. Down, Up(x2), Down, Block

* Fatality - TANYA :
1. Down(x2), Up, Down, HP+Block
2. Down, Forward, Down, Forward, HK

* Fatality - level ''Spike''
CAGE : Back, Forward(x2), LK
FUJIN : Back, Forward, Back, HP
JAREK : Back, Forward(x2), LP
JAX : Forward(x2), Back, HP
KAI : Back, Forward, Down, HK
LIU KANG : Forward(x2), Back, HK
QUAN CHI : Forward(x2), Back, LK
RAIDEN : Forward(x2), Down, LP
REIKO : Forward(x2), Down, LK
REPTILE : Down(x2), Forward, HK
SCORPION : Back, Forward(x2), LK
SHINNOK : Down, Forward, Back, HP
SONYA : Forward, Down, Forward, HP
SUB ZERO : Down(x3), LK
TANYA : Forward(x3), LP

* Fatality - level 'Fan'
CAGE : Down, Forward(x2), HK
FUJIN : Down(x3), HK
JAREK : Forward, Down, Forward, HK
JAX : Forward(x2), Back, LK
KAI : Forward(x2), Down, Block
LIU KANG : Forward(x2), Back, LP
QUAN CHI : Forward(x2), Down, HP
RAIDEN : Down, Forward, Back, Block
REIKO : Down(x2), Back, LP
REPTILE : Down, Forward(x2), LP
SCORPION : Forward, Down(x2), LK
SHINNOK : Down(x2), Forward, HK
SONYA : Down, Back(x2), HK
SUB ZERO : Hold Block, Down, Up(x3), Release Block, HK
TANYA : Back, Forward, Down, HP

* Hidden Character Meat : Enter 'Group Mode' and successfully complete the game with all 15 characters. After this has been accomplished, select any character and begin a match. Your character will play as Meat with all the moves of the character that was selected.

* Choose Your Destiny : Use Start button to rotate the tower before choosing it.

* Toasty 3- D: Hold Start during Scorpion's 'Breath of Death' fatality, and Dan Forden (MK4's Sound Programmer) will say 'Toasty! 3-D!'

* Goro's Lair Fatality Extras :
1. Hold Down on both joysticks after doing the Goro's Lair Fatality with any character, and the victim will slide off the spikes and fall back to the ground, a bloody mess.
2. Hold Start after doing the Goro's Lair Fatality with any character, and Dan Forden (MK4's Sound Programmer) will say his classic 'Toasty!'

* What Are You Waiting For : If you wait for an extended amount of time at the "Select Method of Kombat" screen, the announcer will say "What are you waiting for!?"

* Offensive Words : If you enter an offensive word at the 'Greatest Warrior is...' screen, such as 'DIK' or 'FUK', those initials will be replaced with MK co-creator Ed Boon's initials, 'TRA' or 'MAB'.

* Kombat Kodes : Enter one of the following kodes to activate the corresponding effect.
Kode 1: 111-111 "Free Weapon"
Kode 2: 100-100 "Throwing Disabled"
Kode 3: 444-444 "Armed and Dangerous"
Kode 4: 666-666 "Silent Kombat"
Kode 5: 050-050 "Explosive Kombat"
Kode 6: 222-222 "Random Weapons"
Kode 7: 123-123 "No Power ??"
Kode 8: 555-555 "Many Weapons"
Kode 9: 333-333 "Randper Kombat"
Kode 10: 060-060 "No Rain"
Kode 11: 002-002 "Weapon Kombat"
Kode 12: ???-??? "4 Player Randper Illegal"
Kode 13: 012-012 "Noob Saibot Mode"
Kode 14: 020-020 "Red Rain"
Kode 15: 010-010 "Maximum Damage Disabled"
Kode 16: 110-110 "Throwing and Max Damage Disabled"
Kode 17: 011-011 "Kombat Zone: Goro's Lair"
Kode 18: 022-022 "Kombat Zone: The Well"
Kode 19: 033-033 "Kombat Zone: Elder Gods"
Kode 20: 044-044 "Kombat Zone: The Tomb"
Kode 21: 055-055 "Kombat Zone: Wind World"
Kode 22: 066-066 "Kombat Zone: Reptile's Lair"
Kode 23: 101-101 "Kombat Zone: Shaolin Temple"
Kode 24: 202-202 "Kombat Zone: Living Forest"
Kode 25: 303-303 "Kombat Zone: The Prison"
Kode 26: 001-001 "Unlimited Run"

- 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 Team: Ed Boon, Dave Michicich, Todd Allen, Mike Boon, Steve Beran, John Vogel, Dan Forden, Mark Loffredo, Tony Goskie, John Tobias, Josh Tsui, Mark Penacho
Game Analysts/Testers: Alex Giliam, Paulo Garcia, Mike Vinikour, Eddie Ferrier
Executive Producers: Neil Nicastro, Ken Fedesna, Paul Dussault, Cary Mednick
Zeus Hardware: Mark Loffredo, Glen Shipp, Ken Williams, Pat Cox
Senior Hardware Technicians: Sheridan Oursler, Al Lasko, Leroy Brown, Rosalind Dugas
Additional Testing: Brian Lebaron
Motion Capture Talent: Rich Divizio, Carlos Pesina, Tony Marquez, Benny Ghofrani, Ed Boon, John Vogel, Sal Divita
Cabinet Design: Herman Sanchez, Nick Ehrlich, Dan Bigelow

* VOICE :
Sonya Blade : Kerri Hoskins
Sub-Zero : John Turk
Quan Chi : Richard Divizio
Jackson Briggs : John Parrish
Additional Voices : Brian Glynn, Robert Gaston, Mark Meyers

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
Nintendo 64 [US] (june.23, 1998) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model NUS-NM4E-USA]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (june.24, 1998) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model SLUS-00605]"
Nintendo 64 [EU] (sept.15, 1998) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model NUS-NM4P-EUR]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (oct.1998) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model SLES-01349]"
Sega Dreamcast [EU] (1999) "Mortal Kombat Gold [Model T-9701D-61]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (aug.31, 1999) "Mortal Kombat Gold [Model T-9701N]"

* HANDHELDS:
Nintendo Game Boy Color [US] (dec.1998) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model DMG-A4KE-USA]"
Nintendo Game Boy Color [EU] (apr.1999) "Mortal Kombat 4 [Model DMG-A4KP-EUR]"

* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows 9x, CD-ROM] [US] (jul.31, 1998)
PC [MS Windows 9x, CD-ROM] [EU] (apr.6, 2001)

- CONTRIBUTE -

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