---

If you ever found yourself (justifiably) complaining about modern video games and their tendency to rely on downloadable content or act as a live-service type of game, it would be wise not to carry that line of thinking into the sentiment that this is strictly a modern gaming phenomenon. Sure, you weren't going to be plugging an Ethernet cable into your Super Nintendo and getting patches for Super Mario World, but what this led to instead was a fair amount of titles that would instead receive updates in the form of completely new games. This was especially prevalent in the arcade fighting game scene—your mind surely went to Street Fighter II by now—but was present in contemporary rival Mortal Kombat as well.

Take its third entry, released originally in 1995, 3 years after the series debut. Just months after its arcade release and weeks after it reached home consoles, there was Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, an updated version that returned some new characters and a few new features. And less than a year later, with another home console release, Midway would finally settle on Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the third and final expanded version of MK3—so called for its inclusion of all the content from the previous two numbered entries.

Perhaps that's a bit unfair to Mortal Kombat Trilogy; after all, it doubled the original game's character count, from 16 fighters on the original arcade release to 32 on the PS1 release. This is also the first entry that was exclusively released to home consoles, and in terms of content (sorry, kontent), it's the definitive version, with every stage returning from MK1 and 2. Sure, there may be more clone characters than the usual fighting game might have—many characters play identically to others and are only distinguished via a color palette swap or their special moves—but it's more excusable with such a large cast.

Trilogy also adds some pretty cool secret and boss characters to the roster, which no doubt was appealing to those who had been defeated by them at the arcades dozens of times before. It also adds a healthy amount of split-screen options, adding options for tag team matches or pseudo-tournaments of up to 8 players. This is probably where most of the playtime goes for these home console versions, and while it's not as robust as it could be, it certainly gets the job done and makes for an entertaining evening of semi-serious gory mayhem.

Speaking of gory mayhem, if you were into the Mortal Kombat series for its trademark selection of over-the-top finishing moves, then Trilogy is likely to be your cup of tea, being the first in the series to feature Brutality kills and a whole other slew of violent or comedic (or both?) options. The aggressor bar is another new addition but falls more into the realm of indifference, as fights are almost certain to end prior to it filling up for either player. That's one of Mortal Kombat Trilogy's weaker points; most fights are over extremely quickly, and it only takes 2 or 3 full combos to take opponents down. A health modifier or slider would have gone a long way towards extending the game's versatility, as well as viable play styles.

This is an arcade game, of course, and it was mostly ported over without many core gameplay changes, so it makes sense the game encourages quick bouts that are usually over in a matter of seconds. But with loading times as they are, it's not an exaggeration to say you might spend as much time waiting for a fight as you spend in the fight itself.

And if you decide to try the single-player mode, especially on some of the harder difficulties, you'll learn a whole other meaning of "nearly direct arcade port." Higher-level opponents and bosses are notorious for reacting to your moves almost before you can input them, and more than anything, it forces players to adopt a reactive rather than proactive fighting style to get over many of the AI opponents. This also means long periods of standing around, waiting for your opponent to finally make a move you can counter with. It should also be said that this game is not ideal on a PlayStation controller, especially one with no analog stick. This can inhibit the game's single-player mode even further, though it should be said that it levels out in multiplayer mode.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy was the last proper 2D entry in the series, and thus, the last to utilize the real-life actor-based digitized sprites; it's fitting that it mostly functions as a compendium for the entire series history up to its release. While it lacks some improvements that other arcade titles made to their home console releases, and the 5th generation controllers didn't make for the best input options, it's still a relatively competent fighting game with a lot of history behind it. If you want to play one of the original Mortal Kombat titles on home consoles, there aren't many reasons not to pick Trilogy; just be sure to bring a friend along to maximize your enjoyment.

---

Click Here To Go Back!