THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 13, 1995 TAG: 9510130059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DANNY VALENTINI, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
ABOUT THREE YEARS after its initial release, ``Mortal Kombat'' is back.
Aptly named ``Mortal Kombat III,'' it makes its home-machine debut today for the major 16-bit platforms, including the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis entertainment systems.
It's no surprise that the critics are already out and about on this one, and their reviews of the arcade version's home twin, which was released earlier this year, are quite mixed. A sampling of opinions on the Internet's Mortal Kombat newsgroup, which can be reached at alt.game.mk, shows this.
``I happen to enjoy the game,'' says gamer Bill Wong. ``That, however, does not mean that it doesn't have flaws.''
Among the flaws Bill lists are the new fatality moves allowed to certain characters. He describes them as ``just annoying.''
``Yeah, fatalities really took a bad fall,'' says gamer Andrew Bryan. ``Mortal Kombat I, brutal slayings. In MKII, most of the fatalities were decapitations, though there were still some cool ones. . . . MKIII is just pathetic with all the fake body parts that don't look like they belong to anyone.''
``Because (this) is so stupid, I can't help finding myself laughing like mad when I see it. Maybe that means that it's not that bad after all,'' says Mark
Ridley, a gamer in England, describing a fatality from Kabal.
Bill also complains about the addition of animalities to the game. ``Poorly done eye candy,'' he says, ``and a waste of time and effort, since they add entirely nothing to the game.''
Among other flaws Bill cites are the new character concepts, bad costuming and wimpy boss characters. He adds that more powerful combo moves make the game too easy.
But despite these imperfections, many critics, including Bill and Andrew, still herald the game as worthwhile.
One of the most notable improvements over MKII would undoubtedly be the higher-quality graphics. Once again, the digitalization (conversion to computerized images) of live actors gives the game an unusually realistic look. Although this technique is used in many of the more recent head-to-head arcade fighting games, including Nintendo's hit ``Killer Instinct,'' MKIII continues to lead the way.
``For the record,'' Bill says, ``I think that the graphics in MKIII offer a substantial improvement over MKII. . . . The characters don't look nearly as plastic.''
Among other improvements that some have noted are fatalities of other characters, including Sonya's ``flame kiss.'' Other favorites are Stryker's ``common sense'' fatalities, including poking at his beaten adversary with a taser and wrapping his defeated opponent with dynamite (and the last one to say that it's a real blast has to par for everyone else's game. Just kidding!)
``Yes, if I tie you up with lots of explosives or zap you with a taser, you will be dead,'' Andrew says.
In the end, it seems that Acclaim, the maker of the MK series, has chalked up yet another winner with MKIII thanks to cutting-edge graphics and plenty of improved moves.
As Bill said, ``(What I don't like) may seem like a pretty hefty list, but I could easily come up with a longer and more substantial list of things I do like about the game.''
Regardless, local vendors are ready for the onslaught of MK fans wanting to buy the game.
``I expect it to be like all the past years'' when MK was released, said Jason Jones, store manager of Babbages Software at Chesapeake Square Mall. ``It will be a madhouse.'' MEMO: Danny Valentini is a junior at Kempsville High School.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Williams Entertainment Inc.
Fatalities in "Mortal Kombat III" are less realistic than in MK's
previous versions.
by CNB