Mortal Kombat II

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Mortal Kombat II is an arcade game and the second title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Storywise, it is supposedly preceded by , but (in recent times), the canon of that game has come into question, so (for many), Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is not canon to the story of Mortal Kombat II, and is more of a what-if story.

Contents

Characters and cast

New characters

Baraka (Richard Divizio): Tarkatan warlord.
Jax (John Parrish): A member of the U.S. Special Forces and a longtime comrade of Sonya Blade, who enters the tournament to rescue her from Shao Kahn.
Kitana (Katalin Zamiar): Shao Kahn's personal assassin and step-daughter.
Kung Lao (Anthony Marquez): Shaolin monk and best friend of Liu Kang, who seeks to avenge the destruction of the Shaolin Temple.
Mileena (Katalin Zamiar): Shao Kahn's personal assassin.
Reptile (Daniel Pesina): Shang Tsung's personal bodyguard. Reptile appeared in the original Mortal Kombat, but this is the first game where he is playable and contains his own moveset.

Returning characters

Johnny Cage (Daniel Pesina): Hollywood movie star who joins Liu Kang in his journey to Outworld.
Liu Kang (Ho Sung Pak): The Shaolin monk who is the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. Travels to Outworld to seek revenge for the death of his fellow monks.
Sub-Zero (Daniel Pesina): The younger and merciful brother of the original Sub-Zero, sent to assassinate Shang Tsung.
Scorpion (Daniel Pesina): The Hell-spawned spectre who returns to the tournament to once again assassinate Sub-Zero, the man who murdered his family long ago.
Shang Tsung (Dr. Phillip Ahn, M.D.): The evil sorcerer who has convinced Shao Kahn to spare his life after losing the last tournament, with a new evil plan to appease his master Shao Kahn, who in turn also restores Tsung's youth, making him more mobile and agile.
Raiden (Carlos Pesina): The Thunder God who returns to Mortal Kombat to stop Shao Kahn's evil plans of taking the Earthrealm as for his own.

Non-playable characters

Jade (Katalin Zamiar): An Outworld assassin who cannot be hit by projectiles. Childhood friend and protector of Kitana.
Kano (Richard Divizio): Cameo appearance in "Kahn's Arena" stage.
Kintaro (Stop-motion): Shokan warrior, general of Shao Kahn's army, and Goro's successor and best friend. Though Kintaro is not a normally playable character, it is possible to perform a Fatality in which Shang Tsung briefly morphs into Kintaro and punches the opponent in half.
Noob Saibot (Daniel Pesina): Evil dark ninja, a lost warrior from a previous Mortal Kombat. His true identity would be revealed in .
Shao Kahn (Brian Glynn, voiced by Steve Ritchie): the Emperor of Outworld.
Smoke (Daniel Pesina): Sub-Zero's friend from the Lin Kuei, emits puffs of smoke from his body.
Sonya Blade (Elizabeth Malecki): Cameo appearance in "Kahn's Arena" stage.

Boss and Sub-Boss

Boss

Shao Kahn

Sub-Boss

Kintaro

Storyline

Following his defeat, Shang Tsung begs his master, Shao Kahn, to spare his life. He tells Shao Kahn that the invitation for Mortal Kombat cannot be turned down, and if they hold it in Outworld, the Earthrealm warriors must attend. Kahn agrees to this plan, and restores Tsung's youth. He extends the invitation to Raiden, who gathers his warriors and takes them into Outworld. The tournament is dangerous, as Shao Kahn has the home field advantage, and an Outworld victory will unbalance the furies and allow Outworld to subsume Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat II follows Mortal Kombat and precedes Mortal Kombat 3.

It seems to have been replaced storywise by Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, though many argue that this game has many contradictions to the events in the Mortal Kombat storyline, and, as such, should not be considered canon.

New to the series

Raiden and Baraka fight on the Dead Pool stage.

As Midway's technology and experience improved, they increased the resolution of their characters and stages and improved the character designs. The series' story begins to flesh out in this game as well.
This would be the first arcade game (as well as Mortal Kombat title) to use William's DCS sound system. All Mortal Kombat arcade games to follow would use this sound board, dropping the original Mortal Kombat's inferior Yamaha sound board.
MKII's characters have multiple Fatalities and more special moves, and stage Fatalities have been added for the Pit II, the Kombat Tomb and the Dead Pool.
In addition to more Fatalities, MKII also introduces the Babality (turns your opponent into a diaper-clad infant) and Friendship (do something nice to your opponent rather than kill them) finishers.
Dropped the Test Your Might minigame.
Eliminated the scoring system, and instead measured progress only by consecutive matches won.

Kombat zones

There are a total of ten different backgrounds to fight on:

The Dead Pool - When an opponent is defeated on this stage, he/she can be uppercutted into the acid bath, burning away the flesh and leaving just a skeleton behind.
Kombat Tomb - When an opponent is defeated on this stage, he/she can be uppercutted into the spikes on the ceiling.
Wasteland
The Tower
Living Forest
The Armory
The Pit II - When an opponent is defeated on this stage, he/she can be uppercutted off the bridge where they will meet their demise on the rocky bottom below.
The Portal
Kahn's Arena
Goro's Lair - Returning from the original Mortal Kombat, this stage is only accessible when the player is fighting one of the hidden opponents.
The Blue Portal (only Sega Mega Drive/Genesis) - This stage is used instead of Goro's Lair when fighting the hidden opponents.

Characters live backgrounds

Reptile in The Living Forest
Baraka in Wasteland
Shao Kahn and Kintaro in Kahn's Arena

Jade, Smoke and Noob Saibot in The Living forest.

Easter eggs

Dan "Toasty" Forden in Mortal Kombat II (arcade version).

In the arcade version, the 250th two-player game would unlock a session of the arcade classic Pong.
After landing a strong uppercut against the opponent, the face of sound designer Dan Forden would appear in the lower-right corner of the screen and shout, "Toasty!" The "Toasty" shout had originated from Scorpion's finishing move. He would remove his mask, to reveal a (sometimes) fiery skull, and would spit fire at his opponent. This is randomly demonstrated in the new game "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks" for his fatality. In the Portal stage, if the player very quickly held down and hit the start button before Dan's head left the screen, they would then instantly begin a new stage against a secret character named Smoke, a grey recolor of Scorpion. In the Mega Drive/Genesis version, this image is monochrome, rather than full color, allegedly due to memory restrictions. However, there is also an alternate Toasty image: By activating the cheat menu in the options screen, Dan Forden is replaced by a crudely drawn sprite inserted by one of Probe Entertainment's (the team responsible for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version) programmers. This image, apparently drawn by the programmer's son, was intended as an alternative graphic that was simple enough to work around the restriction, while also connecting the game to Probe, rather than Midway. However, in the final code, the sprite wasn't used. In all cases, the "Toasty!" sound remains unchanged. Toasty has become one of the best-known video game easter eggs, among the likes of dopefish. Many games have included their own versions of Toasty, such as StepMania, in which a character pops out and sings "Toasty!" after a long combo of perfects. The sample was also used in the Medieval Madness pinball. Even Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has gotten into the act; he could be heard occasionally warbling "Toasty!" in response to explosions in Midway's 1994 Aerosmith-starring rail shooter Revolution X.
Another secret character was named Jade, a more dangerous green recolor of Kitana and Mileena. To fight Jade, a player would have to defeat their opponent before the mystery "?" stage using nothing but low kicks. In the Living Forest stage, both Smoke and Jade could sometimes be seen peeking from behind the trees as a clue to their existence as hidden characters.
If the player won 50 consecutive fights he/she would come face to face with the black ninja Noob Saibot, which originates from the last names of the lead designer John Tobias and lead programmer Ed Boon spelled backwards.
After knocking the victim into the acid pool, if the player holds down on the joystick, Dan Forden will say "Ow-a" or something similar.
Press down on any joystick during the attract mode to bring up the top 15 players.
On the Kombat Tomb stage, if the player holds down on both joysticks immediately after knocking the victim into the spikes, the victim will gradually slide down the spikes.
Two non-existent hidden characters were "Torch", and "Hornbuckle." In Mortal Kombat II 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 given the name "Hornbuckle" by fans. One of Jade's hints was "Hornbuckle who?", which led many to believe that Hornbuckle was the name of Liu Kang sprite. In the game's credits, one can see that one of the programmers' last names is Hornbuckle. Opposite of Hornbuckle was "Torch" on the Pit II, a humanoid character that appears 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 MK2. This character was dubbed Cloak by fans, and was assumed to be a hidden character. "Torch," who had been very popular with fans, eventually made an appearance as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Unfortunately, due to trademark issues regarding the name, The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, he was renamed Blaze. The true identity of Cloak was revealed in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks to be one of Shang Tsung's servants, a shadow priest.
At the start-up of the SNES version, if the player holds down the L and R buttons, the screen with the Acclaim Entertainment logo has a red background instead of black, and it starts a mini-parody in which Shao Kahn walks out and calls the Acclaim logo "a weak, pathetic fool," to which Kintaro comes down and does his stamping move on the logo. The logo is in ruins, Kintaro jumps off and growls, and Shao Kahn says, "all too easy." The start-up resumes as normal.

Tricks to try

On the Dead Pool stage, with Sub-Zero or Shang Tsung morphed into Sub-Zero, deep freeze the opponent (F-F-D-HK) and then proceed to shatter the victim (F-D-F-F-HP) but press LP + LK immediately. If done correctly, the screen will turn dark and the victim will fly into the acid (see first pic on right) This trick also works with Johnny Cage's Head uppercut (F-F-D-U).
On the Dead Pool stage after uppercuting your opponent into the acid hold down on the joystick and you will hear a sound like aww wah or something like that if you timed it correctly
On the Kombat Tomb stage using Sub Zero or Shang Tsung morphed into him, deep freeze your opponent and quickly enter your level fatality code and uppercut them into the spikes.
On the Kombat Tomb stage hold down on the joystick immediately after knocking your opponent up into the spikes and he/she will slip off the spikes and fall to the ground
On the Armory stage, with Reptile or Shang Tsung morphed into Reptile, do the tongue fatality (B-B-D-LP) and watch the floor move.
With Shang Tsung, morph into Sub-Zero and keep deep freezing the victim till you morph back. Then quickly morph into Jax and do the head smash fatality. The colour map of the victim will get screwed up.
Many interesting fatalities can be created using Shang Tsung/SubZero. Try turning into Sub Zero, doing the deep freeze, turn back into Shang Tsung, then Liu Kang, then do the dragon fatality. The dragon will then turn into Liu Kang, and immediately back into Shang Tsung.
On the final battle with Shao Kahn, catch him with Kitana's fan lift when the timer runs out in the winning round. The machine will play the exploding sound of Shao Kahn and then it will lock up. A good way to earn a free credit.
Using Sub-Zero deep freeze your opponent then input his Ice Grenade Fatality the colour and mapping of him/her should screw up

Trivia

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Mortal Kombat II is usually considered the best game in the series.
Mortal Kombat II was so popular when it hit the arcades that several of the machines were later installed with deadlock security panels on the back to prevent thieves from ripping the game's motherboard straight out of the machine and taking it home (pictures of an arcade fitted as such are available as unlockable images in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance).
After the low sales of the SNES version of the first game against the Mega Drive/Genesis version, Nintendo didn't censor the blood and fatalities as they did before in the US and UK SNES version of Mortal Kombat, although they slapped a warning label in the front of the game box. The Japanese version is censored to a degree, with green blood for all fighters, as well as the screen colors turning black and white for fatalities. Despite this, the SNES version sold much better than any other version and was considered at that time the best port of the arcade version until the 32x port arrived.
Mortal Kombat II's levels and overall place within the Mortal Kombat timeline serve as the basis for the action/adventure game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.
Mortal Kombat II was re-released (although far from arcade-perfect) in 2004 as a part of Midway Arcade Treasures 2. It also saw a release on the Sony PSP in , although this version suffered some graphic and sound bugs. It is also unlockable via a secret code in the game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks in identical quality to the edition released in Midway Arcade Treasures 2.
In Japan, Mortal Kombat II was released on the PlayStation. This version is extremely rare, and commonly goes for over $100 on eBay.
Ed Boon's face was superimposed onto the trees for the Living Forest stage.
The famous "Toasty!" was originally "You're Toast!", which later evolved into "Toasted!", and then, "Toasty!" The former two were not actually used in the games.
There are many similar voices for the characters in this game. Liu Kang has his own unique voice, Kitana and Mileena each have the same voice, and all the other characters share have the same type of voice.

Amiga version issues

The Amiga home edition of Mortal Kombat II was ported by a company called Probe Software, who had also ported the original Mortal Kombat to the Amiga as well as another Midway-produced fighting game , Primal Rage. It is largely believed that all three games were produced using the same basic game engine. Unfortunately, the updated version of the engine used for the Amiga version of MK-II contained several glitches.

The game would usually freeze at or not long after the "Round 1" announcement for the first match of the game (or alternatively, freeze during a Demonstration match against the computer). The game would also freeze following Shao Kahn's defeat, usually as he was about to shatter.
Unless a Demonstration Match was allowed to play first, the order in which the player would face opponents would always remain the same, invariably starting with a match with Kung Lao.
A glitch in the software code used to handle the "DIAGNOSTICS" cheat menu meant that the menu could be unlocked by typing the entire alphabet three times in a row (this also works in the Amiga port of the first game, where typing the entire alphabet from A to U enables the cheat menu).
The game featured exceptionally long load times, not helped by the fact that the game was spread over three 3.5" floppy disks (four in an unofficial leaked version) with no official method for installing the game to a Hard Drive. This was circumvented by the unofficial release of two Hard Drive installer programs, one for the official retail release, one for the leaked "pirate" version (more unofficial installers have been released since from various sources). The menu options for the leak installer contained crass language and abuse directed at both Midway and Probe for the poor quality of the port. In addition to which, memory restrictions (most likely caused by the leaked version installer placing the entire game data in the Amiga's RAM Disk) meant that certain elements of the game were missing, notably some of Shao Kahn's speech, the smoke graphic caused by Reptile's acid spit and for Smoke himself), and various speech samples and sound effects.
The option to have up to 30 Kredits is available from the main "OPTIONS" menu without any cheat codes, as opposed to being hidden in the "DIAGNOSTICS" cheat menu (unlikely to be intentional, as cheat codes for other versions of MK-II and MK3 unlock a similar option).
Jade can be fought by simply defeating the preceding character in one round without any special requirements.

Character bios and endings

Baraka

Bio: He led the attack against Liu Kang's Shaolin temples. Baraka belongs to a nomadic race of mutants living in the wastelands of the Outworld. His fighting skills gained the attention of Shao Kahn who recruited him into his army.

Ending: Known for his unpredictable actions and wild fits of anger, Baraka goes on a rampage. After defeating the earth warriors, he attacks Shang Tsung, Kintaro and finally Shao Kahn himself.

After defeating Shao Kahn, Baraka's race of mutants rise from the wastelands and rebel against what is left of Kahn's army. They eventually win, and the Outworld comes under the rule of king Baraka.

Jax

Bio: His real name is Major Jackson Briggs, leader of a top US special forces unit. After receiving a distress signal from Lt. Sonya Blade, Jax embarks on a rescue mission. One that leads him into a ghastly world where he believes that Sonya is still alive.

Ending: Jax finds Sonya held captive alongside their arch enemy Kano. Her only chance of escape is by Jax entering Shao Kahn's contest. With fierce determination he catches the Outworld Warriors off guard and wins the Tournament bringing Shao Kahn's rule to a crashing halt.

During the Chaos that follows, Jax and Sonya escape through the dimensional gate from which they entered. Kano once again eludes capture but Jax and Sonya know they will cross paths with him in the future.

Johnny Cage

Bio: After Shang Tsung's tournament, the martial arts superstar disappears. He follows Liu Kang into the Outworld. There he will compete in a twisted tournament which holds the balance of earth's existence- as well as a script for another blockbuster movie.

Ending: After disappearing from the set of his latest movie, Cage finally resurfaces. He used all his knowledge and experiences as a fighter to end the Outworld menace. Now heralded as a true hero, Cage receives the respect he rightfully deserves.

He also gets his inspiration for the sequel to his blockbuster movie Mortal Kombat. MK II is released and quickly becomes the greatest motion picture event of all time. Cage realizes that MK III is inevitable.

Kitana

Bio: Her beauty hides her true role as personal assassin for Shao Kahn. Seen talking to an earth-realm warrior, her motives have come under suspicion by her twin sister Mileena. But only Kitana knows her own true intentions.

Ending: As a result of her years of work as an assassin, Kitana has learned many secrets, especially about her past. She discovers that Mileena is not her twin but a grotesque clone created by Shang Tsung.

She learns that her parents were former rulers of the Outworld overthrown by Shao Kahn. Determined to take back what is hers, she must defeat Kahn. She does so by entering the tournament. She reclaims her parents' castle and restores the Outworld to a realm of beauty.

Kung Lao

Bio: A former Shaolin Monk and a member of the White Lotus society, he is the last descendant of the Great Kung Lao who was defeated by Goro 500 years ago. Realizing the danger of the Outworld menace he joins Liu Kang in entering Shao Kahn's contest.

Ending: A former Shaolin Monk alongside Liu Kang, Kung Lao also grieves the loss of their Shaolin brothers. He realizes that his ultimate fate lies within the dark realm of the Outworld. He defeats his Outworld opponents until he emerges the supreme champion.

With his strength and spirit in complete alignment he finally avenges the death of his great ancestor. Although his greatest challenges lie ahead...

Liu Kang

Bio: After winning the Shaolin Tournament from Shang Tsung's clutches Kang returns to his temples. He discovers his sacred home in ruins, his Shaolin brothers killed in a vicious battle with a horde of Outworld warriors. Now he travels into the Dark Realm to seek revenge.

Ending: With his Shaolin temple in ruins, Liu Kang journeys into the Outworld, enters Shao Kahn's tournament and unleashes a fury that does not end until the defeat of Shao Kahn. Liu Kang then returns to the seclusion of his Shaolin temple.

He pays his respects to his lost brothers and finally realizes that the events which have taken place were all fulfillment of his destiny.

Mileena

Bio: Serving as an assassin along with her twin sister Kitana, Mileena's dazzling appearances conceal her hideous intentions. At Shao Kahn's request she is asked to watch for her twin's suspected dissension. She must put a stop to it at any costs.

Ending: Once thought to be Kitana's twin sister, Mileena is actually a grotesque clone created by Shang Tsung. With Shao Kahn's suspicions of Kitana's motives, Mileena seizes the opportunity to attack Kahn and his minions.

Caught off guard, they are no match for Mileena's speed. She wins the tournament and together with her secret companion, Baraka, they rule the world as king and queen.

Raiden

Bio: Watching events unfold from high above, the thunder god realises the grim intentions of Shao Kahn. After warning the remaining members of the Shaolin Tournament, Raiden soon disappears. He is believed to have ventured into the Outworld alone.

Ending: Familiar with Shang Tsung's lies and Shao Kahn's brutality, Raiden accepts their challenge to compete in an Outworld tournament. He is well aware of their scheme to unbalance the furies and invade the earth realm. Raiden vows to use all his might to end their treachery.

By winning the tournament, Raiden destroys Shao Kahn and all his minions. He also destroys the dimensional gates which would have been their passageway to the earth realm.

Reptile

Bio: As Shang Tsung's personal protector the elusive Reptile lurks in the shadows stopping all those who would do his master harm. His human form is believed to disguise a horrid reptilian creature whose race was thought extinct millions of years ago.

Ending: Reptile has always loyally served as Shang Tsung's protector. While maintaining a very low profile in the first tournament he discovered Tsung's plot to force the remaining members of his near extinct race into slavery under Shao Kahn's rule. Reptile then devises a plan of his own.

He enters the Outworld tournament, defeats Shao Kahn and turns against Shang Tsung, ending his master's scheme. Now his race can live on in their own peaceful existence.

Scorpion

Bio: The hell-spawned spectre rises from the pits. After learning of Sub-Zero's return, he again stalks the ninja assassin - following him into the dark realm of the Outworld where he continues his own unholy mission.

Ending: Upon learning of Sub-Zero's reappearance, Scorpion enters Shao Kahn's tournament. He witnesses Sub-Zero spare the life of an opponent and realises that this is not the same Sub-Zero who murdered him so long ago.

He lets the ninja live and goes on to defeat the Outworlders in their unholy contest. With the defeat of Shao Kahn, he discovers a new purpose for his existence. He becomes the guardian of the new Sub-Zero to atone for murdering his older brother.

Shang Tsung

Bio: After losing control of the Shaolin Tournament, Tsung promises his ruler Shao Kahn to shape events that will lure the earth warriors to compete in his own contest. Convinced of this plan, Shao Kahn restores Tsung's youth and allows him to live.

Ending: Shang Tsung not only turns against and defeats both Kintaro and Shao Kahn, he also takes over their rule of the Outworld. With Shao Kahn's armies at his command, he finally unbalances the Furies, and weakens the dimensional gates between the Outworld and the Earth Realm.

Along with his elite group of sorcerers he uses this weakness to march a never-ending horde of demons onto the earth and doom its inhabitants to eternal darkness. Have a nice day.

Sub-Zero

Bio: Thought to have been killed in the Shaolin Tournament, Sub-Zero mysteriously returns. It is believed he travelled into the Outworld to again attempt to assassinate Shang Tsung. To do so he must fight his way through Shao Kahn's tournament.

Ending: When Sub-Zero failed to return from the Shaolin tournament and rumor of Shang Tsung's survival reached the Lin Kuei clan, they immediately sent another assassin to complete the task. This new warrior is actually the younger brother of the original Sub-Zero.

He enters the outworld contest and accomplishes his task. He learns of Scorpion's foul vendetta against his brother but will never know why his life was spared. Perhaps a third tournament is in his future?

Ports

External links

Official Websites:

[Mortal Kombat Official Site]

Other Websites:

[Mortal Kombat II] at MobyGames

The Mortal Kombat Universe

Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat II | Mortal Kombat 3 | Mortal Kombat 4 | ' | ' | ''

Updates and Ports

Adventure Games

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