| Platform Reviewed | Sony Playstation |
| Genre | Side View Fighting Game |
| Number of Players | 1 to 2 |
| Multiplayer Value | Good |
| Length | Short to Moderate |
| Difficulty | Variable |
| Skills Required | Fast Twitch Hand Eye Coordination |
| Interface Devices | Sony Joypad |
| Interface Design | OK, but special techniques are extremely difficult to execute |
| Programming | Excellent |
| Game Design and Playability | Excellent, save for the difficulty of some actions |
| Type Of Fun | Senseless Violence and Mayhem |
| Replay Value | High |
| Overall Value | High |
| Quality | Arcade Perfect |
| The Best | The game is Arcade Perfect. All the gore money can buy. Golden moments of carnage. |
| The Worst | More of the same, little innovation. Some characters look overweight and less superhuman. |
| How much would I be willing to pay for this | 55 Bucks |
Description:
Mortal Kombat 3 is a hyper-violent side view fighting game. Digitized graphics and elaborate death sequences are the trademark of this series, along with a dose of humor.
Story:
In the third installment of the Mortal Kombat series, Shao Khan has breached the walls that separate his universe from our own, and has invaded the earth. Despite possessing the souls of most of the population of our world, Shao Khan must be properly spanked and sent bawling home to his rinky-dink dimension.
Review:
The Playstation version of Mortal Kombat 3 is perhaps the most arcade perfect of all versions. The control (difficult as always, my complaint with the series) is true, all features are intact, and nothing has been censored. All of the humor and wall splattering crimson pleasure fans have come to crave from the Kombat series is here. A Toasty good time of mindless carnage is guaranteed.
I have but a few minor complaints with Mortal Kombat 3. One is that I had hoped for a greater level of innovation. There is little here that the astute player has not seen before. Another complaint is that certain characters have been changed somewhat, and in this author's opinion, not for the better. The undead warrior Sub-Zero (One of my favorites) is without his mask, and appears to be portrayed not by a slender martial artist, but by a chunky sales clerk from a sporting goods store. Disappointing.
I miss certain other characters, but hold hope for them to appear later in the game. I am not entirely pleased with some of the new characters, feeling a lack of creativity to be the problem. Overall, I am displeased with the actors, I expect my martial artists to look slender, strong, and quick. Too many of these folks seem to hit Winchell's right after the Dojo.
The sound is excellent, although some of the backgrounds seem a little tame. These issues are all with the game itself, the Playstation version is beyond reproach. If you intend to Kombat for the third time, you can do no better than the Playstation version.
Jennifer Diane Reitz is a Game Designer and Computer Artist, and one of the founders of Happy Puppy. She is the creator of numerous games and software products, including Boppin' , Shark Chums, Elsewhere, and many others. She has worked for such companies as Activision, Sculptured Software, Epyx, SRI, and Electronic Arts, and founded Accursed Toys. She has been active in the computer gaming industry since it's earliest days. She considers games to be works of artistic merit and achievement, and views computer entertainment as the most important media of our era.