Lost Classics: Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PS1, Saturn, N64, PC)

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is a home console exclusive version of Mortal Kombat 3, designed for the Playstation and Nintendo 64, with Sega Saturn and PC versions being made available a year later and being ports of the Playstation version (meanwhile, the Genesis and SNES got crappy ports of Ultimate MK3 while the Saturn got a ‘just okay’ version of UMK3). It’s intention was to basically close out the current storyarc, as Ed Boon and company was beginning work on Mortal Kombat 4. It does so in a pretty big way, as Raiden and Johnny Cage (among others) were added to the cast so that players could play as every character who was ever in a Mortal Kombat game. Many of the characters have new moves that were never before seen in any previous MK, such as Baraka’s spinning blades and Kung Lao’s dive. There was a new character, Chameleon (on the PS1) or Khameleon (if you played on N64). This character could randomly switch between any of the palette-swapped ninjas (male for PS1 and female for N64) and adopt their movesets. There are also several battlegrounds from MK2 thrown in. The PS1 version of the game has a few select levels from MK1.

Speaking of which, there are a number of differences between the PS1 and N64 version. While you have unlimited continues in the disc versions, you have to unlock it in the N64 version. Also, while disc players have access to both versions of Sub-Zero, the N64 has Classic Sub-Zero with the moves of both classic and new Sub Zero. While all the characters are available from the start in the disc-based versions of the game, you need a kombat code to unlock Human Smoke and Khameleon on the N64. Also, in the PS1 version of the game, you can play as old school MK1/2 versions of Kano, Raiden, Jax, and Kung Lao, and you can also play as all four bosses. The N64 has a new arena, along with a 3 on 3 team battle mode.

While this wasn’t a perfect package (there are a number of glitches in both versions and the AI is ridiculously brutal), this was still a great way to end the MK saga, as MK4 would indeed sever as a ‘new beginning; of sorts.