Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

 

Oh, did you think Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm was the first time Sub-zero and friends assaulted the medium of animation with a big fat stupid stick? Before the awful animated TV series, MK brought the absurdity straight-to-video...

After several years of meandering sequels, Mortal Kombat is finally going back to its roots. Just as Street Fighter IV reinvigorated Capcom’s flagging franchise, this year’s new Mortal Kombat hopes to kick-start a brand new chapter for the spine-tearing series. To ensure a successful reboot, developer NetherRealm has wisely chosen to focus on the three original games for inspiration; those three titles gripped arcades, sold millions on consoles and spawned TV shows, movies and comics, so it’s no surprise to see devs mimicking the glory days of the initial trilogy.

But before it erupted into a gaming powerhouse, Mortal Kombat was just one of countless Street Fighter II knockoffs itching for a chance in the spotlight. We’ll spend the most time on this title, then touch on how 2 and 3 set the stage for this year’s edition. Let’s begin in 1992 with…

Remember the story we did a while back on Bruce Lee clones? We can’t get enough kung fu, so we cut together this mashup tune from the extra footage we had lying around. Here are the results, in all their ear-splitting glory. Prepare yourself for the Kung Fu Soundwave!

Nothing looks like it or plays like it. Love it, hate it or simply fear it like Nintendo execs did in the early '90s, there's no denying that Mortal Kombat changed the world of videogames forever. Here are ten Mortal Moments you won't see anywhere else. Shang Tsung's Kintaro fatality The hardest of all MK2 fatalities. The technique involves holding the Low Punch button for the entire duration of the last round, then releasing it in the unlikely event of a victory. If somebody managed to do

Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks takes Midway's gory gut-spilling capers in a new direction, moving its fatality-laced fighting away from arenas and into the roaming realm of the adventure game.After some kung fu flexing of our fingers for an early hands-on report with Shaolin Monks - which - we caught up with the game's producer, Shaun Himmerick.Involved with the Mortal Kombat games since Deadly Alliance, Himmerick discussed the change in direction for the series, bringing MK II back to life and