Mortal Kombat II

"MKII" and "Mortal Kombat 2" redirect here. For other uses, see Mark II and Mortal Kombat 2 (disambiguation).

Mortal Kombat II
Cover artwork for the home versions
Developer(s)Midway
Probe Software (MD/GEN, GG, GB, SMS, Amiga, DOS)
Sculptured Software (SNES)
Probe Entertainment (32X, SS, PS)
Sony Online Entertainment, Digital Eclipse, Backbone Entertainment (PlayStation 3)
Publisher(s)Midway
Acclaim Entertainment (home versions)
Producer(s)Ken Fedesna
Neil Nicastro
Robert Leingang, Robert O'Farrell, Billy Pidgeon (DOS)
Designer(s)Ed Boon
John Tobias
Programmer(s)Ed Boon
Brian O'Shaughnessy (DOS)
Artist(s)John Tobias
Tony Goskie
John Vogel
Terry Ford (DOS)
Composer(s)Dan Forden
Matt Furniss (Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Master System)
SeriesMortal Kombat
Platform(s)
Release
November 12, 1993
  • Arcade
    Game Gear, Sega Genesis, SNES
    • NA: September 9, 1994
    • EU: 1994
    Game Boy
    Amiga
    Master System
    32X
    MS-DOS
    • NA: May 16, 1995
    • EU: 1995
    Sega Saturn
    • NA: March 28, 1996
    • EU: 1996
    PlayStation
    • JP: August 2, 1996
Genre(s)Fighting game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemMidway T Unit

Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and PlayStation only in Japan, mostly in licensed versions developed by Probe Software (later renamed to Probe Entertainment for some ports of the game) and Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment (currently distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment).

It is the second main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 1992's Mortal Kombat, improving the gameplay and expanding the mythos of the original Mortal Kombat, introducing more varied finishing moves (including several Fatalities per character and new finishers, such as Babality and Friendship) and several iconic characters, such as Kitana, Mileena, Kung Lao, the hidden character Noob Saibot, and the series' recurring villain, Shao Kahn. The game's plot continues from the first game, featuring the next Mortal Kombat tournament set in the otherdimensional realm of Outworld, with the Outworld and Earthrealm representatives fighting each other on their way to challenge the evil emperor Shao Kahn.

The game was an unprecedented commercial success and was acclaimed by most critics, receiving many annual awards and being featured in various top lists in the years and decades to come, and also caused a major video game controversy due to the series' continuous depiction of graphic violence. It spawned a spin-off game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, had the greatest influence on the 2011 soft reboot game Mortal Kombat, and inspired numerous video game clones. Mortal Kombat II is often cited as one of the best video games ever made.

A sequel, Mortal Kombat 3, was released in 1995.

  1. ^ Petruno, Tom (November 10, 1993). "Redstone Spending His Loose Change on Game Maker". Los Angeles Times. p. D3 – via Newspaper.com.
  2. ^ Dietrich, Tamara (December 5, 1993). "Combating with Mortal Kombat II". Sunday Post-Star. p. F1. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Newspaper.com.
  3. ^ "Master System Review - Mortal Kombat II". Official Sega Magazine. No. 11. EMAP. November 1994. p. 96.
  4. ^ "Fact Files". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 68. Sendai Publications. March 1995. p. 122.