SNES

Mortal Kombat 3

Of course it doesn't look or sound as goods as the Playstation version, but for 16-Bit it sure did a good job. The combos and techniques work relatively well and play close to the arcade original. It's strongest point is the addition of tons of special options and flags letting you do a multitude of things from playing as the bosses to toggling fatality time. Graphically, it won't leap out as you if you're used to the PS version, but it plays well with only a few snags.

Converting a mammoth arcade game like MK 3 to the 16-bit Super NES is no easy task and Williams has done a respectable job of keeping all the key elements intact. With more games of this quality, the SNES will go out with a band, not a whimper.

The first two Mortal Kombat games were wildly popular, but this third edition proved the series was running out of gas. There are new fighters, backgrounds, and secrets, but the gameplay is arguably a step down from MK2. The new fighters are pretty dull compared to the mysterious ninjas that marked the first two games. Fan favorites like Scorpion have been replaced with "cyborg" robots, and in the ultimate travesty, Sub Zero has been unmasked! The backgrounds sport a more urban flavor, which are infinitely less interesting that the surreal settings of the past games. A new "run" button has been added, but it's fairly useless. Mortal Kombat 3 marked a sharp decline in the series, and the franchise would not return to popularity until Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance (Xbox, 2002).