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Mortal Kombat Gold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mortal Kombat Gold | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Eurocom |
| Publisher(s) | Midway |
| Series | Mortal Kombat |
| Release date(s) | September 9, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | BBFC: 18 ESRB: Mature (M) |
| Platform(s) | Sega Dreamcast |
- MKG redirects here. For the Muskegon County Airport with IATA Code MKG, See "Muskegon County Airport".
For the person with the same initials, see Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Mortal Kombat Gold is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series. It is an updated version of Mortal Kombat 4 and is identical in many ways. It was the first Mortal Kombat game to appear on a sixth-generation platform. It was released exclusively on the Sega Dreamcast. All the fighters were the same from Mortal Kombat 4, with a few additional characters returning. The entire Mortal Kombat Gold game was created in less than one year.
This game also includes new levels not seen in Mortal Kombat 4 and a new weapon select mechanism. As for gameplay, aside from the added characters, Mortal Kombat Gold plays identically to Mortal Kombat 4.
Contents |
Mortal Kombat Gold did not feature any characters new to the series, but it did bring back several characters that were absent from Mortal Kombat 4. These additional characters were Kitana, Mileena, Cyrax, Kung Lao, Baraka, and one secret character, Sektor.
The returning characters from Mortal Kombat 4 were Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Reiko, Jarek, Raiden, Tanya, Scorpion, Kai, Reptile, Fujin, Shinnok, Quan Chi, Goro, and the secret character Noob Saibot.
Secret, hidden characters were accessible by using a code on the player select screen. The hidden characters were Sektor, Noob Saibot, and Goro. In addition, a cheat code allowed a bloody skeleton to replace any character, adopting his or her moves and fatalities. This skeleton, used otherwise as a template in various fatalities in the game, is known as Meat, although the character was not named in the game.
Belokk was a character thought to have been in the game and accessible by cheat code, but was actually cut from the finished version.[1][2] However, the developer of the game, Eurocom, accidentally sent information about the game with Belokk in it to Game Informer, and as a result, six screenshots of him were leaked to the public.[1] Ed Boon stated that the character did not make it into the final game because the developers did not have time to finish him.[3] When rotating Tanya's character box for an alternate costume, it reveals a question mark. It was rumored that the question mark was to represent Belokk had he really been implemented into the game. It was questioned why Tanya's box did that, but it was just added to the list of glitches and errors in Mortal Kombat Gold.
- Shinnok is the boss character in both Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat Gold. Unlike some previous Mortal Kombat games, this game allows the player to readily play as the boss character.
- Goro is the sub-boss appearing before Shinnok. He is only playable through a cheat code.
Although Gold's storyline is identical to Mortal Kombat 4''s, the official strategy guide for the game misprinted unused bios for the six new returning characters, causing some confusion among fans.[4] Among these were:
- Baraka dying at the hands of Kung Lao and reviving, hence the scar and metal staples on his body. This was retconned as his surviving Kung Lao's attack, as stated in an unlockable photo of his and Mileena's Mortal Kombat Gold character renders in Mortal Kombat: Deception.[5]
- Kitana being the only survivor after Shinnok's invasion of her homeworld slaughtered the rest of her family, including Sindel.
- Mileena coming out of hiding during Shinnok's invasion and using it as her chance to take revenge on Kitana.
- Cyrax being rescued by Special Forces agents Jax and Sonya and reprogrammed to fight against Shinnok. Apparently this, albeit unused, profile would be later acknowledged in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
Cyrax's story in Mortal Kombat Gold described him as being recovered by the Lin Kuei from the desert,[6] but then later seeking out the help of the Outer World Investigation Agency with the intention of restoring his humanity. However, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's Konquest mode retcons this, foregoing the Lin Kuei completely and simply having Cyrax being recovered from the desert by the Outer World Investigation Agency.[7]
Despite appearing on a 128-bit system, Mortal Kombat Gold did not receive high marks for visual quality even though its character models for the fighters themselves were of higher quality than those seen in the home console ports of MK4. Game Revolution reviewed the game poorly as "The graphics are inexcusably horrible," and "it's quite a depressing let-down on Sega's 128-bit masterpiece, especially when compared to Soul Calibur." The weapons that characters can use during the game are "dull and uninteresting," and often have little to do with the character as every weapon is "either a sword, axe, or club."[8] IGN had similar bad reviews about Mortal Kombat Gold. In response to the poor weaponry, "readying your weapon is a slow process in which you can be hit any number of times during the attempt." Although they commented on the improvements from previous Mortal Kombat games, the lack of depth was considered somewhat inexcusable.[9] In other ways, due to loading times (even during battles, particularly in the case of Shinnok's impersonations) and glitch-laden effects, its quality was actually poorer.
A second revision of the game, known as version 2.0, was released about a month after the initial release intending to address some of the major issues in it.[10][11] This version fixed the most severe bugs and glitches in the game and added VMU support, which allowed saving to work properly. The revision is identifiable by a red tinted disc, as opposed to the original's gold tint, and a green sticker saying "Hot! New!" placed on the instruction manual cover.
- ^ Eurocom. Interview with GameSpot. Mortal Kombat Gold Interview. 1999-07-09.
- ^ Belokk Misses the Cut. The Realm of Mortal Kombat (1999-08-04). Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ MortalKombat.Com's Fight Night 1999. Mortal Kombat Online (1999-08-25). Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ Cain, Joe (1999). Mortal Kombat Gold: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-2329-4.
- ^ "Baraka has metal staples holding the two halves of his body together. Apparently he recovered from Kung Lao's fatality." The Krypt – MK Gold: Baraka and Mileena. Mortal Kombat: Deception, Midway Games, 2004.
- ^ "Cyrax is finally rescued from his desert prison by the Lin Kuei." Cyrax's Bio. Mortal Kombat Gold, Eurocom, 1999.
- ^ "Cyrax had no further instructions and shut down in a barren desert. He was recovered by Special Forces agents Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs." Cyrax's Konquest Mode Text. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Midway Games, 2002.
- ^ Mortal Kombat Gold review. Game Revolution (1999). Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ IGN Staff (1999-10-08). Mortal Kombat Gold review. IGN. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ Mortal Kombat Gold. Whip Ass Gaming. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ Revised Mortal Kombat Gold in Stores Now!. The Realm of Mortal Kombat (1999-10-11). Retrieved on January 6, 2007.