Episode 447: Mortal Kombat
Added 2022-04-04 11:00:01 +0000 UTCWe've had a lot to say about Street Fighter II since it turned 30 last year (more SF 'casts are coming soon, BTW) but in 1992 Midway's answer to Capcom's fighting franchise made its debut and video games haven't been the same since. Yes, Mortal Kombat first appeared in arcades 30 years ago and shocked the world with its "realistic" violence due to its use of digitized actors instead of cartoon characters. Oh, and the fighters can murder each other, I should have led with that.
Where did Mortal Kombat come from? What pop culture milestones (besides Street Fighter II) inspired its creation? Who were the people behind the game, both on-screen and off? Host Diamond Feit, frequent host Stuart Gipp, and first-time guest David L. Craddock (author of the upcoming book Long Live Mortal Kombat) answer all these questions—and more!—in this week's heart-wrenching podcast. Think of us as you look at the moon!
Screaming edits by Greg Leahy, and bloody-good artwork by Nick Wanserski. Soulful songs in this episode (all from the original MK, unless otherwise noted):
- 10:48 - Journey: "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"
- 24:07 - Enter the Dragon (1973) OST: Sampans
- 38:07 - The Courtyard
- 44:58 - Continue? | Choose Your Fighter
- 1:00:54 - The Warrior Shrine
- 1:07:51 - The Palace Gates
- 1:18:19 - Goro's Lair
- 1:27:16 - The Pit
- 1:33:25 - The Pit Bottom / Throne Room
- 1:43:44 - SNES Version (1993): Throne Room
- 1:50:45 - Arcade Kollection (2011): Theme from Mortal Kombat
- 2:02:31 - Victory (Ending Theme)
- Closing - Austin Jons & The Immortals: "Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)"
Comments
Shockingly the GameBoy version of Mortal Kombat was my first one too.
takeshikitano3
2022-04-13 23:30:52 +0000 UTCFor the hosts, you can buy Mortal Kombat today; it's just that you need to buy an Arcade1up machine, whether that's that big 3/4 arcade machines or their Countercades. Not the same as having it on your Xbox, but it's an option.
David G
2022-04-08 14:33:24 +0000 UTCI love that the SNES version of MK1 made fighting Reptile a lot easier. All you needed was a double flawless and a fatality on the pit stage. They got rid of the no blocking requirement, and the silhouettes across the moon.
Michael Castleberry
2022-04-06 17:59:04 +0000 UTCI'm really happy this wasn't a 30 minute episode dumping on MK because it wasn't developed in Japan. I'm really tired of the "I never played an MK game, but I know they're all bad." arguments. Just because the SNES version played demonstrably worse than the Genesis port (with or without full on fatalities) doesn't mean every title in a 14+ game series is terrible by default. It also doesn't mean Boon and Tobias had some vendetta against Nintendo fans.
Virtual Balboa
2022-04-06 14:05:01 +0000 UTCBeing waiting for this Retronauts episode for years. Great work guys!
Angel S.
2022-04-06 09:11:20 +0000 UTCGreat episode and I will say, as someone who has always loved Street Fighter more…this recent trilogy of MK 9, X, and 11 has been one of my favorite experiences of the last decade in terms of video games between the improvements in the actual fighting and the absolutely fantastic story modes. Like you guys said in the pod, even if MK wasn’t as complex or deep of a game as a Street Fighter, they always cared about the backstory way more and that’s still paying crazy dividends all these years later!
James Krusling
2022-04-06 04:31:54 +0000 UTCThat was fantastic, thanks! Had the Genesis version, if I recall.
2022-04-04 19:09:36 +0000 UTCI first saw Mortal Kombat at a roller skating rink during a school trip. I didn't then and still don't understand why Scorpion was called Scorpion, but I don't think I've ever been as shaken as the first time I saw the Sub Zero fatality.
David G
2022-04-04 17:42:34 +0000 UTCIt’s been 16 years since Retronauts originally started and we’re just NOW getting a full Mortal Kombat game episode? The movie was covered back in 2012, but still
Alex Irish
2022-04-04 16:32:18 +0000 UTCYes, throws in arcades meant hands were thrown, too. Thems were the days
John Learned
2022-04-04 13:20:27 +0000 UTC
