It's hard to believe we are coming up to the 25th anniversary of this! I was anxiously anticipating this game. I got the Genesis version and my friend Steve got the SNES. I think we both felt like we got the better version.
This is a good article I just read on it.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/0 ... d_nintendo
Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
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VideoGameCritic
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Retro STrife
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Re: Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
That was definitely an interesting read, and somehow I never heard of the Mortal Monday marketing campaign as a kid. Although it's on multiple systems, I've always considered Mortal Kombat to be a Genesis series. It fit better with the edgier vibe of the Genesis - and I think it plays better on the Genesis too - so the SNES versions are more of an afterthought to me.
I only recently learned about the actual making of Mortal Kombat within the past few years. I knew that real actors portrayed the characters in photographs and whatnot. But I figured that the characters in the games were digital models of them, with motion-captured technology used to create the fighting in the game. But as I've since learned, motion capture did not exist then and it's actually a video taped version of the actors digitized into the game. Each actor was videotaped doing all of their moves. Then the video of each move was digitized and added into the game. So if you're in a match playing as Johnny Cage and you press the "punch" button, you're actually telling the game to play the video of the actor Dan Pesina punching. It’s sorta like each button press is initiating a different video clip, which seem like fluid animation when strung together. Maybe that is common knowledge, but to me it blew my mind that that technology existed at the time.
Speaking of the 25th anniversary, I've met a few of the actors over the years at a gaming convention in CT. The latest convention was just this past weekend. They're funny and down to earth when talking about the games, and - most surprisingly - still in better shape than most guys in their 20s despite being in their 50s now. (Only problem is the crazy prices they charge for an autograph and photo...come on guys, you're not famous.) Here's a random photo I found from the convention, along with my SNES MKII that I had signed:
I only recently learned about the actual making of Mortal Kombat within the past few years. I knew that real actors portrayed the characters in photographs and whatnot. But I figured that the characters in the games were digital models of them, with motion-captured technology used to create the fighting in the game. But as I've since learned, motion capture did not exist then and it's actually a video taped version of the actors digitized into the game. Each actor was videotaped doing all of their moves. Then the video of each move was digitized and added into the game. So if you're in a match playing as Johnny Cage and you press the "punch" button, you're actually telling the game to play the video of the actor Dan Pesina punching. It’s sorta like each button press is initiating a different video clip, which seem like fluid animation when strung together. Maybe that is common knowledge, but to me it blew my mind that that technology existed at the time.
Speaking of the 25th anniversary, I've met a few of the actors over the years at a gaming convention in CT. The latest convention was just this past weekend. They're funny and down to earth when talking about the games, and - most surprisingly - still in better shape than most guys in their 20s despite being in their 50s now. (Only problem is the crazy prices they charge for an autograph and photo...come on guys, you're not famous.) Here's a random photo I found from the convention, along with my SNES MKII that I had signed:
- IMG_8656.jpg (77.4 KiB) Viewed 1203 times
- IMG_8654 2.jpg (30.32 KiB) Viewed 1203 times
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ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
If only we could back to a time when the worst thing edgelords did to other gamers was trigger a scene of cartoon gore drawn all over pictures of an actor pretending to be a ninja.
You'd thank them for the service, and consider it the best possible use of your quarter.
When Mortal Monday was announced, it just felt IMPORTANT, in a way that was completely ridiculous. It dominated misplaced priorities, in a way many of our parents and gamers with better taste (or more experience with the actual game) could never hope to understand. I mean, it even made the Game Gear look like a portable supercomputer. Most of us were not in a position to directly compare that port to the arcade. Just seeing it at school?
And being allowed to play it?
It was like that infamous scene in the Wizard, with the Power glove, except it really did feel that bad*ss. Especially if you were the only one who knew the cheat codes to uncensor it.
...in retrospect,, my Leave it to Beaver style nostalgia is weird as Hell.
You'd thank them for the service, and consider it the best possible use of your quarter.
When Mortal Monday was announced, it just felt IMPORTANT, in a way that was completely ridiculous. It dominated misplaced priorities, in a way many of our parents and gamers with better taste (or more experience with the actual game) could never hope to understand. I mean, it even made the Game Gear look like a portable supercomputer. Most of us were not in a position to directly compare that port to the arcade. Just seeing it at school?
And being allowed to play it?
It was like that infamous scene in the Wizard, with the Power glove, except it really did feel that bad*ss. Especially if you were the only one who knew the cheat codes to uncensor it.
...in retrospect,, my Leave it to Beaver style nostalgia is weird as Hell.
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JustLikeHeaven
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Re: Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
@RetroStrife - I'm assuming you went to the RetroWorld Expo in CT this past weekend. I was there and saw all the Mortal Kombat actors too.
We really need to meet up at this thing one year!
We really need to meet up at this thing one year!
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Retro STrife
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Re: Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
JustLikeHeaven wrote:@RetroStrife - I'm assuming you went to the RetroWorld Expo in CT this past weekend. I was there and saw all the Mortal Kombat actors too.
We really need to meet up at this thing one year!
For sure. I'm there every year, both days. I'm a big fan of that particular convention and have been going since it first started.
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CharlieR
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Re: Mortal Kombat Monday 1993
This is a great series, and my favorite in the fighting genre. I played the original a lot, and was pretty good, but I was never really great at the other 2d games. I do enjoy the 3d games a lot, and deadly alliance was one of my favorites.