Mortal Kombat (arcade, 1992) - playthrough on Arcade1Up countercade

Mortal Kombat shocked me when I first saw it in the arcade. It felt slower than Street Fighter 2, but entirely more believable. Its fatalities actually hurt...



In the video below, I finish the game on one credit (1cc clear), using Kano. I like playing as him because of his short-range, low-hitting jump kick. I also prefer his cannonball as a retaliatory move, because I can pull it off very quickly.

I've beaten the arcade version before, and it felt easier than the countercade, leading me to believe the countercade is revision 3.0 or newer. Opponents are less susceptible to descending jump kicks, but they are weak against rising retreating jump kicks.

I've included some interesting highlights of my playthroughs, after the game ends.

Arcade revisions

• Revision 0.9:
  • Prototype version
• Revision 1.0:
  • First official release of Mortal Kombat
  • In a two player game, both players could not choose the same character
  • Liu Kang had Uppercut - Flying Kick Combo
• Revision 2.0:
  • Both players could choose the same character
  • New Shang Tsung death animation added
  • Merchandise promo added
  • More blood added
• Revision 3.0:
  • Computer Intelligence increased
  • Reptile added
• Revision 4.0:
  • Reptile clues added (shadows on moon)
  • Sonya and Kano could fight Reptile
  • Block allowed during fatality
  • Goro's theme played during all Endurance rounds
• Revision 4.0: (T-Unit)
  • Hardware change (T-Unit)
  • "ERMACS" removed from Game Audits