Mortal Kombat II - Sega 32X Review

Did Probe and Acclaim do Midway's mega-hit any justice?
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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
KZbin Page - / jan3d
Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/
Episode Notes:
1. Real hardware used for most segments. SNES Classic used for those clips and MAME used for arcade clips.
2. Many of Acclaim's other 32X titles were really expensive as well. WWF RAW, NBA Jam, etc., were all $60 and $70.
3. Of the top US based magazines, I remember only GameFan giving the 32X version a glowing review. But of course, they gave everything a glowing review.

[@jaxson3887]

I was 18 in 1999. I went by my local arcade and offered 350$ for the MK2 I grew up playing on. I’m 41 now and still have it, favorite game of all time.

[@greenEYEDdj]

You bought the arcade game? Fn legend.

[@BobbyHo2022]

Awesome. I'm 41 now. Born in 81. We must be the same age.

[@greenEYEDdj]

41 here too.

[@jimb12312]

We are all 41 here

[@mlentner80]

42 here ;)

[@Norweeg]

When MKII hit arcades, it was an exciting time. And when it hit home consoles, that’s the only game I can remember playing with friends for months.

[@thepolacek]

I totally agree. I was a snes gamer. Words cannot describe how disappointed I was when I played it on my buddy's genesis... maybe it was just the sound. My memory is a little fuzzy. The release of MKII was definitely near the end of the arcade era.

[@GrayifiedX]

Got an SNES just so i could play MK II

[@hicknopunk]

Street Fighter 2 was insane to get back then. It was such a good game, such a good port. Street Fighter 2: Turbo is literally my favorite fighter next to Killer Instinct.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

@@thepolacek Yup,I didn't realize until looking back on a trip I took to Disneyland back in 95. That was the last gasp for arcades as I knew them. I also got to stop at Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk and again I guarantee the arcade scene is nothing like it was then. It's weird to think about now but that truly was the end of the era.

[@BobbyHo2022]

Yep. It was pretty amazing. Mk3 on the other hand was a let down to me.

[@KanoWhite53]

Man... the days when you could play MK or NBA Jam in the arcades and they were new games.... amazing times.

[@AngryCalvin]

Yeah, I spent a lot of time in arcades in the 80’s during the golden age. I knew the 90s were going to be special as soon as I saw Pit-Fighter for the first time. You can laugh at that one but it didn’t take long for Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat to come along. King of Fighters became my favorite but I still remember seeing Fatal Fury for the first time and being blown away. We had some really good choices and to be able to get some of these games for really cheap is just really cool.

[@charliep5139]

One of my fondest memories is driving around to all the video game rental stores the weekend mk2 came out and all the copies were out. Sad and frustrated after going to like the third or fourth one my dad just said, “do you want to go to Best Buy and just try and buy it?” I couldn’t believe my ears. We went and they unbelievably had a copy. I was nine and it was the first game I ever bought without renting it first. I still have it to this day! Love ya, dad!

[@FreeOpenTruth]

An awesome dad move!!! 👍

[@edotsuki1979]

magical your father you might had to cut getting a pizza that week or boil some weinies for hotdogs just as long you had sodapop some people wait a life time for a moment like this

[@TheDumontShow]

Sega Lord X, I just wanted to say thank you for the years of entertainment you brought to the retro gaming community. I never missed an episode of your series. And of course, this episode is excellent as well. One love brother

[@almacamc9152]

Thank you, I always do my best providing the best content I can find for my post..FACTS

[@stoomkracht]

@@almacamc9152 and you are?

[@donkeyparadise9276]

say no to the great reset

[@TheDumontShow]

@@stoomkracht I was wondering how he was.

[@Coldcasereview]

The early 90's was a great time to be into arcades. Have such sweet memories of playing 2 player double dragon, we also had a lot of weird street fighter 2 hacks/clones around that time

[@thehound1359]

Yup. I remember spending most of my time playing golden axe, double dragon, rabbit punch, ninja gaiden and rampage. Was such an awesome place to spend a Saturday afternoon.

[@kri249]

Those were the golden years.

[@djstyles97]

Always found it funny how a lot of those hacked SF2 moves became official moves in the later games. I even remember seeing World Warrior hacks where you could pick the bosses BEFORE Champion Edition was released.

[@bit-ishbulldog2089]

I left high school in 1993.. 45 this year. Been a SEGA fan for about 40 year's.

[@mrsettles216]

So much nostalgia… you just made me 13 again bro. I think I had every port of this from Sega … Genesis, 32X, and Saturn

[@HeyHedgehog]

I actually have and super enjoyed this version as a kid. I didn’t have MK2 for either the SNES or Genesis, and never played it much at the arcade though. I had a 32X though, received this game as a gift, and well- Yeah, it was a great time for me. Still fond of the game today, even the 32X version.

[@miltonbates6425]

I actually really liked the 32X port of MKII. The control is closer to the arcade than any other port, imo. If only it wasnt so rushed...it could've been great.

[@deshawnheaggans6810]

You basically just repeated what he said.😒

[@EliteGamersUnited]

its a shame this version is far superior in most ways to the Saturn version, cept graphics

[@EliteGamersUnited]

if the Saturn version wasnt a half assed hack job it could have been the penultimate version

[@transitionalspecies4365]

@@EliteGamersUnited penultimate means next to last.

[@EliteGamersUnited]

@@transitionalspecies4365 NOT IN MY VOCAB IT DONT. I LIKE USING IT AS THE PRIMA GALACTA (tm, all rights reserved, copyright, pat pending) 🙃😁

[@deku812]

Your videos where you go into a bit of backstory setting the 'scene' like your story about waiting in the arcades for MK2 and you and your friends playing the heck out of it and establishing why the home ports were a big deal is such a refreshing thing to see in videos on these topics! I love it. You're recording/preserving a piece of gaming history, your history and providing context to these old games that young kids today may not understand was a big deal back then!

[@markjohnson8191]

I bought MK II 32X back in the day when Circuit City was closing out all of their Genesis and 32X games. It was $20 and for me it seemed worth it. I also bought Revolution X for the Genesis for the same price at the same time. At least one game had value. Love your videos and appreciate your hard work. Take care.

[@WarlockX4]

I immediately bought this game when it was released. It was cleaner, ran smoother and the six button Genesis controller was perfect for this game.

[@marccaselle8108]

I wish mk 2 was released on Sega CD instead of MK 1.

[@jediknightgeo]

I absolutely LOVED this port. I put so many damn hours into the 32X version back then it was insane. It was never going to be arcade perfect, or super close to it, but it was great overall.

[@thankfulgamer2405]

The snes port was the best

[@drunkensailor112]

@@thankfulgamer2405 no

[@thankfulgamer2405]

@@drunkensailor112 actually it was. Not a fan boii what so ever.. Just sharing facts

[@drunkensailor112]

@@thankfulgamer2405 no. It's not a fact. It's your opinion

[@thankfulgamer2405]

@@drunkensailor112 no it's not my opinion it's fact. Maybe check out some comparison vids? Sound, contrast, pixels, frames etc. I'm not making this up.

[@Supperdude9]

The sound and the crispness of the SNES made me proud to be a Nintendo guy even back then. Anybody was able to know the difference the sound was for both systems.

[@TheHobbsTV]

Great video as always SLX!!!! It's funny because all I wanted back then was the arcade machine in my living room and nothing could take the place of that. I was fortunate enough to enjoy every single version of the MKs including this one and I had a great time with it back then. The 32x and SNES versions were my favorites (outside the arcade of course). Today I do have all 5 games in original cabinets fully restored with new old stock CRTs and they are appreciated by me everyday!

[@santonnwilson1058]

I was and still am a Sega fan, but back then, I saw this game for SNES, and I remember fantasizing about owning this game. There wasn't anything as close to the arcade as the SNES version. Later, I played the MS DOS version. The sound was a bit better, but that was it until the Arcade Treasures version was released many years later.

[@theungreatkahli]

Yeah I remember taking off school to go get it. Couldn’t wait to play MK 2 at home

[@RealHomeRecording]

Sega Saturn had a great port... except load times.

[@santonnwilson1058]

@Sometimes Igoback I remember that too. Fo sho. I did not like that sweat back then. 😒

[@Futuredynamo]

I was lucky enough back in the day to have the SNES and the Genesis with Sega CD & 32X add ons (and I still have them). When the SNES and Genesis versions of this game came out, I opted for the SNES version since it didn't have the blood/violence compromises that the first game did on the system, and in terms of graphics and sound, it would clearly be the superior of the two versions. When the game came out for 32X, I was excited to get it and try it out, hoping it would be closer to the arcade. It does have some advantages, as explained here in the video. I was let down though by the backgrounds being processed through the Genesis. That really stands out (in a bad way) against the characters and grahics that are actually processed through the 32X. I still played it a lot, and I didn't hate it, but I was let down. I can understand you preferring the 32X version over the SNES, and for me there are definately trade-offs, but ultimately out of the two of them, I think I prefer the SNES version more, mostly because it is a more even, consistent presentation overall, where as the 32X version has elemements processed through lesser 16 bit hardware against elements processed through 32 bit hardware, and the presentation just feels more "slapped together." Regarding the SNES and Genesis versions of MK1 and MK2, it became sort of a joke between and friend and me back in the day that for whatever reason, the superior version of each game (Genesis in the case of MK1, and SNES for MK2) always had the inaccuracy of having the character named outside of the energy bars, instead inside them like in the arcade. As if (in terms of the joke, since it's clearly not the real reason), in order for it to be the overall superior version of the game, that one aspect HAS to be inaccurate to the arcade for some reason.

[@Canadian_Gamer]

I like how you always post your videos in the afternoon and at night.

[@FreneticZetetic]

I remember this golden era very well! The Genesis version of MKII was always rented out when I'd go, but I eventually got my copy! Great review as always.

[@RichardCraig]

I had this back in the day, and my 32X started to develop issues, specifically in this game the announcer would just randomly keep saying "Baraka!" all throughout the fight. It also caused characters in VF to randomly rotate 90 degrees with their legs straight out in front of them at random, weirdest hardware glitch I ever saw.

[@ajsingh4545]

😂😂😂

[@BlackMoore82]

The 12 year old me in '94 definitely noticed the sound difference back then, as for the latter I didn't care. The 32X port of MKII remains my favorite over the Genesis and SNES ones.

[@Kapojos]

The snes port is still clearly the best version from that time period!!!!!!!

[@ajsingh4545]

@@Kapojos no it isn't. Muffled and tinny music with lot of missing instruments, muffled speech and runs in lower resolution leading to loss of fine detail

[@cobrakainevereverdies6940]

@@ajsingh4545 - REALLY ?????????? Even the creators of the game said it's the CLOSEST to the Arcade bar none. But you're under 35 so I won't argue you.

[@cobrakainevereverdies6940]

@@Kapojos - Do you know how to do combo fatalities ??

[@ajsingh4545]

@@cobrakainevereverdies6940 ok boomer

[@MatCaveGaming]

I still play the 32X version of MK2. You’re totally right about wondering what the 32X truly was capable of. Great video!

[@jeffm5056]

The mid 90's were the best time to be a gamer. I remember pre-purchasing games like MK 2, NBA Jam and MK 3. Because if you didn't, you didn't get that game for a while. Gamers today don't know what it was like when games used to sell out. I remember not getting copies of Super Mario 2 or 3 for months because all of the toy stores had sold out. As I got older in the 90's, I had part time jobs that allowed me to put money down to guarantee I would get a copy on launch day. I really miss those days.

[@legros731]

Now they have the game but no console to buy even 2 year after the initial release

[@Y9Power]

Gosh I miss the 1990s!

[@PistNRods]

If they increased the fighter sprite sizes, it would have gone a long way in how it was received. That would easily get most to ignore the backgrounds and colors.

[@zeus1117]

Yes but there were hardware limitations that dictate the sizes and the amount of animations per move

[@PistNRods]

@@zeus1117 the 32x hardware could have done it, I bet if it was a 40 meg cartridge like SSF2 they could have fit larger sprites. 32x MK2 is 32 meg. But I can’t blame them, expensive cart for very few people to buy. Business decision.

[@Oysterblade84]

You brought up a good point about the cost of the game at retail in North America at $69.95. Unfortunately the only way around this was by renting the games out at blockbuster video back then and deciding for yourself if it was worth owning or not. But how many of us actually had the chance to rent a 32X game back in the day? And how many of us actually came across a video rental store that actually stocked 32X games? With that said, I really do think Matt Furniss's score is better than the Arcade originals. Those drums are beastly! The SNES version's audio was yet another game on that system where the audio sounded like it was coming out of a galvanized tin shed.

[@LordScottrick]

That intro speaks to me. I would have been 8 or 9 when MKII came out in arcades, but man, I spent so much time playing it during the summer in arcades down the shore in South Jersey.

[@WickedGamerCollector]

Really enjoyed this video, did not know about some details. 😁👍

[@tra0459]

Best version. Just wish the music was better. Appreciated the added voice samples and tight controls

[@Michael-xn9mz]

This is actually a great video it's so cool to not only see the 32x version next to not only genesis but snes but even the arcade

[@riverstyx928]

Damn man, how the time flies. Now we're waiting for MK 12.

[@joemomsmith1889]

I can't believe the 32x did not fix the Genesis problems like the animations of Johnny Cage which was my favorite character itdon't even have his finishing pose.

[@joncbartlett]

I remember saving the $54 it cost to get the Sega version months ahead. I don’t think I have anticipated a release so fanatically in my life, and I remember the utter disappointment I felt experiencing the port for all the reasons given here (in the way only a 10 year old can). I also hated that the bones and guts would disappear during a fatality. Just so underwhelming after the arcade. I used to rent a Super Nintendo from the video store just so I could play that version. I had picked a side in the console wars and I hated that the “enemy” had the better version of my favorite game.

[@ganjagun0025]

Yeah I picked a side as well. But don't forget that Sega had the blood code for MK 1. That was thrown in my face all the time. The SNES had green blood.... green blood.

[@joncbartlett]

@@ganjagun0025 Yeah, Nintendo really dropped the ball with the first one, but they more than redeemed themselves on MK2.

[@ganjagun0025]

@@joncbartlett Yeah they really had a point to prove because a lot of people went out and bought Genesis specifically for that reason. But I always assumed the 32x was an arcade perfect port. Seeing that it was more powerful. Boy was I wrong.

[@brandonginsburg3120]

@@ganjagun0025 Not even that; it was sweat.

[@WadeLife]

I definitely miss this era of gaming fondly remember running to the playground first thing in the morning so we could talk about the best current games and cheats hint back in late 80's and 90's we didn't have social media... Great upload

[@TeinMustang]

I still remember the 32X version of MKII fondly. IIRC I received it for Christmas in '94 and I was very impressed. I had not played the Genesis or SNES ports previously, so I didn't really have any other home version to compare it to.

[@nicolaspersijn]

I was an absolute MKII god in the arcades with my Milena corner combos.

[@legros731]

So you where one of those guy who played all night with one quarter nice

[@justinvermilyea9192]

One of the few 32x games that actually lived up to its performance capabilities

[@chkooper3985]

Hey Sega lord. I talked to at the start of the year about how u helped me with loss of my dogs. And you where rite about it getting better with time and as long as you make videos on KZbin u will have always have have me a big fan.

[@joshoshea3194]

Great side by side comparisons in this video. I find that always helps.

[@lyrand6408]

At the time only the SNES and Genesis ports mattered. I've known a grand total of zero friends in the 90s (be it last elementary school years, or high school years) who owned a 32X, let alone ever spoke of it. In the 'neighbourhood' the majority of us owned a Super Nintendo, a few had a Genesis (one of my best friends at the time had one, so I got to play a lot of Genesis games thanks to him, since I was a SNES owner). It's fun to go back to consoles that barely anyone had at the time and review games for them. But in the actual time period and its context, the 32X was a quickly passing 'fad' that had about as much of an impact as the Virtual Boy. I actually knew one person who did own a Virtual Boy, but not the 32X lol. Same thing happened with the Saturn. I did SEE a few Saturn (boxed) units in some local stores here and there (or at flea markets) but NO ONE owned that thing. Every time I see the statistics of the sales figures for those consoles (be it the 32X or Saturn, or stuff like the Atari Jaguar or the 3DO) I always wonder: "But WHERE were those owners back then?!". Even my local games rental stores didn't have 32X games for renting. I knew of ONE rental store with a few select Saturn games at some point. That was about it. That's also why the 'reputation' of ports of popular games were usually limited to the ports of the systems that were actually selling. BUT... with all this said, if at the time you'd happen to be one of "those rare owners" of the 32X, didn't have a SNES, and loved Mortal Kombat... then obviously that's the version you played and you most likely genuinely loved it at the time (next to the Arcade version, obviously). So growing up with those ports also helps perceive them as being "the best" if that's what you had.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

Lyrand You can't lump the Saturn in with the 32X, 3DO, Jaguar. The Saturn still sold 10 million consoles, thats still a lot of hardware! Obviously with many of the big brand retailers turning their backs on Sega's new machine in the US with the whole surprise spring launch, it mean't it was a cert to fail in that territory, but it wasn't like those other machines you named that people just didn't want to buy those. If you wanted a Saturn in the states, you probably couldn't find one and just settled for a PS1. That wasn't true worldwide though, some of my friends bought Saturns after seeing my Saturn in action.

[@lyrand6408]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 I wasn't referring to the world wide situation / popularity. I was referring to how me and my 'local' group of friends from school (or including their own friends as well sometimes) simply nearly never saw any one of those 'other consoles' that, indeed, NOBODY wanted, or talked about. I'm literally not exaggerating when I say that - at least locally (within my city, or within the number of stores I used to go to) - about 90% of gaming-related stores (or even general ones like WalMarts, or Future Shops, or RadioShacks) never had any of that stuff. They had next to zero advertising or actual units of anything available unless that store really went out of their way to try and "make it sell" locally. It never worked. What we had here (Canada), was Nintendo and Sega stuff. You COULD occasionally find some remnants of Atari stuff (Atari 2600 and beyond), and just about as occasionally-speaking we also had some TurboGraphx-16 units every now and then in some stores. But when it comes to the Sega 32X, or the Mega CD addons, or something like the Nomad, or the Saturn, the 3DO and the Jaguar; you had to go on some Indiana Jones-esque adventure across the entire province to find those things (manner of speech, what I mean is it was actually VERY rare to find them just by entering some gaming store and asking for one and the clerk just going "sure, here's one"). In other words what I'm saying is: The 32X's situation here was exactly like the Saturn or the 3DO, which is why I made the comparison, because they WERE in a comparable situation. Those systems really were the "ones that nobody wanted" OR the ones that "nobody could find" even if they tried. With all this said, of course I know the Saturn and the 32X sold units. Obviously. However, despite the 'stats' about the sales (world wide or not) it still doesn't help the case of having gone through the whole of the 90s without ever "feeling" that those systems DID actually sell. They did... sure, I just never saw the "proof" of that. Those systems never were the 'subject of talk' in town. I never heard of a store clerk saying something like "Nope sorry ran out of 32Xs, sold all of them, next shipment is in 2 weeks guys, sorry". Never, ever.

[@kaox44]

The SNES version was almost perfect, even rival that of the 32bit system.

[@wizzgamer]

The SNES version was actually better than all 32-bit systems the 32x still had missing animation and sound and the cd console ports where a mess.

[@hitek9too255]

@@wizzgamer Not it wasn't. The SNES version was more washed out, more goofier, had missing animations and screams, wasn't as dark and had a worser control scherme. The 32x was by far the best home port version.

[@Ehrle6969]

@@hitek9too255 snes was better ask all LOl genesis x32 r worst

[@MEGAD-nb9uu]

​@@hitek9too255na the sega ones were a joke 💩 pure shit

[@PNNYWZEPRODUCTIONS]

Been a long time since I commented, but man this particular game brings back vivid memories for me. Can't describe the love I have for it. Definitely in my personal mount Rushmore of games, along with Mario 3 and world, Chrono trigger, resident evil 1-4 and several Zelda games.

[@joellanderson5137]

My local Round Table had a small arcade room, remember playing this every weekend. The RT pizza smell always reminds me of this time.

[@laughingseal2282]

The best port of mk2.

[@thecunninlynguist]

super nintendo, I agree.

[@chrisr529]

@@thecunninlynguist got im'

[@maroon9273]

Until the midway treasure, arcade collection and ps3 version home ports alongside the dos cd/disc versions.

[@laughingseal2282]

@@maroon9273 These aren't ports, they are emulated versions. And both have input delay and speed issues.

[@maroon9273]

@@laughingseal2282 same thing with the early arcade versions. No game is perfect but at least it still plays well.

[@aaronreid8375]

The arcade version has the cheapest AI, the code literally reads the player's control inputs and reacts. The only way to really get far is to bait the AI into attacking and counter. Much better as a 2-player game, and the cabinet is a beast. I swear I'm going to need a chainsaw to get it out of my basement.

[@zanegandini5350]

Not only did the AI input read, but it could flat out do things a human couldn't. If you slow it down, you can see it ignoring attacks that should have connected.

[@mikeg2491]

@@zanegandini5350 it sucks because it’s frankly just not fun to play single player nowadays. At least Street Fighter you can crank the difficulty to one star and just casually whip the cpu as a time waster.

[@jerelminter]

@@zanegandini5350 Yes, if you do a rising uppercut, and slow down the footage you can clearly see that the CPU is cheating. They blatantly ignore your uppercut, and do theirs instantly even though you already swung at them first so that shouldn't have happened. It's bullshit.

[@zanegandini5350]

@@jerelminter Yeah and I'm fairly certain the Genesis port also does this. The SNES and 32x ports are more forgiving, leading me to believe they don't cheat as much.

[@greensun1334]

Yesterday I made a "Mortal Kombat 2 day". Played the original and the ports (SNES, 32X, PS1 and Megadrive), all with the same controller (Nacon GC-100, it's nothing special but absolute worth its money) and the same button layout on my PC. My conclusion: SNES is the best, atmosphere is perfect, it's very complete with all the music, the fatalities look the best, many of the SFX and samples are included, the gameplay is also the most faithful to the arcade and it has the arcade ending/outro, 32X is just like an improvement hack of the Megadrive port, the added sounds are in different quality and to loud and obviours (I would have been felt so scammed If I bought it back then because they could have made it better with its 32megs cartridge size it has on a 32bit system) but I like the accurate lifebars, the 3D "Fight" and "Finish Him/Her" letters and the intro pictures, the outro is still missing, PS1 looks the best but otherwhise it sucks because of loading times during gameplay and wrong placed music & missing samples/SFX; Shang Tsung is also useless, Megadrive's gameplay feels almost like a different game, many missing animation frames - same with 32X, wrong music and ugly colors, so much missing content.

[@peterchaseify]

I don't recall ever believing I could get an arcade perfect port on a home console...since nothing I played at home looked/sounded like the arcade games I played at the time. For MKII, as a Genesis owner, I didn't mind the vocal tracks being missing and came to enjoy the eerie sound effect they used in place of the announcer saying "Fatality" with the blood drip.

[@GYTCommnts]

MKII is one of the best fighting games ever, and one of the highlights of the series. I return to it in different versions, ports and hacks from time to time. The first time with my friends we reached Kintaro and later Shao Kahn was amazing. We celebrated as winning a world cup. 🤣

[@maximillionroivas3893]

Growing up, I was a huge MK fan. I bought all versions of MKII, and still have them all today. The 32X version was my last version to get, and I like it alot better than the Saturn version. But the Super NES version will always be my personal favorite of the ports.

[@johnjames7332]

Funnily enough i like the saturn version the most

[@maximillionroivas3893]

@@johnjames7332 The Saturn version has the best graphics and sound but the damn loading kills it for me. It's a good port, but I wished the loading was addressed a bit better. But I suppose it's a mid 90s CD-ROM game so....

[@iamstartower]

@@maximillionroivas3893 loading for fatallities and transformations were bad and dissapointing as a kid... as an adult are more bearable and adds to de nostalgia.

[@maximillionroivas3893]

@@iamstartower To each their own, I suppose. Hated the load times then, still hate them now, lol.

[@DragonX64567]

I LOVE your content as I am a retro gamer. I would love to see a video on the Sega Master System or Phantasy Star. I'm also a RPG gamer and thought that would be a neat video but if not that's fine too, I just think the Master System and Game Gear need more love.

[@michaels9595]

you really bring the nostalgia to each of these videos. nostalgia lord x!

[@stevesteve0521]

I still think the snes port was the best home port of mk2 at the time. Didn’t need to deal with dumb load times like the Saturn and ps1 ports with a bunch of sounds effects removed, didn’t have to deal with bad colors and mediocre music like the genesis port, the 32x port has the same exact mediocre music and it still didn’t look as good graphically in my opinion as the snes. Snes not only looked and played fantastic but it had an exclusive 4 on 4 vs endurance mode and a hidden intro with kintaro stomping on the acclaim logo.

[@Skullsinthecrowd]

Ah yes, hold the shoulder buttons when the Acclaim logo came down.

[@stevesteve0521]

@@Skullsinthecrowd 👍

[@kaosdash]

Arcade > SNES > 32x > MD

[@baronhausenpheffer]

Fantastic review, and one I feel is very fair. I fall in that latter group you mentioned who DIDN'T pay $70 back in the mid-90s and who has a very positive opinion of this game as a result. (That's also true of my experience of the 32X generally -- I got it on clearance for a song and had a great time with it playing games that looked better than anything my Genesis could have natively run while I saved up for a Saturn.) Put simply, this game is the best home port we had of MKII until the "MK Arcade Kollection" compliation on PS3 many years later, and I think it deserves major kudos for that. I understand younger SLX's disappointment that it wasn't 100% arcade perfect, but the amount of ground-up reprogramming that would have required on a console that most developers seemed to understand Sega wasn't terribly committed to probably would have made it a financial loss. Heck, it may have STILL been a financial loss even as actual events unfolded. However, I do fault Acclaim for scalping gamers on that basis. This should have been a more standard $40-50, given that the upgrade wasn't a night-and-day difference from the Genesis port. Getting back to the subjective level, I truly love this game, and it makes me wish the 32X had a chance to tackle "Super Street Fighter II Turbo" like the 3DO did before it closed shop.

[@HoT_ToucH]

I was a youngn when the 32X dropped since I was born in 85, So I remember getting the 32X for $19.99 at toys r us and I got this and the Star Wars arcade game, paid $20 for both as each was $9.99. Thanks for enlightening me towards the msrp, I only remember ever seeing virtua racing for that price, These reviews are so in-depth and so well made that you’ve made a complete fan out of me, keep up the good work man, 2 huge thumbs up with your content 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@HoT_ToucH]

Oh…And the game was a HUGE letdown to me. I remember thinking it was going to be so much better, Your review is spot on

[@Bloodreign1]

Like the Genesis port, Scorpion and Sub Zero can cheese the hell out of Kintaro. Once you catch him with a spear or freeze and uppercut, immediately pull out another spear or freeze, and you will catch him as he gets up, setting him up for yet another uppercut, then spear or freeze again, uppercut, etc. He can be double flawlessed this way. This trick only works in the Genesis and 32X ports, no other version as he blocks as he gets up.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

lol. you should check out the speed runs of Mk2 arcade.

[@Gatorade69]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 Is the arcade speedrun just to see in how little time the computer can win ? MK2 for the arcade was cheap as hell.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@Gatorade69 I think its something like 6 mins completion time, mainly using punch. Like I said, see it for yourself!

[@LifeAndDeath]

@Sega Lord X Awesome Review!! Mortal Kombat II is one of my most favorite MK games.

[@mtshark7]

Awesome review man! I enjoy this port of MK2. I didn't know the gameplay on the Saturn version isn't as good. I'll have to replay it at some point.

[@meatwax]

The memories of playing team kombat in MK2 on snes...getting high, w homies and cousins. And just gettin crazy is some of my best 90s memories

[@johnjames7332]

I had it on the SNES and was so happy!!….until I saw my friends pc running MK2 with Soundblaster and Roland audio. It was immediately clear that the PC version was head and shoulders above everything else

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Yeah PCs were really on the rise then.

[@Kaido_928]

PC version is best in gfx, sound and no cd loas time. PC version only had shtty controls. And 2 player on a keyboard did not work, cause all the keys lock up when u keep a certain amount of keys pressed. And at that time there were no proper pc compatible joypads.

[@AngryCalvin]

Yeah Gravis game pads were quite clumsy. I use real arcade sticks now and realize they play a ton better just because these games were designed for those controllers.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

@@AngryCalvin No. Gravis pads were as close to a console controller as you could get on a PC for a while. I remember the later USB pad pro, which was practically a clone of an original PS1 controller.

[@ScarletDeath]

MK II 32x is the best version of MKII hands down. I used to love playing this on my old CRT, I felt like I was at the arcade again.

[@DWIGHTMONEY]

Now this was very interesting to watch and listen to. Most folks wouldn't understand why each version wasnt the same nor why they were all so different and that emus not all the time help or enhance gameplay.

[@TheRealAkuma632]

Great review! MK2 is such a great game and I would love to hear your review of the Sega Saturn release compared to the Genesis and 32X ? Who is the MK2 king when it came to home releases in the 90s? Thanks again for another amazing review as always.

[@flubberlane8437]

I’ve been waiting for this 😀

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

To its defense, the characters are much more detailed on Genesis/32X than SNES, thanks to the higher resolution. Look at 9:00, big difference, and if we play on emulator or on an LCD screen, it's obvious, but of course at the time on old CRT screens, the resolution didn't really matter.

[@TalesBarros]

Characters can be more detailed, but they have MUCH less frames of animation, except for the standing still animation.

[@maroon9273]

@@TalesBarros same issue mk1 had but the animations was choppy compare to the snes/sega cd. However the genesis (MK1)and even the sega cd (MK1) sprite framerates (moving/special moves/fatality dropped severely compare to the snes. Even look more grainy as well.

[@x7heDeviLx]

I remember that time was going into 8th grade and mortal Kombat was super big with us. I still remember seeing part one and two for the first time and some place called flippers our local arcade

[@dwaynestjohn5324]

Great video I would love to see a video about mk3 or mk trilogy and the comparisons of all of the console versions.

[@Retro_Royal]

More Details in the Background should be a easy mod job, who cares about prices of Mbits anymore? Sprites are a slightly taller order, though.

[@JimboJammy]

I still ponder those same questions... What could have been with this port! Even the original Genesis port should have been much better! Although both do play nicely and play closer to the arcade version than the snes.

[@cnochaosnorder124]

I must say, that I really enjoy your videos traveling down nostalgia lane. I think Primal Rage deserves some Sega Lord X TLC. Keep up the great work!!

[@hihosh1]

I actually only had a Genesis and knew that I wouldn't have the arcade version, so I wasn't disappointed... but I was blown away when I played the PC port, now that was amazing

[@scottlinux]

I preferred the Genesis Mortal Kombat II over the SNES version, even with more poorer graphics. The game play seemed more responsive and more enjoyable to me for some reason, but that is just my own opinion :)

[@SRC267]

Someone has made a hack of the arcade version to run on the genesis via emulation

[@cmdrdredd]

Haha

[@maroon9273]

Even with the better gameplay, I hated the lazy and ugly graphics, audio and presentation. It is a lazy eyesore/sound effect-sore port like mk1

[@gcscr]

Definitely the Genesis/32x gameplay has been better than SNES since MK1.

[@matrixman7706]

The SNES version played quite good, and even John Tobias had no issues with gameplay on the system.

[@dan_loup]

The 32x wouln't be able to handle the backgrounds as well and keep the frame rate up. Sadly due only handling graphics as bitmaps, it has to do a LOT of work with the CPUs to draw the graphics, and fullscreen 60 FPS using the CPUs is kinda out of reach, specially with multiple backgrounds etc..

[@leandrusi4533]

Congrats on this great video man! Been a MK fan in my childhood too! One thing Ive noticed, seems to me the height distance between the chars and the life bar is larger in 32x than arcade/snes. Maybe you can give some numbers on it (somehow measure it?). Oh and another thing... WHY DOES SUB ZERO´s VOICE TURNS INTO 14yo WHEN FALLING? 6:52

[@ShinobiWan1]

Honest review, I can understand your points. I love the 32x version though, despite its flaws. I'm glad you used the original game (or a really good emulator) so it showed the normal Pit II fatality, and not the messed up emulated version that goes around KZbin

[@victorlgcarvalho]

I always prefered the Genesis music on MK for both MK 1 and 2. Clear sound, nice percussion effects.

[@thecunninlynguist]

SNES MK2 remains the best of that generation's port.

[@maroon9273]

All around better console port. Saturn and ps1 really disappointed me and could've been the best port sculpture or a more experienced probe development team did it. Hopefully a hacker will fix both ports one day.

[@iamstartower]

still prefer pc port.

[@TheGamingCircle]

I remember buying Fatal Fury imported for the Super Famicom for £69.99 in 1995, so prices has always been expensive especially for imports:-))

[@manuelvillalta6028]

Sega Lord X, I have a suggestion for content. Top games by genre for each sega console, maybe like top 5 (plus honorable mentions). Just based off of this, you can add dozens of quality videos to your channel. Great channel 👍

[@KidInTheHall28]

Bruh..."bog standard Genesis music"? You got some balls on you, son. The Genesis soundtrack was amazing of any port and second only to the arcade itself.

[@matrixman7706]

The Genesis version sounds like ass

[@kevinburrell3359]

I miss being a kid. Not a care in the world. I had some stress as a child but it was still care free..swore I was old when I turned 20

[@mstewart248]

I had a Genesis and I bought a Super Nintendo for this port back in the day. There was arcade cab at a laundromat next to my house that I use to play every day before it came out on console. When the console versions came out I was so accustomed to the arcade version I couldn’t take the cutbacks on the Genesis. The Super Nintendo version was pretty damn close to the arcade.

[@FirstAndFramerates]

NBA Jam TE 32X soon?

[@maroon9273]

And Sega CD nba jam and mortal kombat.

[@FirstAndFramerates]

@@maroon9273 😎

[@purplehaze2342]

I think the snes port beats the 32x

[@maroon9273]

Visually and music wise.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

The color in the 32X looks way better.

[@jamesandalotofgames9211]

I never played it until recently on emulation. This version I mean. I had the snes version in the 90s . But comparing it to all the home releases it’s my favorite now. Home versions from the 90s that is

[@frankmabo3940]

Sega lord, Thank you for this video I related a lot with these things. Check out master linkuei 32x mk2 upgrade, there's a significant list of upgrades. He also worked on other games including an arcade edition of mk1 for the genesis that in all fairness looks, sounds and feels fantastic.

[@LordelX]

The summer and fall of ‘94 was all about Mortal Kombat 2, Super Street Fighter II, Shadowrun, Alien 3 and Mech Warrior on the SNES. Then came Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI (III) and Super Punch Out. The Genesis was such an inferior system by ‘94, not even Sonic 3 could save it.

[@maroon9273]

Genesis dropped the ball by focusing on the 32x and giving probe a chance with mk2 instead of ditching them for sculptures. Probe and any amateur developers should never had rights to port any digitized graphic game to any home console except pc.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@maroon9273 sorry, but you come across as knowing very little about the subject of video game development. What do you mean "Genesis dropped the ball"? No mention of Miday? And what the hell are you on about with the statement about digitized graphics?

[@maroon9273]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 midway did not developed any port except the arcade. Only probe, developed the genesis and amiga ports of mortal kombat. Probe has failed to make a quality port except pc ports. Especially a systems that have color count and color pallete limitations like the amiga and genesis. Sega should've let sculptured develop mk2 since they know how to program digitized graphics unlike probe. Graphic wise for every single genesis games ie wrestlemania arcade and mk3.

[@RetroGamesBoy78]

@@maroon9273 yes, its down to Midway who port their games, not Sega. Probe did a great job with MK1 on Genesis and Amiga, and Mk2 could have been better, but the Genesis was an old console by then, expecting hardware thats 5 years old to emulate the latest arcade hardware costing thousands of pounds was never going to happen.

[@maroon9273]

@@RetroGamesBoy78 personally probe did a horrble job visually and sound effect wise. Plus, missing stage soundtracks, horrible grainy lazy graphics and inaccurate presentation. At least the amiga version presenatation was good. if the genesis is a aging system, then why mk3 looks better than mk2 and mk1? Plus, compares better with other consoles than the two first games?

[@foojae]

The Sega Genesis MK2 was so damn awful compared to the SNES. I was blown away when I saw how close to arcade the SNES was and regretted getting a Genesis. That and when I saw Killer Instinct lol.

[@stevesteve0521]

Agreed, from a graphically and sound standpoint the genesis looked horrible compared to the snes although it still played very good. I personally believe the snes port was the best home port even over the 32X because the snes port still had better color and had an exclusive 4 on 4 vs endurance mode. The Saturn and ps1 ports looked like the arcade but everything else about those ports were mediocre from bad load times but before the game starts and during gameplay, removed sound effects, music that didn’t fit the stage and dumb stuff like all projectiles having to load for a second when you first use them during a game or kitanas fan lift pushing the opponent way too back where you can’t capitalize on an attack the way you should

[@Peeps7468]

I loved Killer Instinct!!

[@johnbowles5399]

Great video as always. I've got Mortal Kombat II for my Mega Drive, SNES and Sega Saturn. Never bothered getting a 32X because the system, along with it's extremely limited library of games, is just not worth what it's currently selling for at all. Truly insane prices here in PAL land.

[@AngelASoto23]

Out of all the home ports, I still find myself playing the 32X version. SNES seems like it was the better option, but what ruined it for me is the muffled audio and just being very blurry. I guess it’s more of a preference, but what I do know for sure is that the 32X version didn’t have the AI cheap out crazy where it became unplayable even on the easiest mode

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Sorry but the SNES got the best port

[@stephenchase2537]

This is the worst port of Mortal Kombat 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tarasybnios5356]

This is what? haha what are you people smoking? This is the best MK2 port by far! Not even the next generation of consoles got an Arcade perfect edition.

[@miltonbates6425]

Ha! You trollin son

[@cmdrdredd]

@@tarasybnios5356 could argue it's the worst because it is the laziest of the bunch. Just slap new effects on the genesis version instead of building it up properly

[@maroon9273]

I'll say the amiga and genesis ports is even worst than the 32x.

[@tarasybnios5356]

@@cmdrdredd Yes I agree the 32X version had more potential but that doesn't make it in anyway the worst! A lazy port yes but still it is superior from the other 16 bit versions!

[@brudog56]

Great vid! I love this type of stuff... One of the main drawbacks of making the 32X an attachment for the Genesis is that it was automatically limited to the Genesis screen resolution. The Mortal Kombat arcade games used a MUCH higher screen resolution than either the SNES or the Genesis was capable of. Even if the 32X were able to animate sprites that were, pixel-for-pixel, identical to the arcade, you'd run into another big problem: You essentially moved the camera a lot closer to the action. There is a much shorter distance that the fighters can be away from each other. That, of course, fundamentally impacts the gameplay.

[@teddycaster248]

Hello! I from Mordor (Russia), in golden times of 90’s here no be a Sega 32x, and nobody not heard about it platform. In Russia appeared only 8 bit Dendy (analog of NES from Taiwan), and 16 bit Sega MDII. SNES appeared later in September 1994, if I remember right (so many years passed since this). And I not talking about arcade, it appeared about year 1996, 1997, it be very rare. I saw MKII arcade in «ГУМ» it big old shop in centre of Moscow. Thank you very much for interesting video, I did’t know many things. I not expert in video game industry, but I not surprised what developers not make game versions for home consoles equal to Arcade. It simple, just think, you telling story how you and friends played in arcade MK2 a lot. Well, if on your Sega 32x you be able to play in 100% equal to arcade version, and your friend too - appears question “Hey, who now will be spending time and money on arcade machines, if kids have this game at home?” 🙂 So, I sure what it reason have right to live. It only my opinion, I not know much about it. P.S. Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦 Glory to Heroes!

[@andrewharris9302]

I’ve been looking foward to this 🥺

[@imakeituptoyou]

Mk2 on Super Nintendo was the one to have! ( I still have mine all these years later)😀

[@patrickrutherford5553]

I had this for 32x. I always felt like this was the best home console version

[@Michael-xn9mz]

The 32x is like a mysterious woman I always wanted to talk to and learn about but never was able to get in the same room as

[@kempet]

The best thing about the 32X version is the Wasteland stage - they somehow made the color tone a lot better, even outdoing the arcade version of the Wasteland...