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Mortal Kombat

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Mortal Kombat is a massive media franchise centered on fighting video games.

Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet
Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet

It began in 1992 with a game made by Midway Games. Since then, it has become the best-selling fighting game series in the world. It has sold over 100 million copies to players everywhere. The series includes many different things like comic books and films. It even has an animated TV series and a card game. This makes it one of the highest-grossing media franchises ever made.

Players engage in battles using many different ways to fight. In early games, players used a joystick and five buttons. These buttons controlled high punches, low punches, high kicks, and low kicks. They also had a button to block attacks. Later versions added a sixth button so players could run. Some games let characters use three different fighting styles. These might include unarmed combat or using a weapon. Even the character Goro has special styles because he has four arms.

The story takes place in a universe with many different realms.

Kung lao Fatality
Kung lao Fatality

These realms were created by the Elder Gods, who are powerful beings. Some places are beautiful, like the realm of Edenia. Other places are dark, like the Netherrealm, which is full of demons. There is also Outworld, where Emperor Shao Kahn rules. To protect their homes, warriors must compete in martial arts tournaments. These contests are called Mortal Kombat. The winners fight to keep their realms free from being taken over.

The games are famous for special finishing moves. Most people know about "Fatalities," which are moves used to end a match. There are also "Animalities," where a winner turns into an animal. Some games have "Babalities," which turn the loser into a baby.

DragonCon 2012 - Thursday Night 01
DragonCon 2012 - Thursday Night 01

There are even "Friendship" moves that show kindness instead of fighting. Because the games can be very violent, they caused big debates. These debates actually led to the creation of the ESRB. This is the system that gives video games age ratings.

Over many years, the way the games look has changed a lot. The first games used realistic pictures of real people called digitized sprites. Later, games like Mortal Kombat 4 moved into 3D computer graphics. This allowed characters to move in three dimensions instead of just two. The development team changed hands after Midway Games went bankrupt. Now, a group called NetherRealm Studios makes the games. Fans also enjoy dressing up as the characters through cosplay.

Ed Boon by Gage Skidmore
Ed Boon by Gage Skidmore
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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet.jpg
Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet.jpg
File:Kung lao Fatality.png
Kung lao Fatality.png
File:DragonCon 2012 - Thursday Night 01.jpg
DragonCon 2012 - Thursday Night 01.jpg
File:Ed Boon by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Ed Boon by Gage Skidmore.jpg
File:John Tobias.jpg
John Tobias.jpg
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