Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was released for the Sega Saturn in late 1996. It was developed by Sculptured Software and distributed by Acclaim. It is a port of the arcade fighting game of the same name. Another version of this game is available on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. This game features 5 difficulty levels (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard, and Very Hard) and over 20 characters. Graphics-10/10- The graphics are amazing, they're as close to arcade-perfect as any Saturn MK game ever. The characters are rather large and animate just like their arcade counterparts. The special moves (i. e. projectiles) look great. The only serious graphical downside is the occasional slowdown that plagues the game and can screw up your timing. Pros- Large, well animated characters. Nice graphical effects on the special moves. Cons- Occasional slowdown. Sound-9/10- The in-game music has a very moody and dreary sound to it that fits the game's theme perfectly. The voices are well done, they're arcade-perfect and crystal clear. The sound effects are also great, each on is very clear and fits it's action like you?d expect (for example, Sub-Zero's freezing effects sound just like ice shattering.) Pros- Great sound effects. Moody music fits the theme perfectly and sets the game's mood. Cons- Voices are a little garbled. Gameplay-8/10- It's basically you fighting a ladder of opponents with the eventual goal being to fight and defeat Shao Kahn, in order to face him you must first beat Kintaro (good luck, he's very cheap.) The Run button has been carried over from Mortal Kombat 3, it allows you to perform combos. Some of the game's modes include: VS and 2-on-2, as well as the Arcade mode. Pros- Nice variety of modes. Cons- The bosses (especially Kintaro) can be very cheap. Control- 10/10- Arcade-perfect. The Saturn's Control Pad works miracles with this game, it allows it to play like dream just as it has in many other fighting games, more so in this game because the button layout is identical. On top of that the control is very responsive. Pros- Arcade-perfect button layout. Super-responsive control. Cons- None. Challenge-7/10- The variable challenge is a welcome feature, on the first three difficulty levels the game may pose some problems, on the last two, it's borderline impossible. Replay Value-10/10- There's a ton of things to do after you beat the game; for one thing it's chock full of secrets that are guaranteed to keep you busy for a while; after that you can always try to master all the characters. Pros- Lots of secrets. Tons of characters to master. Cons- Game may get monotonous. Presentation-10/10- It's arcade-perfect, everything fits the game's dark, broodish setting perfectly. The menus are also nicely laid out and are easy to navigate through. Pros- Arcade perfect. Everything fits the game's setting. Cons- If you hated the arcade version's presentation, you?ll hate the home version's as well. Bells & Whistles-10/10- There's a ton of extras to find, from secrets, to hidden characters, to codes, it's all in the game waiting to be found. Overall-9/10- This game combines great graphics, good sound, and perfect control to make a fighting game that MK fans will never regret buying. A word of warning though, if you've never liked MK, I doubt this game will change your mind. If you love MK, this game is a dream come true. Final Thought- I had a lot of fun with this game, loading times are few and far between and help the game retain the frantic feel of the past Mortal Kombat game.
