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The Mortal Kombat series retains many hidden mysteries and the capacity to surprise, well past its 30th anniversary after its initial debut in coin-op establishments. The recent anthology including the brand's formative years, featuring four arcade games, several home system versions, and derivative games, is more than simply a faithfully reproduced set of legendary games and not-so-classics — it functions as a detailed chronicle about the development of the iconic franchise.

Being a long-time devotee of the franchise who has paid close attention its development and progression, there was much to discover for me to understand and value about the series.

What Makes the Historical Compilation

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection comparable to previous classic compilations from the creators at Digital Eclipse, part documentary, portion interactive museum. This compilation features simulated releases of the original arcade Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat 4, along with home system and portable adaptations of some of those games. The collection even includes the brand's experiments at derivative games, like action-oriented titles Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces — some of the brand's most criticized releases.

The Legacy Kollection consequently doesn't represent a greatest hits compilation, but a study of Mortal Kombat's early days, when the development team Midway and series co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias were determining how to make a fighting game, digitized from footage of real actors, as they went along. Observing the archival material — which includes vintage recordings, new interviews, and digital copies of vintage posters, comics, and even interoffice faxes — it's remarkable to see how the series transformed from humble beginnings to a international craze. It's genuinely amazing to observe several early video game creators, operating with virtually no plan or supervision, channel their pop-culture interests into creating a legendary video game series.

Historical Section

The historical documentation of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection traces the growth of Mortal Kombat and the developers' professional journeys at the no-longer-operating Midway. It then goes on to show how those same creators reckoned with how to regularly outdo their previous work, encountering significant demand to replicate their success. It's a fascinating time capsule made from analog films and traditional photos and manual drawings, which showcase the DIY nature of the franchise's production method and how personal recommendations helped disseminate its secrets and hidden aspects of Mortal Kombat in its golden era in coin-op establishments. Delivered in easily digestible portions, it's an eminently watchable collection of mini-documentaries that includes titles, illustrated stories, cinematic adaptations and including the humorous real-world tour. The collection additionally features some unreleased actions and digital fighter representations among its previously unreleased material.

Playable Component

Placed within the quintet of documentary episodes' progression are prompts to play the original releases. At various points, audience members can jump into a Mortal Kombat title or one of its home console ports to revisit its gameplay and graphics, simulated with remarkable precision on modern hardware.

I allocated the majority of my time experiencing the original arcade titles, specifically Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Many of the games here stand the test of time, particularly during direct competitive sessions. But playing against the artificial intelligence fighters in these releases is a testament to how primitive and unfair the programming was in the series' initial installments. CPU-controlled opponents blatantly cheat to win or are conversely remarkably unintelligent. Lacking a human opponent — internet multiplayer exists in numerous anthology releases, but too light on features — you'll be missing out.

Technical Presentation

The twenty-three accessible Mortal Kombat titles in the collection, a mix of coin-op, home system, and portable titles, are faithfully recreated, though I have noticed a couple minor issues — mainly control latency and the occasional bug, especially with Mortal Kombat 4. Although the titles are primarily displayed authentically, the development team has included some smart convenience enhancements and visual presentation options. For example, users can elect to show each character's special moves on-screen and select to activate unlimited duration to complete lethal techniques. There are also options for revealing concealed combatants, without having to perform obscure techniques to access them.

Graphically, the titles can be enjoyed with multiple filters and visual treatments. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection provides highly authentic filters that mimic the traditional television screens of gaming halls or home televisions, or the monochrome green display of a portable gaming device. An especially welcome feature is the setting to activate gaming hall-style borders encircling the display, with the specific combat game you're playing accurately and softly reflecting against the faux black plastic borders. It's remarkably visually appealing.

Bonus Elements

There are plenty of welcome features besides the documentary and emulated arcade classics, including a music player that enables players to reexperience the soundtracks of different Mortal Kombat games without the din of fighters brutally eliminating opponents. Also present are fighter biographies that contain backgrounds and numerous narrative components displayed via the idle displays of gaming hall releases and final sequences.

Historical Preservation

A particularly notable inclusion for committed franchise followers is the opportunity to play a example of historically missing material in the form of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wavenet Edition. This specific release, a slightly updated version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, was an initial venture by the company at direct online competitive gaming in coin-op establishments. This network version of the game is practically indistinguishable to UMK3, but provided the ability to battle network competitors and included some minor glitch repairs and refinements. But the Wavenet update failed to achieve popularity, in part