:Mortal Kombat II

{{Further|Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)#Gameplay|l1=Gameplay of the first Mortal Kombat game}}

File:Mortal Kombat II Pit II.png being performed against Mileena. A figure in flames later retconned as Blaze can be seen in the stage's background (see also the rumors section).]]

The gameplay system of Mortal Kombat II is an improved version of that from the original Mortal Kombat. There are several changes in standard moves: a crouching punch was added, low and high kicks have greater differentiation (be they crouching or standing up), roundhouse kicks are made more powerful (knocking an opponent across the screen, like the game's uppercut), and it is easier to perform combos due to reduced recovery times for attacks. Returning characters also gained new special moves, including some to be used in mid-air, and the game plays almost twice as fast as the original.GamePro 55 (February 1994), pages 32-33.MK Secrets, [http://shoryuken.com/2011/11/24/the-history-of-mortal-kombat-episode-2-mortal-kombat-ii/ The History of Mortal Kombat, Episode 2 Mortal Kombat II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215145940/http://shoryuken.com/2011/11/24/the-history-of-mortal-kombat-episode-2-mortal-kombat-ii/ |date=2012-12-15 }}, Shoryuken, November 24th, 2011.

As with its predecessor, matches are divided into rounds, and the first player to win two rounds by fully depleting their opponent's life bar is the winner; at this point, the losing character will become dazed and the winner is given the opportunity of using a finishing move. Mortal Kombat II lacks the "Test Your Might" bonus games and point system from the first game, in favor of a consecutive win tally where wins are represented by icons.

The game marked the introduction of multiple Fatalities (special moves allowing the victorious character to execute their opponent at the end of a match) as well as additional, non-lethal finishing moves to the franchise: Babalities (turning the opponent into a crying baby), Friendships (a non-malicious interaction, such as dancing or giving a gift to the defeated opponent) and additional stage-specific Fatalities (the victor uppercutting their opponent into an abyss below, spikes in the ceiling, or a pool of acid in the background). Finishing moves cannot be performed either by or against the boss or secret characters.{{#tag:ref|The arcade version also contains a hidden game of Pong.|group="note"}} {{Clear left}}

Following his failure to defeat Liu Kang in the previous Mortal Kombat tournament, the evil Shang Tsung begs his master Shao Kahn, supreme ruler of Outworld and the surrounding kingdoms, to spare his life. He tells Shao Kahn that if they hold the next Mortal Kombat Tournament in Outworld, the Earthrealm warriors must travel away from home to attend. Kahn agrees to this plan, and restores Shang Tsung's youth and martial arts prowess. He then extends the invitation to the thunder god and Earthrealm's protector, Raiden, who gathers his warriors and takes them into Outworld. The new tournament is much more dangerous, as Shao Kahn has the home field advantage.{{cite web |url=http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-story.php |title=Mortal Kombat Secrets: Mortal Kombat II - Story |publisher=Mksecrets.net |date=2013-01-19 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803201105/http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-story.php |url-status=live }}Mortal Kombat II Game Gear manual, p.2-3.

According to the Mortal Kombat series' canon, Liu Kang won this tournament as well, defeating Shao Kahn and his bodyguard Kintaro.Dan Ryckert, [https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/02/01/who-actually-won-mortal-kombat.aspx?PostPageIndex=1&PageIndex=7 Who Actually Won Mortal Kombat?], GameInformer.com, February 1, 2012. The game's story mode can be also finished using any other playable character, resulting in a variety of non-canonical endings for each of them.{{cite web |url=http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-endings.php |title=Mortal Kombat Secrets: Mortal Kombat II - Endings |publisher=Mksecrets.net |date=2013-01-19 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2017-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130091719/http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-endings.php |url-status=live }} This game also establishes that the original Sub-Zero Bi-Han was killed by Scorpion in the first game and Bi-Han's younger brother Kuai Liang took the identity of the new Sub-Zero.{{cite video game|title=Mortal Kombat II |developer=Midway |publisher=Midway |date=1993 |level=Sub-Zero ending}}

{{Main| Characters of the Mortal Kombat series}}

File:Mortal Kombat II select screen.png, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Reptile, Sub-Zero, Shang Tsung, Kitana, Jax, Mileena, Baraka, Scorpion, Raiden]]

The game includes 12 playable characters.

;New characters:

• Baraka (played by Richard Divizio), a mutant warlord of Outworld's Nomad race, responsible for the assault on the Shaolin Monastery on the orders of Shao Kahn.{{cite web |url=http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-bios.php |title=Mortal Kombat Secrets: Mortal Kombat II - Characters Bios |publisher=Mksecrets.net |date=2013-01-19 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803201034/http://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-bios.php |url-status=live }}
• Jax (played by John Parrish): U.S. Special Forces officer who enters the tournament to rescue his partner Sonya Blade from Outworld.
• Kitana (played by Katalin Zamiar),{{cite web |url=http://huguesjohnson.com/scans/mk2-behind-scenes/ |title=Mortal Kombat II Behind the Scenes |publisher=HuguesJohnson.com |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727043440/http://huguesjohnson.com/scans/mk2-behind-scenes/ |url-status=live }} a female ninja who works as a personal assassin in the service of Shao Kahn. She has been suspected of secretly aiding the Earthrealm warriors.
• Kung Lao (played by Anthony Marquez), Shaolin monk and close friend of Liu Kang, a descendant of the Great Kung Lao (who was defeated by Goro and Shang Tsung 500 years before the events of MK). He seeks to avenge his ancestor and the destruction of the Shaolin temple.
• Mileena (played by Katalin Zamiar), twin sister to Kitana who also serves as an assassin for Kahn. Her mission during the tournament is to ensure the loyalty of her sister, but she also has plans of her own.

;Returning characters:

• Johnny Cage (played by Daniel Pesina), Hollywood actor who joins Liu Kang in his journey to Outworld.
• Liu Kang (played by Ho Sung Pak), Shaolin monk who is the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. He travels to Outworld to seek vengeance for the death of his Shaolin monastery brothers.
• Raiden (played by Carlos Pesina), thunder god who returns to Mortal Kombat to stop Kahn's evil plans of taking Earthrealm for his own (spelled "Rayden" in the DOS and console ports).
• Reptile (played by Daniel Pesina), Shang Tsung's personal bodyguard.{{#tag:ref|Previously a palette swap of Sub-Zero with Scorpion and Sub-Zero's moves, Reptile has been made into a distinct character and given his own moves.|group="note"}}
• Scorpion (played by Daniel Pesina), a hellspawned spectre who returns to the tournament to once again assassinate Sub-Zero.
• Shang Tsung (played by Philip Ahn, M.D.)Ahn, Phillip, MD, [http://www.mortaldoctor.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304090520/https://www.mortaldoctor.com/|date=2021-03-04}}, Mortal Doctor, September 14th 2019 An evil sorcerer who convinced Kahn to spare his life after losing the last tournament, with a new plan to appease his master, who in turn restores Tsung's youth. Although playable in this installment, also serves as a sub-boss of the game, always appearing before Kintaro in the single-player mode. As in the first game, he is able to morph into any of the playable characters, retaining their moves (in some versions only the character against whom he is currently fighting).
• Sub-Zero (played by Daniel Pesina), a male ninja who possesses cryokinesis. Though apparently killed in the first tournament, he mysteriously returns, traveling into Outworld to again attempt to assassinate Shang Tsung.

;Boss characters:

• Kintaro (stop motion), Shao Kahn's bodyguard, sent by his race to avenge Goro's defeat. He is the game's penultimate boss.
• Shao Kahn (played by Brian Glynn, voiced by Steve Ritchie), the evil Emperor of Outworld, who wishes to conquer Earthrealm by any means. He is the tournament host and the game's final boss.

The game also features three hidden opponents for unlockable fights: Jade (played by Katalin Zamiar), a female ninja clad in green who is immune to projectiles; Noob Saibot (played by Daniel Pesina), a dark silhouetted ninja who is a "lost warrior" from the first MK game; and Smoke (played by Daniel Pesina), a male ninja clothed in gray who emits smoke from his body.

Sonya and Kano are the only playable characters from the first Mortal Kombat who were not implemented as fighters, as they only appear in the background of the Kahn's Arena stage, chained and on display as his prisoners. The reason for this was due to the storage limitations of arcade hardware at the time. When Midway employees ran audits on several Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets in the Chicago area, they found that Kano and Sonya were the least chosen characters. So they were cut to background sprites in order to make room for new characters.{{Cite web |last=Fingas |first=Roger |date=2021-04-13 |title=Why Mortal Kombat 2 Cut Sonya & Kano |url=https://screenrant.com/mortal-kombat-2-sonya-kano-cut-missing-why/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}

{{quote box|quote=When we finished Mortal Kombat I, Acclaim did the home version, and they sold six million copies or something crazy like that. We had already started talking about doing a Star Wars game, and then our general manager at the time came to us one day and said, 'What do you mean a Star Wars game? You can't do a Star Wars game. You've got to do another Mortal Kombat game.' The notion of sequels wasn't even something that we had entertained. It was just like, 'Oh, you do this game and then you move onto the next game.' Looking back now, it's really silly that we wouldn't have entertained that idea.|source=—Ed Boon|width=30%|}}

{{quote box|quote=MKII's story influences came from the same places as the first game. One influence came from the first two Star Wars films, where you knew that there was an emperor ruling the universe, but knew nothing else about him. It created a desire in the viewer to want to know more. I think we had something very similar with Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn and for me that came from that feeling I had as a kid when I learned more about what made the Star Wars universe tick in Empire Strikes Back. I wanted MK fans to have that same feeling.[http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/News/read.cds?article=1725 In Konversation: Mortal Kombat Online vs John Tobias - Part 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530075007/http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/News/read.cds?article=1725 |date=2013-05-30 }}, Mortal Kombat Online, 09/17/2012.|source=—John Tobias|width=30%|}}

According to the project's lead programmer Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat II was "intended to look different than the original MK" and "had everything we wanted to put into MK but did not have time for."GamePro 76 (November 1995). In 2012, Boon placed creating the game among his best Mortal Kombat memories, recalling: "When we did Mortal Kombat II, we got new equipment and all that stuff, but it was funny because when we started working on Mortal Kombat II, the mania, the hysteria of the home versions of Mortal Kombat I was literally all around us. We were so busy working on the next one, going from seven characters to 12 and two Fatalities per character and all these other things that that consumed every second."Reyan Ali, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/09/ed-boons-12-best-mortal-kombat-memories/#gallery Ed Boon's 12 Biggest Mortal Kombat Memories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801155240/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/09/ed-boons-12-best-mortal-kombat-memories/#gallery |date=2018-08-01 }}, Complex.com, September 12, 2012. Both the theme and art style of MKII were slightly darker than those of its predecessor, although a more vibrant color palette was employed and the new game had a much richer color depth than the previous game. A new feature was the use of multiple layers of parallax scrolling in the arcade version. The game was made to be less serious with the addition of humorous alternative finishing moves. Some of the considered Fatalities were rejected as too extreme at the time.{{cite web |url=http://polygamia.pl/Polygamia/1,96455,17754294,Macie_pol_godziny_wolnego_czasu__Zapraszamy_na_wycieczke.html |title=Macie pół godziny wolnego czasu? Zapraszamy na wycieczkę po dziejach serii Mortal Kombat |language=pl |publisher=Polygamia.pl |date=2015-04-14 |access-date=2015-05-04 |archive-date=2015-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418002114/http://polygamia.pl/Polygamia/1,96455,17754294,Macie_pol_godziny_wolnego_czasu__Zapraszamy_na_wycieczke.html |url-status=live }}

Care was taken during the programming process to give the game a "good feel", with Boon simulating elements such as gravity into the video game design. The game's lead designer and artist John Tobias noted that the previous game's reliance on juggling the opponent in the air with successive hits was an accident, and had been tightened in Mortal Kombat II. Boon said that the reason to not completely remove it in favor of a different system of chaining attacks together was to set the game apart from the competing titles such as Street Fighter and allow for players to devise their own combinations of attacks. A double jump ability was implemented but later removed.{{cite web|url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2012/nov/07/john-tobias-if-i-could-go-back-and-redo-kabal-and-stryker-i-would-i-dont-know-if-id-design-them-differently-or-just-come-new-character/|title=John Tobias: 'If I could go back and redo Kabal and Stryker I would, I don't know if I'd design them differently or just come up with new characters'|date=2012-11-07|website=EventHubs|language=en|access-date=2018-12-25|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123826/http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2012/nov/07/john-tobias-if-i-could-go-back-and-redo-kabal-and-stryker-i-would-i-dont-know-if-id-design-them-differently-or-just-come-new-character/|url-status=live}} At one point, a bonus stage was planned to feature "a bunch of ninjas jumping all over the place and you would swing at them, just like you're in the middle of a fight in a kung fu movie." All of the music was composed, performed, recorded and mixed by Dan Forden, the Mortal Kombat series' sound designer and composer, using the Williams DCS sound system.Video Games The Ultimate Gaming Magazine 75 (April 1995) page 49.

Like the first game, Acclaim handled the home conversions. San Francisco Chronicle claimed in 1994 that Acclaim had spent {{US$|50 million|long=no}} on developing, manufacturing and marketing the game.{{cite web|first=Laura|last=Evenson|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86831649/the-dispatch/|title=Video games getting movie-style premieres|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|page=15|date=September 9, 1994|access-date=October 10, 2021|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010155021/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86831649/the-dispatch/|url-status=live}}

To create the character animations for the game, actors were placed in front of a gray background and performed the motions, which were recorded on videotape (using a broadcast-quality, $20,000 Sony camera instead of the standard Hi8 camera used for the original Mortal Kombat). The video capture footage was then processed into a computer, and the background was removed from selected frames to create sprites. Towards the end of the game's development, they opted to instead use a blue screen technique and processed the footage directly into the computer for a similar, simpler process. The actors were lightly sprayed with water to give them a sweaty, glistening appearance,{{Cite magazine|magazine=GamePro |page=115 |title=The Magic of Digitization |issue=69 |date=June 1994}} while post-editing was done on the sprites afterward to highlight flesh tones and improve the visibility of muscles,{{cite magazine|title=The Game Makers: The Artists|magazine=GamePro|issue=88 |publisher=IDG|date=January 1996|pages=34–36}} which Tobias felt set the series apart from similar games using digitized graphics. Animations of Shang Tsung morphing into other characters were created by Midway's John Vogel using a computer, while hand-drawn animations were used for other parts of the game, such as the Fatalities. For animating Goro and Kintaro, clay sculptures were created by Tobias' friend Curt Chiarelli and then turned into 12-inch latex miniatures that were used for stop motion filming.{{Cite magazine|magazine=GamePro |pages=114–116 |title=The Minds Behind Mortal Kombat II |issue=69 |date=June 1994}} Because of technical restrictions, the actors' costumes had to be simple and no acrobatic moves such as backflips could have been recorded;[http://pl.twitch.tv/theonblastshow/b/331110202 The On Blast Show Ep10: Katalin Zamiar (Kitana)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234922/http://pl.twitch.tv/theonblastshow/b/331110202 |date=2013-12-30 }}, TheOnBlastShow. the most difficult moves to perform were some of the jumping kicks.

Several characters (namely Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Noob Saibot, Reptile, Scorpion, Smoke, and Sub-Zero) were created using the first game's palette swap technique on just two base models. The game was noted for its "strong

female presence",Retro Gamer issue 90 page 20. as it was featuring more than one woman character as it was common in the genre at the time. Due to memory limitations and the development team's desire to introduce more new characters, two fighters from the original Mortal Kombat, Sonya Blade and Kano, whom Boon cited as the least-picked characters in the game, were excluded,{{Cite magazine|magazine=GamePro |author=Staff |page=116 |title=The Minds Behind Mortal Kombat II |issue=59 |date=June 1994}} substituted by two palette swaps, Mileena and Reptile. In place of Sonya, two new playable female characters, Kitana and Mileena, were introduced so the game might better compete against Capcom's Street Fighter II: The World Warrior featuring Chun-Li.The One Amiga 75 (December 1994).{{#tag:ref|1993's Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers added Cammy to the roster.|group="note"}} Another planned female fighter, based on the real-life kickboxer Kathy Long whom Tobias admired, was omitted due to time constraints.GamePro 58 (May 1994), pages 28-31. A male bonus character played by Kyu Hwang was also cut from the game.VideoGames 63 (April 1994).

File:PAX South 2015 - Mortal Kombat arcade (16165005248).jpg 2015|alt=]]

The first version of MKII, revision 1.4, "was effectively a public beta test", featuring few Fatalities and many software bugs; it also lacked the endings for the characters. It took three subsequent revisions to have the moves and finishing moves finalized and all the bugs corrected, also adding additional content, as development had still been in progress for all that time.GameSpot Editorial Team, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040219112446/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-17.html The First Fighting Game That Let You Just Be Friends: Mortal Kombat II], GameSpot, 2003. The final version was revision 3.1, released in January 1994.Edwin D. Reilly, Anthony Ralston, David Hemmendinger, Encyclopedia of Computer Science (Nature Pub. Group, 2000), page 363.

In conjunction with the release of the arcade game in 1993, an official comic book, Mortal Kombat II Collector's Edition, written and illustrated by Tobias, was released through mail order, describing the backstory of the game in greater detail. Acclaim Entertainment stated that it "had started Mortal Kombat II with a $10 million global marketing campaign" for the home versions.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85254724/|title=Game: Mortal Kombat II sells|newspaper=The Central New Jersey Home News|page=5|date=September 12, 1994|access-date=August 24, 2021|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107100149/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85254724/the-central-new-jersey-home-news/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title= Mortal Kombat Sales |date= 1994-09-23 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/business/mortal-kombat-sales.html |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= 2009-11-30 |archive-date= 2017-07-01 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170701050805/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/business/mortal-kombat-sales.html |url-status= live }} A part of this sum was used to film and air the live-action TV commercial created by David Anderson and Bob Keen. The video[http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/fal5hb/mortal-kombat-ii-mortal-kombat-ii-extended-spot Mortal Kombat II extended spot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502204122/http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/fal5hb/mortal-kombat-ii-mortal-kombat-ii-extended-spot |date=2013-05-02 }}, GameTrailers, 09/12/2011. featured Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile (with a notably more reptilian appearance), Kitana, Baraka and Shao Kahn, who were played by the same actors as in the game.{{cite magazine |date=July 1994 |title=Mortal Kombat II (Behind the Scenes of the Commercial) |magazine=EGM² |issue=1 |page=149}} The game's promotional campaign's tagline was "Nothing ... Nothing can prepare you."Kate Fitzgerald, [http://adage.com/article/news/mortal-kombat-s-ferocious-encore/90248/ Mortal Kombat's Ferocious Encore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095302/http://adage.com/article/news/mortal-kombat-s-ferocious-encore/90248/ |date=2016-03-04 }}, Advertising Age, September 05, 1994. In 2008, Eurogamer called Mortal Kombat II "a marketing triumph".Peter Parrish, [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mortal-kombat-blood-and-money-article Mortal Kombat: Blood and Money] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123060124/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mortal-kombat-blood-and-money-article |date=2013-01-23 }}, Eurogamer, 1 April 2008.

Malibu Comics published a series of Mortal Kombat comic books featuring the characters from both MKII and the original game. Mortal Kombat II: Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack, an album featuring music from Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat, composed by Dan Forden,{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Kombat-Music-Arcade-Soundtrack/dp/B000PSUFU2 |title=Mortal Kombat II. Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack |website=Amazon |date=2009-05-04 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233040/http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Kombat-Music-Arcade-Soundtrack/dp/B000PSUFU2 |url-status=live }} could originally only be purchased by ordering it through a limited CD offer, which was posted on the arcade version of the game's attract mode. Other merchandise for the game included a periodical official fanzine Mortal Kombat II Kollector's Magazine published by Midway and Sendai,{{cite web|first=Melanie|last=McFarland|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-11-04-9411040224-story.html|title=PARENTS BEWARE: A MORE DETAILED MKII MAG|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 4, 1994|access-date=August 29, 2021|archive-date=April 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409102123/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-11-04-9411040224-story.html|url-status=live}} a series of collectible stickers for an album by Panini Group, two different series of action figures (released in Argentina in 1995 and in the US in 1999, respectively), and collectible card game Mortal Kombat Kard Game that was marketed as "Mortal Kombat II trading cards".An advertisement in GamePro 64 (November 1994).

Since 1994, multiple official ports and emulated versions of Mortal Kombat II have been released for a wide variety of home systems, including the 8-bit (Game Boy, Game Gear, and Master System), 16-bit (Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive) and 32-bit (32X, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn) consoles, Amiga and MS-DOS computers, and the PlayStation Network (PSN). The Game Boy, Game Gear, SNES, and Genesis versions were released simultaneously on September 9, 1994, dubbed "Mortal Friday" by Acclaim's marketing.William Schiffermann, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-14-ls-50167-story.html Mortal Kombat II; For Sega Genesis and Game Gear, Nintendo SNES and Game Boy], Associated Press, October 14, 1994. The PlayStation version was released only in Japan, retitled {{Nihongo|Mortal Kombat II: Kyuukyoku Shinken|モータルコンバットII 究極神拳|Mōtaru Konbatto Tsū Kyūkyoku Shinken|"Mortal Kombat II: Ultimate Godly Fist"}}^JP; this subtitle was also used for the Japanese release of the Sega 32X port.

• The Sega Genesis / Mega Drive port, developed by Probe Software, retains all of the blood and Fatalities without a special code having to be entered, unlike the original Mortal Kombat for the system. It contains several exclusive Easter eggs{{#tag:ref|{{anchor|Fergality}}One of them is "Fergality", performed by selecting Raiden and fighting on the Armory stage; when successfully executed, the opponent transforms into a smoking character with an oversized head of Probe Software's Fergus McGovern.{{cite web |author=K. Thor Jensen |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/fergality |title=Fergality - The Most Gruesome Finishing Moves Ever |publisher=UGO.com |date=2011-02-11 |access-date=2013-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217233754/http://www.ugo.com/games/fergality |archive-date=2011-02-17 }}|group="note"}} and features some different character animations for victory poses and a support for the motion controller device Sega Activator.
• The SNES version was developed by Sculptured Software. Because of poor sales of the censored SNES version of the original game, Nintendo decided to allow depictions of blood and Fatalities this time around.Nintendo Power 68 (January 1995). Because the industry-wide rating system was not expected to be in effect until November 1994 at the earliest, this version had no formal rating; instead, a warning label was put on the game's box in order to inform prospective buyers about the game's mature content.{{cite magazine|title=Fatalities on SNES!!|magazine=GamePro|issue=61|publisher=IDG|date=August 1994|page=25}} The Japanese version, however, is censored to a degree, with green blood for all fighters,EGM² 5 (November 1994), page 96. as well as the screen colors turning black-and-white for all character-specific lethal Fatalities.{{cite web |author=Gerald Wurm |url=http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3422 |title=Mortal Kombat II (Comparison: Japanese SNES Version - International Version) |publisher=Movie-Censorship.com |date=2011-11-16 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-01-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129034625/http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3422 |url-status=live }} John Tobias favored this version over the Genesis version, stating: "I would go so far as to say that the Super NES version is one of the best arcade-to-home conversions I've seen."{{cite magazine|title=What Does John Think?|magazine=GamePro|issue=61|publisher=IDG|date=August 1994|page=25}}
• Also developed by Probe Software, the Game Boy port plays similarly to the Game Boy version of the original game but with characters moving much smoother and faster. It only contains eight of the 12 playable fighters from the arcade game (lacking Baraka, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao and Raiden); Kintaro and Noob Saibot were also removed from the game, yet Jade is included as a hidden fighter. Only three of ten arenas are retained from the arcade version: the Kombat Tomb, the Pit II and Goro's Lair. The Kombat Tomb contains the port's only Stage Fatality and Goro's Lair is much simpler in this version (consisting of a brick wall with no openings or glowing eyes). Blood is completely removed and each playable character retains only one of their Fatalities plus the Babality.
• Also developed by Probe Software, the Sega Game Gear and Master System ports are similar to the Game Boy port, but in color instead of in monochrome. Both of them are almost identical, except for the reduced size of the Game Gear screen, featuring the same fighters and arenas as the Game Boy port, but with the addition of Kintaro. The arena where players fight Jade and Smoke is exclusive to each version. Unlike the Game Boy version, blood is present, but was drastically reduced in quantity when compared to other ports. Because of the systems' limited graphical resources, some of the Fatalities in the game were altered to completely destroy the opponent's body, leaving generic gibs of bones and limbs, while others were also simplified to use common animations.

The game was also featured in several compilation releases, including Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox,

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox as a hidden and unlockable Easter egg, Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play for the PlayStation Portable, and Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection[http://www.gamespot.com/news/6313416.html Mortal Kombat gets kompiled this summer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810091225/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6313416.html |date=2011-08-10 }}, GameSpot, May 12, 2011 for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Another compilation release, for the Nintendo DS, was canceled.{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/noobde/status/46218380117688320 |title=Twitter / noobde: RT @LittleMofreaky Why hasn't |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=2014-03-19 |archive-date=2014-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327213048/https://twitter.com/noobde/status/46218380117688320 |url-status=live }} Arcade1Up released a home arcade cabinet compilation that included the game, as well as the original Mortal Kombat and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.{{Cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/05/07/mortal-kombat-and-final-fight-arcade1up-cabinets/|title=Mortal Kombat and Final Fight Arcade1Up Cabinets Are Here|date=7 May 2019 |access-date=2019-06-10|archive-date=2019-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507164729/https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/05/07/mortal-kombat-and-final-fight-arcade1up-cabinets/|url-status=live}}

{{Video game reviews

| GR = SMD: 86%{{cite web |url= https://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/563224-mortal-kombat-ii/index.html |title=Mortal Kombat II for Genesis |website=GameRankings |publisher=CBS Interactive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321131001/https://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/563224-mortal-kombat-ii/index.html |access-date=2019-03-21|archive-date=2019-03-21 }}
SNES: 86%{{cite web |url= https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588500-mortal-kombat-ii/index.html |title=Mortal Kombat II for Super Nintendo |website=GameRankings |publisher=CBS Interactive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321131000/https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588500-mortal-kombat-ii/index.html |access-date=2019-03-21|archive-date=2019-03-21 }}

| MC = PS3: 72/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mortal-kombat-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3 |title=Mortal Kombat II for PlayStation 3 Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=2019-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223005401/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/mortal-kombat-ii-psn |archive-date=2011-02-23 |url-status=live}}

| CVG = ARC: 93%{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action |magazine=Computer and Video Games |publisher=Future Publishing |location=United Kingdom |issue=149 (April 1994) |date=15 March 1994 |pages=82–6 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/CVG_UK_149.pdf#page=82 |access-date=13 October 2021 |archive-date=10 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810031709/https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/CVG_UK_149.pdf#page=82 |url-status=live }}
SMD: 97%
SNES: 96%
AMI: 96%{{cite magazine |last1=Lawrence |first1=Eddy (Radion Automatic) |title=Step Into the Ring: Mortal Kombat II (Amiga 1200) |magazine=Computer and Video Games |publisher=Future plc |location=United Kingdom |issue=158 (January 1995) |date=15 December 1994 |page=49 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/84/CVG_UK_158.pdf#page=49 |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-date=1 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401063350/http://retrocdn.net/images/8/84/CVG_UK_158.pdf#page=49 |url-status=live }}
32X: 93%Steve Merrett, Computer + Video Games 160 (March 1995)
GB: 90%
SGG: 88%

| EGM = SNES: 8.25/10{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Mortal Kombat II|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=63|publisher=Ziff Davis|date=October 1994|page=32}}
SMD: 7.25/10
SGG: 7/10
GB: 6/10
SSAT: 5.75/10

| Fam = SNES: 28/40NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: モータルコンバットII 究極神拳. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.309. Pg.38. 11–18 November 1994.
SMD: 22/40NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: モータルコンバットII 究極神拳. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.336. Pg.30. 26 May 1995.
GB: 18/40

| GI = SSAT: 7/10[https://web.archive.org/web/19971120011031/http://www.gameinformer.com/mar96/mortal.html March 1996 Issue], GameInformer.com.

| GamePro = SNES: 20/20GamePro 97 (August 1997), pages 76-77.
SMD: 17.5/20
SGG: 16.5/20GamePro 63 (October 1994), pages 40-41.
GB: 15/20

| GMaster = SMD: 94%GamesMaster 21 (September 1994)

| GSpot = PS3: 7.9/10Jeff Gerstmann, [http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-ii-2007/reviews/mortal-kombat-ii-review-6169049/ Mortal Kombat II Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520075414/http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-ii-2007/reviews/mortal-kombat-ii-review-6169049/ |date=2013-05-20 }}, GameSpot, April 13, 2007

| IGN = 32X: 7.8/10
PS3: 7.3/10

| NGen = SNES: {{Rating|5|5}}
PC: {{Rating|4|5}}
32X/SSAT: {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev1 = Amiga Format

| rev1Score = AMI: 90%Stephen Bradley and Steve McGill, Amiga Format 66 (December 1994).

| rev2 = CU Amiga

| rev2Score = AMI: 95%Ed Lawrence, CU Amiga (February 1995).

| rev3 = Mean Machines Sega

| rev3Score = 32X: 92%Mean Machines Sega 29 (March 1995)
SMS: 80%

| rev4 = Sega Saturn Magazine

| rev4Score = SSAT (Pre-release): 93%{{cite news|title=Review: Mortal Kombat 2|work=Sega Saturn Magazine|issue=1|publisher=Emap International Limited|date=November 1995|pages=78–79}}
{{Rating|2|5}}{{cite news|title=Mortal Kombat 2|work=Sega Saturn Magazine|issue=6|publisher=Emap International Limited|date=April 1996|page=95}}

| rev5 = VG&CE

| rev5Score = SNES: 10/10VideoGames, The Ultimate Gaming Magazine 69 (October 1994), pages 64-66.
32X: 9/10VideoGames, The Ultimate Gaming Magazine 75 (April 1995), page 70.
GB: 8/10
SMD: 7/10
SGG: 7/10

}}

Mortal Kombat II proved to be an enormous commercial success and even a cultural phenomenon.{{cite news |title=The Convoluted, Blood-Spattered History of Mortal Kombat (Infographic) |url=http://www.gamefront.com/the-convoluted-blood-spattered-history-of-mortal-kombat-infographic/ |work=GameFront |publisher=DBolical Pty Ltd. |first=CJ |last=Miozzi |date=2011-04-15 |access-date=2019-05-19 |archive-date=2016-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423033755/http://www.gamefront.com/the-convoluted-blood-spattered-history-of-mortal-kombat-infographic/ |url-status=live }} WMS Industries, owner of Midway at the time, reported its 1993 sales in the quarter ending December 31 rose to $101 million from $86 million and said much of its revenue gain was related to the sale of the arcade version of MKII.[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/01/26/wms-industries-incs-fiscal-second-quarter-profit-rose/ WMS Industries Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter profit], Chicago Tribune, January 26, 1994. It went on to become America's highest-grossing arcade game of 1994 according to the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA).{{cite magazine |title=AMOA Awards Banquet |magazine=RePlay |date=October 1994 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=149–50 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-20-issue-no.-1-october-1994/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2020%2C%20Issue%20No.%201%20-%20October%201994/page/149}} By 1996, the number of arcade machines sold approached 25,000 units; at that time, arcade games that sold 5,000 units were considered strong titles (Midway printed special T-shirts to celebrate 300 machines being manufactured in one day{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/noobde/status/105741247452418048 |title=Twitter / noobde: While manufacturing MK2 arcade |publisher=Twitter.com |date=2011-08-22 |access-date=2014-06-26 |archive-date=2014-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327223837/https://twitter.com/noobde/status/105741247452418048 |url-status=live }}) and an arcade cabinet cost $3,000–4,000.Paul Palumbo, John Kalb, Interactive Publishers Handbook, Carronade Group, 1996 (p.34). The arcade version went on to sell 27,000 units,{{cite news |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeremy |title=Mortal Apathy? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/technology/08MIDW.html |access-date=15 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=8 July 2002 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003002950/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/business/technology-mortal-apathy.html?pagewanted=2 |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=live }} and grossed {{US$|600 million|long=no}} {{as of|2002|lc=y}}.{{cite web |last1=Rignall |first1=Jaz |title=Top 10 Highest-Grossing Arcade Games of All Time |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time |website=USgamer |access-date=16 February 2021 |date=1 January 2016 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303190010/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time |url-status=live }} MKII was considered an arcade game of the year,Jay P. Pederson, International Directory of Company Histories - Volume 24, Gale, 1998 (p.5). taking over from the original Mortal Kombat.

On the day of the release of the game's first four versions for cartridge-based console systems (Sega's Genesis and Game Gear and Nintendo's SNES and Game Boy), dubbed "Mortal Friday" (September 9, 1994), celebrated annually by the fan community on the second Friday of September May Lam, [https://web.archive.org/web/20130502104550/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-2280258.html `Mortal Kombat II' Is Too Kool To Knock], AsianWeek, October 7, 1994. an unprecedented number of more than 2.5 million copies were shipped to be distributed, with the best opening-week sales in video game history at that point. Acclaim's analysts expected that the number of copies sold would reach at least 2.5 million within the first few weeks of release (at an average retail price of $60)Nina Schuyler, The Business of Multimedia, Allworth Press, 1995 (p.47). and the sales to top $150 million by the end of the year.Denise Gellene, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-09-fi-36631-story.html Nintendo's Looser Stance on Violence Means a Bloody Mortal Kombat II], LA Times, September 09, 1994.

In the first week of its console release, the game made sales to $50 million, which Acclaim Entertainment said was "The largest introduction of a video game in history". Distribution of over 2.5 million copies around 15,000 stores required 65 trucks and 11 jumbo jets.{{cite magazine |date=January 1995 |title=Acclaim Beats Movies |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/5/5d/GamePro_US_066.pdf |magazine=GamePro |publisher=IDG |issue=66 |page=212 |access-date=2019-05-19 |archive-date=2020-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116105502/https://retrocdn.net/images/5/5d/GamePro_US_066.pdf |url-status=live }} First-week sales of over $50 million in the United States surpassed the opening box office results of that season's Hollywood film blockbusters, such as Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Mask, and The Lion King.Amiga Power 44 (December 1994)[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/business/mortal-kombat-sales.html Mortal Kombat Sales] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701050805/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/business/mortal-kombat-sales.html |date=2017-07-01 }}, New York Times, September 23, 1994.{{cite magazine |title=Video game out-grosses movie releases |magazine=Screen Digest |date=1994 |page=233 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVnvAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Screen Digest Limited |quote=First-week US retail revenues for Acclaim Entertainment's Mortal Kombat II video game topped $50m—more than opening week gross of summer's top film releases. |access-date=2021-10-24 |archive-date=2021-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026025105/https://books.google.com/books?id=WVnvAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }} Approximately {{nowrap|2.5 million}} units were shipped to stores within a month.{{cite magazine |title=Shelf Talk: Soaring Sales |magazine=Billboard |date=29 October 1994 |volume=106 |issue=44 |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107100047/https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 |url-status=live }} Mortal Kombat II became the world's best-selling video game (until it was eclipsed by Donkey Kong Country, released in November 1994).Minnesota Intellectual Property Review - Volume 3, University of Minnesota Law School, 2002 (p.99). In the United States, it was the top-selling Genesis, SNES, and Game Gear game in September 1994,{{cite magazine|date=November 1994|title=EGM's Hot Top Tens|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_064.pdf|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|pages=52|access-date=2021-10-19|archive-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019044303/https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_064.pdf|url-status=live}} and the top Game Gear game the following month.{{cite magazine|date=December 1994|title=EGM's Hot Top Tens|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2d/EGM_US_065.pdf|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|pages=52|access-date=2021-10-19|archive-date=2018-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007040340/https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2d/EGM_US_065.pdf|url-status=live}} The Genesis version went on to sell 1.78 million copies in the United States, along with an additional 1.51 million American copies of the game for the SNES.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|title=US Platinum Videogame Chart|publisher=The Magic Box|access-date=2008-08-03|date=2007-12-27|archive-date=2007-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106203333/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|url-status=live}} In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling game in September 1994, including for the Mega Drive, SNES, Master System, Game Gear, and Game Boy;{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/9c/CVG_UK_156.pdf |title=Chart Attack with HMV |magazine=Computer & Video Games |publisher=Future plc |issue=156 (November 1994) |date=15 October 1994 |page=113 |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-date=7 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907223631/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/9c/CVG_UK_156.pdf |url-status=live }} it remained the top-selling game for the Master System, Game Gear, and Game Boy in October,{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/CVG_UK_157.pdf |title=Chart Attack with HMV |magazine=Computer & Video Games |publisher=Future plc |issue=157 (December 1994) |date=15 November 1994 |page=145 |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710025612/https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/CVG_UK_157.pdf |url-status=live }} and for the Game Gear in November.{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/84/CVG_UK_158.pdf |title=Chart Attack with HMV |magazine=Computer & Video Games |publisher=Future plc |issue=158 (January 1995) |date=January 1995 |page=115 |access-date=2021-09-15 |archive-date=2016-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401063350/http://retrocdn.net/images/8/84/CVG_UK_158.pdf |url-status=live }}

By 2002, estimated gross sales of Mortal Kombat II home video games exceeded $400 million. Re-released in 2007, the PSN version has continued to occupy the service's top ten monthly sales chart nearly three years later in February 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.edge-online.com/news/marvel-vs-capcom-2-leads-february-psn-sales/ |title=Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Leads February PSN Sales | News |publisher=Edge Online |access-date=2014-03-19 |archive-date=2014-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319233857/http://www.edge-online.com/news/marvel-vs-capcom-2-leads-february-psn-sales/ |url-status=live }}

The initial critical reception of Mortal Kombat II was overwhelmingly positive,Retro Gamer issue 96 page 21. with Sega Visions describing the way in which the sequel was directed as "sheer brilliance",Sega Visions, August–September 1994. and Nintendo Power calling it "the hottest fighter ever".Nintendo Power 64 (September 1994), page 103. Tony Brusgul of The Daily Gazette opined the "incredible" hype surrounding the game was "well deserved", describing it as "a perfect blend of great graphics, action and violence".The Daily Gazette, October 20, 1994. In his review of the arcade release, Rik Skews of Computer + Video Games (C+VG) wrote: "the only true rival to Street [F]ighter II" returned "in a sequel that bites off the head of the original."

Regarding the Genesis version, Mark Patterson of C+VG wrote that "Probe has done an incredible job with this conversion. Everything is here, and I mean everything."Mark Patterson, "Tougher than the best: Mortal Kombat II", Computer + Video Games 154 (September 1994), p.48-51. Sushi-X of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) called the Genesis version "a great translation considering its limitations", commenting that its graphics and sounds are not as good as those of the SNES version."Mortal Kombat II: Biggest seller in gaming history", EGM² 5 (November 1994), page 37. A reviewer for The Detroit News was "very disappointed" with the Genesis port and recommended the SNES version instead.

The four reviewers of EGM hailed the SNES version as a "near-perfect" translation of the arcade game. A reviewer for The Baltimore Sun called the SNES version "the best game I've ever played - a true translation", and Patterson noted it was the bloodiest game Nintendo has yet allowed to be released. C+VG declared it "the most perfect coin-op conversion ever".Retro Gamer issue 98 page 21. Next Generation stated about SNES version that "with full creative license, Acclaim has produced possibly the best arcade conversion ever."{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=Next Generation|issue=1|publisher=Imagine Media|date=January 1995|page=104}}

Regarding the portable console ports, Patterson stated that "no Game Boy owner should go without this" and called the Game Gear version "still the best handheld beat-'em up" on the market though lacking much canonical content. EGM reviewers concurred that the Game Gear version "has eye-popping graphics, and great control - so much so that you won't believe this is a portable", but were less enthusiastic about the Game Boy version. Though they commented that it is better than most fighting games for the system, two of their four reviewers said that it was not worth getting with the game available on much more powerful platforms.{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Mortal Kombat II|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=63|publisher=Ziff Davis|date=October 1994|page=42}}

Critical reception of the Amiga version was also mostly very favorable, including Ed Lawrence of CU Amiga declaring that "every person who own an Amiga has to own Mortal Kombat 2. In terms of revitalising the Amiga market, this is far more important than any Commodore buy-out could ever be." In a rare dissenting opinion, Jonathan Nash of Amiga Power dismissed Mortal Kombat II as "a clearly nonsensical title", recommending to "buy Shadow Fighter instead".{{Cite magazine|last=Nash |first=Jonathan |date=February 1995 |title=Mortal Kombat 2 review | magazine=Amiga Power |issue=46 }} The later PC version was also well-received, with Next Generation stating that "if you like fighting games, this is the best that's available."Next Generation 5 (May 1995), page 91.

About the 32X version, IGN's Levi Buchanan stated that "if you do not have a SNES, this is the home version of MKII to get."Levi Buchanan, [http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/936/936773p1.html Mortal Kombat II 32X Review - Sega 32X Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212120701/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/936/936773p1.html |date=2008-12-12 }}, IGN, December 9, 2008. In contrast, GamePro remarked that the 32X version offered too little improvement over the Genesis version, even failing to correct the control shortcomings, and was technically poor given the 32X's capabilities.{{cite magazine|title=ProReview: Mortal Kombat II|magazine=GamePro|issue=69 |publisher=IDG|date=April 1995|page=58}} In a review of the 32X version of the game, Next Generation opined that "MKII is a great game, but it's a serious case of 'been there, done that!'"{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=Next Generation|issue=5|publisher=Imagine Media|date=May 1995|pages=90–91}} Brazilian magazine Ação Games gave the 32X version 5 out of 5 on all six categories.[https://archive.org/stream/acao_games_50/acao_games_80#page/n17/mode/2up Ação Games : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive]

Reviewing the CD-ROM based Saturn port, EGM commented that the graphics are identical to the arcade version but that there are missing sound effects and "unbearable" slowdown when first performing a special move. They rated it the best home version of the game to date but said that with Mortal Kombat II having considerably aged by this point, any port needed to be near arcade perfect to stand out.{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Mortal Kombat II|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=80|publisher=Ziff Davis|date=March 1996|page=29}} Next Generation said that the Saturn version was arcade perfect, but that the Mortal Kombat series as a whole was grossly overrated and lacked any gameplay innovations to make it stand out from other fighting games. They summarized that "if you are a fan of the game (and you know who you are), then the Saturn version is everything you can hope for - an arcade-perfect translation - and yet, there is nothing outside of a flashy presentation and a little gore to recommend this game over a million others just like it."{{cite magazine|title=Mortal Kombat II | magazine=Next Generation|issue=16|publisher=Imagine Media|date=April 1996|page=86}} Scary Larry of GamePro agreed that the Saturn port "duplicates the arcade version perfectly", but argued that the slowdown and load times make the game frustrating to play. He concluded that the conversion would make a decent holdover until Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was released for Saturn, but fails to measure up to Mortal Kombat 3 on the PlayStation.{{cite magazine|title=ProReview: Mortal Kombat II|magazine=GamePro|issue=91|publisher=IDG|date=April 1996|page=78}} Sega Saturn Magazine was extremely disappointed with the final version of the Saturn port, calling it "much worse than any of the versions seen on the cartridge format", as opposed to the vastly superior pre-release version they had reviewed five months earlier.

Mortal Kombat II received numerous annual awards from gaming publications. Game Players gave it the titles of "Best Genesis Fighting Game", "Best SNES Fighting Game" and "Best Overall SNES Game" of 1994.Game Players 48 (January 1995). The staff of Nintendo Power ranked MKII as the second (SNES) and fifth (Game Boy) "Top Game" of 1994, while the magazine's readers voted it to receive the 1995's Nintendo Power Awards for "Best Tournament Fighter (all Nintendo platforms)" and "Best Play Control (Game Boy)",Nintendo Power 72 (May 1995). with the game having been nominated by the staff also in the categories "Worst Villain" (positively, an equivalent of "Best Hero") and "Best Overall (all Nintendo platforms)".Nintendo Power 70 (March 1995). VideoGames named MKII as the "Best Fighting Game" of 1994, also awarding it second place in the categories "Best Super NES Game" and "Best Arcade-to-Home Translation".VideoGames, The Ultimate Gaming Magazine 74 (March 1995), pages 45-46. Other awards included "The Best of the Show (Super NES)" for the SCES '94 from GameProGamePro 62 (September 1994). and "Bloodiest Game of 1994" from EGM.{{Cite magazine|year=1995 |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide | magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly }} In 2017, Gamesradar listed the game 29th on its "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time".{{Cite web|last=GamesRadar Staff|date=2017-06-21|title=Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/|access-date=2022-02-24|website=gamesradar|language=en|archive-date=2012-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726104316/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Controversies surrounding Mortal Kombat}}

As in the case of the first Mortal Kombat game, the content of Mortal Kombat II became the subject of a great deal of controversy regarding violent video games. Nancian Cherry of Toledo Blade wrote that both games had "an army of critics too: people upset by the bone-crunching, blood-spurting, limb-ripping violence depicted on the small screen."Toledo Blade, January 7, 1996. According to IGN, "Mortal Kombat II wore its notoriety as a badge of honor, boasting about it in promotional materials, and even parodying it in-game."Travis Fahs, [http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/05/05/the-history-of-mortal-kombat?page=2 The History of Mortal Kombat. Follow its bloody legacy from 1992 to present day.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107100150/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/05/05/the-history-of-mortal-kombat?page=2 |date=2021-11-07 }}, IGN, May 5, 2011. The game was banned in Germany, where MKII was put in the index by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM) and all versions of the game except for the Game Boy version{{cite web |author=blue image GmbH |url=http://www.cybercafe-software.com/indexlist.html#m |title=INDEX-List: Computer Games on the Index List in Germany |publisher=Cybercafe-software.com |date=2012-01-01 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730041247/http://www.cybercafe-software.com/indexlist.html#m |archive-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=dead }} were subjected to being confiscated from the nation's market for violating the German Penal Code by showing excessive violence and cruel acts against representations of human beings. Due to regional censorship, the game was also released with green-colored blood and black-and-white fatality sequences in Japan; it was at that time a unique occurrence of a western game being censored in Japan, not the reverse. Years later, Boon recalled: "I've always had the position that the rating system was a good idea and should be put in place. Once Mortal Kombat II came out, there was a rating system in place. We were an M-rated game, and everybody knew the content that was in there, so it became almost a non-issue." Tobias agreed, saying that they "were content with the M for mature on our packaging."{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-mortal-kombat-i---a-book-excerpt-from-replay-the-history-of-video-games |title=Features - Mortal Kombat - A Book Excerpt from Replay: The History of Video Games |website=Gamasutra |date=10 June 2010 |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511100837/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134205/mortal_kombat__a_book_excerpt_.php?print=1 |url-status=live }}

There were also some other controversies. In 1994, Guy Aoki, president of Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), criticized the game for allegedly perpetuating existing stereotypes of Asians as martial arts experts with the game's portrayal of several of its characters. Allyne Mills, a publicist at Acclaim, responded to this by stating: "This is a fantasy game, with all different characters. This is a martial arts game which comes from Asia.{{sic}} The game was not created to foster stereotypes.""Do Fighting Video Games Prolong Stereotypes of Asian Americans?", AsianWeek, September 23, 1994. Critical studies professor Marsha Kinder accused the game of "a misogynist aspect to the combat", alleging that "in MKII, some of the most violent possibilities are against women. Also, their fatality moves are highly eroticised.""Women, of a sort, enter Mortal Kombat", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 29, 1995.

Mortal Kombat actors Daniel Pesina, Philip Ahn, Katalin Zamiar, and Elizabeth Malecki unsuccessfully filed two lawsuits in 1996 and 1997 against Midway, Williams, Nintendo of America, Sega of America, and Acclaim Entertainment for the unauthorized misuse of their likenesses and to seek royalties from sales of the games' home ports.{{cite web |title= PHILIP AHN, ELIZABETH MALECKI, and KATALIN ZAMIAR Plaintiffs, v. MIDWAY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, WILLIAMS ELECTRONICS GAMES, INC. NINTENDO OF AMERICA, INC. SEGA OF AMERICA, INC. ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Defendants |date= May 28, 1997 |url= http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/Ahn-Midway-Manufacturing.pdf |access-date= August 22, 2009 |archive-date= February 4, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170204175319/http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/Ahn-Midway-Manufacturing.pdf |url-status= live }}{{cite web |first= Chris |last= Bennett |title= Models for Mortal Kombat |date= May 28, 1997 |url= http://www.davis.ca/en/blog/Video-Game-Law/1997/05/28/MODELS-FOR-MORTAL-KOMBAT |access-date= August 22, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071109223942/http://www.davis.ca/en/blog/Video-Game-Law/1997/05/28/MODELS-FOR-MORTAL-KOMBAT |archive-date= November 9, 2007 |url-status= dead }}[http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=1996988948FSupp40_1975.xml&docbase=CSLWAR2-1986-2006 PESINA v. MIDWAY MFG. CO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723091016/http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=1996988948FSupp40_1975.xml&docbase=CSLWAR2-1986-2006 |date=2012-07-23 }}, Leagle.com, December 9, 1996. Pesina, who sought $10 million in the suits for his roles in the first two MK games, had appeared in costume as Johnny Cage in a 1994 print advertisement for the fighting game BloodStorm.{{cite web|first=Matt |last=Leone |url=http://www.polygon.com/2012/10/2/3444618/mortal-kombats-johnny-cage-20-years-later |title=Mortal Kombat's Johnny Cage, 20 years later |website=Polygon |date=July 12, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614093135/http://www.polygon.com/2012/10/2/3444618/mortal-kombats-johnny-cage-20-years-later |archivedate=2013-06-14 }} {{Clear}}

{{quote box|quote=Arguably the best Western fighting game to date, and certainly the title that defined Mortal Kombat as a brand, this game launched a thousand imitators en route to becoming one of the most famous -- and infamous -- video games ever made. Its technical and artistic mastery is only matched by its gushing gore.|source=—GamePro in 2007|width=30%}}

Over the following years, multiple publications acclaimed Mortal Kombat II as one of the best video games ever. It was ranked as the 97th top game of all time by the staff of Game Informer in 2001,{{cite magazine |author=Game Informer staff |title=The Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=Game Informer Magazine |date=August 2001 |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |access-date=2010-03-13 |archive-date=2016-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219152324/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |url-status=live }} as the 38th most important video game of all time by the staff of GamePro in 2007,{{cite magazine |title=The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 2 of 8)|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110048/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-2-of-8/ |date=April 25, 2007 |magazine=GamePro |access-date=August 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913085012/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110048/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-2-of-8/|archive-date=2008-09-13}} and as the 32nd best video game of all time by The Boston Phoenix in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://supplements.thephoenix.com/supplements/2010/50games/rate/?a=1132 |title=Mortal Kombat II, the 32nd Best Game of All Time - Boston Phoenix |publisher=Supplements.thephoenix.com |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219025224/http://supplements.thephoenix.com/supplements/2010/50games/rate/?a=1132 |url-status=live }} Featuring it in their 2003 video game hall of fame series, the staff of GameSpot wrote: "Mortal Kombat II was so much better, as a sequel, than it had to be that it absolutely deserves a place in the pantheon of all-time classics."

Many publications also listed Mortal Kombat II among the best video games of its genre or era. It was ranked as the third best fighting game by the staff of GamePro

[https://web.archive.org/web/20100531010324/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/207987/the-18-best-fighting-games/ The 18 Best Fighting Games], GamePro, November 20, 2008. and the ninth best fighting game of all time by Rich Knight of Cinema Blend in 2008,{{cite web|url = http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Top-10-Best-Fighting-Games-Of-All-Time-13864.html|title = Top 10 Best Fighting Games Of All Time|date = December 7, 2008|access-date = April 3, 2013|archive-date = July 26, 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130726100835/http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Top-10-Best-Fighting-Games-Of-All-Time-13864.html|url-status = live}} as the third top fighting game of all time by Marissa Meli of UGO{{cite web|first=Marissa|last=Meli|title=Top 25 Fighting Games of All Time|date=2010-07-08|url=http://www.ugo.com/games/top-25-fighting-games-of-all-time?page=5|publisher=UGO.com|access-date=2010-07-09|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225103928/http://www.ugo.com/games/top-25-fighting-games-of-all-time?page=5|archive-date=2013-02-25}} and the second best 2D fighting game ever made by Robert Workman of GamePlayBook in 2010,{{cite web|url=http://www.gameplaybook.com/news/keeping-it-old-school-the-best-2-d-fighting-games-ever-made/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824054612/http://www.gameplaybook.com/news/keeping-it-old-school-the-best-2-d-fighting-games-ever-made/ |archive-date=2010-08-24 |title=Keeping It Old School: The Best 2-D Fighting Games Ever Made - GamePlayBook |access-date=2013-08-11}} and as the third best fighting game of all time by Peter Rubin of Complex in 2011.Peter Rubin, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2011/03/50-best-fighting-games/mortal-kombat-ii The 50 Best Fighting Games of All Time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209090153/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2011/03/50-best-fighting-games/mortal-kombat-ii |date=2011-12-09 }}, Complex.com, March 15, 2011. It was also ranked as the 53rd best game on any Nintendo platform by the staff of Nintendo Power in 1997,Nintendo Power 100 (September 1997). featured among the 100 best games of the 20th century by Jakub Kralka of Benchmark in 2009,{{in lang|pl}} Jakub Kralka, [http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_recenzje/100_najlepszych_gier_XX_wieku_cz.2-2488/strona/7460.html 100 najlepszych gier XX wieku cz.2: Mortal Kombat II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219022737/http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_recenzje/100_najlepszych_gier_XX_wieku_cz.2-2488/strona/7460.html |date=2013-12-19 }}, benchmark.pl, 2009-12-05. and ranked as the tenth best 16-bit game ever by McKinley Noble of PC World that same year.

The game also received accolades for its various conversions. Mortal Kombat II was included among the ten best arcade games by Wirtualna Polska,{{in lang|pl}} [http://gry.wp.pl/galeria/10-najlepszych-gier-z-automatow,179572/1.html 10 najlepszych gier z automatów - Imperium gier] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620092448/http://gry.wp.pl/galeria/10-najlepszych-gier-z-automatow,179572/1.html |date=2012-06-20 }}, WP.PL. and ranked as the fifth top arcade game by the staff of GameTrailers in 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/nvy9r2/gt-countdown-top-10-arcade-games|title=Top 10 Arcade Games|date=July 7, 2009|publisher=GameTrailers|access-date=November 1, 2009|archive-date=July 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710065351/http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/nvy9r2/gt-countdown-top-10-arcade-games|url-status=live}} as the 31st top arcade game of all time by the staff of GameSpy in 2011,{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/115/1151159p11.html |title=GameSpy's Top 50 Arcade Games of All-Time |publisher=Uk.gamespy.com |access-date=2013-08-11 |archive-date=2013-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320232617/http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/115/1151159p11.html |url-status=live }} and as the sixth best arcade game of the 1990s by Complex in 2013.Rich Knight, Hanuman Welch, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/08/best-arcade-video-games/mortal-kombat-ii The 30 Best Arcade Video Games of the 1990s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831113251/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/08/best-arcade-video-games/mortal-kombat-ii |date=2013-08-31 }}, Complex.com, August 28, 2013. Regarding the 16-bit console versions, MKII was ranked as the fourth best ever Genesis game by ComplexInsanul Ahmed, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2010/11/sega-anything-the-25-best-genesis-games/mortal-kombat-2 #4. Mortal Kombat 2 (1994) — Sega Anything: The 25 Best Genesis Games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418161934/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2010/11/sega-anything-the-25-best-genesis-games/mortal-kombat-2 |date=2012-04-18 }}, Complex, November 29, 2010. and as the 19th best Genesis game by GamesRadar,[http://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/ Best Sega Genesis games of all time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726104316/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/ |date=2012-07-26 }}, GamesRadar, April 17, 2012. as well as the 12th best ever SNES game by Rich Knight of ComplexRich Knight, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/07/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/mortal-kombat-ii The 100 Best Super Nintendo Games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105174043/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/07/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/mortal-kombat-ii |date=2013-01-05 }}, Complex.com, July 9, 2012. and as the 25th top game for the SNES by Richard George of IGN;Richard George, [https://archive.today/20130111030019/http://uk.ign.com/top/snes-games/25 Mortal Kombat II - #25 Top 100 SNES Games], IGN, 2011. in 1995, SNES magazine Super Play also ranked it as the best sequel on the platform.Super Play 31, p.71. In Poland, where the Amiga was the most popular gaming platform of the early 1990s, MKII was ranked as the ninth best ever Amiga game by Michał Wierzbicki of CHIP{{in lang|pl}} Michał Wierzbicki, [http://www.chip.pl/news/rozrywka/download/2010/02/dziesiec-najlepszych-gier-na-amige Dziesięć najlepszych gier na Amigę] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530030703/http://www.chip.pl/news/rozrywka/download/2010/02/dziesiec-najlepszych-gier-na-amige/ |date=2016-05-30 }}, Chip.pl, 23.02.2010. and as the 22nd best Amiga game by PSX Extreme editor-in-chief Przemysław Ścierski.{{in lang|pl}} Przemysław "Ściera" Ścierski, [http://www.ppe.pl/news-3462-Retrobesciaki_Amiga_Top_30_by_Sciera.html Retrobeściaki: Amiga Top 30 by Ściera] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713005921/http://www.ppe.pl/news-3462-Retrobesciaki_Amiga_Top_30_by_Sciera.html |date=2012-07-13 }}, PPE.PL, 2010-10-23. In 1995, Total! Listed the game 4th on its "Top 100 SNES Games".{{Cite magazine |date=July 1995 |title=Top 100 SNES Games |url=https://archive.org/details/total-43/page/n37/mode/2up | magazine=Total! |issue=43 |pages=38}} In 1996, GamesMaster rated the game 35th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time".{{Cite magazine |date=July 1996 |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf |magazine=GamesMaster |issue=44 |pages=77 |access-date=2022-07-11 |archive-date=2022-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705151248/https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{quote box|quote=Most hard-core fans agree that Mortal Kombat II is the best in the entire series. Midway improved on every single aspect and ... inspired a horde of also-rans.{{cite web|url= http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_mortalk/p14.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020220040500/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_mortalk/p14.html|archive-date= 2002-02-20|title=The History of Mortal Kombat - Mortal Kombat II (1993)|website=GameSpot|author1=Greeson, Jeff |author2=O'Neill, Cliff |name-list-style=amp |access-date=2012-12-12}}|source=—GameSpot in 2002|width=30%|}}

GamesRadar called it "the point when the series became great".[http://www.gamesradar.com/mortal-kombat-trilogy/videos/mortal-kombat-ii-fap/ Mortal Kombat II | FAP] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221225019/http://www.gamesradar.com/mortal-kombat-trilogy/videos/mortal-kombat-ii-fap/ |date=2013-12-21 }}, GamesRadar, Aug. 30, 2012. In 2007, GamesRadar included four elements of this game - Dan Forden's "Toasty!" effect during an uppercut (also ranked as the 11th funniest moment in video games by Rich Knight of Complex in 2012),Rich Knight, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/05/the-25-funniest-moments-in-video-games/mortal-kombat-iis-toasty The 25 Funniest Moments In Video Games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414220129/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/05/the-25-funniest-moments-in-video-games/mortal-kombat-iis-toasty |date=2013-04-14 }}, Complex.com, May 22, 2012. Friendship and Babality finishing moves, and the ceiling spikes Stage Fatality - among the ten greatest things about Mortal Kombat.[http://www.gamesradar.com/ten-greatest-things-about-mortal-kombat/ Ten greatest things about Mortal Kombat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221225030/http://www.gamesradar.com/ten-greatest-things-about-mortal-kombat/ |date=2013-12-21 }}, GamesRadar US, April 13, 2007. Reviewing the PlayStation 3 release in 2007, IGN's Jeff Haynes stated that "Mortal Kombat II still manages to stand up almost 15 years later as one of the best arcade fighters around."Jeff Haynes, [http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/780/780492p1.html Mortal Kombat II Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214022950/http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/780/780492p1.html |date=2009-02-14 }}, IGN, April 13, 2007. As late as 2009, many fans still considered MKII to be the best title in the series.{{Cite magazine |last=Noble |first=McKinley |date=August 2009 |title=The 10 Best 16-Bit Games Ever! |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/170041/the_10_best_16bit_games_ever.html |access-date=2009-08-16 |magazine=PC World |archive-date=2009-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816144249/http://www.pcworld.com/article/170041/the_10_best_16bit_games_ever.html |url-status=live }} According to a 2011 article by Mike Harradence of PlayStation Universe, the "bigger, bolder and bloodier" game remains "a firm fan favourite among MK aficionados".Mike Harradence, [http://www.psu.com/a010389/Inside-PlayStation-Network---Mortal-Kombat-II Inside PlayStation Network - Mortal Kombat II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219031947/http://www.psu.com/a010389/Inside-PlayStation-Network---Mortal-Kombat-II |date=2013-12-19 }}, PlayStation Universe, January 11th, 2011. That year, IGN's Richard George wrote that "Mortal Kombat II is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series" and called it "still one of the most fun 16-bit fighters to play". In 2013, Rich Knight and Hanuman Welch of Complex wrote that "Mortal Kombat II took everything we loved about the original and magnified it by about a million. ... We still love this game." That same year, Knight and Gus Turner from the same magazine also ranked it as the sixth best 2D fighting game of all time, stating: "Truth be told, the latest MK has nothing on this one. Nothing. A step up from the original in every way, MK II was, and still is, a solid, violent game that's an essential title to grab for any serious fan of fighting games."{{cite magazine |url=http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/08/best-2d-fighting-games/mk |title=Mortal Kombat II — The 25 Best 2D Fighting Games of All Time |magazine=Complex |date=2013-08-15 |access-date=2014-01-14 |archive-date=2013-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827081849/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/08/best-2d-fighting-games/mk |url-status=live }} In 2014, Kevin Wong of Complex wrote: "Today, we remember Mortal Kombat II for its anarchic spirit—the game was endlessly intriguing and weird, and it had an uneasy atmosphere—anything could happen at any given moment. Critics derided Mortal Kombat as meaningless shock value, but its sequel proved those naysayers wrong. Mortal Kombat II was a Flawless Victory—irreverent, hilarious, and horrific in equal measures."{{cite magazine |url=http://www.complex.com/video-games/2014/05/throwback-thursday-mortal-kombat-ii-arcade |title=Throwback Thursday, Mortal Kombat II Splattered the Arcade With Gore |magazine=Complex |date=2014-05-08 |access-date=2014-06-26 |archive-date=2014-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512055014/http://www.complex.com/video-games/2014/05/throwback-thursday-mortal-kombat-ii-arcade |url-status=live }} {{Clear}}

On December 26, 2022, the source code for the game, which included cut content, was uploaded online to GitHub.{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Mike |title='Mortal Kombat II' Source Code Leaked, Containing Cut Moves, Animations, Fatalities and More |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3745340/mortal-kombat-ii-source-code-leaked-containing-cut-moves-animations-fatalities-and-more-video/ |website=Bloody Disgusting |publisher=Cinedigm |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101021107/https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3745340/mortal-kombat-ii-source-code-leaked-containing-cut-moves-animations-fatalities-and-more-video/ |archive-date=2023-01-01 |date=2022-12-29 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Stephenson |first1=Cassidy |title=Mortal Kombat 2 Suffers Major Source Code Leak |url=https://www.cbr.com/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak/ |website=Comic Book Resources |publisher=Valnet Inc |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230151325/https://www.cbr.com/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak/ |archive-date=30 December 2022 |date=29 December 2022 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Heaton |first1=Andrew |title=Mortal Kombat 2 Source Code Leaks, Reveals Hidden Cut Content |url=https://gamerant.com/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak-cut-content/ |website=Game Rant |publisher=Valnet Inc |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103143937/https://gamerant.com/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak-cut-content/ |archive-date=3 January 2023 |date=3 January 2023 |url-status=live}} In response, on January 6, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery sent a DMCA take down notice to GitHub, and public access to the repository was disabled as a result.{{cite web |last1=Sar |first1=Ernesto van der |title=Warner Bros. Fights 'Mortal Kombat II' Source Code Leak |url=https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-fights-mortal-kombat-ii-source-code-leak-230109/ |website=TorrentFreak |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110021034/https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-fights-mortal-kombat-ii-source-code-leak-230109/ |archive-date=10 January 2023 |date=9 January 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen |title=Mortal Kombat's lawyers shut down intriguing leak of MK2 source code |url=https://www.polygon.com/23550296/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak-dmca-warner-bros-github-takedown |website=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111172608/https://www.polygon.com/23550296/mortal-kombat-2-source-code-leak-dmca-warner-bros-github-takedown |archive-date=11 January 2023 |date=11 January 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Colbert |first1=Isaiah |title=Revealing Mortal Kombat II Code Leak Pulled By Warner Bros. |url=https://kotaku.com/mortal-kombat-2-mk2-source-code-leak-dmca-takedown-1849977045 |website=Kotaku |publisher=G/O Media |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111234409/https://kotaku.com/mortal-kombat-2-mk2-source-code-leak-dmca-takedown-1849977045 |archive-date=11 January 2023 |date=11 January 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Justin |title=Warner Bros. issues takedown for Mortal Kombat II source code leak |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/warner-bros-issues-takedown-for-i-mortal-kombat-ii-i-source-code-leak |website=Game Developer |publisher=Informa |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230111234649/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/warner-bros-issues-takedown-for-i-mortal-kombat-ii-i-source-code-leak |archive-date=11 January 2023 |date=11 January 2023 |url-status=live}} The leaker then created a new repository titled "not-mk2" which contained the "Controversies" section of the NetherRealm Studios article on Wikipedia.

While many games have been subject to urban legends about secret features and unlockable content, these kinds of myths were particularly rampant among the dedicated fan community of Mortal Kombat in connection with Mortal Kombat II. According to GameSpy, "the [arcade gaming] community was abuzz about myriad secrets both true and false." The game's creators did little to dispel those rumors that included supposed "Nudality" or "Sexuality" finishing moves for Kitana and Mileena, Shang Tsung's ability to transform into Kano and Goro, a chance to fight Sonya after defeating Jade in a specific way, and "Hornbuckle" being featured as an additional secret character.{{cite web|first=John|last=Scalza|title=April Fool's Day Scams|date=2003-04-01|url=http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=5593|publisher=Gaming Target|access-date=2010-10-23|archive-date=2011-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218102830/http://gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=5593|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|date=December 1994|title=Cheat Code|magazine=Hyper|publisher=Next Pub|volume=13|page=93}}

Some of them were eventually implemented in subsequent MK games. Among these rumors to be adapted later were the Animalities (used in Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates) and an ability to throw an opponent into the mouth of a tree in the Living Forest stage (first used in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks).{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/noobde/status/46306228133036032 |title=Twitter / noobde: RT @YoshioKun13 U actually |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=2014-03-19 |archive-date=2014-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327232048/https://twitter.com/noobde/status/46306228133036032 |url-status=live }} Rumored characters included false reports of a red female ninja character who was dubbed "Scarlet" by fans and was officially introduced as Skarlet in 2011's Mortal Kombat,Nikole Zivalich, [http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/713083/mortal-kombat-skarlet-dlc-video-check-out-the-red-ninja-in-action/ Mortal Kombat Skarlet DLC Video -- Check Out The Red Ninja In Action] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113083153/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/713083/mortal-kombat-skarlet-dlc-video-check-out-the-red-ninja-in-action/ |date=2013-01-13 }}, G4tv.com, May 31, 2011.[http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/31/another-glitch-character-becomes-reality-with-mortal-kombats-skarlet-dlc/ Another Glitch Character Becomes Reality With Mortal Kombat's Skarlet DLC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101043045/http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/31/another-glitch-character-becomes-reality-with-mortal-kombats-skarlet-dlc/ |date=2014-01-01 }}, Siliconera, May 31, 2011. and the male ninja Ermac that originated from a misinterpreted indicator in the original game's audits menu, and was teased in MKII before finally becoming playable in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. A nameless, flaming palette swap of Liu Kang seen in the background of the Pit II stage, initially dubbed "Torch" by fans, officially debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as secret character Blaze, who later became the final boss of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607150749/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/30666/secrets-lies/ Secret & Lies], GamePro, August 07, 2003.

{{See also|Mortal Kombat (1995 film)|Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks|Mortal Kombat (2011 video game)|Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection}}

Although the 1995 film Mortal Kombat was primarily based on the first game, it features elements of MKII, such as the characters Kitana and Shao Kahn, and the setting of Outworld.

The plot and characters of the game served as the basis for the 2005 spin-off game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, a beat 'em up title which follows Liu Kang and Kung Lao as they fight their way through Outworld to defeat Shao Kahn. Some of the plot of Shaolin Monks, such as the death of Jade, is not compatible with the general Mortal Kombat game series.

The events of Mortal Kombat II, along with the first Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 3 (including its expansions), were later retold in the 2011 fighting game Mortal Kombat, which was as an effective reboot of the series. In it, Raiden uses time travel to revisit the tournaments from the original games in the series in order to change the future in the aftermath of Armageddon.Mark Walton, [http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-2011/reviews/mortal-kombat-review-6309015/ Mortal Kombat Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222144017/http://www.gamespot.com/mortal-kombat-2011/reviews/mortal-kombat-review-6309015/ |date=2012-02-22 }}, GameSpot, April 19, 2011. The ladder/arcade mode of this game can follow the same order of bosses as in MKII (with Shang Tsung, Kintaro and Shao Kahn as the final three opponents, although Goro will often be the ninth opponent instead of Kintaro) and its controls and Fatality system are most reminiscent of MKII. Classic costumes from MKII were also brought back as alternate outfits for female ninja characters, with some of these costumes exclusive to the PlayStation Vita version.Jordan Mallory, [http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/mortal-kombat-vita-also-includes-exclusive-klassic-kostumes-for/ Mortal Kombat Vita also includes exclusive klassic kostumes for female ninjas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616035829/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/mortal-kombat-vita-also-includes-exclusive-klassic-kostumes-for/ |date=2013-06-16 }}, Joystiq, April 27th 2012.

Mortal Kombat II was to be one of the three games remade in HD in the cancelled fighting game Mortal Kombat HD Arcade Kollection.{{cite web |url=http://jwmontenegro.blogspot.com/2011/06/mortal-kombat-arcade-kollection-ui-work.html |title=The Art of John Montenegro: "Mortal Kombat: Arcade Kollection" UI Work |publisher=Jwmontenegro.blogspot.com |access-date=2013-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008181716/http://jwmontenegro.blogspot.com/2011/06/mortal-kombat-arcade-kollection-ui-work.html |archive-date=2013-10-08 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/06/ultimate-cosplay-kitana-sonya-liu-kang-and-more-surface-full-costume-cancelled-hd-remake-mortal-kombat/ |title=Ultimate cosplay? Photos of Kitana, Sonya, Liu Kang and more surface in full costume for canceled HD remake of Mortal Kombat |date=6 May 2014 |publisher=Eventhubs.com |access-date=2014-05-07 |archive-date=2014-05-07 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140507140435/http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/06/ultimate-cosplay-kitana-sonya-liu-kang-and-more-surface-full-costume-cancelled-hd-remake-mortal-kombat/ |url-status=live }} However, only a simple compilation game titled Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection was released instead.

{{Reflist|group="note"}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Portal|Video games|United States|1990s}}

• {{moby game|id=/mortal-kombat-ii|name=Mortal Kombat II}}
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203703/ Mortal Kombat II] at the Internet Movie Database
• [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8756 Mortal Kombat II] at the Killer List of Videogames

{{Mortal Kombat series}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortal Kombat 2}}

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