Play Mortal Kombat II (World) Online

Liu Kang’s bicycle kick lands with a satisfying crunch, Baraka’s blades still make you flinch, and the pixelated gore somehow holds up. Better grab a friend—nothing beats arguing over whether that Scorpion spear spam was fair.

Developer: Midway

Genre: Fighting

Released: 1994

File size: 2.25 KB

Game Overview

Mortal Kombat II on Genesis is where the series really hit its stride—still brutal, but way more polished than the first one. The controls feel tighter, and there’s this weird satisfaction in pulling off Liu Kang’s bicycle kick or watching Baraka’s blades pop out for the first time. The new characters like Kung Lao and Kitana add way more variety, and the fatalities? Way more creative (and gross).

It’s got that classic arcade feel, but without the quarter-munching difficulty. You’ll still get wrecked by the CPU if you button mash, though. The pixelated blood holds up surprisingly well, and the digitized actors give it that cheesy-but-awesome 90s vibe. If you’ve got a buddy around, the versus mode is where it shines—nothing like arguing over whether Scorpion’s spear is cheap or not.

This is the version that made me fall in love with fighting games as a kid, warts and all.