Mortal Kombat 4
        (ACTION)


   Mortal Kombat 4 is currently ripping up arcades nationwide in its
   final incarnation, revision 3. And a home translation, complete with a
   few additional modes and at least one extra character, is scheduled
   for a third-quarter release on the PlayStation, PC and the Nintendo
   64.

   Although the graphics have been bumped up to a new level, the gameplay
   of Mortal Kombat 4 hasn't changed that much from what you already know
   and love. There are now two types of jumping punches and two types of
   jump kicks. You have the ability to sidestep projectiles and other
   attacks by tapping the run button twice. The MK3 combo system has been
   scrapped in favor of one that is a bit more skill-based. But the main
   change, at least visually, is the addition of weapons. Although the
   weapons didn't come into play too often in the earlier versions,
   they've been tweaked quite a bit in the 2.x revisions, making them
   much more interesting to play with. Each character can pull out a
   weapon (ax, sword, crossbow) at any point in the match and wave it
   around in an attempt to separate his enemy's limbs from his body, or
   in the case of Fujin and his crossbow, shoot the opponent as many
   times as possible. When carrying a weapon, one good smack from the
   opponent will make the fighter drop his weapon, and once the weapon is
   on the ground, it can be picked up by either fighter. Since some
   weapons have special moves (Sub-Zero's ice wand can freeze people),
   grabbing an opponent's weapon can be highly advantageous to a
   fighter's cause. Weapons can also be thrown at your opponent, causing
   quite a bit of damage if left unblocked.

   MK4 has a solid mix of old and new characters. Returning characters
   include Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Liu Kang, Rayden, Jax, Reptile, and
   Johnny Cage - and the home version is set to also have the four-armed
   sub-boss of the first Mortal Kombat, Goro, and Noob Saibot reportedly
   remains a possibility. The new characters are Quan Chi, a sorcerer who
   first appeared in the MK animated series and who factors into the MK
   Mythologies: Sub-Zero storyline as well; Fujin, the god of wind, who
   uses his powers to levitate opponents and also has a knee thrust; Kai,
   a quick fighter with ties to Liu Kang; Jarek, the last surviving
   member of Kano's Black Dragon Clan, who uses Kano's cannonball moves,
   as well as his MK1 fatality; Tanya, an Edenian woman with a boomerang;
   Reiko, the character who replaced Noob Saibot, stealing Noob's
   teleport along the way; and Shinnok, a rogue elder god who is also
   tied to the MK Mythologies storyline and is the game's boss.

   Fatalities will be the only finishing moves available in MK4, and each
   character will have at least two fatalities. The fatalities are among
   the best in the series, partially because a good number of them are 3D
   versions of existing fatalities. Jax rips his opponents' arms off,
   Scorpion still torches his victims, Sub-Zero tears off heads, Liu Kang
   turns into a dragon, etc. The new fatalities are done very well.
   Reptile chews the face off of his victims, leaving behind nothing but
   muscle tissue and a skull. Quan Chi rips the opponent's leg off and
   beats him to death with it.

   The home translation will have every fatality, stage, and feature of
   the coin-op, as well as carrying practice, single-player tag team,
   two-player tag team, endurance, and tournament modes.