Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

***Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3*** (***UMK3***) is a fighting game in the *Mortal Kombat* series, developed and released by Midway to arcades in 1995. It is a standalone update of 1995's earlier *Mortal Kombat 3* with an altered gameplay system, additional characters like the returning favorites Kitana and Scorpion who were missing from *Mortal Kombat 3*, and some new features.

Several home port versions of the game were soon released after the arcade original. Although none were completely identical to the arcade version, the Sega Saturn port came closest. Some later home versions followed the arcade original with more accuracy. Some versions were released under different titles: ***Mortal Kombat Advance*** for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and ***Ultimate Mortal Kombat*** for the Nintendo DS in 2007. The iOS version, recreating the game using a 3D graphics engine, was released by Electronic Arts in 2010.

*Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3* was mostly well received and has been considered a high point for the *Mortal Kombat* series. However, the iOS remake and some other home versions were received poorly. *Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3* was updated to include more content from previous games in the series as *Mortal Kombat Trilogy* in 1996. The 2011 compilation *Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection* includes an emulation of *UMK3* as well as the first *Mortal Kombat* and *Mortal Kombat II*.

## Gameplay

Two new gameplay modes have been introduced since the original *Mortal Kombat 3*: the 2-on-2 mode which was similar to an Endurance match but with as many as three human players in a given round on both sides (these had not been seen in the series since the first *Mortal Kombat*), and a new eight-player Tournament mode. An extra Master difficulty is present. Shao Kahn's Lost Treasures – selectable prizes, of which some are extra fights and others lead to various cutscenes or other things – are introduced after either the main game or the eight-player Tournament are completed.

To balance the gameplay, some characters were given new moves and some existing moves were altered. Some characters were given extra combos and some combos were made to cause less damage. Chain combos could be started by using a jump punch (vertical or angled) or a vertical jump kick, which creates more opportunities to use combos. Combos that knock opponents in the air no longer send one's opponent to the level above in multi layered levels; only regular uppercuts do this.

The computer-controlled opponent AI was improved in the game. However, three new flaws were introduced along with the revisions: while backflipping away from an opponent, if the player performs a jump kick, the AI character will always throw a projectile; this leaves the computer character vulnerable to some attacks and can easily lead into a devastating combo. If the player walks back-and-forth within a certain range of the AI character, the opponent will mimic the player's walking movements for the whole round and never attack. If the computer opponent is cornered, the player can repeatedly perform punches without the AI character stumbling back, thus allowing the player to win easily.

*UMK3* features several new backgrounds: Scorpion's Lair/Hell (this stage also contains a new Stage Fatality, where an uppercut can send the opponent into a river of lava); Jade's Desert (in a reference to his *MK3* ending, Cyrax is seen stuck waist-deep in sand in the background); River Kombat/The Waterfront; Kahn's Kave/The Cavern; Blue Portal/Lost (a combination of the background from the *UMK3* "Choose Your Destiny" screen, the Pit 3 bridge, and the mountains and bridge from the Pit II in *Mortal Kombat II*); Noob's Dorfen (based on the Balcony stage, which can now be played using a Kombat Kode without having to fight Noob Saibot to see it as in *MK3*). Before reaching any of the original *MK3* backgrounds in 1- or 2-player mode, the game must cycle through all of the *UMK3* exclusive backgrounds twice. Scorpion's Lair, Secret Cave and Abandoned River stages are selectable by using a password while on the missing Bank Stage cycle. In Scorpion's Lair, fighters can uppercut each other into Kahn's Kave. The original red portal background used for the "Choose Your Destiny" screen is now blue.

Some elements from *MK3* are missing in *UMK3*. The only biographies featured are those of Kitana, Jade, Scorpion and Reptile (the ninja characters who were not included in *MK3*), which are the only four shown during attract mode, while all of the biographies and the full-body portraits of the *MK3* characters are missing. The biographies that do appear in the game are presented differently from those in *MK3*, as are the endings. The storyline images and text do not appear. Finally, the Bank and Hidden Portal stages from *MK3* were removed (Jade's Desert serves as a placeholder where The Bank stage used to appear once the player reaches the original *MK3* level cycle).

## Characters

The arcade version features all playable characters from *Mortal Kombat 3*, who were portrayed by the same actors: Cyrax (Sal Divita), Liu Kang (Eddie Wong), Kabal (Richard Divizio), Kano (Richard Divizio), Kung Lao (Tony Marquez), Stryker (Michael O'Brien), Jax Briggs (John Parrish), Nightwolf (Sal Divita), Sektor (Sal Divita), Shang Tsung (John Turk), Sheeva (stop motion) (not available in Genesis and SNES versions), Sindel (Lia Montelongo), Smoke (Sal Divita), Sonya Blade (Kerri Hoskins) and Sub-Zero (John Turk). The boss and sub-boss from *MK3*, Motaro (stop motion) and Shao Kahn (Brian Glynn, voiced by Steve Ritchie), also return. Shang Tsung's transformations are accompanied by announcements of the name of the character he is changing into.

There are four additional characters that are playable from the start: Several ninja characters from the first two games that have been absent from *Mortal Kombat 3* return in *Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3*, including Kitana, Jade, Reptile and Scorpion on the prototype version;[1] a new Ultimate Kombat Code was added in revision 1.0 to enable Mileena, Ermac, and Classic Sub-Zero as secret characters.

* Jade (Becky Gable) – After the renegade Princess Kitana killed her evil twin Mileena and escaped from Outworld to Earth, her close friend Jade was appointed by the Emperor Shao Kahn to find and bring her back alive.
* Kitana (Becky Gable) – She is accused of treason after killing Mileena; she now attempts to reach Queen Sindel to warn her of their true past.
* Reptile (John Turk) – As one of Shao Kahn's most trusted servants, Reptile assists Jade in the hunt for Kitana, but with secret orders enabling him to kill her if necessary.
* Scorpion (John Turk) – Scorpion escapes from Earth's hell when Shao Kahn makes a failed attempt at stealing the souls and eventually joins the struggle against the Outworld.

More are unlockable via the Ultimate Kombat Kode:

* Classic Sub-Zero (John Turk) – Having been seemingly killed in the first game, Sub-Zero mysteriously returns to again attempt an assassination of Shang Tsung.
* Ermac (John Turk) – A mysterious warrior that exists as a life force of by the souls of dead Outworld warriors in Shao Kahn's possession.
* Mileena (Becky Gable) – After she was killed by Kitana, Mileena was brought back to life by Shao Kahn to help him to defeat Earth's warriors with her combat skills and a mind-reading connection to her sister.

Finally, Smoke's human form can be unlocked via a code entered right before a match.[2]

Returning characters were warmly welcomed by critics as an improvement the "lackluster roster" of *MK3* with "the greatly missed" Kitana, Mileena, Reptile, and especially Scorpion.[3][4] The female ninja characters (Mileena, Kitana and Jade), returning from *Mortal Kombat II*, were portrayed by a different actress, Becky Gable,[5] due to the lawsuit issued by Katalin Zamiarand some of the other *MKII* actors against Midway; they were also given a different set of outfits and hairstyles, which were again identical for all of them (in the game there are just three palette swap character models for male, female and cyborg ninjas, not counting the *MK3* Sub-Zero but including Classic Sub-Zero).

There are also two new hidden opponents and console exclusives: Noob Saibot (John Turk) and Rain (John Turk). Although Noob Saibot was featured in the original *MK3*, he is no longer a palette swap of Kano but instead of a ninja; as before, he is fought via a Kombat Kode. Rain is featured in the game's opening montage (except on the Sega Saturn), but he is actually a fake hidden character that is not found in the arcade game. Both Noob Saibot and Rain were made playable for the 16-bit console versions, although Sheeva was removed, and the two boss characters are playable via a cheat code.