Mortal Kombat II: Superb

From the moment Mortal Kombat II’s lightning-flecked title screen appears, it’s clear that this is more than a mere fighting game sequel. This is an event. This is What Happened Next. The arcade attract sequence quickly sets the scene via a series of eye-catching storyboards, and it’s safe to say things aren’t looking good for Earthrealm’s champions. The previous game’s last boss, once seen seated on thrones and happy to relieve players of their credits, is now just another guy on the roster, shape-shifting skills intact. This huge shift in power immediately raises all sorts of exciting questions: if Shang Tsung’s now considered normal, then what the heck’s waiting for me at the end this time? How tough can this new Shao Khan guy be? And the answer to that’s explained, in a way, by the conspicuous absence of Kano and Sonya from the same character select screen. In a stroke of sheer brilliance their removal is written into the story itself; no longer something that occurred because…