I've talked a little in the past about Mortal Kombat was ruling the 90's. From its highest highs, it was an influential fighting game that initially turned heads for its violence, but its lore and characters also played a big part in why it has remained so memorable. Following the financial success of the live action movies (even Annihilation made coin), Midway, Ed Boon, John Tobias, and the team aimed to capitalize on the name as much as possible. What goes up, however, must...come...DOWN. 

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero was developed and published by Midway in 1997, seeing a release for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, the same years as Mortal Kombat 4. As mentioned, Boon and Tobias were looking for ways to explore deeper aspects of the mythos in the Mortal Kombat universe, this included side project games. Mythologies spent about 14 months in development, and depending on its success, would've determined how many games like this would be made. Headlining this line of action games with Sub-Zero, one of the series' most popular characters, is a good idea on paper. Only one other game ended up in the works at the time, the smoldering grease fire that was Special Forces. In a lot of ways, Mythologies: Sub-Zero really felt like the columns collapsing under the weight of the franchise and Mortal Kombat was truly showing its age.

My feelings on Mortal Kombat's fighting style is, it's not great, but serviceable for a brief time period. A 2D fighting game with a block button is a sin in my eyes, and unless you're drunk with the pals, I considered MK outdated by the time I got my hands of Killer Instinct. This novelty is 100% DEATH for an action platformer.

They didn't even add tweaks to it, the high and low punches and kicks are still there, jumping is still the same, the same stiff mobility and combo philosophy essentially copy/pasted in a game that involves making timed leaps to ledges, some which move through the fore and background. The development team must've been drinking lithium to think this was a good idea.

Sub-Zero gains access to all of his signature attacks, which requires "leveling up" with experience points, you even have an inventory to manage, which includes keys to proceed through catacombs and health replenishing items. Then the fighting begins and attacks force you facing a certain direction. So NOW along with a shitty block button, a button is dedicated to turning Sub-Zero's slow ass completely around to keep enemies from ganging up on you.

The execution of this is incredibly clumsy and counterintuitive, I've played it on and off again for twenty years, even when getting the hang of it, I don't consider it fun in the slightest. I can understand keeping elements of your series consistent, but it's total tone deaf to not reformat how your game plays if this is a direction it wants to venture into.

The special moves don't feel all that responsive, there's a noticeable input delay compared to its fighting game forefather. The enemies also become very aggressive at the midway point through, and I get my ass handed to me. They gang up on you, and more often than not, a lot of the cheap deaths come from getting knocked backward into one of the one-hit kill traps the levels can be littered with. Combine unfair enemies with having to stick some of the most hideous jump puzzles in the 90's. I've always ripped into the Double Dragon games for their messed up demand to nail clumsy landings, but trying to accomplish this with the jump arc from MORTAL KOMBAT is Chinese water torture.    

The visuals use the same digitized actors for signature characters and the enemies, something I do like, along with the cheesy full-motion video cut sequences that push the story. They're incredibly ham-fisted, but I'll never get tired of seeing this in video games. (if you're wondering why I blast the dated Mortal Kombat controls, but hold digitized actors and FMV in high regard...well, the answer is shut up). Some larger monsters are 3D rendered character models, and watching those interact with the realistic looking Sub-Zero is peak 90's.

I've always enjoyed revisiting the outtakes, they get quite a laugh out of me, Richard Divizio's portrayal of Quan Chi is priceless. Naturally, the Nintendo 64 version reduces these bits to merely still shots. A bit of a bummer, but you also forego the horrible loading times that plague the PlayStation copy. 

After the debacle of the two poor efforts, Mortal Kombat wouldn't try another action brawler until 2005's Shaolin Monks. I love my bad video games, they're a part of life for me. This, however, is a Mortal Kombat game that really isn't worth revisting. It's just not fun. I hate the controls, the maps are a total snore to traverse through, and once I've seen the same milquetoast dial-a-combo chain, it becomes quite apparent the standard enemies take way too much to put down. And if you're playing the PlayStation version, you'd have to deal with the most atrocious load time ever.

Even the trick of finishing off Scorpion early in the game to trigger the rematch against the undead specter doesn't really salvage much. And this is Bi Han, the crappy Sub-Zero (it's always about Kuai Liang with me). Between this and Special Forces, I think I despise this significantly more. At least you get to kick the crap out of Fujin, that blowhard...