Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
Encyclopedia
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces is a 3D action game
for the PlayStation. It was released in North America
on July 30, 2000, and in Europe
on September 29, 2000. The game stars the character Jackson "Jax" Briggs from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.
. The story of the game involves Kano freeing his gang, the Black Dragon (Tasia, Tremor, No Face and Jarek) from a maximum security prison and Jax, seeking revenge for the slaughter of his Special Forces comrades at the hands of the Black Dragon, undertakes a mission to stop them from retrieving an artifact of great power, the Eye of Chitian. The true power of the artifact is shown in the ending that it can open portals to other realms when Jax uses the artifact to teleport himself and Kano back to Earthrealm after defeating him.
, as evidenced by an IGN interview with John Tobias
. The plot of Special Forces (which originally included Sonya) was greatly revised following Tobias's departure and the game was rushed to completion.
(2002). Ed Boon
even regarded Special Forces as the lowest point in the franchise, stating "The game had a pretty bumpy development ride and the game didn't turn out very good at all."
This was the second Mortal Kombat game developed by Midway that was more of a platformer than a fighting game, after having tested the waters with Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero in 1997. Tobias intended to work on a series of platform games to expand the Mortal Kombat universe, including titles centering around Baraka and Liu Kang
; only the latter was actually released by Midway (2005's Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
) despite having sat on the drawing board for many years.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
for the PlayStation. It was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on July 30, 2000, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on September 29, 2000. The game stars the character Jackson "Jax" Briggs from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.
Story
Special Forces is chronologically the first game in the Mortal Kombat storyline, as its events take place even before Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-ZeroMortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is a 1997 action-adventure game spin-off of the fighting game series Mortal Kombat. It is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature side-scrolling gameplay. It was released for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64...
. The story of the game involves Kano freeing his gang, the Black Dragon (Tasia, Tremor, No Face and Jarek) from a maximum security prison and Jax, seeking revenge for the slaughter of his Special Forces comrades at the hands of the Black Dragon, undertakes a mission to stop them from retrieving an artifact of great power, the Eye of Chitian. The true power of the artifact is shown in the ending that it can open portals to other realms when Jax uses the artifact to teleport himself and Kano back to Earthrealm after defeating him.
Special Forces-only characters
- Gemini is Jax's base operative, relaying information and messages to him from headquarters. The two share a friendship, and Gemini worries excessively about Jax. Operating over radio only, she is never seen in-game.
- No Face is a member of the Black Dragon organization led by Kano, who freed him from a high-security prison. He is described as only having knowledge of explosive devices, he wears sticks of dynamites strapped to his chest and uses a flame thrower as a weapon. He has no nose, ears, hair and a pale complexion, based on his name.
- Tasia is an expert swordswoman and deadly ninja master who is a member of Kano's Black Dragon organization. Like Tremor, No Face and Jarek, Kano freed her from a high-security prison. She wields two ninjatōNinjatoThe , also known as or , is the most common name for the sword that the ninja are portrayed to have carried by ninja in television and movies. Historically, there is no physical evidence for the existance of this weapon. In reality, the katana was probably the ninja's weapon of choice...
swords and has an ability to teleport.
- Tremor appeared as a muscular brown ninja who escaped from custody during a prison break orchestrated by Kano, to whom he is described as being blindly loyal. He is a boss for one level, guarding a portal to Outworld. He has the ability to pound the ground with his fist to create earthquakes (similar to Jax) and shoots out three-dimensional fireballs. Tremor was originally planned to be in Mortal Kombat TrilogyMortal Kombat TrilogyMortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game developed and published by Midway in 1996. It is a compilation of content from the previous Mortal Kombat titles, based primarily upon the gameplay mechanics of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3...
at one point, but was replaced with Rain, who had already appeared in the 16-bit console versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It is an update of Mortal Kombat 3 and was later updated again into Mortal Kombat Trilogy...
.
Development
Although Mortal Kombat: Special Forces was only released on the PlayStation, it was also supposed to be released on the Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, as evidenced by an IGN interview with John Tobias
John Tobias
John Tobias is an American comic book artist, graphic designer and video game designer. Along with Ed Boon he is one of the creators of the groundbreaking Mortal Kombat fighting game series....
. The plot of Special Forces (which originally included Sonya) was greatly revised following Tobias's departure and the game was rushed to completion.
Reception
Of all the Mortal Kombat games, Special Forces is considered by many to be the worst. This has much to do with the fact that many of Midway's staff, including series co-creator John Tobias, left the company in 2000 for various reasons while the game was still in production. Its sales were so terrible that Midway placed the series on hold in preparation for Mortal Kombat: Deadly AllianceMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance or simply Mortal Kombat 5, is a fighting game developed and published by Midway for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance...
(2002). Ed Boon
Ed Boon
Edward J. Boon is an American video game programmer who had been employed for over 15 years at Midway. He now works for Warner Bros...
even regarded Special Forces as the lowest point in the franchise, stating "The game had a pretty bumpy development ride and the game didn't turn out very good at all."
This was the second Mortal Kombat game developed by Midway that was more of a platformer than a fighting game, after having tested the waters with Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero in 1997. Tobias intended to work on a series of platform games to expand the Mortal Kombat universe, including titles centering around Baraka and Liu Kang
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. First appearing in the series' first title, Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive...
; only the latter was actually released by Midway (2005's Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an action/beat-em-up video game based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games. Shaolin Monks was developed by Midway LA and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox...
) despite having sat on the drawing board for many years.
External links
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces - The Mortal Kombat Wiki