Mortal Kombat 3 (Arcade)

Mortal Kombat 3
Developer: Midway Games Publisher: Midway Games Platform: Arcade (Midway Wolf Unit) Released in US: April 1995 This game has unused code. This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused text. This game has revisional differences. This game has a development article

Mortal Kombat 3 is, of course, the third game in the series. It's also the point where things start getting a bit goofy.

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Development Info

EJB Menu

The EJB Menu is an alternate test menu that can be accessed by pressing 1P Block (×5), 2P Block (×10), 1P Block (×3), 2P Block, 1P Block (×2), 2P Block (×2), 1P Block (×3), 2P Block (×3) while the game is in attract mode.

The code is even more difficult to enter than the past two games' codes, and often needs to be entered two or more times in a row in order for it to take effect. Put the following MAME code in mk3.xml to simplify the code to 2P Block (×3):

  <cheat desc="Simplified EJB Code">
    <script state="run">
      <action>maincpu.mw@00559FE=D600</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

• Diagnostics Tests - Identical to normal test menu.
• Coin Bookkeeping - Identical to normal test menu.

• Game Audits - Acts like the normal test menu, but with four extra audits on the first page: Sec Chip Failure, Error Traps, System Lockups, and Illegal Opcodes.
• Volume Adjust - Identical to normal test menu.
• Credits - Displays the game credits. Who knew?
• Enter Initials - Jumps to the high score initials screen. The number of wins seems to be random, but it increases every time.

• Character Endings - Jumps to a new sub-menu. This displays the selected character's ending and the game credits.
• Penacho/Miller Game - Jumps to the hidden Galaga-type minigame.
• Smoke - Unlocks Smoke.
• Un-Smoke - Unlocks Unsmoke. Err, un-unlocks Smoke. Relocks Smoke?

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Sprites

Bell

Using a MAME cheat to break the screen limitations (so you can walk off the edge) reveals an actual BELL in the Bell Tower background. Early gameplay footage shows this and several other bell sprites used in the Bell Tower's foreground and background.

Sheeva's Skeleton

Evidently, Sheeva was supposed to have a unique skeleton sprite for Kano's skeleton rip Fatality.

Ninjas?

Perhaps evidence that the ninjas were planned for inclusion at one point. This was later used for Ermac's Animality in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

More possible evidence. This was later used for Classic Sub-Zero's friendship in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, as a variant of jack-in-the-box Friendship that Scorpion and Reptile had in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Motaro

Perhaps evidence that Motaro was meant to be a playable character? This was eventually used for Motaro's win screen when beating the game in Mortal Kombat Trilogy (except the N64 version).

Motaro raising up his front legs. Could have been meant for a victory pose. It also seems to have been meant to be used in combination with the teleportation move.

Motaro doing the teleport. Seems to go with the other front leg raising sprites.

Looks like Motaro was going to throw the opponent over his head. This was used in Mortal Kombat Trilogy as, appropriately, his throw move.

Motaro raising his arm. The mouth moving sprites also go with this, which seems to imply that Motaro was going to have a taunt where he spoke or simply speak at the end of the round.

Nightwolf

Nightwolf swinging an axe with no green glow applied to it.

Unknown Nightwolf sprite, but perhaps it was meant for his holy light Fatality?

Shang Tsung

Sprites meant for a Shang Tsung combo.

Shao Kahn

Shao Kahn swinging his sledgehammer horizontally. He only has a vertical downward swing in the final game. Later in Mortal Kombat (2011), Shao Kahn can swing his hammer horizontally.

A drill meant to be used as either Shao Kahn's Fatality, or merely a special move. A similar sprite is present in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, although that one is shown to be rising out of the ground.

Sindel

Sindel sprite meant for a combo.

Sindel sprites meant for a combo.

Red Herrings

All text is found in chip MK321u.bin, interleaved.

Audits and Transformations

Like Mortal Kombat II, there are a few fake audits. The two in this game are "JOHNNY CAGE TRANSFORMATIONS" (replacing Kano Transformations) and "SHAWN ATTACKS" (left as-is). For those wondering, Johnny Cage is supposed to be dead in this game, plot-wise.

A related line can be found at 0x0299BA, after all other match end text, with Johnny's name spelled incorrectly:

JOHHNY CAGE TRANSFORMATION ACTIVATED

Win Text

As in Mortal Kombat II, there's win text in the ROM (starting at 0x02993E) for characters that don't actually appear in the game. This can be further proof that the ninjas were planned for inclusion at one point.

JOHNNY CAGE WINS
SCORPION WINS
REPTILE WINS
KITANA WINS
MILEENA WINS
TOBIAS WINS

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Kombat Kode

Text for an unused Kombat Kode is stored at 0x02A4FE:

FAST UPPERCUT RECOVERY ENABLED

This Kombat Kode was later implemented in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and in ports of this game.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Revision Differences

A number of different versions of MK3 were released over time.

To do: Perform additional research.

Prototype 4.0

• The AAMA warning during the attract mode has an all-black backdrop.
• Shao Kahn's fancy death sequence is not yet implemented - he just falls over.
• Ending credits have yet to be implemented.
• Computer only does combos for finishing moves.
• Motaro could be frozen by Sub-Zero.
• Motaro and Shao Kahn turn white instead of blue when frozen.

Revision 1.0

The first official release of the game.

• The AAMA warning during the attract mode now has some additional blue gradients.
• Added the Animalities for Sindel, Kabal, Cyrax and Sektor.
• Kano's fatalities have been changed.
• Added the "Rellim Ohcanep" Galaxian minigame.
• Changed the Kombat Kodes.
• Winning Streaks added.
• Added the Ultimate Kombat Kode!
• Stage fatalities added to the Subway and Bell Tower stages.
• Added the ending credits sequence.
• Performing Kabal's Animality without a mercy causes the machine to reboot.
• Computer does fatalities.
• Motaro could still be frozen by Sub-Zero.

Revision 2.0

• Improved the AI of computer opponents.
• Expanded the attract mode with many more cards telling the main story.
• More blood!
• All the Fatality inputs (except for Stryker, Kung Lao, Sindel and Kabal's screamer) have been changed on account of Ed Boon being in denial about the existence of the internet.
• Added Babalities and Friendships!
• Combos altered.
• Shao Kahn's death sequence has been implemented.
• Added the promo card for the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie after the end credits.
• Added Antony Espindola to the end credits (under "Many Thanks Go To").
• Sub-Zero can no longer freeze Motaro.
• Added Smoke's fatalities.
• Added the hidden Portal stage, used when fighting Smoke after entering the Ultimate Kombat Kode.
• Fixed Shao Khan's frozen palette.

Revision 2.1

• Improved the AI of computer opponents, particularly fixing computer opponents getting consistantly caught by players jumping "behind" them and doing a combo.
• Damage on some of Sub-Zero and Kabal's combos have been lowered.
• Smoke is no longer re-locked if the game is reset to factory default settings.
• Fixed Cyrax's "double fatality" glitch.
• Fixed a bug that would allow players to start a free game if they tapped on the start buttons while Kano and Kabal appeared on screen during the ending credits.
• Fixed a bug that would sometimes place machines into Free Play mode after the Ultimate Kombo Kode was entered.
• Fixed a bug with Kabal that would reset the game if a player held down high punch for 2 seconds then pressed towards and down and released high punch.
• Fixed a bug where Kabal would sometimes block in the air and walk in the air.
• Changed the position of the "Maximum Credits" message to the top of the screen to prevent overlapping with other text.

MK3 Wavenet

• Requires 3 tokens to play and options for Local or Wavenet play.
• In case Wavenet is chosen, it allows 10 characters to enter initials.
• Censored initials (showed up as "F---").
• If you lose, and the next person continues your game before the counter runs out, they keep your name.
• Added delay for Sub-Zero's Ice Clone.
• Cyrax's throw juggled opponent higher.
• Nightwolf's 3rd Axe (HK-HP-HP-LP-axe-axe-stepforward and LP-axe-jumpkick) had issues connecting, probably different hitboxes.
• MK3 Wavenet contains a bug (which is fixed in UMK3 Wavenet), where if you deny the challenge of a person, who you already beat, Wavenet looks around for another opponent, but if it couldn't find one, it goes to local play. A few seconds later, it will take you to play against the player you have denied if no other opponents appeared.

(Source: MAME History.dat)

(Source: MK Secrets)

(sort:date/alt.games.mk/GJzUYIwBTE8/ISoh2l5ajsAJ Usenet alt.games.mk groups archive]: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/alt.games.mk/wavenet)