Nostalgia Time! Mortal Kombat II strategy guide!

The very first time I saw Mortal Kombat II, I lost my mind. In fact, the first time I saw Mortal Kombat, I lost my mind. As a kid, seeing something like this live in front of your very eyes for the first time in the early 90's is mind-shattering. To the eyes of a kid who has grown up on Mario Bros. and Metroid, Mortal Kombat is the most incredible thing I had ever seen.

I remember the first time I saw MK2 very well. I walked into an arcade in Warner Robbins to check it out while my mom shopped in the mall. The first thing I see is Rayden on the side of the machine, shooting lightning into the sky. I said "UHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT?" as I had no idea Mortal Kombat 2 was even a thing since I hadn't started reading video game magazines. I watched in awe as some dude shredded Jax with Baraka and 6,000 gallons of blood fell out.

Needless to say, I had to have Mortal Kombat II when it was to be inevitably released on the home consoles. I had tried to get my parents to get me the first game on the SNES, but they refused. Somehow they flipped their lids and allowed me to own MK2 on the Super NES. Not only did they let me have it, they actually BOUGHT IT FOR ME. Thanks, mom and dad!

I've read this thing probably 100 times.

I actually don't remember how I got this strategy guide, I just know that I've had it forever. I vaguely remember getting it at a bookstore when I was a kid, but I really don't recall. What I do recall is reading this fucking thing cover to cover about 400 times. It was in my bookbag at all times when I was a kid, until it was succeeded by the Mortal Kombat 3 strategy guide (which I have around here somewhere).

This book is pretty radical. It's got bios, move lists, MK history, sweet ass art and temporary tattoos. If you manage to find a copy in less worn out shape, you'll find it to be a pretty nice book. The copy I have has been through it's paces, so it's worn all to hell. Like I said previously, it was in my backpack for recreational reading when I was like 12.

Speaking of art, this book is loaded with Mortal Kombat 2 art from John Tobias. I loved the art for these games so much, that this became my style guide for drawing when I was a kid. I used to trace all of the fighters in the book, so I could teach myself how to draw like John Tobias. One time I took a picture of Sub-Zero from this book, photocopied it to a transparency at my dad's work, and then put it on a projector to blow it up real big on a whiteboard. Then I proceeded to draw a giant Sub-Zero on a whiteboard at my dad's work. It was fucking radical.

This book represents the glory days of Mortal Kombat for me. MK makes up a huge chunk of my childhood, and it wasn't just playing the game. I was into the lore, the characters, the art and everything. I remember seeing the trailer for the movie for the first time before Street Fighter: The Movie and it blew my mind. I went to the arcades whenever possible to play the games. I rented the home video. I wanted to go to the Live Tour. I read the fucking Mortal Kombat novel (I read it again more recently and it is fucking AWFUL, although nostalgic).

The only other franchise to capture my imagination as Mortal Kombat did was Resident Evil, but my memories and collection of Resident Evil will have to wait (as it's incredibly extensive, and the amount of things I have is ridiculous). Since those days, Mortal Kombat hasn't really been the same. In my eyes, the only worthwhile release since Ultimate 3 has been the most recent game simply titled 'Mortal Kombat' (although Shaolin Monks was really fun).

I think the glory days of Mortal Kombat is long-gone, but I still remember the times I had with the old games. Everytime I see this book, I think back to when I was a kid and all the fun times I had. If you haven't played the old games, you should really give them a shot. They are pretty much all great, and heaps of fun for everyone.