In the '' Mortal Kombat '' series of Fighting Games , a is a special Finishing Move that can be used against one's opponent at the end of the final match. When the announcer says "Finish Him/Her," the player can choose to kill him or her through a fatality move.
Unlike special moves, a fatality may require certain distances and quick button sequences in order to achieve the desired result (for example, in '''' had only one, '' Mortal Kombat 3 '' and its updates featured as many as four. Traditionally for the main and important characters of the games (such as Sub-Zero, Raiden, Scorpion etc) their fatalities are usually a reflection of either their storyline or their special abilities- eg, Sub-Zero's fatalities have traditionally involved the use of his powers of ice (though his spine rip was found to be the most infamous of the fatalities), whereas Scorpion's storyline of a hellspawn ninja spectre involves the use of setting someone alight or using his famous spear in a fatality.
Fatality-style finishing moves have also appeared in other fighting games such as '' Killer Instinct '', though they are not named as such; they are called "No Mercy Moves" instead.
With '' Street Fighter II '' dominating Arcades , ''Mortal Kombat'' co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias wanted to create a fighting game that retained ''Street Fighter'''s gameplay without being a complete copy. Originally, the project revolved around Actor Jean Claude Van Damme ; this idea was eventually dropped and ''Mortal Kombat'' was born.
Tobias and Boon started with the idea of ''Street Fighter II'''s system and retained many of its conventions (fireball-style projectile attacks, one on one matches, Minigame s, etc.), but tweaked others (the block button, special endurance matches, juggling, etc.). The most notable additions were graphic blood effects and fatality finishing moves. Traditional fighting games ended with the loser knocked Unconscious and the victor posing for the players; characters never died during a match. The idea of a fatality proved very popular with fans.
''Mortal Kombat'' attracted numerous fans because it featured blood and the ability to perform fatalities. The new feature addition helped make ''Mortal Kombat'' a successful game franchise that challenged the supremacy of ''Street Fighter II''.
The fatality concept caused considerable controversy, and many parents disapproved of the violence and the brutal endings of the game, deeming it disturbing.
The newly-founded ESRB gave ''Mortal Kombat'' a rating of M (for "Mature"), deeming the game too violent for audiences under the age of 17. It's worth noting that, in the United States, the ESRB has no legal standing to prevent the sale of video games to minors, and therefore many people under the suggested age were able to play the game. Arcade owners were asked to monitor the ages of players, although few did.
'' Mortal Kombat II '' added some extras when it came to fatalities. The characters were given two or three fatalities each, and the fatalities were more violent. Many angry parents and protestors wrote letters and complained about the content of the game, fearing the violence would negatively influence young children, but since the ESRB had already rated the games, nothing came of the protests.
After the crash of the arcade market, new ''Mortal Kombat'' games can no longer be found in arcades; new releases are targeted at the home console and PC markets.
- - This finisher allows the player to morph into an animal and maul or eat their opponent alive. This style of fatality debuted in ''Mortal Kombat 3''. Some say the precursor to the Animality was Liu Kang's ''Dragon'' Fatality from ''Mortal Kombat II'', in which he turned into a dragon and ate the upper half of his opponent.
- --- - In order to perform an Animality, the player must first grant his opponent Mercy. This act revives the opponent in lieu of delivering a final blow or performing a Fatality by restoring a small amount of health. Should the opponent be defeated again, an Animality may be performed.
'')]]
- - The defeated character turns into a baby, sitting on the floor and wearing a miniature version of their adult clothing and accessories and/or a diaper (nappy). In some versions, the sound effect of a baby crying plays, along with a lullaby, and the word "Babality" is spelt out by colored building blocks that fall from the top of the screen. Shao Kahn then announces (albeit unusually and unnervingly gently) "Babality!!"
- ''''', in which it wasn't explicitly used as a finisher, but rather as a Power-up .
- - The fighter will make a peace offering, such as Sub-Zero using his powers to make a snowman, or Johnny Cage offering a signed photo of himself. This was mostly done to mock the parents and the ESRB who complained about the violence in the game. In Mortal Kombat II Shao Kahn would then announce "Friendship!!... Friendship?!", and in Mortal Kombat III "Friendship!!!... Friendship?! Again?!"
- - ''(See below)''
- - ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'' also features multalities, which are fatalities performed on multiple enemies at one time.
Stage fatalities brought a new level of environment interaction within the series. A stage fatality occurs when a player uses a part of the stage or map to execute a fatality that is not a standard character fatality. Some examples of stage fatalities are having the victim fall into a pool of acid or a pit of razor-sharp spikes, or to be run over by a subway train. Stage fatalities are present in the series from ''Mortal Kombat'' through ''''.
'''' features more stage fatalities than any previous Mortal Kombat game. Renamed "Death Traps", there are more stages that allow death by stage interaction than not. No longer is a special button combination required as the opponent only needs to be either standing or hit in a particular spot on the stage. Unlike previous stage fatalities, "Death Traps" can be initiated anytime during a round and only require the opponent be hit into them, meaning an instant victory. However, if they are not executed in the decisive round, the fight does not end, going on to the next round. This action acts as a ring out.
The newest kind of fatality is the Hara Kiri. The Hara Kiri (which is Japanese for certain a type of ritual Suicide , and literally means ''belly cut''; even though Kenshi is the only character who uses the Hara-Kiri in this form) is a move in which the player kills him/herself upon defeat at the end of the last match, rather than be finished off by his opponent. It is the first and only time in the Mortal Kombat series in which the defeated player is allowed to perform a finishing move. The Hara Kiri made its debut in ''Deception'' and seems to be a popular feature with the fans, although is not included in '' Mortal Kombat Armageddon '' due to the new Kreate-a-Fatality feature.
Although it was called a fatality in-game, the first example of a suicidal finishing move in ''Mortal Kombat'' was Cyrax 's "self-destruct" move from ''Mortal Kombat 3'' and '' Mortal Kombat Gold ''; Cyrax, a Cyborg , enters a code on to his arm panel and moments later explodes along with his opponent in a manner reminiscient of the ending of the first '' Predator '' movie. Smoke went farther with his fatality since he destroys the whole planet with his bombs. In Mortal Kombat Gold, Cyrax adopted this Fatality together with his own while Smoke adopted Cyrax's self-destruct as his Hara Kiri in ''Deception''.
For '''', the fatality concept was completely revised. In all previous games, fatalities and finishing moves were in the form of a button combo, activating a scripted animation sequence. For MK:A, there were far too many characters to all have a couple of individual fatalities, therefore the old system was replaced with a new Kreate-A-Fatality, or "custom chain-fatality" system. After defeating an opponent in two rounds (with default settings), players are given a limited amount of time to perform one of several violent moves (such as ripping an organ out) attributed to a button and direction combination. The time then resets and the player can perform a second move, but the timebar decreases more rapidly after each move. The longer a player is able to continue the chain, the higher ranking his fatality receives:
- 1: ''
- 2: ''
- 3: ''
- 4: ''
- 5: ''
- 6: ''
- 7: ''
- 8: ''
- 9: ''
- 10: ''
- 11+: ''
It is possible, with practice, to pull off a fatality of up to ten moves or possibly higher. It is also possible to "fail" the fatality by running out of time before performing a final finishing move (such as ripping the opponent's head off). If time runs out before the player can end the chain with a final fatal move, no rank or reward is given and the fatality is not counted, regardless of how many moves were completed.
This new system required that other forms of finishing moves, such as ''Deception'''s popular Hara Kiri fatalities, be left out of ''Armageddon''. This has been met with a mixed reaction, some fans preferring the more interactive nature and freedom of the Kreate-a-Fatality system, and others missing the previous games' character-specific ending moves and alternatives to killing the opponent. Also, originally, there was individual character-specific Kreate-a-Fatality moves for each character, but this feature was dropped when the MK team realized that such moves would only be compatible with the character they were made for, thus preventing them from being accessible to other characters (more specifically, presumably, the Kreate-a-Fighter characters).
- Killer Instinct has two variations of fatalities, which are used when the opponent's bar is red and then '''"Ultimate Combos"''', similar to an Ultra Combo with the exception that the combo end in a fatality like sequence. Another game that uses combo sequence fatalities is Cardinal Syn for the Playstation.
- '' Ballz '' was made late in the 4th gaming generation, it used digitized sprites like ''Mortal Kombat'', and at the same time, using 'killing moves' like fatalities, but more strange like farting on the opponent or breaking all of their balls.
- '' Celebrity Deathmatch '' has different finishing moves for each character, usually involving dismemberation and excessive amounts of gore. They can be performed when the opponent loses all their health, and the message "Kill Him!" will appear written in blood by the opponents life bar.
- '' Clayfighter 63 1/3 '' is another example, using , some didn't even involve killing your opponent, most are sending your opponent out of the arena, or simply breaking their back and only made them standing like a stick, since the game was a parody of nearly every successful fighting game at the time, like Street Fighter Alpha , Street Fighter III , & Killer Instinct
- '' Eternal Champions '' also features finishing moves dubbed in which an element of the stage finishes off the opponent, such as an industrial fan chopping the opponent apart. The enhanced Sega CD version, Eternal Champions: Challengers from the Darkside, added three new types: Sudden Death, in which another element of the stage different from Overkills also kill the opponent, Vendettas, which more-closely resemble traditional fatalities in that the actual character performs the finishing maneuver, and Cinekills, in which the dazed foe is teleported to the chamber of the games' antagonist and finished off in a method befitting them (Midknight, a vampire, is killed by sunlight, etc.).
- '' Thrill Kill '' features Fatalities, though they operate slightly different from the MK model. During a match, a meter (dubbed a "kill meter") would fill during the course of the match. Once said bar was full, the character would be able to initiate a finishing attack, murdering the opponent. This would later lead E.A. to cancelling the games release a few weeks before it was to be shipped out.
- '' Time Killers '' features a unique take to fatalities. During the course of a match, a character may lose each arm, or be decapitated if hit with a special technique. If the opponent is stunned, and the player retains both of their arms, they may execute an attack that removes both arms and decapitates the opponent.
- "Executions"''', such as Lord Deimos impaling the character with his sword in the traditional sense, in that it enters from the lower half of the body and pierces up through the mouth. Parts of the stage may also be used to kill the opponent when their health is depleted, such as a pool of lava dissolving them.
- '' Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. '', while it does not contain fatalities in the traditional sense, still features the ability to have a character executed from elements of the stage, such as retracting saw blades, over-sized grinders, etc.
- '' BloodStorm '' is similar to Time Killers in that limbs may be lost during the course of the round. BloodStorm adds additional dismemberment, however, in that the opponent may be cut in half at the waist as well, leaving the character to crawl on the ground with their entrails exposed, though still capable of fighting. Also added are techniques that, if successfully performed, decapitate the opponent instantly, as well as techniques that bisect the opponent. Elements of the stage may also be used to kill the player's foe.
- '' Samurai Shodown '' has also featured fatality-esque attacks. At the end of a match in every game, save the sixth, if a critical blow is struck, the enemy is cut in two. In the fourth and the special edition of the fifth iteration, there are explicit finishing maneuvers, in which a button sequence can be initiated to execute the opponent outright. A similar system is used in another SNK game titled Last Blade .
- '' War Gods '' features fatalities, even going so far as to retain the same name. These are identical in execution to the Mortal Kombat concept: At the end of a match, a button sequence can be entered that will result in a finishing maneuver.
- '' Tattoo Assassins '', an arcade game created two years after the first ''Mortal Kombat'' but never released, featured its own take on fatalities, as well as a 'Nudality' finishing move, in which the opponent's clothes disappear, showing him or her nude, though the hands cover the genitals. The game also featured 'Animalities', before they appeared in Mortal Kombat 3.
- The third '' Darkstalkers '' game, ''Vampire Savior'', has something close to-if not exactly like-Fatalities. For example, the player could be cut in half by characters with that power (Such as Bishamon ), and they would not revert to their state from before. Bishamon can also cut the opponent in half with one of his supers and a comical version of the character would appear on a Japanese table if they are K.O.ed because of that. More notable is Jedah Dohma's super move Provia Di Servo (Servant's Proof). If it kills the enemy, an imprint of him/her is left on a scroll, yet the character does not return to the arena. J. Talbain also has one where he vertically slices the enemy in half where if used to finish them when they land they would be shown cut in half. Fatalities are only featured outright in Capcom's fighter '' Warzard/Red Earth '', though they are not identical to traditional fatalities; at the end of a match if the player finishes off the opposing boss with a certain special move (depending on the character) then the boss is shown to be dispatched in a violent matter (Kenji pulls out the bosses' heart and crushes it, Leo slices the opponent in half, etc) similar to the system of Samurai Showdown and Last Blade .
- features a "scrap" move which, when followed with a "destruction" move, can be performed at the end of the match after a knockout to either continue beating chunks of metal out of the opponent or destroy them completely, raining metal over the whole arena.
- Primal Rage Fatalities in this game were not only gruesome, but also focused around humor such as Chaos' Churl fatality in which Chaos spits out a very slow Power Puke then walks off screen and emerges on the other side of the screen and swallows the power puke, which obviously grosses the opponent to death. Another example of this is Vertigo's La Vache Qui Rit ("The cow that smiles/laughs") Vertigo turns the opponent into a cow that moos, then gets slaughtered by McDonald's. Both these fatalities are in version 2.3 only.
- The Sega-Sammy Fist Of The North Star arcade game uses a similar system to incorporate the famous death scenes and brutal attacks of the anime. The main difference is that a "Fatal KO", as it is called in the game, can be preformed at any time during a match after the player depletes the opponent's "Star Gauge", a seven point bar in the shape of the Chinese Dipper constellation. In addition to this, a Fatal Ko does not end the match, only the round. This means if a player was skilled, he or she could pull off two Fatal KO victories in the one match. Also of note is Shin's ability to perform a Fatal KO on himself (Similar to Mortal Kombat's Hara Kiri) and fall to his death in a manor referring to his death in the series. As with the Hara Kiri, the only real advantage of this "Suicide" Fatal KO is to "get the last laugh", and lessen the victor's victory.
- GameFAQs Mortal Kombat codes, move lists and fatalities
|
