A critical turning point in the storied history of Mortal Kombat came with the 1995 release of Mortal Kombat 3. While the franchise had already achieved massive success and notoriety for its digitized graphics and violent gameplay, the third mainline installment faced immediate backlash for its significant design changes and, notably, the omission of popular characters like Scorpion. This led to a swift and unprecedented response from developers, ultimately resulting in the release of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 less than a year later – a revised version widely considered a course correction for the series.
Scorpion is one of the most iconic characters in video game history, and a central figure in the cultural impact of Mortal Kombat. His popularity even influenced the name and logo of Netherrealm Studios, the current developers of the franchise. However, there was one mainline installment where the signature “ninja yellow” fighter was notably absent: Mortal Kombat 3 (1995). The game received a lukewarm reception, largely due to the exclusion of fan-favorite characters like Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Raiden, and Mileena. This led developers to quickly address the issues with the release of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), an enhanced version that was much better received.
Mortal Kombat 3: a sequel so disappointing that Midway went into DEFCON 1 and had to update it in seven months
The Mortal Kombat franchise captivated players while simultaneously shocking parents and educators with its over-the-top violence and unsettling realism, achieved through digitized sprites. Unlike other fighting games like Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat allowed players to explicitly defeat their opponents – and in creatively gruesome ways. This level of graphic detail helped define a new era of fighting games and sparked considerable controversy.
The first Mortal Kombat, released in 1992, quickly became one of the biggest hits in Western arcades. Following controversial ports to both home and handheld consoles, a sequel arrived in arcades just a year later, in 1993: Mortal Kombat II. The game’s success demonstrated the growing appetite for more mature and visually striking fighting games.
Fans were amazed, as it delivered on their expectations and more: improved graphics, refined gameplay, a larger roster of fighters with bigger, more expressive sprites, and an expanded storyline introducing the formidable villain Shao Kahn. The sequel built upon the foundation of the original, solidifying Mortal Kombat as a dominant force in the fighting game genre.
Consequently, when Mortal Kombat 3 arrived in arcades in April 1995, many fans were stunned by the misstep. While a natural evolution from Mortal Kombat II was expected, the radical shift in tone – with a distinct urban aesthetic – and the absence of iconic fighters like Scorpion, Johnny Cage, or Raiden, disappointed many players. This marked a turning point for the franchise, as it faced criticism not just for its content, but for its design choices.
Instead, Mortal Kombat 3 introduced many new faces, such as Sindel, Stryker, Kabal, and Sheeva, creating a general sense that Midway had sacrificed the identity of previous titles in favor of experimenting with a different setting. As a result, its reception from creators was not what they had hoped for, and for the first time in its history, the controversy wasn’t solely linked to adult content, but also to questionable design decisions.
Despite offering faster gameplay – with combos and even a run button – and greater technical ambition, the game ultimately failed to resonate with players. Fortunately, Midway took note of the feedback and, within seven months, released Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in November 1995. This title was much better received than the base Mortal Kombat 3, as it addressed almost all of the criticisms.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: the true definitive installment that corrected the franchise’s course
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 faced the challenging task of turning things around and regaining public favor. To do so, Midway carefully studied the main complaints about the standard Mortal Kombat 3 and took appropriate action.
With UMK3, Scorpion returned, along with other highly demanded ninjas like Reptile, Ermac, and even a classic version of Sub-Zero. Additionally, the inclusion of some of the new, more esoteric and less mundane stages helped restore much of the mystical and classic tone that fans associated with the series. Overall, there was a clear sense of a “definitive version,” more complete and aligned with what the public really wanted. Characters like Johnny Cage and Raiden were still missing, due to disagreements between the Pesina brothers and Midway, but that’s a story for another time.
For many, this is the true version of Mortal Kombat 3, and in its own way, for Midway it was too. Its re-release as a standalone title on Xbox Live Arcade in 2006, and its inclusion in compilations like Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (2011), which omitted the base MK3, attest to this.
Fortunately, in recent compilations like Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (2025) we have all versions of the game, including the MK3 base, UMK3, and even the WaveNet version, which featured high-speed online play that never made it past the prototype stage and added Noob Saibot as a playable character. This allows current players to see for themselves the numerous changes between versions.
Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 3 was a significant setback for the franchise at the time of its release. Its creators wanted to experiment and give the installment a twist, moving the action from Shang Tsung’s island and the Outworld to the streets of Chicago, leaving recognizable faces like Scorpion behind. Luckily, the setback wasn’t irreversible: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 allowed Midway to correct the course of the saga, which remains relevant today.
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