When we talk about long-standing game brands in history, “Mortal Kombat” can certainly be considered one of the most famous and recognizable names. Starting with a modest budget, “Mortal Kombat” has developed into one of the most iconic and distinctive game brands in the world.
Initially, it was an arcade game that later made its way onto the big screen, and the advancements in this legendary series have continually amazed audiences across various entertainment sectors. Below, we will explore 15 interesting facts and trivia you might not know about “Mortal Kombat”:
1. Brandon Lee, the son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, was cast as Johnny Cage in the 1995 film, but he tragically passed away during filming due to an accident on the set of “The Crow.”
2. Danny Glover and Sean Connery were two of the candidates for the role of Raiden in the 1995 film, but neither was ultimately cast.
3. Ermac was not originally intended to be a character in “Mortal Kombat” but was a glitch character in the game. The name “Ermac” is an abbreviation for “ERROR MACRO,” a term the company used while players speculated it was a hidden character. However, due to its growing popularity, Ermac was later developed into a character in subsequent versions.
4. Jean Claude Van-Damme initially turned down the role of Johnny Cage and chose to participate in “Street Fighter” instead. After he declined, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise were also considered for the role.
5. The creators of “Mortal Kombat” were fans of the music genre, and the character Rain was inspired by Prince’s song “Purple Rain.”
6. Liu Kang was inspired by the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.
7. There were cheat codes for all three versions of the original “Mortal Kombat,” and their usage allowed players to unlock a hidden character along with a greeting from the series’ father, Ed Boon. The cheat codes were as follows: MK1: EJBABCD, MK2: EJBHB, MK3: EJCABBCD.
8. The first “Mortal Kombat” film in 1995 debuted at number one at the box office for three weeks.
9. The lightning god Raiden was inspired by the character from the 1986 film “Big Trouble in Little China.” Additionally, Shang Tsung was based on Lo Pan from the same film.
10. Johnny Cage is the only character to have a definitive victory in the 1995 film.
11. Chris Casamassa was brought in to play the ninja character, but due to the production being too focused on him, he was ultimately cast as Scorpion.
12. In the first film, when a creature was about to invade the Outworld and transformed into the ninja character wearing a green outfit, if you listened closely, you could hear the voice saying “Reptile.” This line was directly taken from “Mortal Kombat II.”
13. “Mortal Kombat II” on the Sega Genesis system had a cheat code that allowed players to access a hidden character along with the ability to unlock all characters.
14. The “Fatalities” in the SNES system were referred to as “Finishing Moves.”
15. Actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras was given the nickname “RoboBabe” by director Paul Anderson.
16. Initially, Cameron Diaz was cast as Sonya Blade. However, just a few weeks before filming, she suffered an arm injury and had to drop out of the role.
17. Before settling on the name “Mortal Kombat,” the game designers considered several other titles such as “Kumite,” “Dragon Attack,” “Deathblow,” and “Fatality.”
18. When the first game was released on SNES, it was not allowed to show any blood, instead, characters would just sweat when they were hit. However, the Sega Genesis system allowed the display of blood if players entered the cheat code ABACABB.
19. François Petit, who played Sub-Zero in the 1995 film, is a highly-skilled martial artist with top-level credentials.
20. “Mortal Kombat” is the first video game in history to have an official release date and a countdown in the U.S. and the UK, famously known as “Mortal Monday.”
21. The original script of the film was closely monitored to comply with the game’s violence rating and was initially rated R. Later, it was edited for greater leniency.
22. Liu Kang is the only character in the game with a “Fatality” move that does not harm the opponent, as he still appears to be a martial arts hero.
23. The name Noob Saibot is a clever play on words, being derived from the names of the two creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias.
24. The ESRB was established to address the rising concerns regarding the violence ratings of “Mortal Kombat.”
25. The title “Mortal Kombat” was initially created solely for a 4-player arcade setup.
Source: Nowloading
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