Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II is the arcade sequel that turned the original's shock value into a real fighting game. The roster doubled to twelve, the movesets were rebuilt from scratch, and it is the version most players remember when they remember MK at all.

Every returning fighter got new specials, and the new arrivals - Baraka, Jax, Kitana, Kung Lao, Mileena and Reptile as a playable character - each had a distinct style rather than a palette swap. The Fatality system became the game's identity: Babalities turned the opponent into a baby, Pit Fatalities dropped them onto spikes, and finishing moves became a real competitive element rather than a curiosity. Midway also shipped the game's secrets properly this time - the hidden ninja Smoke is reachable in the Pit II stage by pressing Down and Start when the sound designer's head appears on screen, and the Kombat Kode system expanded to let players alter match rules before a fight. It was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1994 and the reason the ESRB exists in roughly its current form.

• ▸Twelve fighters, each with a distinct moveset
• ▸Babalities and Pit Fatalities added to the finishing system
• ▸The hidden ninja Smoke, reachable through a stage-specific code
• ▸Expanded Kombat Kodes on the versus screen