Mortal Kombat 3

The home versions of Mortal Kombat 3 match the arcade machine’s gore play with more than enough accuracy to satisfy the most hyperactive fighting-game lover. In fact, ”more than enough” could be the game’s motif: Players now have more ways than ever to slaughter their opponent. But most of the ”fatality” sequences are unintentionally comedic monuments to overkill rather than grim exclamation points. Yet turn off the blood and violent animations using MK3‘s option menu, and you’ll begin to appreciate its foundations: slick digitized graphics, responsive game play, and a story line — it’s you against a battalion of warriors as you try to rid the Earth of an alien emperor who has subjugated most of the human race — that adds another dimension to all of the fun. B