After some debate about the most definitive console version of UMK3 with a particular member on this forum, I stood my ground that the PS2 port of the game (packed in the “Premium Edition” of MK Armageddon) is the most accurate port to be released on physical media, while said member declared the Sega Saturn having the edge over it. I guess he could forget the fact that Saturn port is one incredibly messy conversion when game play is concerned, as his reasoning behind his choice is that the PS2 version suffers from slowdown... so much slowdown in fact that he deems the game unplayable. I found his opinion rather intriguing to such extent that I found it worthwhile looking into these 2 consoles ports and provide a worthwhile comparison review anyone can perhaps find
Informative
Before I begin I would like to take this opportunity to note that the 16bit versions of UMK3 are not part of this comparison review. Those ports added additional content to compensate for the lack of arcade accuracy, creating a product that became the building blocks for what would become MK Trilogy for the next generation of consoles (Playable Rain and Noob Saibot, playable Bosses, Brutalities, red shadow shoulder charge Nightwolf etc.). They are wonderful releases, but provide a more altered experience than that of the original arcade.
This comparison review will be accompanied by 3 gameplay videos, 1 video for each console port being reviewed (PS2/Saturn) as well as 1 for the XBLA digital release of same game purely for reference purpose, as this version is considered by many to be the most arcade accurate release outside of emulation. All 3 games are displayed on my trusty flat CRT 30’ Sharp brand TV with all 3 consoles outputting picture via S-video (it was a drag looking for my 360 S-vid cables!) with identical audio volume. The character subject used for this exercise will be Sub Zero played across 3 matches under the “Novice” ladder. This is the character I’m most comfortable with as well as having a deeper understanding of his transition from MK3 to UMK3 (you’ll get the importance of this in due time). So let’s start this off by showing the first gameplay video.
XBLA port:
http://youtu.be/v065zfERRwU
PS2 port:
http://youtu.be/CnkGmLhYdX8
Info worth sharing about this version… there are some definite sound issues mostly regulated to transitions between rounds, matches and finishers (Fatalities, Babalities etc). Loading does exist in this version, but it’s kept at a respectable minimum with the longest loading times existing between 3 to 4 seconds. Gameplay remains relatively intact from its arcade counterpart with the only major issue in this respect being hampered by some slowdown that creeps up. Nothing too detrimental, aside from the slowdown that pops up during some of the most intense combos in the game, the overall speed mimics the arcade version.
SATURN port:
http://youtu.be/XUKCjbYqODs
And finally we have this version of the game. Where to begin… Well, developer Eurocom utilized the code for the Original Mortal Kombat 3 PSX conversion (by Williams) as a base for this game and added the UMK3 content as well as making the more obvious alterations/balance changes to the overall game. The result of this is a rather ugly outcome. As you can see from the video, this port of UMK3 uses the same menu system as the PS1 version of the original MK3 (right down to the MK3 logo). You will also notice that the character sprites appear much smaller compared to the PS2/XBLA version. This comes as quite a surprise as many fighting games released on the Saturn usually enjoy a much larger sprite size due to the picture being stretched. The overall image quality to the games visuals look rather compressed and grainy. Once again this may be due to identical assets that were used on PSX port of MK3. In respects to audio, the Saturn version has some of the highest quality CD audio sampling I have ever heard on the platform. Overall audio sounds incredibly crisp and louder than other ports available of the same game. Unfortunately, such a benefit brings to light many of the ports miserable downfalls in this category. Audio effects like vocals and SFX are very high pitched. Many audio effects from the arcade version are inexplicably missing and as such audio samples have been glaringly recycled. Notice from the video no “Round…” audio sample. No “Fight” audio effect to be heard for every other match that you participate in! An example of recycled audio, Scorpions Spear special SFX being replaced with the same audio effect for his Teleport Punch (seriously… You’re removing one of the most iconic effects in MK history since its introduction in MK 2!?). Perhaps the most striking issue in this department is the games music being paired up with the incorrect battlegrounds. There are many additional audio issues to be experienced that one will notice just by watching the video, so let’s move onto the most important category of any fighter… gameplay. Gameplay is just off the wall bad. Take Sub Zero for instance, his preset 6 hit combo in UMK3 inflicts damage at 23% in any version of the game. This same preset combo on the Saturn inflicts an additional 7% damage for no logical reason. Initiate that same combo with a jump-in punch combo starter and the damage is tallied at 33% on any other version. Once again that same combo deals an astonishing 40% on the Saturn. Some gameplay shenanigans that existed in MK3 that were corrected for its “Ultimate” update appear intact on the Saturn version of said update. If you place your attention at the video starting at “1:39”, I begin to exploit Sub’s jab cancel into freeze blast 3x loop. This exploit existed in MK3 which eventually got ironed out for UMK3. Last but not least, the games overall speed has been sped up considerably on the Saturn. It ALMOST feels as fast as MK Trilogy and that game runs over 30% faster than UMK3. As a result of this accelerated pace, many special moves are very sped up and have ridiculous start up creating opportunities for combos that were never before possible in the arcade version of the same game.
