Mortal Kombat II is one gruesomely good fighter, with solid game mechanics and a wide erray of characters.
After the somewhat dissapointing transition of Mortal Kombat from the arcade to the Super Nintendo, Midway did fighting fans everywhere a favour with this excellent port of the sequel, featuring a diverse range of characters and stages to choose from. With the main theme of the game on ninjas with special abilities, such as Sub Zero with his ice blasts, Reptile with his poision spit or the femme fatale Kitana weilding her razor sharp saw blades, each ninja brought something to the table that differentiated themselves from the rest besides a different coloured costume. There were also a whole load of other unique characters, such as thunder god Rayden or Hollywood mega-star Johnny Cage. This sense of uniqueness is what helped make the game so great, along with each characters list of horrific, vile special techniques that would send blood splattering from one end of the screen to another.
The graphics in Mortal Kombat II are also quite impressive, with smooth animations and exciting backgrounds for each stage. The sound hasn't made the transition quite as well, as it sounds quite gargled and scratchy at times. The music also tends to be less than flattering, but none of this detracs from the game as a whole.
MKII features your standard arcade mode challenge, with the player selecting a fighter and going through a multitude of CPU controlled oponents until the end is reached. Where Mortal Kombat II really shines, however, is the multiplayer. It's easy to spend hours fighting with a friend, each despretly trying to win the round so they can humilate the other with a Fatalaty, or make them laugh with a Friendship.
Overall, Mortal Kombat II is a terrific SNES fighter. It is an improvement in every way over its predecesor, and can result in hours of fun with a friend. The single player leaves a bit to be desired, as does the sound, but anyone itching for over the top violence with solid game mechanics and a wide erray of characters would not be wrong in checking out MKII.