Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It is an update of Mortal Kombat 3 and was later ported to Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

Returning Fighters

 * Jade (Becky Gable) appeared in the original Mortal Kombat II, but this is the first game where she is playable and contains her own moveset.
 * Kitana (Becky Gable)
 * Scorpion (John Turk)
 * Smoke, robot form (Sal Divita). Formerly only accessible via a secret code in MK3, Smoke became a normal playable character in UMK3.
 * Reptile (John Turk)

The following characters were hidden unlockable characters:
 * Mileena (Becky Gable) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode (2-2-2-6-4-2-2-2-6-4)
 * Classic Sub-Zero (John Turk) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode (8-1-8-3-5-8-1-8-3-5). He is thought to have returned from the original Mortal Kombat game.
 * Ermac (John Turk) - Unlocked by Ultimate Kombat Kode (1-2-3-4-4-4-4-3-2-1), he was a glitched red ninja from the original Mortal Kombat game. He is now a new playable character.
 * Human Smoke (John Turk) - Unlocked by holding Back + HP + HK + BLOCK + RUN after choosing Robot Smoke. He is basically a clone of Scorpion, with most of Ermac's aerial combos.

Hidden opponents:
 * Noob Saibot (John Turk) - Although he was featured in the original MK3, he is no longer the palette swap of Kano but once again of a ninja. Like before, he is fought via Kombat Kode. Some machines known as Wavenet machines which were mostly placed throughout the Chicago area had a hidden code to play as Noob Saibot. In the SNES and Genesis versions he is playable and contains his own moveset.
 * Rain (John Turk) - Featured in the Arcade's attract screen, he is a fake hidden character that is not found in this game. He was created as a joke character as his name was Rain, he was purple, and he is a prince, meaning Purple Rain, the song by Prince. A clue to his identity is presented in the fact that the font used in his name is different from all the other characters. In the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo version he was, however, playable.

Other mentionable changes

 * New 2-on-2 kombat mode (similar to an Endurance match but with humans on both sides).
 * New 8 player tournament kombat.
 * "Chain combos", commonly called "dial-a-combos", can now be started by using a jump punch or a hop kick.
 * Stryker now has a "rapid fire gun" special move added to his arsenal. His grenades have been given a delay which greatly tones down his ability to bombard foes.
 * Kano now has a diagonal cannonball among his special moves.
 * Liu Kang and Sonya have new knock-up dial-a-combos.
 * A "toned down" Kabal, who lost a few cheap combos.
 * A "toned down" Sub-Zero, who can no longer create an ice clone next to the opponent to freeze him on the spot. If he tries to, the statue will not form.
 * Sonya's MK3 Friendship, which had her waving her arms back-and-forth in a silly manner, is removed. Now she simply does her victory pose and a row of flowers grow out of the ground.
 * Improved CPU opponent AI.
 * Shao Kahn's Lost Treasures are added when you beat the game.
 * The "Select Your Fighter" screen no longer states which Kombat Zone is going to be used during the match.
 * The original red portal background used for the "Choose Your Destiny" screen is now replaced with a blue portal.
 * The character endings are only accompanied by text and your character's versus screen picture.
 * The same applies to the character bios during the attract mode. However, the only bios featured are for Kitana, Jade, Scorpion, and Reptile; the ninja characters who weren't featured in the original MK3 and don't have to be unlocked via Ultimate Kombat Kode in this game. The full body artwork from MK3 of each character is completely removed and only features these four ninjas in their verses screen pictures plus text on a background of the battleplan/portal. This "cheap solution" for the characters to save space on artwork is also used in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, although there are bios for most of the characters in that game.
 * The storyline pictures and accompanying text have been removed (beginning with "These are the words of Raiden" and explaining the plan to conquer Earth and the Tournament warriors' struggle).
 * An extra "Master" difficulty is added to the "Choose Your Destiny" screen.
 * "Endurance Matches" return since last being featured in the first Mortal Kombat. Some matches have you face as many as three opponents in a given round.

Kombat zones
Including all of the original backgrounds from the Mortal Kombat 3, minus The Bank and the Hidden Portal (which were removed), UMK3 includes several new backgrounds:
 * Scorpion's Lair (Hell): This stage also contains a new pit fatality, where the opponent is uppercutted into a river of lava.
 * Jade's Desert
 * In a reference to his MK3 ending, Cyrax is seen stuck waist-deep in sand in the background.
 * Kahn's Kave
 * River Kombat (Waterfront)
 * Scislac Busorez (Blue Portal): A combination of the background from the UMK3 "Choose Your Destiny" screen, The Pit 3 bridge, and the mountains and bridge from The Pit II in MKII.
 * This stage is added to the permanent level cycle when Mileena, Classic Sub-Zero, and Ermac are unlocked.
 * When unscrambled, "Scislac Busorez" spells out "Classic Sub-Zero."
 * Noob Saibot's Dorfen: An obvious knock-off of The Balcony stage (referred to as "Kahn's Tower" in this game), can now be played using a Kombat Kode unlike having to fight Noob to see it like in MK3.

Layers
The following displays the Kombat Zones where a character can be uppercutted into different backgrounds.

Characters live backgrounds
 * The Subway → The Street
 * The Soul Chamber → The Balcony
 * Scorpion's Lair → Kahn's Kave
 * Scorpion in Scorpion's Lair.
 * Ermac in Blue Portal.
 * Jade and Cyrax in Jade's Desert.

Storyline
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is assumed to be the same as the Mortal Kombat 3 story, except with more characters. Mortal Kombat Trilogy later overrides the UMK3 story.

Character bios and endings
Note: This only pertains to new bios/endings not found in the original Mortal Kombat 3.

Unlike the original MK3, UMK3 did not feature graphics illustrating the character's endings, instead superimposing their "versus" image on top of a background showing a portal. Also, the only bios that were featured in the original arcade version of UMK3were for Kitana, Jade, Reptile and Scorpion. The console ports included the rest of the character bios not featured in the arcade game.

Classic Sub-Zero
Bio: Thought to have been vanquished in the Shaolin Tournament, Sub-Zero mysteriously returns. It's believed this secretive member of the Lin Kuei, a legendary clan of Chinese "ninjas", has returned to again attempt an assassination of Shang Tsung. To do so, he must fight his way through Shao Kahn's tournament.

Ending: Having been killed in the first tournament, Sub-Zero somehow seems to have emerged to win the third tournament. However, upon removing his mask both the Outworld and the Earth-born warriors...

Are shocked to discover the true identity of this warrior. A warrior who has long been missing from a previous Mortal Kombat, and one who will return in the fourth tournament.

Ermac
Bio: An enigma to all who come into contact with him. Ermac's past remains shrouded in mystery. It's believed that he exists as a life force brought together by the souls of extinguished Outworld warriors. Shao Kahn has managed to take possession of these souls and use them to fight on the side of tyranny.

Ending: Having been in hiding since the first Mortal Kombat, neither the Earth nor the Outworld has recognized this elusive ninja. Ermac uses his victory in the tournament to prove his existence...

As well as a warning that he will return as an unstoppable force in the fourth Mortal Kombat.

Jade
Bio: When the renegade Princess Kitana makes her escape into the unknown regions of Earth, Jade is appointed by Shao Kahn to bring his daughter back alive. Once a close friend of the Princess, Jade is faced with the task of betraying her friend or disobeying her Emperor.

Ending: Jade makes the decision to assist her longtime friend, Kitana. She thwarts an assassination attempt by Reptile against the princess and fends off their other Outworld enemies.

This clears the path for Kitana to turn Sindel against the Emperor Shao Kahn. With Sindel removed as an enemy Jade finds herself facing the Emperor in Kombat.

She defeats him and both Earth and her former homeland of Edenia are transformed to their original states. Jade has earned herself a place alongside the great heroes of Mortal Kombat.

Kitana
Bio: Kitana is accused of treason by the High Courts of the Outworld after murdering her evil twin Mileena. Shao Kahn takes it upon himself to appoint a group of warriors specifically to catch his daughter and bring her back alive. But Kitana must find a way to reach the newly crowned Queen Sindel first and warn her of their true past.

Ending: Kitana evades the evil clutches of Shao Kahn and escapes into the unknown regions of Earth. She survives an assassination attempt by the vile creature Reptile, and allies herself with her onetime comrade - Jade.

Together with the help of Earth's Warriors, Kitana reaches Sindel and turns the Queen against her Emperor. With Shao Kahn defeated the Earth is changed back to its original state, as is Kitana's realm of Edenia.

She will be forever in debt to her friends from Earth as she rules the new realm of Edenia at Queen Sindel's side.

Mileena
Bio: Murdered by her twin sister Kitana, Mileena finds herself brought back to life by Shao Kahn himself. Her skills as a vicious fighter will be needed to defeat Earth's chosen warriors. Her ability to read the thoughts of her twin sister will enable Kahn to stay one step ahead.

Ending: Winning the third tournament enables Mileena to reclaim her role as the Outworld Queen. With the help of Baraka she then takes both Sindel and her daughter Kitana hostage.

Together they threaten Shao Kahn with their lives unless he lures the Earth-born warriors into a fourth Mortal Kombat where Baraka can return regain his title as the Ultimate Mortal Kombat Champion

Reptile
Bio: Always a reliable servant to Shao Kahn, Reptile is chosen to assist Jade in the capture of Kitana. In contrast to Jade's instructions, Reptile is ordered to stop the renegade Princess at all costs... Even if it means her death.

Ending: Reptile is ordered by Shao Kahn to find and kill Kitana. He is successful in completing his task, but upon returning, finds himself shunned by the Emperor.

Shao Kahn promised Reptile that if he was successful that he would resurrect Reptile's race. Shao Kahn never had any intentions of fulfilling his promise.

Enraged, Reptile turns against his master and defeats him in battle but by killing his master, Reptile destroys the one chance to ever know his true race.

Scorpion
Bio: When Shao Kahn makes a failed attempt at stealing the souls which occupy Earth's hell, Scorpion is able to escape from the nether region. Free to roam the Earth once more, Scorpion holds allegiance with no one. He's a wild card in Earth's struggle against the Outworld.

Ending: Scorpion is inadvertently released from his damnation in hell when Kahn's Plan to overtake that realm goes awry. Free to roam Earth, Scorpion is enlisted by the Emperor to aid him in his quest to destroy the chosen warriors.

But, his allegiance to Shao Kahn falters when he discovers one of the chosen warriors to be Sub-Zero. Scorpion has vowed to protect the former ninja as restitution for killing his brother.

Shao Kahn finds himself the victim of his own scheme as Scorpion is forced to turn against him, he destroys the Emperor and the Earth is returned to normal.

Scorpion finds himself once again roaming the pits of Hell, only to one day rise again.

Human Smoke
Bio: In his human form, Smoke was a lethal assassin working for the Lin Kuei. But when they decided to automate their ninjas, Smoke is caught in the middle. He became a cyborg assassin, whose human form would exist as a memory forever more.

Ending: Winning the tournament enables Smoke to escape his artificial body. He then devotes his life to study the fighting skills of his counter part ninjas: Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile. Without warning, Smoke once again vanishes...

He retreats into the hidden forest to continue his study, and will remain there until he has perfected the skills of the remaining ninjas and can compete in Mortal Kombat 4.

Arcade vs. consoles
Like most Mortal Kombat games of its time, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 made its debut in the arcade. When it was ported to home consoles, it underwent several changes.

Sega Saturn changes

 * "The Bank" stage is back.
 * There are a few new Kombat Kodes, and a couple from the arcade do not work here.
 * The Ultimate Kombat Kodes (to unlock the secret characters) have six slots instead of ten (in order to be performed with only one controller).
 * Alternatively, the secret characters can be unlocked via a secret options screen, which is faster than entering all three UKKs one by one (since unlocked characters cannot be saved).
 * Noob Saibot is still a shadow Kano as in Mortal Kombat 3, not a black ninja as in the arcade version of UMK3.
 * Since the arcade intro is missing, Rain does not appear in the game, yet the message kombat kode "Rain can be found in the Graveyard" is still there.
 * Shang Tsung can morph into Robot Smoke, which is not possible in the arcade.

SNES changes

 * Animalities removed though Mercy could still be done.
 * Sonya's Friendship from Mortal Kombat 3 is used as opposed to her Friendship from the arcade version of UMK3.
 * Brutality is introduced, a new form of Fatality which allows the player to attack their opponent with a series of kicks and punches which result in the victim exploding, leaving a somewhat unrealistic amount of bones on the ground.
 * Shao Kahn's treasure chest has only 10 boxes instead of 12.
 * Ermac's Fatality is altered.
 * Scorpion's Hellraiser fatality is different. He just takes the opponent back into the Hell stage where they just catch on fire and explode.
 * Sheeva has been removed though she is still playable via a glitch in a tournament match. Though when randomly selecting characters, she is mostly invisible, and her finishers are different.
 * Kitana's Kiss of Death only inflates heads, the same effect as Kabal's air pump fatality.
 * Rain and Noob Saibot are playable. Mileena, Ermac and Classic Sub-Zero are playable without any need of codes.
 * Motaro and Shao Kahn are unlockable characters for two player fights, although only one player can choose a boss.
 * Announcer no longer announces the characters names.
 * Most of the MK3 levels are missing except for the Rooftop and the Pit 3.
 * Unlike any version of Ultimate MK3, the name text for each character appeared underneath their health meter rather than on top (like the GBA port) or inside their health meter (like the Arcade).
 * New bios were added for Rain and Noob Saibot though only Noob had an ending.

Mega Drive/Genesis changes

 * Animalities and Mercies removed though the Animality option is still available as a Quick End finisher at one of the cheat menu.
 * Sonya's Friendship from Mortal Kombat 3 is used as opposed to her Friendship from the arcade version of UMK3.
 * Brutalities introduced, a new form of Fatality which allows the player to attack their opponent with a series of kicks and punches which result in the victim exploding.
 * Shao Kahn's treasure chest has only 10 boxes instead of 12.
 * Sheeva has been removed.
 * Kitana's Kiss of Death only inflates heads, the same effect as Kabal's air pump fatality.
 * Rain and Noob Saibot are playable. Mileena, Ermac and Classic Sub-Zero are playable without any need of codes.
 * Motaro and Shao Kahn are unlockable characters for two player fights, although only one player can choose a boss. In addition, only one boss can be unlocked at any given time (different from the MK3 edition which had them both enabled at the same time).
 * Shang Tsung can morph into Robot Smoke, which is not possible in the arcades. He can also morph into Noob Saibot and Rain.
 * Announcer no longer announces the characters names.
 * Most of the MK3 levels are missing which include the Balcony and Street so uppercutting in the Subway and Soul Chamber does not take you to level above.
 * New bios were added for Ermac, Mileena, Rain, and Noob Saibot all with their own ending. Only Classic Sub-Zero and Human Smoke lack a bio.

Nintendo DS changes (As Ultimate Mortal Kombat)

 * Slightly faster gameplay.
 * Attract Mode is removed along with the score ranking though a profile slot and win/lose scores for playing online and offline were added.
 * Ermac, Classic Sub-Zero and Mileena stay unlocked after unlocked for the first time.
 * Ultimate Kombat Kodes are altered and drastically shortened.
 * 2-on-2 Player and 8 Player Tournament are replaced by Local Wireless and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection respectively.
 * Kung Lao's triple hat Fatality in the corner glitch is fixed.
 * When selecting Supreme Demonstration in Extras, the screen will not darken.
 * Screens, from arenas to menus are loaded quickly before they are displayed instead of a quick change.
 * Extended time for selecting characters at the Select Your Fighter screen.
 * Free Play/infinite credits.
 * Galaga was removed from this game entirely (perhaps due to the addition of Puzzle Kombat).
 * There were only eleven Shao Kahn's Treasures instead of twelve.
 * A move list is made available for view on either screen. Though viewable, it lacks a few minor special moves (like Scorpion's Air Throw, Shang Tsung´s Morphs and Jax's Backbreaker) and the Pit Fatality sequence.
 * Any unlocked character ending or Kahn's treasure could be viewed or played at any time.
 * A local WiFi multiplayer mode which only require one cartridge of the game is also available though only Kitana, Scorpion, Reptile, and Jade are available for play.

Java Mobile changes

 * Only seven characters; Cyrax, Liu Kang, Kitana, Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Sonya. Shao Kahn is unlockable
 * Attract mode is missing
 * Shao Kahn's Treasures is removed
 * Each character has new animations along with one Fatality and a Bability only, which can be performed with a simple button press. There is also a new sprite for the charred skeleton
 * The Portal background used for the Choose Your Destiny screen is replaced by the Soul Chamber.

iPhone changes

 * Ultimate_mortal_kombat_3_ihone_app.jpg playable characters: Jax, Reptile, Liu Kang, Kitana, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sheeva, Stryker, Sonya, Kung Lao, Cyrax, Sektor, Kabal, Mileena, Smoke (both Robot and Human), Shang Tsung, Sindel, Classic Sub-Zero, Kano and Nightwolf. Jade and Ermac are unlockable via treasures 2 and 3. (This is the most recent update)
 * This version features 3D graphics for both the background and the characters (Very primitive, too: eyes and mouths are never animated), but the gameplay stays the same.
 * Using special moves is much easier, simply done by pressing the special move button.
 * Shao Kahn's Treasures have only 10 boxes instead of 12.
 * The music is a direct rip from the OST disc and thus, the Finish Him/Her jingle is played during normal gameplay, and never does so when said prompt comes up.
 * Human Smoke is selectable after holding down the finger on Robot Smoke.
 * Kombat Kodes and hints are given during loading screens.
 * A new voice byte was added for Fatalities.
 * The Animalities for the original MK3 roster are simply a transparent, mono-color model with no detail and a few of the colors were changed.
 * Individual limbs now fall from the body during Fatalities that cut the opponent.
 * The music doesn't stop upon Shao Kahn's defeat, and Kahn himself glows green, vanishing shortly afterwards and leaving the castle untouched.
 * There are no Ultimate Kombat Kodes, because Mileena and Masked Sub-Zero are always playable, while Ermac is treasure-unlocked along with Jade.
 * There are seemingly no updates (nor a Trilogy port) coming soon - the game has not been contributed to since 2011.

Hacks
Main Article: Ultimate Mortal Kombat Trilogy
 * One of the most popular Mortal Kombat game hacks on the web, known as Ultimate Mortal Kombat Trilogy, was created by Belorussian hacker known as Kabal, using the Sega Megadrive version of UMK3 as a template; the hack includes every version of every character (except the Mortal Kombat 3 version of Noob Saibot) up to Mortal Kombat Trilogy, all of which gain new special moves and finishers, among other additions. The hack, however, requires a specialized Sega Megadrive emulator, and a patch that updates the ROM and fixes certain bugs in it. [3] It can't be played on a real console, even if a cartridge was made, because this game is more than ten megabytes big as the Megadrive can't play games that exceed four.
 * This is partly true; while the default size for a Megadrive cartridge cannot exceed 32 Megabits, there was at least one game released that was larger - Super Street Fighter II was 40 Megabits, as advertised on the back of the box, and used bankswitching. It's possible, in theory, for the game to be played on a real console, if a bankswitching method was applied.


 * 1) A hack of the Arcade version is known as Zeus Edition, in which Stryker and Shang Tsung are replaced by Human Smoke and Noob Saibot on the character select screen. However, Noob Saibot has neither special Moves nor finishers and Human Smoke can be unlocked by a button combination in the standard version.
 * 2) A update version of Zeus Edition, Stryker and Shang Tsung are placed back and Human Smoke and Noob Saibot are placed in differents places

Trivia

 * In the MK:AK Edition of UMK3 for either Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. While playing online with another person, if one were to perform Scorpions Pack Fatality when fighting on The Subway, it will cause the game to reset. However instead of the game crashing this will give both players the opportunity to play the 2vs2 and 8 player tournament mode via Online play.
 * The added characters for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Trilogy used a different font for their name in the health bar similar to the one featured throughout the game.
 * Unlike the arcade version of Ultimate MK3, the Sega Saturn and Sega Genesis versions (unless you count the GBA version of Mortal Kombat Advance which was a port) of Ultimate MK3 were the only games that retained the Bank stage and the only two that would allow Shang Tsung the ability to morph into Smoke in battle.
 * In the Arcade, Sega Saturn, and DS versions of Ultimate MK3, even though some characters had different blood color when hit such as Sheeva, Reptile, and the cyborgs, when they got knock into the Bell Tower's spikes, they'll gush out red blood instead.
 * The Super NES version was the only version of Ultimate MK3 which Rain and Noob Saibot had finishers other than a Brutality.
 * Human Smoke for the Sega Genesis version of Ultimate MK3 play more like Scorpion different from the arcade version (this could be seen when he try to perform his kick dial-a-combo).
 * The early trailer for the Nintendo DS version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat showed gameplay of the Super NES version in action (showing Rain, Noob Saibot, and the familiar text underneath the health bar) though later a second trailer show the game with the correct arcade version.
 * The Game Boy Advance port was the only Ultimate MK3 game that gave Rain a unique fatality finisher.
 * The Sega Genesis port of Ultimate MK3 was the only game that doesn't require the player to hold away the d-pad when trying to unlock Human Smoke when choosing Smoke (this is probably done due to some Genesis owners not owning a 6-buttons controller).
 * The opponent skipping trick from the Sega Genesis version of MK3 return for Ultimate MK3.
 * The trick for unlocking Smoke in the Super NES version of MK3 returns though it's consider useless since Smoke is already selectable from the get-go.
 * It is assume that Animality was originally going to be kept for the Sega Genesis and Super NES version of Ultimate MK3 (as evidence with the Animality option still in the cheat menu on the Genesis port and the Mercy sequence for the Super NES port) though due to memory limitation in restoring all the arcade character's Animality transformations, Williams just took out the finisher permanently from the game. Because of this the Animality option for the Genesis port is now useless and the X button for performing an easy Animality on the One Button Fatality option for the Super NES doesn't work and will count as an attack instead.
 * The Super NES, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance ports of Ultimate MK3 were the only games to allow Human Smoke and Noob Saibot to be fought on any stage other than at the Lost World and Noob's Dorfen.
 * The Sega Genesis and GBA port of Ultiamte MK3 are the only ports that allows Motaro to be play on any stages other than at the Balcony or Rooftop stage.
 * Whereas the character bios for the arcade and other versions had the character at the Hidden Portal (though the stage was permanently replaced by the Lost World), the Super NES and GBA versions had them at the Lost World instead.
 * Though you could see Human Smoke and Noob Saibot's versus screen picture in the Arcade version, they were never seen when playable. In the Super NES and Sega Genesis versions both versus screen picture were seen when playable for the first time.
 * Galaga was featured in all versions of Ultimate MK3 except the DS and GBA version.
 * The Sega Genesis version of the game also includes a hidden Pong MK4 game which was still kept from MK3.
 * Though the Super NES version kept the Tournament Mode from MK3, the Genesis version dropped that mode permanently (though using a cheat device would allow that mode to be restored).
 * In the DS version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat, using Cyrax, a cheap player could corner trapped any ninja or cyborg characters and keep punching them with Low Punch to easily defeat them. This trick could easily be done using Cyrax by standing near a corner opposite of the opponent and initiating a ground bomb. If the opponent got hit by the bomb and flew right into the corner where the player is standing, the player could easily corner trapp them and spam them with Low Punch for an easy victory. This glitch was not featured on any other version of the game.
 * A 3DO version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was planned but never released. Like the Sega Saturn port, it would feature the same roster as the arcade game plus all of the stages including the Hidden Portal from MK3. It's also interesting to note that Rain and Noob Saibot were planned to be playable hidden characters in the game though since the game is cancelled, playable versions of Rain and Noob Saibot were developed for the Super NES and Sega Genesis ports instead.