Made in VBA 1.7.2 re-recording v21-interim
- contains speed/entertainment tradeoffs
- heavy glitch abuse (?)
- uses hardest difficulty
Intro
Inspired by all the Mortal Kombat TASes I saw recently, I wanted to try one of my own. Mortal Kombat II for GB is probably the best regarded of all the GB Mortal Kombats. It has challenge, good visuals and a responsive gameplay. The game doesn't suffer from lag, and while it's stripped down compared to the other MKII ports, it has a few surprises of its own...
I play using the best character for doing a playaround, Shang Tsung. The focus of this movie is mainly on portraying odd fighting situations or showing off glitches. Big combos are occasionally featured, but this game simply isn't big on big combos. I didn't find many of them while testing.
Fight!
Spoilers and selected highlighs for the vid follows.

Round 1 - vs. Scorpion

- Make sure to catch sight of the glitched grab which Scorpion eludes.
- The common air punch looks so feeble that it's always humiliating to knock someone out with it.

Round 2 - vs. Scorpion

- Mirror match!
- Freezing Scorpion as he throws you.
- Finisher: the dreaded Dry Shatter. The power of shattering his enemies to small pieces was inside Sub-Zero all the time... he never even needed the ice powers to do it.
- Target: Deceased.

Round 1 - vs. Mileena

- Mirror match! Why already in round 1? Answer: I can't use B in the next round, which is a button used in the morphing sequence, or else the finisher won't work.
- Just flying about and shooting sais. An action sequence.

Round 2 - vs. Mileena

- No comments.
- Finisher: The, uh... Phoenix Kick? You kick her, then all these flames fly out, and... y' know..
- Target: Baby.

Round 1 - vs. Jax

- I hated playing invisible. Mainly used for a small surprise effect here.
- Synchronized jumping.

Round 2 - vs. Jax

- Mirror match!
- Kitana is needed for doing the glitched finisher.
- Finisher: Quantum Backbreaker Headcrush. Time to show Jax how to crush heads in style.
- Target: Deceased.

Round 1 - vs. Kitana

- teleport punch shenanigans.

Round 2 - vs. Kitana

- Mirror match!
- A.I. is not having a good day...
- Finisher: The Spikes of High Heaven. You'll see.
- Target: Deceased.

Round 1 - vs. Liu Kang

- Mirror match (eventually)! An intense firefight between the Kangs.
- A cheap tackle ends the match.

Round 2 - vs. Liu Kang

- Something strange happens, and Liu Kang is pulled into the void...
- Target: Unknown.
(I originally wondered whether it was be better to go to Smoke from here, or win the round and do a fatality which would make it seem that Liu Kang's head exploded all by itself from the sheer amazement. But since Liu is a good guy and people would probably nag about skipping the secret fight, I decided to go meet Smoke.)

Round 1 - vs. Smoke

- Meeting a guest of honor at Goro's Lair.
- After he is beaten, his smoking stops. I think it's a bit sad, somehow.

Round 2 - vs. Smoke

- I decided there wasn't enough invisibility in this run yet, so I improved the situation.
- For some potentially glitchy reason, Shang Tsung won't revert after the fight but instead celebrates as Reptile.
- Finisher: no such thing for transdimensional guests. Think of the foreign relations!
- Target: merely Beat Up.

Round 1 - vs. Reptile

- Time to show an infinite combo. Poor Reptile...

Round 2 - vs. Reptile

- At one point, Ground Pound cancels the normal kick after it hit, with very damaging results.
- Finisher: just a commonday head smash... Crikey! This croc's getting a bit stroppy!
- Target: Deceased.

Round 1 - vs. Sub-Zero

- Mirror match! And more Liu Kang!

Round 2 - vs. Sub-Zero

- Finisher: the hideous Dragon Dance. Unfortunately, this bloody ritual demands an innocent victim (outside camera) before Liu Kang can completely return to his human form again.
- Target: Deceased.
(yes, skipped Jade. This was primarily because it seemed I was running out of possibilities to do fatalities, and I still had a few cool tricks up my sleeve. Like the Dragon Dance here.)

Round 1 - vs. Shang Tsung

- Omg, a mirror match!

Round 2 - vs. Shang Tsung

- This is more like it. A deservingly epic match between the two sorcerers... who just spend most of the time being something else than their actual form.
- I remembered that I missed the chance to have a mirror match between two Reptiles, so I arranged one to happen here.
- A glitched dual ground-freeze.
- Finisher: the sweat-inducing... well, there's really no name for it. After morphing back, there isn't much you can do but glitch the graphics up a bit. There was a chance to create a friendly outcome for this fight as well, with cool poses and all, but I decided to go for the more comically brutal outcome.
Target: Beat Up. Good thing too that he wasn't killed, otherwise we would've had a time paradox on our hands. Or something.

Round 1 - vs. Shao Kahn

- Jax unleashes his oriental heart massaging skills, which Shao Kahn obviously finds uncomfortable. It's actually a glitch in the Gotcha Grab.

Round 2 - vs. Shao Kahn

- The final challenge! - I can just imagine Shao Kahn saying "Huh?" as he starts smoking dangerously.
- Target: Deceased (until the sequel).
Data
Amounts of times different morphs are used (quantitively, then alphabetically sorted):
Liu Kang - 7
Jax - 6
Scorpion - 6
Sub-Zero - 5
Kitana - 4
Reptile - 4
Mileena - 3
_
About the glitches of this vid (more spoilers):
Attacks done by keeping a button held down (like bicycle kick) often cancel out other attacks as you release them. This is used to create interesting situations throughout the run. Scorpion's teleport punch in air also cancels out your current attack.
It's often impossible to hit your enemy after they are hit by special attacks. This is seen against Smoke, for example, when Liu Kang passes right through him after he was hit by a fireball.
Fatality prompts can be given while jumping or doing attacks, allowing many glitches to occur. Also, fatalities done to enemies who are in air at the time may also glitch up. Also, of one particular interest is Jax's fatality, which, if released in the middle of Gotcha Grab, causes the opponent to unleash his fatality at the same time as well for no reason (used against Reptile).
Mileena's teleport kick can land you out of bounds. Don't ask me how. By using scorpion's spear attack on your foe there and then, you pull him into the void with you. Fatalities while one or both fighters are out of bounds fail or work out with the characters invisible/displaced.
Slide attacks do no damage or even push the enemy around the playing field sometimes. Other specials can also have small hijinks in them... there still may exist glitches unknown to players.
Thanks go to
- Portable MK's and SStarmie's FAQs on this game. I learnt many of the used glitches (a few fatality glitches, Jax's gotcha grab failure on Shao Kahn...) from there.
- TASvideos.
- Luck.
- Time.

GabCM: Added YouTube module.
Flygon: Reorganized YouTube modules.

Nach: This TAS had its moments, providing a fair amount of entertainment which would be quite hard to achieve without tool assistance. Accepting. Although I think this movie should be obsoleted by one which is a bit more entertaining with more variety, even if that movie is a bit longer.
GabCM: Publishing...


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15585
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #2886: AKheon's GB Mortal Kombat II "playaround" in 09:04.22
mklip2001
He/Him
Editor
Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 2227
Location: Georgia, USA
Interesting! I played this port when I was younger, and it's definitely fairly bad-looking compared to the SNES version. However, I was amused to see what you could do with it. The fights are generally pretty funny, though they don't necessarily have the "masterful" look that the fights for the published run do. This may be a good or bad thing. (For instance, I loved the frozen Bicycle Kick in the Shao Kahn fight where he gets a cheap shot at you.) Some of the glitched fatalities are also pretty awesome, like the Dragon Dance. The strength of this movie, compared to the published MK2 run, is its length. There are fewer characters and less fanfare for fatalities. I think most of the normal battles are more amusing in this run. The glitched fatalities tend to happen more quickly since you don't have to set up a Johnny Cage missed shot (like the SNES run does). The weaknesses, though, are having fewer fatalities and variety to use, no colors, slower gameplay, and horrible sound. I can't yet decide what to vote, since this may come down to answering the question "Does this have to obsolete the currently-published run if it is published?" In any case, thank you for making it!
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically. Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.) Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html) Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature! Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
mklip2001
He/Him
Editor
Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 2227
Location: Georgia, USA
Alright, I'm voting Yes and recommending publication alongside the current MK2 run, for these reasons: * This run shouldn't obsolete the current MK2 run, since it doesn't have as many characters, combo variety, or amusing glitches to show off. Also, it is a worse port. * That being said, this run does show different things from the published run. The published run demonstrates lots of combos, whereas this run feels more like a "slapstick" run to me with amusing play between the characters. * There's lots of glitchiness and silliness that could be put into MK runs, but any one run would be too long if it had all of the glitches and stunts in it. There's plenty of room for two average-length runs to demonstrate more of MK2's playaround potential. (For instance, UMK3 recently got its second published run.)
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically. Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.) Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html) Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature! Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
It got in my sight, I will encode it (SD, HQx).
Editor, Experienced player (885)
Joined: 1/23/2008
Posts: 529
Location: Finland
I think the SNES and GB ports are different enough, glitch- and mechanic-wise, to keep them as two different experiences. I'll update the submission text next. There's a miscalculation in the amount of morphs... EDIT: done. I had f.e. ignored the Scorpion morph that occurs while outside screen.
Active player (406)
Joined: 3/22/2006
Posts: 708
Definite yes. I find a lot of Mortal Kombat runs run out of funny stuff before they reach Shao Khan. Nice work keeping it interesting right up to the very end.
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Banned User
Joined: 8/30/2010
Posts: 500
Location: Argentina Bs. As.
mmm, whenever I try to encode a movie, someone does before me. Even I am encoding
[18:51] <scrimpy> Oh, nothing [18:51] <mmarks> oh [18:51] <Nach> I think scrimpy is just jealous of you mmarks
Joined: 11/4/2007
Posts: 1772
Location: Australia, Victoria
I'll whack up a point based HD encode. Abstaining from voting.
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
mmarks wrote:
mmm, whenever I try to encode a movie, someone does before me. Even I am encoding
You can claim for an encode in a submission's topic before you start the encoding process, like I did 6 posts before this one, and like Flygon did a post before.
Banned User
Joined: 8/30/2010
Posts: 500
Location: Argentina Bs. As.
Mister Epic wrote:
mmarks wrote:
mmm, whenever I try to encode a movie, someone does before me. Even I am encoding
You can claim for an encode in a submission's topic before you start the encoding process, like I did 6 posts before this one, and like Flygon did a post before.
You right, but I finished just this encoding and with the subtitles MediaFire (MP4. 9.95 MB) EDIT: Added the video to youtube. I upped the resolution for that is look good and not small Link to video
[18:51] <scrimpy> Oh, nothing [18:51] <mmarks> oh [18:51] <Nach> I think scrimpy is just jealous of you mmarks
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
mmarks, you got it! The only thing is, the subtitles are a bit too small, but it's hard to make them big enough to be easily readable. I think there will be three YouTube streams for this publication.
Banned User
Joined: 8/30/2010
Posts: 500
Location: Argentina Bs. As.
will be very difficult to make the subtitles bigger. Although I make some modifications to the encoding, but only one question, to make the logo in black and white as is done?
[18:51] <scrimpy> Oh, nothing [18:51] <mmarks> oh [18:51] <Nach> I think scrimpy is just jealous of you mmarks
sgrunt
He/Him
Emulator Coder, Former player
Joined: 10/28/2007
Posts: 1360
Location: The dark horror in the back of your mind
mmarks wrote:
will be very difficult to make the subtitles bigger.
It's probably more a matter of the font you are using, but subtitles on 160x144 screens normally can be a bit difficult to read.
mmarks wrote:
to make the logo in black and white as is done?
That shouldn't be necessary (I use colour logos on GB encodes frequently).
Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (979)
Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden
Heh, I remember playing this. It's just as crappy as it looks. This though, is full of surprises and awesome moves. My favourite is when the opponent explodes twice. I vote yes!
Site Admin, Skilled player (1254)
Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11478
Location: Lake Char­gogg­a­gogg­man­chaugg­a­gogg­chau­bun­a­gung­a­maugg
mmarks, non-transparent subs would be better for such resolution also, colored only black & white (not gray)
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
Joined: 11/4/2007
Posts: 1772
Location: Australia, Victoria
Link to video Point based HD encode download (Note, this has been decimated to 30 frames per second)
Joined: 4/3/2005
Posts: 575
Location: Spain
I couldn't believe the GB was capable of porting MK2 in any recognizable form, and yet I found myself enjoying this run despite its many limitations. I loved several of the glitches on this one. The Mortal Kombat games are awesome for glitch festivals. Yes vote!
No.
Joined: 6/4/2009
Posts: 893
surprisingly entertaining, yes vote.
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
What do you think of that screenshot? You can suggest better than this, if you do find one!
Editor, Experienced player (885)
Joined: 1/23/2008
Posts: 529
Location: Finland
My suggestion for a screenshot is from close to the end, when Shang Tsung stands in the uppercut pose with another defeated Shang Tsung supine on the floor and the text "Shang Tsun Wi s" is on the screen. I think it's a microcosm of the whole run in some ways. (08:24 in MisterEpic's encode)
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
AKheon wrote:
My suggestion for a screenshot is from close to the end, when Shang Tsung stands in the uppercut pose with another defeated Shang Tsung supine on the floor and the text "Shang Tsun Wi s" is on the screen. I think it's a microcosm of the whole run in some ways. (08:24 in MisterEpic's encode)
This one?
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 757
I ended up voting no. Quite honestly this is entirely lacklustre in comparison to the other ones. No glitches that really haven't been seen elsewhere and the crappy graphics and sound [and horrible music] simply ruin the overall entertainment value. I will recognize that technically it wasn't bad considering the setback of lack of buttons on a GB... but not enough to bump it to a meh. That's why there's better ports on other consoles that are much better suited for a display like this. Mr. Kelly R. Flewin
Mr. Kelly R. Flewin Just another random gamer ---- <OmnipotentEntity> How do you people get bored in the span of 10 seconds? Worst ADD ever.
Emulator Coder
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
I like this game a lot, and I think the run was decent but could be a bit better. No Shang Tsung soul stealing fatality? For shame! Abstaining from voting till I watch this a few more times.
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
Joined: 6/4/2009
Posts: 570
Location: 33°07'41"S, 160°42'04"W
Mister Epic wrote:
Now pngout'd :) .