Finish Him - Stars of Mortal Kombat II

Cyril Lachel: Earlier in this article I worried that Kitana was covering something up with that face mask. I wondered if it was botched surgery, or maybe she never went to the dentist and has rotting teeth. That's never good, but it's not a deal breaker. Well, all of the same worried apply to Mileena because she's the same character ... only this time with a skin-tight purple outfit. Although Mileena has different attributes, she's not all that different from Kitana and seems somewhat unnecessary. Still, she does look good in that outfit and she's a lot of fun to fight with.

John Bertagnoli: You might say Mileena is unnecessary, but I think that she does a good job of playing Barbie to Baraka's Ken (He's so dreamy). I mean, sure, she isn't royalty, she doesn't lead an army, and maybe she is the poster girl for "Major Orthodontal Mishaps," but without her Baraka wouldn't have anyone to pal around the outworld with. It also just occurred to me that neither Baraka nor Mileena would ever have a use for finger/toenail clippers. If that doesn't satisfy the criteria for "match made in heaven" I don't know what does.

John Bertagnoli: Baraka is what would happen if you took Wolverine and put him in a blender with a Klingon and some rapid dogs. The result wouldn't be pretty, but you would never hear any complaints about stabbing people in the face. Baraka knows and understands the nuances of the "face stab." He realizes that if he stabs once, he might only hit them once, but if he stabs about 49 times, there's a much higher chance of him hitting them in the face. Truly a renaissance man, he's also a hit with the ladies.

Cyril Lachel: I definitely agree, John. Baraka is a fantastic Mortal Kombat character, even if he's named after a 1992 Ron Frinkle documentary. Of all of the characters in this sequel, Baraka best embodies what I think the developers were going for with Mortal Kombat II. This is a character that is meaner than anything you've seen before, brutal as all get out, and definitely the last person you would want to meet in a dark alley. This guy is so big and ugly that you would almost expect him to be the last boss. This is one of my favorite characters of all time, Baraka is a fantastic addition.

Cyril Lachel: Remember all those things I said about Sub Zero, about how he was symbolic of the Mortal Kombat universe and whatnot. Well, all that applies to Scorpion, who looks a whole lot like Sub Zero but wields the weapon of fire. Oh, and he has a nasty spear with a mighty useful chain, that's a good attack that makes him one of the most popular characters. With his yellow and black outfit Scorpion is sporting a look that only a bumblebee could love. He might have some questionable moves, but Scorpion is one of the most recognizable characters in all of Mortal Kombat. Like him or not, he is everything the developers were hoping for when creating diverse characters.

John Bertagnoli: I can't do anything but agree. Scorpion's war cry is universally recognized, and rightly so. While not a major player in the story so much, he's very iconic of the series as a whole. Not a mascot like our next character, but still a solid player with a great move set and some nice, gory fatalities. He's an undead ninja who likes to set things on fire. I think that's worth a food stamp or two.

John Bertagnoli: Raiden, while not as iconic as Scorpion or Liu Kang in my mind, was still a worthwhile character and inspired inclusion to the MK roster. Though I never really liked playing as him, from a specatitive viewpoint I suppose he was pretty entertaining and more than likely solid. To be fair he had a move similar to M.Bison's "Psycho Crusher" that did a good job of showing off this early MK's somewhat choppy hit detection. The coolie hat really isn't very becoming though.

Cyril Lachel: What, no love for Raiden?? Oh, okay, you aren't going to get much from me, either. Sorry. Perhaps I'm just remembering Raiden's less than stellar part in the Mortal Kombat movie or maybe I'm just not impressed with the cape and everything. The truth is, I actually kind of like Raiden's moves, especially when he disappears and reappears. But he's far from my favorite character in the Mortal Kombat universe. Raiden is a great idea, and I wouldn't mind seeing other similar characters in the game that possess those God-like powers.

Cyril Lachel: And here we have the third female character in Mortal Kombat II, the one wearing the skin-tight green outfit. If you thought Mileena was uninspired, then just wait until you get a load of Jade. This is one copy too man, there's just no reason for Jade to exist, she adds nothing to the game. She does look good, but that's because she's played by the same woman that was used for Kitana and Mileena. And don't even get me started on the mask, fool me once ... well, you know the rest. When you think back to all of the memorable characters in the Mortal Kombat universe Jade is not one that springs to mind.

John Bertagnoli: I'd love to disagree, but unfortunately I can't. Jade is really unnecessary. She's MKII's version of the "Too many robots" trend from the next installment of the series. I really don't remember much of her being that all memories of her just sort of refer to the "Kitana clone" memory.

John Bertagnoli: Even though I'm a fairly large of innovation and "raising the bar," I've still got more of a soft spot for Goro than this mammoth furry. Being able to throw fireballs is pretty great, and the whole "four arms" thing is neat, but Kintaro is still just an afterthought to Goro in the mental hierarchy I've developed. Kintaro did wear clothing though, so I guess it's not a total loss; and Goro's shoes are pretty big to fill.

Cyril Lachel: Oh come on now, a C+ for Kintaro?? This is a great character, a superb boss that is bigger and better than Goro! I understand that you have a special place in your heart for Goro, but c'mon, Kintaro is a fantastic boss character. He's cool looking, puts up quite a fight, and, best of all, you can't play as him! I actually really like the way this character looks and I love the ode to stop-motion animation. This is a great character, much better than Mortal Kombat II's terrible big bad boss!

Cyril Lachel: So this is the boss, eh? Ever notice that the sub-boss is always more frightening? Goro was one mean mother, and was a fantastic homage to classic stop motion animation. Even in this sequel the sub-boss is better, Kintaro is a much fiercer enemy, a character you really don't want to have to fight. Shao Kahn is just a big push over with a few cool tricks. He has a stupid mask and none of the cool abilities of Shang Tsung. I mean, at least Shang could morph into other characters, Shao Kahn has nothing on that power. And it's not only the mask that makes Shao kahn look awkward, it's his whole get-up, which included a silly cape and stupid looking suspenders. There's always that Mortal Kombat belt, but seriously dude, get over yourself.

John Bertagnoli: I really don't understand how this guy ever took a position of power over Tsung. You'd have to suspend a hell of a lot of disbelief to think that a guy like Khan, even with his legions, could have ever beaten Tsung in a straight fight. On that same note the belt is a bit of a fashion faux pas. It just doesn't seem appropriate the organizer of a tournament, enter it, and wear the trophy for the final battle as what I can assume is supposed to be some kind of form of intimidation towards his opponents. See also; goofy mask.