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Retro Video Games

Tier List for Every Retro Mortal Kombat Game

Mortal Kombat games have evolved over the years; from a 2D fighting game with 7 characters to 3D with 30. The tier lists for competitive play have evolved as well.In the early days of the MK franchise, Sub-Zero and Scorpion (the most iconic characters) were considered to be the worst playable characters. But since MK4, one of these two characters has been top-tier for every game release.Did you play the worst MK characters or the best? Find out with our official Mortal Kombat Tier Lists below! Note: We do not consider any playable boss characters in these lists.

Mortal Kombat 1 Tier List Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis, Arcade A TierSonya Johnny Cage Liu Kang B TierKano Raiden C TierSub-Zero Scorpion Mortal Kombat 2 Tier List Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis, Arcade A TierMileena Jax Liu Kang B TierKitana Kung Lao Baraka C TierJohnny Cage Shang Tsung Scorpion D TierRaiden Sub-Zero Reptile Mortal Kombat 3 Tier List Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis, PS1, Arcade A TierSub-Zero Kabal Jax Kano B TierNightwolf Smoke Sindel Sonya C TierCyrax Kung Lao Liu Kang Stryker D TierShang Tsung SektorF TierSheeva Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Tier List Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Arcade S TierNoob Saibot A TierKabal Smoke (Human) Kung Lao Kano Reptile Ermac B TierNightwolf Smoke (Robot) Sindel Jax Sonya Kitana Stryker C TierScorpion Sub-Zero (Unmasked) Jade Liu Kang Sektor Sub-Zero (Classic) D TierCyrax Shang Tsung Mileena F TierSheeva Mortal Kombat Trilogy Tier List Platform: N64, Sega Saturn, PS1, Arcade A TierNoob Saibot Rain Kabal Smoke (Human) Kung Lao (MK2) Baraka B TierKung Lao Kano Reptile Ermac C TierNightwolf Jax (MK2) Smoke (Robot) Scorpion Sindel Jax Raiden Sonya D TierKitana Raiden (MK1) Stryker Sektor Sub-Zero (Unmasked) Jade Liu Kang Sub-Zero (Classic) Cyrax Shang Tsung F TierMileena Kano (MK1) Johnny Cage Sheeva Mortal Kombat 4 Tier List Platform: N64, PS1, Arcade S TierSub-Zero Reptile Tanya A TierScorpion Reiko Fujin Raiden B TierLiu Kang Sonya Jarek Jax Johny Cage C TierKai D TierQuan Chi Shinnok Mortal Kombat Gold Tier List Platform: Sega Dreamcast, Arcade S TierSektor A TierKitana Mileena Cyrax Baraka Noob Saibot Kung Lao B TierTanya Scorpion Reptile C TierSub-Zero Reiko Fujin Liu Kang Jarek Raiden D TierSonya Jax Kai F TierShinnok Quan Chi Johnny Cage Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Tier List Platform: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube S TierScorpion Bo’ Rai Cho Reptile A TierKitana Drahmin Sonya Shang Tsung Hsu Hao Mavado Frost Jax B TierQuan Chi Raiden Mokap Johnny Cage Kenshi C TierKung Lao Sub-Zero Kano Blaze D TierNitara Li Mei Kitana F TierCyrax Mortal Kombat Deception Tier List Platform: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube S TierDairou Bo’ Rai Cho Noob-Smoke Kobra Scorpion A TierShujinko Darrius Liu Kang Mileena Kabal Ashrah B TierRaiden Hotaru Jade Baraka Nightwolf C TierErmac Havik Sub-Zero Li Mei D TierTanya Kenshi Sindel F TierKira

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What Happened To thinkgeek

                           What Happened To ThinkGeek?

On June 2, 2015, GameStop acquired ThinkGeek for $140m. Then, in June 2019, GameStop announced the discontinuation of ThinkGeek.com and the integration of its e-commerce platform to GameStop.com. Visiting the ThinkGeek website today will simply redirect you to a section of GameStop.com where you can buy similar geek culture merchandise. Although, at this point in time, the website appears to be under maintenance. With the announcement of ThinkGeek closing its website, many loyal users were saddened.

However, there is still a silver lining. Whilst ThinkGeek’s Online Store has been discontinued, a small, curated, section of ThinkGeek products still remain across GameStop stores. Yet given the expansive range of products that ThinkGeek formally offered, a small section in GameStop stores cannot hope to cover the diverse range of geeky merchandise that we have become accustomed to.

In addition, a total of 40 physical ThinkGeek stores currently remain open according to reports from last year, but today’s searches yield 38. It is unclear what the future holds for ThinkGeek, a general lack of information on their part leaves us with nothing but mere speculation.

Given that the premise of the merger was to “build the GameStop of the future”, it is only natural to wonder just how long these physical stores will remain open. Perhaps keeping these stores open was a strategic business strategy to buffer the public backlash from the discontinuation of a brand that was so dear in the hearts of us geeks.

In terms of new ThinkGeek merchandise, unsurprisingly, it is very limited. Just 2 new products are documented online, these are a “Get Schwifty Bluetooth Speaker” and a “Jigglypuff Bluetooth Speaker”. So, for anyone looking for geeky merchandise from new games and shows, you may just be out of luck. Similarly, international buyers who are hoping to get their hands on ThinkGeek products may have a difficult time.

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Rare SNES Games

        10 Weird and Rare SNES Games That Are Hidden Gems Today

Uniracers

This is more than a racing game with unicycles. This is like diving into a stock graphic that you would see in an elementary school textbook. Semi-psychedelic graphics and thick colorful rails you ride on.

This game is rare because there was only a print run of 300,000 copies. DMA Design, working under Nintendo of America, were sued by Pixar after the game’s release. Pixar alleged that Uniracers (also called Unirally in Europe) was a ripoff of their 1987 animated short, Red’s Dream. Red’s dream was about a sentient motorcycle, and that’s where the similarities end.

Unfortunately, Pixar won the lawsuit, and DMA couldn’t sell any more cartridges. It’s a shame, because the game is rather fun. It’s like playing through an early Windows screensaver. Uniracers has a unique aesthetic and some tricky gameplay that make it worth exploring.

Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen

If you tried to explain Final Fantasy’s gameplay to someone, it would be pretty easy. It might take a few sentences at most. Take your party, walk around, turn based random battles, progress the story, take a selfie with the credits screen.

Ogre Battle is much more than that. Manage your troops, their stats, their classes, equippable items, consumable items, their alignment, your reputation…and a bunch more. It’s a complicated squad-based RPG with very deep gameplay. It has a high-fantasy story with tarot cards and fortune telling as a main theme to back up your main character’s rebellion against the evil empire.

As far as strategy SNES RPGs go, this one is the cream of the crop. Unfortunately, it had another short print run in the US and Europe, so not many people got their hands on it. It got a re-release on the PS1 (and in Japan on the Saturn) but those had short print runs too. There’s a bunch of ways to get your hands on the game now, and it’s definitely worth your time.

Tetris Attack

Puzzle games are supposed to be relaxing. Tetris is relaxing. Tetris Attack is not.

Tetris Attack is a puzzle game with anime-style fantasy characters. Nintendo decided to release the game in non-Japan regions using Yoshi as the main character. The rest of the cast is replaced with enemies and allies from Super Mario World 2, also known as Yoshi’s Island.

It’s a one-on-one puzzle game where you have to move blocks in pairs to create match chains. Creating successful chains drops big walls on the opponent’s board, and they have to make matches to break the walls into blocks and try to empty their board. If your board gets completely filled up, you lose.

That’s a bit quirky, but not weird. The truly weird part is that this game has a niche competitive scene, and tournaments are routinely held at PAX. There’s even a mini-meta for the game and unique matching strategies. Check out those videos on YouTube even if you don’t plan on going to Tetris Attack tournaments anytime soon.

Saturday Night Slam Masters

You can play a fighting game, you can play a wrestling game, or you can play both. Saturday Night Slam Masters is the “both.”

Capcom, the king of 2D fighting games, set out to make something a little different. They took the grappling fun of the WWF games on the console and mixed it with some tried and true gameplay concepts from Street Fighter and the like. Throw in Mike Haggar from the Final Fight series as a playable character, and you’ve got a bonafide Capcom classic.

This one is four-player too, so you can do wrestling grudge matches or team up with a buddy against the computer. Use high-flying moves, Irish whips, grappling maneuvers and specials to dominate your opponents. It’s a lot flashier and more cartoony than a regular WWE game.

Oh, and the game’s name in Japan is “Muscle Bomber: The Body Explosion.” That’s worth mentioning.

Mega Man Soccer

A lot of Mega Man fans passed this title over. You have to wonder why.

In all seriousness, this is a mediocre sports game with cutesy characters. The Robot Masters from the Mega Man series step on the field as playable characters. The real fun lies in trying out all their different special shots.

There’s not a lot to say about this one, but it’s another weird sports title before game companies had decades of info about how to properly make and market them. Mega Man Soccer is one of those games that just couldn’t be made today. That’s why it’s worth a play.

Blackthorne

Cover-based shooting? In my 16-bit console? It’s more likely than you think.

This is what Blizzard was up to in the SNES era, along with Rock ‘N Roll Racing. The property hasn’t been revived since (not even for Heroes of the Storm). There’s seventeen levels of arcade action and tactical shooting. You have to utilize the background cover to evade enemy gunfire and pop into the foreground to shotgun fantasy creatures. It’s also available for free on the Battle.net PC client. If you can’t find it anywhere else, give it a shot if you’re already a Blizzard fan. It’s really a blast, and the only one of its kind on the Super Nintendo.

Wild Guns

Wild guns is a “shooting gallery” game. It’s not quite an on-rails shooter, and it’s not a third-person shooter either. Levels are singular screens with enemies that spawn throughout; try to shoot them while moving your character in the foreground to avoid projectiles.

This game has been re-released on Switch and PC with extra characters and such, but the original is still worth revisiting. It has co-op gameplay and crushing difficulty. It’s also got a crazy art style with cowboy mecha-enemies with elaborate chain guns and flamethrowers. Seriously, this game is awesome the first go-around, and only marginally less awesome every time after.

EVO: The Search for Eden

If you played this game, you remembered it. It’s a psychedelic adventure about evolving a creature from an aquatic life form all the way to a humanoid.

E.V.O. is a solid side-scrolling platformer, but platformers rarely have such a surreal story. It’s a story about evolution, but references extraterrestrial lifeforms as well as a pantheon of gods on Earth. It’s more like Pokemon evolution than real-world evolution, and it’s really interesting to see a story like that in this genre.

Very few games have toyed with evolution in such a capacity until Maxim’s Spore. It’s a fun experience that has held up conceptually.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors!

Campy horror tropes are abound in this top-down shooter. Blast zombies, Jasons, giant babies, and chainsaw maniacs alone or with a buddy over 48 different levels.

This game is challenging, but very rewarding once you learn all the different items and weapons. Saving your neighbors and finishing a level is extremely satisfying, especially after running from hordes of ghouls.

The game got a sequel called Ghoul Patrol, but unfortunately, the series never escaped the 16-bit era. Give this game a few playthroughs, as it still feels very modern today. It has aged well than many other of its peers from the 16-bit era.

Weaponlord

If you’re a fighting game fan, this game will impress you for a multitude of reasons. It’s a slow fighting game with gritty graphics and no sequels. So why should you play this over Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat?

Well, like Mortal Kombat, it has gory finishing moves. Unlike Mortal Kombat, it has a weapon-based fighting system complete with disarm moves that preceded unarmed combat. It also had parries, counterattacks, classic juggles, and the ability to cut off the opponent’s hair or clothes.

It’s a solid game with enough depth to keep you interested in exploring its many unique systems. Weaponlord was ahead of its time — a little too ahead, if you look at its lasting legacy. It doesn’t have eleven installments like Mortal Kombat, but it’s great fun even today.

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