Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

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Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: Short Guide

Overview
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (UMK3) is a 1995 fighting game by Midway for arcade machines. It’s a standalone update to Mortal Kombat 3 that adds a bigger roster, new moves, and extra ways to play. It brought back fan-favorite characters, added new backgrounds, and introduced two big multiplayer modes.

What’s new and how it plays
- New game modes: 2-on-2 team battles and an eight-player Tournament mode. There’s also an extra Master difficulty and Shao Kahn’s Lost Treasures, which unlocks prizes and extra content after you finish the main game or the tournament.
- Balanced changes: some moves were tweaked, new combos were added, and certain attacks were adjusted to balance gameplay.
- Beginnings of online and hidden content: later versions experimented with network play and hidden or unlockable characters.

Backgrounds and stages
- UMK3 adds several new stages, such as Scorpion’s Lair and Jade’s Desert, River Kombat, Kahn’s Kave, and others. Some MK3 stages were removed or altered, and a few could be accessed only through cheats or passwords.

Characters
- The arcade version keeps the Mortal Kombat 3 roster but brings back four fighters who had been missing: Kitana, Jade, Reptile, and Scorpion.
- Some versions include Noob Saibot and Rain as hidden or console-exclusives. Noob Saibot could be playable on certain WaveNet/arcade versions; Rain appeared in some ports or as a fake character in others.
- Unlockable fighters via Kombat Kodes include Mileena, Ermac, and Classic Sub-Zero. Smoke’s human form could also be unlocked in some versions.
- Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Kitana, and Mileena are among the most praised returning characters; several others return from MK3, with some new variations and endings.

Release and ports
- Arcade release: November 1995 in North America; owners of Mortal Kombat 3 could upgrade to UMK3 at no cost.
- Home ports: SNES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive versions released in 1996; Sega Saturn version released in 1996. The 3DO port was canceled.
- Other platforms: Game Boy Advance version (Mortal Kombat Advance) came out in 2001, based on the SNES code. The Nintendo DS version (Ultimate Mortal Kombat DS) arrived in 2007 with online play and Puzzle Kombat. An iOS remake by Electronic Arts released in 2010 with 3D graphics and touchscreen controls.
- Modern collections: UMK3 was included in the 2011 Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (for PC, PS3, Xbox 360) and in later compilations. Arcade1Up released a cabinet in 2019 that includes UMK3. The 2025 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection brings multiple versions, including WaveNet, to modern players.

Reception
- The game was well received for restoring beloved fighters and refining the fighting system. The SNES and Sega Saturn ports were praised, with the Saturn version often highlighted as a strong conversion despite load times. The Genesis and SNES ports had trade-offs compared to the arcade version, and some felt UMK3 didn’t dramatically outdo MK3 on every platform.
- The mobile and iOS editions received a more mixed reception, with some criticism aimed at controls and changes from the arcade experience. The DS and XBLA versions were generally considered solid, especially for adding online play and new features.

Legacy
- UMK3 is widely regarded as a high point of the Mortal Kombat series, thanks to its expanded roster and refined mechanics.
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy followed in 1996, continuing the trend of building on UMK3’s ideas.
- UMK3 has lived on in later collections, including the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (2011) and the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (2025), which bring together multiple versions of the game for modern players.