10 Awful 3D Video Games That Should Have Stayed 2D
9. Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat 4 – the fourth instalment in the classic fighting series, released for arcades in 1997 – was a travesty. For the first time in the series, the game used motion capture instead of digitised actors, and switched to using three dimensional computer graphics, making it the ugliest entry in the entire franchise.
Technical constraints severely limited the game’s potential, the polygonal graphics slowing down gameplay. Worse, the game reimagined the entire tone of the series, discarding humour in favour of more serious elements, and emphasising the violence considerably.
Ultimately, the game was a disaster – and while the gameplay translated well into 3D – the visuals were noticeably inferior, and have since aged worse than previous entries.
The fourth instalment started a trend in the franchise that wouldn’t subside until the release of Mortal Kombat (9) in 2011, which took the series back to its 2D roots, and is considered a tremendous return to form.