I had fun night of rocking some arcade classics on my Switch thanks to the recently released Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection and the Golden Tee Collection. I picked up both this evening and couldn't help myself revisiting some late 90s arcade classics that I remember enjoying around the same time. I also decided to play MK3 for the first time in ages seeing how when I need my fix of the third MK game, I typically gravitate towards Ultimate MK3. In all, a beat three games tonight, not that it was any sort of lofty accomplishment seeing how none of them took me over half and hour respectively to beat, although I did play Golden Tee 2K and MK3 for over an hour each due to how enjoyable they were. Anyhow, here are my reviews of each game.
120. Golden Tee 2K (Switch)
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, my dad used to take my younger siblings and I to a local sports bar for lunch. He got to drink and watch the game, while my siblings and I enjoyed a burger, some fries and the bar's surprisingly impressive arcade spread. One staple of the bar was a Golden Tee machine. They had several over the years, but the ones I remember the most were Golden Tee 99' and Golden Tee 2K. While mostly the same games (I'd forgotten which was which over the years at least), they're still some meaningful differences, but inevitably I chose to play all three courses of Golden Tee 2K. it's been around 25 years since I played either game and to say it was a very pleasant, nostalgic experience would be an understatement.
In case you've never played a Golden Tee, the gameplay revolves the use of a baseball sized track ball built into the arcade cabinet. You use this ball to swing your club back and then control the amount of force you roll it forward to either send it flying or give it just a nudge on the putting green to get it into the hole. It's both surprisingly simple, but also difficult to get the hang of all the ways it allows you to control where the ball goes. You can also tilt your golfer left or right to line up with the fairway better or to avoid the obstacles depending on where the ball has gone. You can also select different clubs which allow you to hit the ball further away if needed or to get it out of the rough or sand traps. Fortunately, there's a map of the hole you're on, allowing you to navigate where you want the ball to go and roughly how far it will go depending on the club you're using. You also have to deal with the wind, specifically what direction it't blowing and how fast it's going. All these elements make for a pretty deep and interesting arcade golf game that allows you to play through three pretty distinct gold courses, complete with 18 unique holes each. Everything in Golden Tee 2K mostly works as intended and gives you the control you'd want in a game like this...mostly.
All is not perfect with Golden Tee 2K, or the other games in the series as well. While there are some very skilled Golden Tee players out there, I feel like even they would admit that the controls aren't always consistent and sometimes the amount of force you applied to a specific shot seems either too excessive or not hard enough, even though the opposite was intended. This was my experience throughout my time playing through all 54 holes in this game. Still, all course and weather conditions accounted for, I feel like my shots reflected how I meant to shoot them 90% of the time, which is definitely not bad. Another issue I had was phantom obstacles blocking your shot on the borders of the rough. Sometimes I was pretty clear of all the course obstacles and still managed to hit them. Again, this isn't a super common problem, but certainly noteworthy.
The presentation of this game is both nothing special, but also very fitting and well done at the same time. You won't find anything impressive scenic vistas, crazy mini golf like obstacles, explosions, fireworks, or anything that could even remotely be considered exciting. No, this game is pure, unfiltered, late 90s golfing goodness. Everything is spite based, from your golfer, the trees around the course, the course itself, and a few random obstacles in the background like mansions or mountains. It does all come across as a bit plain, but again, very fitting for this type of game from this era of games. There also isn't music playing while you're about to tee off, only some at the end of a hold, the entire course, and during the menu. The music, while limited, is still pretty good too. But where the audio really shines are all the well implemented gold noises like the sound of your club swinging and hitting the ball, the ball falling into the hole, invisible spectators during subdued gold claps when you complete a hole, and announcers saying a few lines here and there either before or after a shot. None of what I just described is express or over stimulating, but it all just fits and works so well.
Golden Tee 2K is a pretty well made, unique arcade game that not only provides one of the best video game golf experiences you can have, but also just embodies the era which it was released so incredibly well. It's a truly cozy game that's easy to pick up and just enjoy for as long as you want. Whether you're just looking for a game to unwind with or a surprising fun and deep gold game, look no further. (12/12/25) [33/50]
121. Mortal Kombat 4 (Switch)
There was an arcade inside a shopping mall I grew up near called Tilt. The arcade went through a lot of iterations and changes throughout my childhood until it eventually closed in the mid 2000s, along with the entire mall. Right around the time it tried becoming a Discovery Zone type business, I remember they were the first arcade I recall having the then new Mortal Kombat 4 arcade cabinet. A neighbor friend and I used to enjoy playing MK4 at Tilt despite it never being one of our favorites. In fact, most of my experience with MK4 was actually the N64 port, which I mostly remember as the first MK game where I felt semi competent in executing fatalities. Anyhow, it's been ages since I played the original Arcade version, which i decided to do something about tonight.
MK4 is a...fine game, I guess. Around the time many older game franchises were making the jump to 3D, MK did as well, and MK4 was it first attempt at doing so. Despite this game looking pretty decent for a late 90s arcade game, MK4 unfortunately lacks the charm of its 2D predecessors, as in all of them. I feel like Midway did a pretty good job at translating the look of the previous MK games to a 3D game in 1997, but it still undeniably falls short of those older games. Looking past this, MK4 was a fairly good looking 3D game for its time. Character models looks pretty good, stages mostly still look cool and interesting, and just overall, its game that a lot of effort went into making it look as cool as possible given the limited tech Midway had to work with at the time.
The audio in this game is also pretty good, but not amazing. There are definitely better MK OSTs out there, but for what it is, it's pretty good and definitely fits with the vibe of MK. There is voice acting and a narrator that speaks more than narrators in older games did. This really doesn't add much to the game, but at least gives MK4 a more distinct identity. Not that it needed anymore help in this regard given it was the first 3D MK game.
Gameplay is unfortunately where MK4 falters the most, even though despite its issues, MK4 is still a pretty competent fighting. The core gameplay of the older MK games is still present, albeit with the addition of many new mechanics, some feeling more meaningful than others. Going along with the 3D visuals, characters now have the ability to side step opponents. This can allow you to avoid an oncoming attack and get the upper hand on your opponent in a pinch. However, I found it not particularly impactful in altering the course of a match, one way or another. Other added flourishes to MK4's gameplay are the use of stage obstacles such as stones or heads you can throw at your opponent. However, more than this, MK4 introduces a weapon mechanic where every character can summon unique weapon and use it to bludgeon your opponent. While weapons do more damage that standard kicks and punches, their little more than a gimmick which you lose as soon as you get hit by your opponent. You can pick the weapon back up, but I found doing this effectively without taking on needless damage or getting killed difficult. In the end, you're better off just playing MK4 as close to how you're play an older MK game as possible. But even then, this game isn't incredible fun or revolutionary. I will say, however, I feel like this game does make pulling off certain special moves and fatalities easier, but most of this is at the expense of many other gameplay elements lacking compared to UMK3, MK3, and arguably even MK2.
As a trip down memory lane and as a retro MK game being played nearly 30 years after it originally came out, I feel like MK4 is mostly an okay game, with a few things that make it more enjoyable than not. Still, unless you want to see the point where Mortal Kombat took the plunge into 3D gaming or just want to pride yourself in havig played every mainline MK game, I'd say it's forgivable to skip MK4. There are much more fun and iconic games in the franchise you should be playing instead. (12/12/25) [31/50]
122. Mortal Kombat 3 (Switch)
It's been a very long time since I played the original MK3, especially the arcade version. For decades, its been overshadowed by its updated version, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. I'll be the first to admit that nine times out of ten when I've replayed MK3, it's been with the Ultimate version and not the original. For one, I remember being disappointed with the smaller roster, including the omission of character's like Scorpion or masked Sub Zero, but it was also because I just assumed UMK3 was just better in every way. What I didn't expect was both realizing just how different MK3 is beyond just its roster of characters, but also how some of these differences actually make MK3 better than UMK3.
From a presentation standpoint, I actually think MK3 is a better game than UMK3. Even without considering Midway's decision to remove the story cutscenes from UMK3, MK3's unique stages look a decent amount better than those found in UMK3. There is far more animations like papers blowing around in the wind and moving background elements in MK3's stages. There also seems to be more variety in the stages as well, which makes it feel more varied and fresh while playing. I feel like these interesting stages go further in making MK3 a more visually appealing game than the omitted characters that return in UMK3.
Music in both MK3 and UMK3 is pretty awesome and I can't say one is better than the others. As is the narrators voice, sound effects, and everything else in MK3. I'd say MK3 (or UMK3) have the best audio presentation of the classic trilogy of games, and even better than many more contemporary titles.
Where MK3 falls short of its updated brother is its gameplay. UMK3 is most famous for much better the gameplay is compared to the original release. While I have to agree with this sentiment, I do feel like its a bit overstated. Yes, MK3 isn't as crisp and balanced as UMK3, but still plays better than MK2 and MK without a doubt. I'd say it's even better to play than MK4 and MK Deadly Alliance. The inclusion of a run button and the greater emphasis on combos makes for a much more fast paced, dynamic game, at least when compared to other MK games. Unfortunately, even with these improvements, some of its contemporary competitors like Street Fighter and King of Fighters had noticeably more refined and enjoyable fighting systems. Still, none of those games have fatalities, animalities, friendships, or some of the special moves that undeniably made Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat.
I expected to come out of replaying MK3 thinking UMK3 is by far the superior game, however to my surprise I don't feel that way at all. I'd say it's just as good as UMK3, even with the concession of its gameplay not being as good. MK3 needs to be given more credit for how enjoyable it still is and a game no MK fan should skip playing just because it lacks the "Ultimate" moniker. (12/12/25) [33/50]
