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Midway logo first, of course.

You know how on bootup Mythologies had a scene-setting intro with narration and lore?

Well Special Forces had a pretty shit development cycle so the final product just goes "Nope lol" and gives you a goofy TV intro set to jazzy Blaxploitation music featuring Jax in all his badass glory. The backgrounds are also mega trippy visuals with the occasional MK logo and iconography as if saying "oh right this is mortal kombat innit"

Also I went over Jax's metal arms in an earlier post but by this point I'm confident not really putting SF as it is in any sort of timeline spot. Still watching this clues you in that you're in for a treat.

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It also shows off each Black Dragon member with Kano taking the number one spot of course, he's the Black Dragon's most famous member. Hell he's probably the head honcho if most games like the NRS timeline are to be believed.

Each BD goon does something to show off their skills. Kano throws knives and raises the roof, Tremor pounds the earth like a dirty dwarf, No Face shows off his flamethrower hoping his senpai Girdeux notices him, Jarek tosses a tchotchke and Tasia sure is there. You'll notice a lack of Kabal who was also described as a former Black Dragon member (then new founder in Deception, ignore MK11 PLEASE).

And nice of them to include some decent artwork of them, too. Not sure if Tobias drew them but I guess if he did that's all he left us when he left Midway partway through development of this game.

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If the game kept to this goofy 70s vibe I think it might have gone over better, but it has tonal issues. This intro segways into a relatively serious game that also stars an unserious protagonist and his very unserious mission handler. This is Mortal Kombat Special Forces and it sure is special in a way.

Quick look at the options and all we get that's of note is difficulty, control edit and a vibration toggle. As for controls, Midway are sticking to the high and low attack system hell or highwater. Sadly its clear that while it worked for the 2.5D gameplay engine of Mythologies, it is wholly unsuited for the topdown 3D environs of Special Forces.

There's a Look function which will also come in use later, a "pull weapon" button since gunplay is a thing in this game and a "Turbo" button. Don't be mistaken, this isn't a Turbo function as I know it and as you likely know it. Its how you do special moves.

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Now, let's actually get into it. What's the story of MKSF?

It's a nice quiet evening in Chicago (given where Midway's HQ is I'm assuming its Chicago) and Kano's been a naughty man. That's why it zooms in on a wanted poster. Good news is he got banged up at some point and is in an SF prison.

Only not because suddenly the wall explodes and out strolls Kano, flanked by five of his favourite Black Dragon cronies: Jarek from MK4, No Face, Tasia, that guy Tremor everyone loves and an as-yet unidentified individual whom I'll get into way later when we actually get to him. So naturally a security team is mobilized to drag that Aussie ass and his bogans back to prison. How did Kano jailbreak? no idea, all you need to know is he did.

Also, the call's sent out to one particular Special Forces goon with a particular history with Kano.

No its not Sonya Blade, she was cut from the final game.

Though to be fair, Major Jackson Briggs has a history with Kano too, just not as virulent. Anyway we cut to Jax driving a big purple muscle car to the mission site. See, a military humvee or nondescript van isn't badass. If you're gonna get somewhere, get somewhere in style. Why do you think Wario's big giant pimpmobile is unlockable in Double Dash?

Anyway don't expect much in terms of FMV. After this is mostly Codec talk.

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Jax's phone rings. "Meet" Gemini, the mission operator for this game, an SF woman who isn't Sonya for some reason and whom we never see, hence "Meet" being in quotes.

Gem's thing is not only is she Jax's radio ally but is also inappropriately flirty at times.

Anyway she runs down the list of BD goons that have broken out along with Kano, just incase you haven't played this before. Or MK4 where Jarek debuted.

We have:

No Face with his...well he's got a Flamethrower I guess.
Tasia, the beautiful and deadly...umm...she has swords.
Jarek, master of falling off things.
Tremor, giant and cosplays Scorpion.
and (UNIDENTIFIED), some guy.
And their leader, Kano. Beware, he's Australian!

Not quite FOXHOUND or Erich Rhoemer's team is it. Or even the Outer Heaven supersoldiers. I faced those guys and Shoot Gunner left more of an impression on me than Tasia, and Shoot Gunner's gimmick was he was a guy with a shotgun.

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Yeah I know but this game was made around the time Metal Gear Solid 1 released on Playstation and Changed Video Games Forevar(tm). Though really it left a massive impact, every game wanted in on it.

Anyway the Black Dragon's holed up in a warehouse in South Chicago, and for some reason Kano was considered their "outside source." That's all we get and I guess we have to make up the details ourselves. The rest of the SF's on their way and just couldn't wait for Jax's go ahead before charging in.

Sanchez was gonna be a fairly major character once but here he's just a name on a screen and, it went about as you expect. This is Jax's world.

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Just like that really.

Jax raises the roof and swears revenge.

Only two telops this entire playthrough. Swirl it on your tongue.

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In the game proper and its a (normally) top down brawler. Face buttons for high and low attacks, select to open the messages/inventory. Our only message is a general briefing: an order to "detain" (read: beat the dogshit out of) the fugitives. There's more than 6 of them actually, Kano has lots of hired goons.

And don't expect there to be any MGS codec meaty loredumps either, this is all you get.

We also have an experience points system like Mythologies. But unlike Mythologies we don't earn new specials, as the game's controls don't allow for that with what it was going for. Instead we just get new dial-a-kombos.

Our inventory is also completely empty. Jax didn't feel like packing a gun or a medkit for this adventure. This isn't a stealth mission, I don't think weapons and equipment OSP is a good idea.

As for that bar below Jax's EXP counter, that's an enemy health meter. There's one nearby, you see.

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But unlike that poser Bi-Han, Jax actually starts his game with special moves! Specifically his Ground Pound and his MK3 Dash Punch. That's what the R2 "Turbo" button is for. Hold it down and press a face button to get one of the two specials out.

The drawback is that is all Jax gets in terms of specials. The chosen face buttons only determine the strength of the special you unleash, whether Ground Pound summons shockwaves or the Dash Punch leaves flame trails. So there's no MK2 Energy Wave or MK3 Arm Missiles and no Multi-Slam. The Gotcha Grab IS in the game, but...well, we'll get there.

The specials drain Jax's special meter, and it replenishes when you combo enemies. Though I feel like there's little use to said special moves, at least the Ground Pound can gib enemies.

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L1 is the FPS look mode which becomes vital once you get guns and face enemies who also use guns.

Unarmed enemies rush in. All Jax has at present is his specials and his normals. Though in this game I honestly feel the normals is all he needs, as you can get by a large number of fights against unarmed opponents by just madly mashing the X button.

Also the blood feels a lot more toned down and minuscule for an MK game. I don't know what to blame that on.

And yes you probably noticed we're rocking a lives system too.

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A little down the way and some asshole smashing later we level up, buffing our abilities and getting rewarded with our first combo, the..."Git Some Suka."

oh jeez

Yeah I just start reading that phonetically as "Git Some Sooka". Must resist the bile...

On the plus side leveling up is also a free full heal, a mechanic I will always cherish. I'm glad the Legacy of Goku games used it from 2 onward. Though it doesn't refill our special meter. Ah well, can't win them all.

That door nearby is our way into the warehouse. Don't wory about the goons, we're not up to the ones with firearms yet. There's a medpack there on that flatbed, and to get to it we climb up by holding forward and pressing triangle. You probably didn't know so uhh, dig out that manual will you?

And deeper inside, a nonfunctional elevator. No power so we gotta find a way to turn the power back on. So far so simple isn't it? Not quite the Shaolin Temples with the pounding pillars, carefully planned awning jumps and Scorpion mooning you is it? Well, simple as the yare, the Black Dragon are cut-throat madmen who most certainly do NOT study peace and passive ways. But their simple ways let them do devious shit that delays the heroes of justice while they carry out their nefarious deeds.

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So its down the stairs we go. If these were locked we'd be outright fucked. Just one extra goon waiting, and down one way we got a boiler room with a nice big golden shiny key of hope on the floor which we naturally snap up. On the otherside, a random holding cell where someone put a 9mm magazine while I guess taking a dump. No I don't know why a warehouse has a holding cell, if not for Black Dragon purposes.

As you can see the environs of Special Forces tend to be very drab, at least compared to Mythologies which gave me a fair bit to talk about. I also wanna highlight the draw distance. The game runs butter smooth, or at least as butter smooth as 30fps can be, but as a compromise you can't really see very well in front of you in big open areas. Or even some corridors.

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And here's our first firearm, the ol' classic SMG. Kinda looks MP5-adjacent. We got some spare ammo for it too. We can fire it normally from the hip with the square button but if we want something a bit more accurate, we gotta head into Look mode with the L1 button. And even then we gotta equip the gun first by selecting it via the inventory, then hitting L2. A bit much work but not too bad.

There's autoaim at least, if an enemy is nearby.

Nearby I give it a try on those barrels. now normally you see barrels in a shooter, you shoot them to get an explosion. MKSF just makes them set dressing so I have to satisfy myself chewing through precious ammo to shoot some scrubs.

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Some goons escaped my SMG's notice, but they go down relatively easy. After that is the power room just ahead.

Pretty sure I remember seeing that High Voltage sign on the PC port of MK9. In any case, that should reactivate the elevator and help us move on.

And back at the elevator...this is also one of those games that begs you to use a guide, and to spoil things I'm gonna hop up to the 4th floor first.

More goons await there along with ammo, and its here we run into the first enemy with a gun. Now enemies with guns kinda suck in this game. See, if they get the drop on you and start blasting you, Jax gets stunlocked without fail. Not pushed over, thank god, but stunlocked in the middle of anything. With anyone else nearby, that's a death sentence right there. The good news, however, is that for some reason he doesn't seem to get gun-stunlocked in Look mode. So you have a chance to clap back with bullets. But still, they can chew through health irritatingly fast. So make sure you look before you leap and get the drop on them first.

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Well, either way, we clown on every other git that shows up, and take a look around at the ladder and planks. Apparently they were renovating.

Well, that or I'm just disappointed we couldn't use the ladder as a weapon in some way.

Elsewhere I find a new mook, a bald guy in a tanktop with an arm tattoo. Shockingly he pushed my shit int he first time because I neglected the X button. Don't worry I got him on a state reload. Him and his weirdly dressed cohorts.

Further onward, and we have cracked walls, and universally in games you can blow them open with bombs. Zelda, Metal Gear, any game with a brain, and clearly even MKSF has some semblance of brain. In fact, a Detonator is freely provided for us!

They work like time bombs. Plant one on a wall via the item menu and hang back. In this case its just a shortcut back to the lift, but since we got a slim supply of Dets, we're gonna just take the long way back.

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Next is the third floor and if my posts are spaced out a bit, this game can get pretty draining.

Though I do earn another combo upon leveling up and thankfully it has a normal name, the Super Uppercut. A combo ending in the traditional MK uppercut that sends people flying ten feet in the air, which is always entertaining.

Though I also need to find a security key for this one door. So there's that. Elsewhere, apart from more tools and masonry, there's another cracked wall, this one I DO elect to blow up. Plant a bomb and let it blow.

And yes I DO look at explosions. Cool guys don't look at them because they're fucking morons. Jax is an officially trained Special Forces major so I'm sure he's trained to actually see as much of the explosion as possible to verify that damage has actually been done rather than assuming then getting shot in the ass like a dullard.

BTW, it leads to the corridor in which one end holds the security card we need.

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Backtracking to that door we find that inside were, of course, more goons, security consoles that do nothing for us, and a nice big switch. There's another cracked wall on this floor wherein hides a large medipak, definitely worth picking up. Shockingly, this game has one plus over Mythologies in that there's no inventory limits.

Anyway, back tot he lift and downward to the 2nd floor. There's a surprisingly nice office here, one room of which hides a medium medipack. Also, goons, one of which gets gibbed by my Dash Punch so righteously I had to bring in a BRUTALITY marker from MKX to emphasize.

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Oh hey the shotgun ammo boxes from Resident Evil! Glad to see they were still getting work in the year 2000.

Anyway don't mind me, I just went into this room with a power box wall texture that is nice and straight in Look mode...but affine texture warped to balls outside of. I don't have a problem with affine texture warping. I'm pretty sure those who noticed it in the Saturn port of PowerSlave didn't care anyway with how great that version was. Although I know John Carmack did, he hated affine texture warping when he saw an in-production version of Saturn Doom rocking it and demanded it be just the PSX version and that's why that port of Doom is crap.

ANYWAY, there's a bit of travel, wall inspections and goon gunning before we approach a fire escape catwalk, which we use to walk upward. We're actually at the boss, more or less, after some more seconds of travel. I just figured I'd double back for supplies before I take on this level's boss. And who is it but...

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Meet No Face! The Black Dragon's resident pyromaniac, in the vein of, say, Fire Trooper of Outer Heaven, or notorious French terrorist Anton Girdeux of the Black Baton group.

No, the message we get offers nothing but quirky jokes and an offhand "watch out for grenades" tip. Not even a good idea on how to get past his flamethrower.

At least when I called Naomi up about dealing with Vulcan Raven I'd get something. Gemini can only offer me a chance to make silly shitpost images.