The last Mortal Kombat game released on the original Playstation, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces is another side game in the vein of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. This time, this tells the story of Jax, in a story long before the first Mortal Kombat game, as Kano breaks some top members of the Black Dragon out of a Special Forces-run maximum security prison. Jax is contacted by his advisor. Gemini, of the prison break and is told that another team has arrived at a warehouse (the setting of the first level), however, it turns out to be a trap, and when Jax arrives, the team has been completely wiped out. This causes him to start hunting down Kano, taking him through five areas.
Yeah, this game had a troubled production, mainly because John Tobias would leave Midway during development. As a result, the game was rushed to completion, removing some ideas (like Sonya as a second playable chatacter and a pre-scarred Kabal, who would serve as a boss), and dropping a planned Nintendo 64 port. What is left is a game that feels more like a stripped down Metal Gear Solid with Mortal Kombat Characters. Like Mythologies: Sub-Zero before it, the game has a experience system where Jax can collect experience points defeating enemies and bosses. When he gains a level, not only does his health get fully restored, but he also learns a new combo to use. He also has access to his dash punch and ground pound, and each one has two variations and takes some of an energy bar to use.
Throughout the game, Jax will come across various firearms that he can use to dispatch foes. From a machine gun that does repeated damage to a sniper rifle to allow attacking from a distance (and even headshot enemies, thus reducing the need to get close and personal) to even a rocket launcher, this is where the game feels more like a Metal Gear Solid clone than a Mortal Kombat game. Also, the game adds a dash of Tomb Raider into the mix, as Jax can push objects and even climb up certain surfaces.
For the cast, we have Jax as the sole hero, and for bosses, Kano and Jarek are there alongside new characters No Face, Tasia, and Tremor (while No Face and Tasia have only appeared in this game, Tremor would become popular due to looking like the traditional MK ninja, appearing the the PSVita port of Mortal Kombat 2011 as part of its extra Challenge Tower, and becoming a DLC character in Mortal Kombat X). Sadly, these boss fights are not so spectacular, and some have patterns that are too easy to figure out.
Alongside bland characters, the game has some other problems due to it being rushed. Sometimes, when you go near a certain wall or object, Jax ends up getting stuck inside, which can result in the need to quit and reload (and sadly, you only get to save after each boss, so doing so means restarting the area from the start). Also, enemies carrying machines guns tend to be the cheapest, as they can do more damage, and it also does not help that the camera sometimes sticks to you, making targeting hard. The game that almost killed Mortal Kombat until Deadly Alliance restored it, Special Forces is a special farce that should be avoided at all cost.
