Jenovi’s Analysis of MKII Ports

Jenovi’s Retro Impressions recently posted an excellent video comparing the console ports of Mortal Kombat II.  Overall I agreed with all of the conclusions, however there were two missteps I’d like to point out:

SNES Video Quality

I spoke to Jenovi and he was using a launch edition SNES for his captures.  Unfortunately, these are the “3-chip” or “2-chip” designs (same thing, some people refer to them as either) that are notoriously blurry.  While Jenovi is correct, the majority of SNES consoles out there are that blurry, simply using a “1CHIP” or RGB modding a SNES Mini will get you significantly sharper results.  Here’s more information on SNES board revisions:  https://www.retrorgb.com/snesversioncompare.html

Also, here’s a decent comparison between revisions (these were taken before I improved my video capture methods):

…and here’s a comparison between Jenovi’s SNES screenshot and one taken with the best methods:

In my opinion, video quality is a moot point, as there’s another factor about MKII that puts it behind the Genesis and 32x versions, once again proving Jenovi’s point…

Input Lag:

The time it takes for a button press to register on the SNES port is significantly longer than on the Genesis and 32x versions.  While consistent input latency isn’t nearly as harmful (if at all) to gameplay as something like variable display lag or emulation lag, people who are used to every other version of the game will need to adjust when switching to the SNES version.  That being said, if the SNES port is the only version you’ve played, you won’t even notice.  Smokemonster does a great job demonstrating this latency here at 5:30:

Once again, I agree with Jenovi’s conclusions and still think it’s an excellent video worth watching!  Also, MKII is one of the few excuses to take out that mushroom turn of a 32x, so I’m happy it was showcased here!  Check out Jenovi’s video below:

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