Mortal Kombat is an incredibly successful fighting game series that goes to this day. What is the secret to the popularity of this game? Everything is very simple. Firstly, Mortal Kombat is one of the most brutal and bloody fighting games. For this reason, the game appealed to both adults and adolescents. In addition, MK has a lot of advantages. Simple controls, modern Motion Capture, harmonious gameplay, a lot of easter eggs, secrets - all this is here. Well, perhaps the main feature of the game is fatality. Fatality is a special and very spectacular finishing move that allows you to destroy the enemy with particular cruelty.
Mortal Kombat characters
The first game in the Mortal Kombat series was released back in 1992, and the last - just recently, in the summer of 2014. Over the course of more than twenty years of history, a huge number of characters have appeared in MK. Among them were ordinary people (Sonya, Jax, Kano), and cyborgs (Cyrex), deities (Raiden), inhabitants of the Outer World (Baraka, Milina, etc.). In addition, various crossovers often occur in games (intersection of universes). Thus, in some parts of MK popular characters from other games, films and other products of mass culture appeared. For example, in Mortal Kombat 9, you could play for Kratos (the main character of God of War) and Freddy Krueger (character from the movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street"). And in 2008, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, in which you can play not only for MK heroes, but also for popular comic book characters (Batman, Superman, etc.).
Characters in MK are not just an animated model with a set of tricks. Each character is a real person who has a unique history, life position, etc. In addition, the characters constantly interact with each other, build friendly or hostile relationships. In general, they do not stand still and develop. In this article we will talk about one of the most popular hero - Sub Zero. Mortal Kombat would not be so interesting and exciting without this character. What is so special about him? The answer to this question lies in this article.
Character origin
Sub Zero has appeared in every Mortal Kombat game since his debut in 1992. Why? Everything is very simple. The concept of an ice ninja appealed to many gamers, for this very reason, the developers decided to leave it and use it in subsequent games of the series and other media products (for example, TV shows and films based on the MK franchise).
The light on the history of the creation of Sub Zero was shed by one of the developers of Mortal Kombat - John Tobias. If you believe his statements, then initially this character was called a Ninja and was a representative of Lin Kuei (the legendary Chinese clan). John Tobias tweeted that inspiration came from reading The Chinese Ninja Connection, which postulated historically reliable facts about the existence of Lin Quay and their influence on the appearance of Japanese ninjas. At the development stage, the hero received a suit with a blue color palette and a new name - Tundra. However, they decided to rename the character again after one of the developers saw the movie “Running Man” in which Subzero is a professional killer who attacked Ben Richards (the hero of Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Storey Line
As mentioned above, each character in the MK universe has its own story. Sub Zero is no exception. In this article, we will consider in detail the storyline of this character.
The Sub Zero mask was worn by many people throughout the MK. But the original Sab Ziro is considered to be the brothers Bi Han and Quai Liang. Both are in consanguinity. Their father is the legendary Chinese cryomancer, secret agent Lin Quay, their mother is an ordinary American woman. The brothers were born in America, but as a child, his father took them to China against the will of his wife. There, Bi Han and Quai Liang are trained and become full members of the Lin Quay clan.
Senior Sub Zero
Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat 1 - debut game for him), under the mask of whom was an older brother named Bi Han, took part in the "Mortal Kombat". According to the plot, the Grandmaster of the clan Lin Quay ordered an ice ninja to kill Shan Zong (the owner of the tournament) and take away his treasures. However, the elder Sab Ziro could not fulfill his mission, as he died at the hands of the ghost of Scorpio, who decided to take revenge on Bi Chania for the fact that he brutally killed him a couple of years ago. However, the story of Bi Han does not end there. Accepting death, the eldest Sab Zero went to hell. There, through the efforts of Shinnok and Kuan Chi, he was turned into a dark demon named Noob Saibot.
Junior Sub Zero
After the events of the first part, the place of Bi Han was taken by his younger brother - Quai Liang. Sub Zero again sent to the "Mortal Kombat" in order to complete the mission. Kuay Liang, joining forces with a ninja named Smoke, tried to kill Shang Zong, but they failed. Also during the tournament, the younger Sub Zero met with Scorpio. The second one was interested in who was hiding under the mask. All this resulted in an epic battle, the winner of which was Sub Zero. Despite his thirst for revenge, Quai Liang spared the defeated enemy and saved his life. Scorpio, in turn, vowed not to harm the younger Sub Zero as payment for the murder of his brother.
Events "Mortal Kombat 3"
After the Mortal Kombat, Quai Liang and Smoke returned to Lin Quay. However, as it turned out, the clan has undergone changes. Thanks to rapid technological progress, it was possible to make cyborgs out of ordinary people. This made it possible to create cyber ninjas who possessed incredible power. Two members of the clan (Cyrex and Sector) became the first volunteers, and the experiment was successful. It was decided that the next candidates for the transformation should be Sub Zero and Smoke. However, they did not like it, and the ninja tried to escape. But only Quai Liang managed to get out of headquarters. The clan elders decided not to let go of the traitor and sent Cyrex, the Sector, and the converted cyborg Smoke behind his head. Throughout MK3, Sub Zero fights with his former clan members. In addition, Quai Liang received lead from Ryden and joined the team, which was supposed to repel a new threat from the Outer World.
Participation in the resistance
In the fourth part of Mortal Kombat, Sab Ziro takes part in the battle against the Elder God Shinok, who intends to destroy the Earth Kingdom. As the game progresses, Quai Liang fights again with Scorpio, who learned from Quan Chi that an ice ninja had killed his family. This time Scorpion wins in a fierce battle. However, he does not kill the younger Sub Zero, as during the battle he realizes that Kuan Chi is actually responsible for the death of his child and wife.
In the Deadly Alliance, Quai Liang defeats the Sector and takes control of the clan. In addition, he meets his student named Frost. Together they unite with the resistance of the earthly kingdom and defeat Kuan Chi and Shan Zong.
During the events of Deception, Sab Ziro joins the Shujinku group with the goal of repelling a new global threat in the face of Onaga. Throughout the game, Quai Liang arranges a family showdown with his reborn brother, who is now plowing the world in the guise of Nub Saibot.
In Armageddon, the younger Sub Zero encounters Taven, who unceremoniously invaded the clan's temple. Heroes converge in battle, but later unite in order to repel the invasion of the forces of the Outer World. In the fierce battle of Taven and Sab Zero against Smoke and Noob Saibot, who tried to capture the temple, the first to defeat. After defeating the invaders, Sub Zero remains with his defeated brother in the hope of saving him.
The fate of Sub Zero
In a crossover called DS Univers vs Mortal Kombat, Sab Zero is one of the key characters in the war between fictional universes. An ice ninja even got his own story chapter. During the game, Sab Ziro quite often encounters Batman. Ed Boone (one of the developers games) explained this by the fact that the characters are very similar to each other (both heroes are very gloomy, mysterious and thoughtful) and in order to show this it was decided to push them into battle.At the end of the game, Sub Zero, realizes that he is no longer the killer, which would Earlier, as a result of this, the ice ninja leaves the Lin Quay clan and becomes a superhero. Kuai Liang puts on a new costume, the main feature of which is a long, dark blue cloak. Now Sab Zero intends to do good, saving the innocent, but he still does not know what he in the wake of cyborg killers Sector, Smoke and Cyrex, who nevertheless managed to survive after the events of the previous parts.
Reaction to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Fans reacted to such a sharp change in image rather ambiguously. Some people liked the idea of making Sub Zero a superhero. But most fans were indignant, as it completely contradicts the concept of Mortal Kombat. Fortunately (or not), this concept did not last long, and already in 2011 a new game of the series was released, which completely rebooted the universe. We will talk about it in the next part of the article.
Mortal Kombat 9
As you know, MK9 dramatically changes some canonical events. Thus, in Mortal Kombat 9, Sub Zero and the storyline were slightly modified. During the escape from headquarters, the cyborgs capture not Smoke, but Quay Liang. As a result, a new killer robot named Cyber Sub Zero is born. The ice cyborg has a ton of new tricks that were not available to the classic Sab Zero. So, for example, a robot can teleport, splitting into several parts and gathering in another place. In addition, Cyber Sab Ziro is capable of releasing bombs from the chest that freeze the enemy.
Sub Zero in terms of gameplay
As you know, MK is not only a game, but also a whole e-sports discipline. In this part of the article, we will consider Sub Zero as a game character, talk about his features, etc.
Even in the first part of the game, Sub Zero appealed to many gamers thanks to its manipulations with the cold. This character is able to freeze the enemy, as a result of which he will not be able to move and attack. This gives a huge springboard for further attacks, combinations. Having fallen under the freeze of a professional player, it is unlikely to win a round. It is also worth noting that most of the capabilities of Sab Zero are aimed at defense and effective counterattack. Thanks to this, with due dexterity, you can defeat the enemy without attacking him. Perhaps the main drawback of this Sub Zero as a game character is speed. All strokes and special techniques require quite a lot of time for a successful application. Therefore, if the enemy behaves carefully and does not fall under freezing, then it will be difficult to defeat him. Both mid-level and professional players will be able to play for Sub Zero.
It is also worth saying a few words about finishing moves. Fatality Sab Zero is very spectacular and does not require memorization of complex combinations.
Scorpio vs Sub Zero
The Mortal Kombat series has been successfully operating for over 20 years. During this considerable period, this project managed to cause a lot of controversy and disagreement in the gaming environment. One of the most popular questions that are regularly discussed in the fan circle: "In combination Scorpio vs Sub Zero, who will win?" In this part of the article we will try to answer this question.
Throughout the MK series, Scorpio and Sab Ziro repeatedly fought among themselves. However, there was never a single outcome, and conditions could not be called equal (the heroes were in different emotional states, were wounded, worn out, etc.). In addition, much depends on the place of the battle. For example, if the battle takes place in hell, then we can confidently say that Scorpio will win. And vice versa, if the battle takes place in some kind of cold, snowy place, then Sab Zero will have more chances. That is, the one on whose side there will be environmental conditions will win.
But what about the game? Indeed, in MK, factors such as weather are not taken into account. If we talk about Scorpio and Sab Zero as characters in a video game, then the second has much more potential. Scorpio is a very aggressive hero who is quite easy to control. It is great for beginners, but at the same time, unfortunately, has no potential. Sab Ziro is doing better in this regard. This character is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. A huge number of disables, defensive moves and counterattacks will help him pacify any aggressor.