I haven't played most of the games I will be talking about. But some of them are so amazingly horrible. I really wanted to give my two cents on them. Also, I came across a few surprises not a lot of people would know. Honestly, I don't think Ed Boon himself realized how popular his franchise was.
I already talked a great deal about War Gods, Mace: The Dark Age & Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. recently. Also I talked a little about Primal Rage a while back. I will say Primal Rage was easily the most successful of the four Midway now Warner Brothers owned rip off of MK series. For me, it felt like Mortal Kombat for those into giant monsters.
I should warn you some of these are so amazingly terrible. I don't even have words to perfectly describe how minding blow they actually are. Yes I also will be talking about a handful that got canceled. Yet some of their respective developers leaked a rom for those interested to play on emulators.
1. Blood Storm (1994)
Developed by Incredible Technologies
Daniel Pesina who played Johnny Cage in the first two MK games is involved with Blood Storm. He was still technically under contract by Midway. So when they found out about this, he got fired. This is exactly why a different actor had to portray him in Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Alright, this game looks like a weird cartoon violence fighting game.
Except it isn't playing on classic or then modern cartoon rules. You can just tell by looking at that picture above, you're in for a bad game. Even the name for the developers doesn't sound good. Incredible Technologies? more like a cheap animated MK knock off that a six year old could draw better.
2. Way of the Warrior (1995)
Developed by Naughty Dog
Yeah Naughty Dog, the developers behind Crash Bandicoot & Jak series made this. Funny enough, Universal also had their name on this game too. Naughty Dog used money earned from sells of a previous game to making this abomination. Yes, even great developers can make terrible games. I do however like the cover for this game.
Way of the Warrior is exclusively on 3DO. You know the same commercial calling Sega Genesis & SNES bad toys lol. I felt in reverse, the company behind the console was a huge baby himself. Due to being low on money, people close to the developers chose to step in to portray the characters. I kinda feel sorry for everyone involved in a shameless rip off.
3. Tattoo Assassins (Canceled but can be played on emulators)
Developed by Data East Pinball
The same company behind many classics came close of releasing a very bad fighting game. One of it's developers leaked the rom online. Tattoo Assassins has a weird usage of tattoos that work as special powers. This game claimed to have over two thousand finishers. A couple of them includes stripping your opponent nude, yes this is a thing.
If it were to come out, it would've predated MK3's Animalities. This game often gets called the worst MK rip off for many great reasons. This is also one of those I really can't put a great way to describe it's sheer awtifulness. Tattoo Assassins has nothing virtually good in it at all. To me this felt like we're going bankrupt. but someone had the idea to put some of the money they had left for this.
Oh wait it gets even worse than that, a writer of Back from the Future series wrote this. Yes, an interesting time travel movie series with some of the best actors of our time fell incredibly low here. This game is is so bad that not even leaving a picture would actually be helping you. A game they attempted to be incredibly more ambitious than Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 & Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
4. Time Killers (1992)
Developed by Incredible Technologies
The original MK rip off game itself. Time Killers also comes up like a cartoony fighting game. It isn't even hiding the level of violence either. This game is known for having decapitations of body parts during game play. I do think some parts of the art work is alright. Time Killers got ported to Sega Genesis a few years later.
This also predates most weapon based fighting games. All the playable characters must fight whoever comes their way. In order to challenge Death himself for immortality. Why does this remind me of Chakan the Forever Man lol. Like Eternal Champions coughs a better game, most the fighters are from different time periods.
5. Kasumi Ninja (1994)
Developed by Hand Made Software
One of the most well known Mortal Kombat rip offs ever. Kasumi Ninja is exclusive to Atari Jaguar, probably a good thing too. We have a Scotsman who fires projectiles after lifting his kit I'm not making that up. Also the name for the developer doesn't help either. I mean come on Hand Made Software?
To me, just having their name on it makes Kasumi Ninja come off as a poor man's Mortal Komabt game. You also can decrease the level of violence but why the hell would you do that lol. This game has a strange character selection overall. You get a handful of characters, the more of them you defeat you can select later on.
But it isn't set up like a proper character selection screen. Also in Kasumi Ninja, the level of violence is not impressive. Some of the strangest moves I ever seen in a fighting games are present here. Kasumi Ninja doesn't even sound like a fighting game title. It sounds more like a Shinobi/Ninja Gaiden rip off than an actual MK one.
6. Survival Arts (1993)
Developed by Scarab
OMG, Survival Arts is very bad. First off, none of the characters stands out in a good way. Also why are all of them so big on the screen? This would limit what you can do in a match. Obviously, it is using digitized actors like a lot of them do. But I felt the finishers are horribly done. Even the audio doesn't hide how terrible it is either.
Survival Arts is critical for survival to not play this frickin game!!! In all seriousness, for one of the first MK rip off games. I got to give them a little respect for trying it so early on. Also I don't have anything positive to say about this game. This actually would come off as a bigger, sluggish, boring MK clone no body wants to play.
7. Pray for Death (1996)
Developed by LightShock Software
This game is available on Steam & GOG. Like a few Mortal Kombat games, Pong is a mini game. Like Time Killers, the final boss so happens to be Death. Now that's two MK rip offs where the final boss is the Grim Reaper!!! I should mention Anubi is virtually like Anibus in War Gods. The most surprising playable character in this game is Cthulhu.
Yes, a wrathful beast god from H. P. Lovecraft mythlogy appears as a fighting game character. Why would you bring such a creature into this lol. To be fair, I would say this is one of the better MK rip off games. Honestly, I do see why some people don't like it but it does have a cult following. I would say due to being available on most PC digital services makes it very cheap to get too.
8. Ultra Vortek (1995)
Developed by Beyond Games
Exclusive for Atari Jaguar, Ultra Vortek is another famous MK rip off game. I would say this is one of the worst by far. The finishers don't make a lot of sense. I will be honest, I really don't have anything positive to say here. The name of the developers further bags well anything. If this game were to not suck, I would've been like.
Hell yes I want more of this instead it is almost like vomit with some other unpleasant stuff you can think of. This is like a strange cartoony MK rip off. Considering the controller for Atari Jaguar. Just imagine doing a small combo could be take hours to fully pull off. For some reason, this is one of the more common platforms to have MK rip off games.
9. Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport (1996)
Developed by Argo Games
I just found out before I started writing here that this game is on Steam. I am not going to hide the biggest surprise. Barney the Dinosaur as in the long standing children show that has specials & movies. Yes, such a figure is well a hidden character in a rather unusual fighting game. It is mostly different creatures with not many humans you play as.
This was a DOS game being one of the few MK rip offs to be on PC during the 90s. Also, I would say despite the questionably stuff. It does sound a bit better than most of these rip offs. The finishers aren't going to make you happy either. I can respect they went with such a weird concept for a fighting game.
10. Thrill Kill (Canceled but can be played through emulators)
Developed by Paradox Development
The company responsible for this eventually became a part of Midway Games. Now Warner Brothers owns them but I still can't count this game among those that got released they do owned. Also, this game got hype like no tomorrow. Thrill Kill is a canceled PS1 game with some of the weirdest characters ever.
I should mention, this game can very likely be seen as being offense. There is some sexual content no full on sex scenes. There are little people among the roster. But the strangest thing is how this game became available to play on emulators. No one really knows how parts of it got released on the internet.
For me, this game doesn't even come off as an MK rip off. Yes I do see it in the finishers. But other than that with a bizarre roster of characters. It is less a rip off than Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. in comparison. This game was also one of the first to ever receive an AO rating. For those that haven't heard of it, that means only an adult is allowed to play it.
11. ClayFighter 63 1/3 & ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut (1997 & 1998)
Developed by Interplay
This is one of the strangest changes in a fighting franchise I ever seen. The first two ClayFighter games are mostly a parody in some way to Street Fighter 2. But for both Nintendo 64 games, they also made it more of a Mortal Kombat/Killer Instinct rip off too. Well oh okay, the later version did remove the combo system that's similar to Killer Instinct series.
Also the later version has a few more characters but the present isn't that great. For those that doesn't know ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut is the rarest N64 game in existence. Claytalities are virtually it's answer to Fatalities. I don't recommend playing either version of this game. I do need to point out, two of the hidden characters are Interplay characters from other franchises.
Boogerman & Earthworm Jim are among the hidden characters. It does get weirder with Sculptor's Cut version like High Five whose a giant talking hand. There is a lot of voice overs as well. The later version did change how it ended with each character having different final opponents. Rather than everyone including the final boss facing himself.
12. Blood Warrior (1994)
Developed by Atop
I recently learned about this game not long ago. Blood Warrior is mostly figures you would expect in Japanese culture. Honestly, this is just strange overall for a lot of reasons. It's no secret that's ninjas in Mortal Kombat games. But somehow they made the concept a bit more awkward than anyone would expect.
Blood Warrior can be a fighting game that quickly turn people off. Like this ninja in the picture above has a lot of weapons. There isn't any real positives I can actually say here. Truthfully I am already having trouble trying to find the words to help describe it. Also the developer is called Atop, a top of what exactly it sure isn't the world lol.
13. Cosmic Carnage (1994)
Developed by Givro
Considered this was published by Sega, you know I have to compare it to Eternal Champions series. Let's be honest, I don't even need to tell you which one is more worth your time. Cosmic Carnage was an exclusive on Sega 32X. It is weird that Sega allowed such a game when they had a similar short series.
Also on one of the absolute worst selling game consoles of all time. Well it probably did better than a fair amount of them. But there's no hiding it, 32X just wasn't a console for that. Cosmic Carnage itself is mostly bad. The actual plot doesn't even remotely come off as a MK rip off either. Can you believe this was a launch title too?
14. Time Slaughter (1996)
Developed by Bloodlust Software
Time Slaughter was inspired by a few fighting games including Mortal Kombat & Time Killers. I have to be brutally honest, this is one of the absolute worst looking MK rip offs I have ever seen. Honestly, just look at that picture if your skin doesn't crawl. Something is awtifully wrong with you. Time Slaughter is another of those amazingly terrible fighting games.
This is also a DOS game thus being one of the select few MK PC rip off games in existence. For all I know this might actually be the worst of those games. I have virtually nothing good to say about this game. Hell, if you want to you could get an emulator or go to a website with one to play this. I highly recommend you do not play this game!!!
Also Bloodlust Software more like Pathetic Toys Animating Softare. I mean this isn't bloody enough to be called Bloodlust. I could say a 13 years giving me more original drawings way more worth my time than this. I wouldn't be surprised they chose PC knowing consoles would cancel it in a heart beat.
15. Cardinal Syn (1998)
Developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment
This is a clear rip off of Soul Blade & Mortal Kombat. I actually played a better game that's basically those two combined called Mace: The Dark Age. The finishers are mostly getting beheaded. The level of violence isn't that high either. I will give them credit, this is a 3D fighting game. Not perfect obviously but I have to at least respect that.
Cardinal Syn is a game that could rub some people the wrong way. Parts of it do sorta come off as a MK game. But it also falls short there too. As for the developer name, it is one of the better names among these rip offs. Honestly, this is a PS1 game I would consider giving a try. To me, it is alright more around the middle of the pack if anything else.
16. Thea Realm Fighters (Canceled but can be played through emulators)
Developed by High Voltage Software
This is another canceled MK rip off that's meant for two related platforms. Atari Jaguar & it's CD based add on. You know the add on that usually doesn't work anymore if you seen the AVGN episode. You already know what I am talking about. Thea Realm Fighters is such a terrible title too. I just found out the developers behind this by pure coincidence.
I kid you not done Mortal Kombat X PC version. Yeah, indirectly they became a part of Mortal Kombat's history. In some games' case, some of the digital actors worked in them. But here somehow MK decided to let these guys a try with a version of their game. This game isn't bad either but it could be worse.
17. Street Fighter: The Movie (1995)
Developed by Incredible Technologies
Alright, one developer made three different MK rip off games in the 90s. But this game is ridiculous in just it's very concept. We got a game based on an movie that's based on an game. In this case being Street Fighter 2, this is another famous knock out. This is one of the most sluggish game in it's franchise.
Also, most actors from the movie with their stunt actors reprises their roles. Sadly the late Raul Julia was too ill to do so & passed away shortly afterwards. This is playing more on using digitized actors than anything else from those called MK rip offs. I can say it does a few things better than most of them.
18. Catfight (1996)
Developed by Phantom Card
This is another PC MK rip off game that's surprisingly famine. There's absolutely no male characters in this game. I am surprised this got release with no male characters. But in it's defense, most fighting games of that era was heavily male theme than female ones. There was a handful of female fighting game characters.
Although stuff like Dead or Alive series is more female characters than male ones that's still going on today. I can't help but to feel somewhat insulted by this. I would criticize a fighting game with no female characters in a heart beat. There should be characters of both genders present in a fighting game.
Also, the animation with choppy so bad. It makes some of the choppiest games you could name look like they're running perfectly. The actual character designs are very weird. But how did the developers convince eleven women to take part in something like this is beyond me. Catfight is obviously a play of two women fighting each other maybe women should feel insulted by this too.
19. Battle Monsters
Developed by Scarab
Surprise the developers of Survival Arts made this. It plays on a lot of the same problems with a more ridiculous cast. I grew up with a fighting game called Killing Zone that turned out to be this game's sequel. I guess I wouldn't have known that if I didn't just looked it up lol. Battle Monsters is strangely interesting simply because of it's roster.
I should mention in it's sequel greatly changed from being a MK rip off to being a Virtua Fighter rip off instead. I guess after two attempts if ripping something off doesn't work go rip something else off instead. In all seriousness, I would slightly find this game more interesting than Survival Arts but I don't recommend it either.
20. Twin Goddesses (1994)
Developed by PolyGram K.K.
OMG, this has to be one of the weirdest & stupidest MK rip offs ever made. The title itself doesn't even come off as a MK rip off. There's a weird anime/live action vibe. I seen slightly better in a Saturn exclusive Shinobi game. Also, some characters are hand drawn while others are digitized actors.
Seriously, this alone would cause so many people to lose interest. When they play an older MK game, they want it to come off being more realistic than it actually was. Obviously, this same effect isn't possible here. Also funny enough this is actually an PS1 game too. Most playable characters aren't playing in the single player portion, are you kidding me?
21. Gokuu Densetsu: Magic Beast Warriors (1995)
Developed by Allumer
I can't say too much about it's release since only Japan got this game. In the same boat as Twin Goddesses but aren't made by the same team. This has more of Journey to the West inspiration with Mortal Kombat somewhat mixed in. The characters are just weird for a fighting game. This is also a PS1 game too.
There isn't much known about it since not many people outside of Japan knows about it. There is digitized actors with some wearing weird costumes fitting on their culture. Honestly, this game's very existence bags way more questions I can't fully answer. I would have to say this is slightly more MK rip off than Twin Goddesses.
22. Shadow: War of Succession (1994)
Developed by Tribeca Interactive
Are you ready for something amazingly bad? You aren't too bad here comes Shadow: War of Succession. It has one of the absolute worst openings to a fighting game I ever seen. First off, for an emperor to die that easily. Where was his guards? Also the emperor would've likely fought back instead of getting surprise attacked like that.
Oh wait, it gets much worse than this. Shadow: War of Succession is exclusive to 3DO!!! Another console exclusive MK rip off that's really bad. There really isn't anything good I can say unless it only being playable on 3DO counts as one. Trust me, this game flat out sucks. It has cheap victories that can quickly end rounds or matches faster than you realize what just happened.
This actually predated Mortal Kombat: Deception with easier to pull off stage fatalities. But it is even easier to do since you or your opponent could simply walk off the platform to your death. OMG, the death animations are like a stupid art project with limited options. I could see a kid with paints that isn't good with shapes gives me something much easier on my eyes than this.
Update: I didn't know at the time writing this that Shadow lacked any fatalities. Honestly, most MK rip offs do have them so this is a very unusual case among them.
23. Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire (1995)
Developed by Kaneko
Yes, Jackie Chan who currently holds the world record for doing more stunts in a movie than anything in the world. Not even he is safe from the carnage of MK rip offs. To be honest, the game had a different title but later changed it to this. This is another of those digitized actors style fighting games.
There isn't a finisher that kills your opponents. But it is just mind blowing you got Jackie Chan. Well Barney in Xenophage was more surprising to me. I felt this too was alright for most of the games I talked quickly about. I will say, it does a few key things better than most of them. So if given the chance I would give this game a try.
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