Mortal Kombat 3

Mortal Kombat 3 is a 1995 fighting game developed and published by Midway for arcades. It was later ported to several home systems, including the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and PlayStation. It is the third main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and a sequel to 1993's Mortal Kombat II. As in the previous games, it has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game avoids the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat 3 retains the blood and gory attacks that defined the series, and also introduces new types of Fatality finishing moves, including Animalities. Other features new to the series are combos, predefined sequences used to perform a series of consecutive attacks. The new "Run" button allows players to briefly dash toward the opponent, and the new "Kombat Kodes" system allows players to enter various symbols before two-player matches to unlock certain additional features of the game.

Mortal Kombat 3 was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews, but drew criticism for omitting several popular characters from previous games. It is the only main installment to not feature franchise mascot Scorpion. Characters omitted from this game were included in two titles produced to update it: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) and Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996).