For those who wanted a near arcade-perfect experience at home, Mortal Kombat II for the Sega 32X was arguably one of the better options available to players.
It launched in late 1994, bringing with it a bunch of new cutscenes and audio fx as well as more dynamic and detailed backgrounds than those seen in its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart.
Nevertheless, there are certain aspects that have since drawn some criticism from corners of the internet; namely its remarkable difficulty, the absence of additional content, and its reuse of the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis soundtrack.
As a result, a group of fans/hackers, including Master Linkuei, BillyTime!Games, and YoSoynach0, have collaborated on two patches to try and produce more enhanced versions of the 32X game. These patches are divided between a version that retains the original music from the Mega Drive/Genesis version and another that uses jvisser's MSU-MD code to include all of the arcade tracks.
Both patches feature a togglable AI nerf option (created by BillyTime!Games), more voice and sfx samples including Scorpion's "Get Over Here" and Dan Forden's "Oh Muh" Easter Egg, in addition to some restored combos. There have also been some favourable tweaks to gameplay and timings, an additional reset and pause system added, and a training mode.
According to Master Linkuei on Twitter, the 32X ROM with Mega Drive/Genesis music will work in any 32X flashcart/emulator. The version with MSU sound, meanwhile, will require a Mega EverDrive PRO or a Mega SD to play. If you want a closer comparison between the original 32X version and the hack, we recommend checking out VCDecide's video below: