Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection Revives Lost WaveNet Edition

The release of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection has allowed fans of the franchise to experience the long-lost WaveNet Edition of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. This edition, which was never officially released, offers players a glimpse into what could have been, as it incorporates unique features that were in development during the early days of online gaming.

During the 1980s and 1990s, arcade games like Mortal Kombat underwent multiple iterations as developers sought to refine gameplay and address bugs. The original Mortal Kombat had at least six different versions, with updates often requiring physical installations by arcade operators. Among these was the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 released in 1995, which had an upgrade planned called the WaveNet Edition. This version aimed to introduce online competitive multiplayer functionality, alongside new playable characters like Noob Saibot and Human Smoke. Unfortunately, the WaveNet Edition was never fully realized due to the high costs associated with the necessary infrastructure, which included expensive T1 lines for dedicated internet access.

The ROMs for the WaveNet Edition remained elusive for years. However, with the launch of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, fans can finally access this version. Stephen Frost, head of production at Digital Eclipse, explained in an interview with Polygon that the initial expectation was that the WaveNet Edition would not be recoverable, given the industry’s poor record of preserving such materials.

The rediscovery of the WaveNet Edition began when Stephanie Brownback, a quality assurance lead at NetherRealm Studios, prompted the Digital Eclipse team to explore the possibility of reviving the game. With the assistance of Mike Boon, brother of Ed Boon—one of the co-creators of Mortal Kombat—the team obtained a ROM dump from an original WaveNet arcade machine. This breakthrough enabled them to work on getting the game operational through emulation.

Emulation programmer Daniel Filner played a crucial role in this process. He analyzed the provided ROMs, which included approximately 25 or 26 individual files. Filner noted that much of the data, particularly for audio and video, matched existing files from the original game. The primary challenge was adapting the main program that contained adjustments and fixes specific to the WaveNet Edition.

Another concern was how the game would function without a connection to the original WaveNet servers. Filner discovered that the game was designed to boot up normally even without internet access, essentially mimicking the standard Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 experience. Upon startup, the game attempts to connect to the WaveNet service, but when it fails to establish a connection, it gracefully continues to load the gameplay.

The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection allows players to explore the WaveNet Edition fully. As Filner pointed out, this edition is unique in that it displays the boot process typical of arcade machines, providing a nostalgic experience for fans. Nevertheless, both Frost and Filner emphasized that the WaveNet Edition was not a polished release, as it still contained bugs and unresolved balance issues. Without access to the source code, distinguishing between bugs and intended modifications remains a challenge.

Frost expressed excitement about the community’s potential to uncover the differences between the WaveNet Edition and the original game. He anticipates that players will engage in extensive discussions to catalog the nuances of the gameplay. The limited availability of the original hardware—possibly only a few motherboards in existence—adds to the intrigue surrounding this edition.

The revival of the WaveNet Edition through the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection exemplifies the dedication of developers to preserving gaming history. As fans delve into this previously lost media, they will contribute to an ongoing journey of discovery, piecing together the legacy of one of the most iconic video game franchises.