The Mortal Kombat franchise has been around for over 25 years, and by now almost every detail in the games is familiar to us. Things get even more interesting when we explore its 'behind the scenes' stories, including aspects such as the motion capture sessions of the first game. At the same time, it would be crazy to ignore the sound of Mortal Kombat, and if there is one voice that stands out above the rest, it's that of Steve Ritchie.
We've heard him hundreds, or why not thousands, of times. His command is blunt: FINISH HIM! The final finishing move in the Mortal Kombat games, better known as Fatality, not only put the entire franchise on the map, but also caused several problems at the hands of morality's crusaders in the '90s. The Mortal Kombat saga is no stranger to scandals (the number of lawsuits was significant), but one thing is certain: that Finish Him took every existing taboo in video games and shattered it. It's likely that many of our readers remember the command from the first game, but from the second game onward, the voice had a name: Steve Ritchie.
(Editor's note: If you hear something 'weird' in the first video, I explain it below)
Steve Ritchie is an expert pinball designer you can find at various conventions, but in the mid-90s he was much more than Mortal Kombat's narrator. He was also the feared Shao Kahn, emperor of Outworld and absolute destroyer of wallets in arcades. His official participation extends to Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, but there's a juicy detail behind the scenes: he suggested replacing the C in 'Combat' with a K during production of the first game. Now... let's go back to the first video. What's wrong with it?
Without a doubt, the first video has fake audio; it's an edit with game samples. His real voice can be heard from 53:30 in the second video, when he was part of the Pintastic convention last year. His official website is focused entirely on pinballs, where he sells posters, stickers, and all kinds of memorabilia; however, we will never forget his role as the voice of the brutal Shao Kahn.
