name	GameSpot
logo	180px
url	GameSpot.com
type	Video game journalism
registration	Optional (free and paid)
owner	CBS Interactive
author	Pete DeemerVince BroadyJon Epstein
launch date
alexa	374 () }}

GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased CNET Networks in 2008, is the current owner of GameSpot. GameSpot.com is currently one of the 400 highest-trafficked websites according to Alexa.

In addition to the information produced by GameSpot staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. The forums are partially shared with those on GameFAQs, another website owned by CNET.

In 2004, GameSpot won "Best Gaming Website" as chosen by the viewers in Spike TV's second ''Video Game Award Show'', and has won Webby Awards for several years. Other gaming websites such as IGN, 1UP.com, and GameSpy have been its biggest rivals. The domain ''gamespot.com'' attracted at least 60 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study.

GameSpot's main page has links to the latest news, reviews, previews, and portals for the following current platforms: Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo 3DS. It also includes a list of the most popular games on the site and a search engine for users to track down games of interest. In September 2009, GameSpot started reviewing and cataloging iPhone, Android, and other mobile games. GameSpot also covers the following platforms to a lesser extent: Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Neo Geo Pocket Color, N-Gage, and mobile games, among others.

History

When it launched, the site focused exclusively on PC games. Its sister site, VideoGameSpot.com, was launched in December 1996 to cover console games. In 1997, VideoGameSpot.com became VideoGames.com for a short period, and by 1998, the PC and console sections were united at GameSpot.com.

On October 3, 2005, GameSpot adopted a new design similar to that of TV.com, now considered a sister site to GameSpot.

International history

GameSpot UK (United Kingdom) was started in October 1997 and operated until mid-2002, offering Europe-oriented content which often differed from that of the U.S. site. During this period, GameSpot UK won the 1999 PPAi (Periodical Publishers Association interactive) award for best website, and was short listed in 2001. Following the purchase of ZDNet by CNET, GameSpot UK was merged with the main US site. On April 24, 2006, GameSpot UK was relaunched.

In a similar fashion, GameSpot AU (Australia) existed on a local scale in the late 1990s with Australian-produced reviews. It ceased in 2003. When a local version of the main CNET portal, CNET.com.au was launched in 2003, Gamespot.com.au content was folded into CNET.com.au. The site was fully re-launched mid 2006, with a specialized forum, local reviews, special features, local pricings in A$, Australian release dates, and more local news.

GameSpot Japan (Japan) in its current form launched in 2007. It provides Japanese video game industry news, previews, reviews, features, and videos as well as translated articles from the other GameSpot sites. It had recently added a larger video player and community forums to the site.

Notable staff

Shane Satterfield – former editor, currently editor-in-chief of GameTrailers.

Greg Kasavin – executive editor and site director of GameSpot, who left in 2007 to become a game developer. He became a producer at EA and 2K Games but he is currently working for Supergiant Games as writer and creative director for Bastion. Jeff Gerstmann – editorial director of the site, dismissed from GameSpot on November 28, 2007 for undisclosed reasons, after which he started Giant Bomb.

Alex Navarro – editor of the site, resigned due to dismissal of Gerstmann. He later worked as a member of the community team for Harmonix, but is currently an editor for Screened, a sister site of Giant Bomb, and also works part-time for Giant Bomb.

Jason Ocampo – former editor, subsequently editor-in-chief of IGN PC, currently working for Stardock.

Carolyn Petit - current editor, known for reviewing L.A. Noire and her transexualism, which was met with bigoted comments from some users.

Reviews and rating system

In January 2001, GameSpot introduced video reviews for games, which are released for all major games. Other games that the editors believe deserve special mention (for example, the very worst games) are reviewed by video as well. Video reviews mostly re-emphasize the written review text with clips of gameplay embedded.

GameSpot has a detailed guide that explains its reviewing policies, as well as answering frequently asked questions about its reviews.

When GameSpot Complete was introduced in late 2001, older reviews were restricted to Complete members; however, those reviews became available to everyone again several months later.

All games were judged on five different categories: Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Value, and Reviewer's Tilt. Each category is assigned an integer score from one to ten, and these five integers are combined using a weighted average to arrive at an overall score. Should a game score at least 9.0, it is designated as "superb," and given "Editor's Choice" recognition. Although many games achieve this status each year, only seven in GameSpot's history have ever received a perfect ten.

On June 25, 2007, GameSpot began assigning scores by increments of 0.5 instead of 0.1. It also ended its practice of giving sub-scores for gameplay, graphics, sound, value, and tilt. Instead, user reviews now possess a medal system that permits the reviewer to highlight given characteristics of the game such as its artistic design, original soundtrack, or difficulty. GameSpot believes that this will create a more detailed rating system than the previous one. The only change in terms is the new term "Prime" for games that receive a 10.0 score, replacing "Perfect." Then editor-in-chief Jeff Gerstmann blogged about the change, answering questions regarding it.

While games are rated mostly with regard to how they compare to the other games available on their specific platforms, games released simultaneously for multiple platforms are also compared between systems, which often results in differing scores being given to the same game depending on the system, usually due to the inherent strengths and weaknesses of each platform.

Top Rated Games/Lowest-Rated Game

10 - Perfect: ''Chrono Cross'' 10 - Perfect: ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' (Nintendo 64 version) 10 - Perfect: ''Soulcalibur'' (Dreamcast version) 10 - Perfect: ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' (PlayStation 2 version) 10 - Prime: ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions) 10 - Prime: ''Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots'' 10 - Prime: ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''NFL 2K'' 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''NFL 2K1'' 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''Perfect Dark'' (Nintendo 64 version) 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''Tekken 3'' (PlayStation version) 9.9 - Near-perfect: ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2'' (Dreamcast and PlayStation versions)

On the other end of the spectrum, ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' is the only game to have ever received a 1.0 ("abysmal"), the lowest score possible.

Note: The near-perfect score of 9.9 is no longer possible under the new rating system implemented in June 2007.

Game of the Year

Every year, GameSpot holds the Best and Worst Game of the Year awards, which recognize achievements in the gaming industry, positive and negative (in the form of "Dubious Honors", containing categories such as "Most Disappointing Game", "Worst Game Everyone Played", "Best Game No One Played" and "Most Despicable Product Placement"). GameSpot also allows users on the site to vote for the winners of the "Readers' Choice" awards. From 1998-2001, GameSpot selected one PC game and one console game for the top title, but from that point forward, they would select one single game from all mediums.

GameSpot's winners for Game of the Year have been so far (the console games from 1997 to 1999 were chosen by videogames.com) :

1996: ''Diablo'' (PC) 1997: ''Total Annihilation'' (PC) 1998: ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' (Nintendo 64) and ''Grim Fandango'' (PC) 1999: ''Soulcalibur'' (Dreamcast) and ''EverQuest'' (PC) 2000: ''Chrono Cross'' (PlayStation) and ''The Sims'' (PC) 2001: ''Grand Theft Auto III'' (PlayStation 2) and ''Serious Sam: The First Encounter'' (PC) 2002: ''Metroid Prime'' (GameCube) 2003: ''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker'' (GameCube) 2004: ''World of Warcraft'' (PC) 2005: ''Resident Evil 4'' (GameCube) 2006: ''Gears of War'' (Xbox 360) 2007: ''Super Mario Galaxy'' (Wii) 2008: ''Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots'' (PlayStation 3) 2009: ''Demon's Souls'' (PlayStation 3) 2010: ''Red Dead Redemption'' (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Worst Game of the Year/Flat-Out Worst Game

Each year GameSpot also hands out a Flat-Out Worst Game award (known as Worst Game of the Year before 2003). The award is found in the Dubious Honors category every year. Like Game of the Year, GameSpot allows Readers' Choice awards for Flat-Out Worst Game.

1996: ''Catfight'' (PC)

1997: ''Conquest Earth'' (PC)

1998: ''Spawn: The Eternal'' (PlayStation) and ''Trespasser'' (PC)

1999: ''Superman'' (N64) and ''SkyDive!'' (PC)

2000: ''Spirit of Speed 1937'' (Dreamcast) and ''Blaze & Blade'' (PC)

2001: ''Kabuki Warriors'' (Xbox) and ''Survivor'' (2001 video game) (PC)

2002: ''Jeremy McGrath Supercross World'' (GameCube), ''Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt'' (PS2 & Xbox), ''Mortal Kombat Advance'' (Game Boy Advance) and ''Demonworld: Dark Armies'' (PC)

2003: ''Gods and Generals'' (PC)

2004: ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' (PC)

2005: ''Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green'' (Xbox & PC)

2006: ''Bomberman: Act Zero'' (Xbox 360)

2007: ''Hour of Victory'' (Xbox 360)

2008: ''M&Ms; Kart Racing'' (Wii & DS)

2009: ''Stalin vs. Martians'' (PC)

2010: ''Fighters Uncaged'' (Kinect)

Note: ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' was released in 2003

Shows & Podcasts

GameSpot has regular audio podcasts for its US, UK, and AU websites, plus the following video shows:

On the Spot - Gamespot.com (US/international) weekly live video show with alternating hosts. Was replaced in 2009 by Today On the Spot, a pre-recorded show that was shown three times a week. Returned to live On the Spot format in April 2011. GameSpot Sync - Daily news show hosted by Jody Robinson. Start/Select - GameSpot UK's regular video show hosted by Guy Cocker. Crosshairs - GameSpot AU's weekly video show hosted by Randolph Ramsay. The Hotspot - Gamespot.com (US/international) regular audio podcast show, Tom Magrino is current host.

Community Features

Forums

GameSpot's forums were originally run by ZDNet, and later by Lithium. GameSpot uses a semi-automated moderation system with numerous volunteer moderators. GameSpot moderators are volunteer moderators who are picked from trusted members of the community. However, due to the size and massive quantity of boards and posts on GameSpot, there is a "report" feature where a normal user can report a post to a moderator. The reporting feature saves a lot of time and makes sure a lot more content is handled correctly. GameSpot's moderation and ToS state that users must be aged 13 or older to post content and maintain an account. All users must agree to GameSpot's ToS (terms of service) during registration. GameSpot's ToS (as they apply to the community forums) give mods the power to use their own discretion.

One distinct feature of the GameSpot community is the ability of GameSpot Total Access and Plus Access users to create their own user-created board, which can either be set to public or private. The board's creator can appoint their own moderators, and also can display HTML markup at the top of their board. Also, all users have the ability to create or join what is known as a "Union". A Union consists of a user-created board which is attached to an editorial front, as well as a homepage with news bulletins and members lists.

In addition to the message board system, GameSpot has expanded its community through the addition of features such as user blogs (formerly known as "journals") and user video blogs. Users can track other users, thus allowing them to see updates for their favorite blogs. If both users track each other, they are listed on each other's friends list.

In May 2004, the GameFAQs message boards and the GameSpot boards merged most of their game-specific boards together.

On November 11, 2008, GameSpot updated its forum software. Some of the changes include a wider page and a sidebar.

Profiles

Registered users have their own profiles which they can make visible to only themselves, friends, or everyone through their preferences. Profiles can be useful and convenient to the user themselves and to others. In a profile a blog can be started and updated. The blog is shared with the user's TV.com, MP3.com, and MovieTome profiles. Other users can report blog posts to the moderators.

Users can keep a games list within their GameSpot profile which allows them (and others) to track games in four different categories. Users can keep track of news and updates by adding games to the "Tracked Games" list. "Collection" is used for games which the user owns. The "Wish List" is for games users want to try out or intend to buy in the future. Any game can be added to a wish list whether it has already been released or it is pending for release in the future. Users can indicate which games they are currently playing by adding them to the "Now Playing" list.

Emblems are awarded to users by completing various tasks. Some emblems show a user's status (free subscription versus paid subscription). Other emblems denote contest winners, voting participants, staff/moderators, and console aficionados.

Once one has a GameSpot profile, one can edit it, but not delete it. Asking a moderator to delete one's profile gets mixed replies since there appears to be no official posted GameSpot policy regarding the matter. Aspects of ones profile, like one's blog, can be set to "private and viewable by friends only" or "hidden to everyone." However reader reviews are always "public" unless individually deleted by the user who posted them.

Unions

Unions act as online communities within GameSpot. Each union has a blog-style front page and a message board pertaining to a specific topic. Union members post messages and topics in the board and other members of the union can respond. Each union has a level and can receive emblems for growing, being active, or posting good news topics.

Union members can also be awarded ranks within a union, currently there are three: Leader, Officer, and Recruit. Leaders are similar to Administrators of the union, and have the power to modify anything about the union, including the name, avatar and banners, and moderate topics/messages. Officers have the ability to moderate topics and messages and any other abilities the leader wishes to grant to the Officers. Recruits are regular members with the ability to take part in topic and message posting.

Gerstmann dismissal

Jeff Gerstmann, Editorial Director of the site, was fired on November 28, 2007. Immediately after his termination, rumors circulated proclaiming his dismissal was a result of external pressure from Eidos Interactive, the publisher of ''Kane & Lynch: Dead Men'', which had purchased a considerable amount of advertising space on GameSpot's web site. Gerstmann had previously given ''Kane & Lynch'' a fair or undesirable rating along with critique. Both GameSpot and parent company CNET stated that his dismissal was unrelated to the review, but due to corporate and legal constraints cannot reveal the reason. A month after Gerstmann's termination, freelance reviewer Frank Provo left GameSpot after eight years stating that "I believe CNET management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons. I believe CNET intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy."

GameSpot staffers Alex Navarro, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella also left as a result of Gerstmann's termination. Davis co-founded Gerstmann's subsequent project, Giant Bomb, and was later joined by Shoemaker and Caravella. Navarro became the community manager at Harmonix and in 2010 joined up with Whiskey Media, a family of sites that includes Gerstmann's Giant Bomb site, to be part of their new site Screened.com, focusing on cinema and television.

Paid subscriptions

GameSpot formerly had a paid subscription service known as "GameSpot Complete". On February 21, 2006, the paid subscription model was changed. It now maintains two paid membership services: Total Access and Plus.

Total Access is essentially a replacement of GameSpot Complete, as it is the same price of US$5.95 per month or $39.95 per year and offers the same basic benefits. The second premium service, GameSpot Plus, is a cheaper, intermediate-level service.

The main advantage of a paid subscription is that ads are removed that would otherwise appear with a free GameSpot account. It bears mentioning that some ads will still appear with a paid subscription if GameSpot sponsors a contest and that contest is then sponsored by an advertiser. For example, in 2008, Stride gum ads appeared throughout the website, even if the user was a paying subscriber.

The major difference between the old and new membership services is the lack of GameSpot Complete's 10 percent discount at EBGames.com. There was much discontent over this decision, and for a while, GameSpot claimed to have an unspecified replacement in the works. No further details were ever provided.

GameCenter

GameCenter was a gaming service which allowed players to host their own customized servers, chat with their friends, and play an assortment of PC games online with players all around the world, all while tracking users' stats. As of March 6, 2006, the GameCenter subscription service has been discontinued and merged into the GameSpot Total Access service. As a result, GameSpot is discontinuing support of the GameCenter client, but will continue tournament events for Total Access members.

The most recent GameCenter has no relation to the original GameCenter, which CNET Networks ran from 1995 to 2001 as a competitor to GameSpot. Shortly after CNET Networks acquired ZDNet and GameSpot in 2000, the original GameCenter was disbanded.

References

External links

GameSpot (This url redirects users to their local ccTLD version of GameSpot)

* GameSpot Asia

* GameSpot Australia

* GameSpot China

* GameSpot Japan

* GameSpot Korea

* GameSpot UK

* GameSpot US (this is, in fact, identical to the "global" site)

Category:CBS Interactive websites Category:Internet forums Category:Video game review websites Category:Video game news websites Category:Internet properties established in 1996

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Name	Liu Kang
Series	''Mortal Kombat''
Creator	John Tobias and Ed Boon
Firstgame	''Mortal Kombat'' (1992)
Voiceactor	Brian Tochi (''MK: DotR'')Tom Choi (''MKvDC'', ''MK2011'')
Motionactor	Ho Sung Pak (''MK'', ''MKII'')Eddie Wong (''MK3'', ''UMK3'', ''MKT'')
Liveactor	Robin Shou (films)Carmichael Simon, Jon Valera, Michael Li, Allan Sandoval (''Live Tour'')
Inuniverse	}}

Liu Kang () is a video game character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series. First appearing in the series' first title, Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive tournaments. Since his victory in the tournament, Liu Kang acts as defender from the Earthrealms along with the Earth's warriors and his mentor, the thunder god Raiden.

Liu Kang appears in most games as a playable character, including as the lead character from ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'' along with Kung Lao, and has also appeared in the live-action films from the series and the comic adaptations. His character was created to be the hero of the series, with most of his moves being less violent and easier to perform than the ones from other characters. His critical reception was mixed, with some of them criticizing his gameplay while others noted him to be entertaining.

Concept and design history

Liu Kang was originally going to be called Minamoto Yo Shin Soo, a Japanese mythological character, but John Tobias stated that they could not "deal with the name". According to Tobias, Liu Kang "was originally going to be a traditional monk - bald and in robes - but he wound up resembling Bruce Lee." As stated on his ''MK: Armageddon'' bio card, Ed Boon mentioned that Liu Kang was designed to be the most easily "accessible" character, meaning that both casual and experienced gamers could play as him with little difficulty. Liu Kang was the only character in the first game whose finishing move (Fatality) did not explicitly murder his opponent, and also without the background dimming. This was because Liu Kang was depicted therein as a Shaolin monk, who in general have strict beliefs regarding killing and murder. However, starting with ''Mortal Kombat II'', he was given gory Fatalities as he was thereafter depicted as a renegade monk who decided to grow his hair back, and who had "strong Shaolin beliefs, but was no longer a part of the Shaolin monks." In response to rumors that Liu Kang would die in ''Mortal Kombat II'' and therefore not make it into ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Boon said, "It'd be like doing part three of ''Star Wars'' and not having Luke Skywalker in there. You don't do that." His eventual death caused Dan Forden, the music composer of the series, to make a "funeral song" for Liu Kang as he felt saddened for his death. The track, named "Liu Kang's Tomb", would be used in ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' in the arena that shows Liu Kang's tomb.

Liu Kang was played by Ho Sung Pak in the first two games, and John Tobias stated in an interview that he originally intended for the character to be a traditional bald monk, but the actor refused to shave his head. In the first game, Liu Kang was modeled after Bruce Lee, as he had short hair and went shirtless, with a threadbare outfit of only black pants and white shoes. The word "Otomix" was supposed to be written in his pants as Otomix is a supplier of martial arts and athletic wear, but the staff decided to remove to avoid advertising it. In ''Mortal Kombat II,'' his outfit was enhanced with red stripes, and now included a red headband, black shoes, and studded wristguards. In ''Mortal Kombat 3,'' his hair was considerably longer, with the only alteration to his outfit being thin black leg strips wrapped above his ankles in order to give him a "sleeker" look for the game. He was given a red tank top in addition to his usual costume in ''Mortal Kombat 4'', but his alternate outfit was blue and featured him shirtless again. His wardrobe from the third game was carried over into ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon'', but due to his resurrection, his skin was ash gray, and he wore hooked chains around his wrists. This form is also known by fans and ''Mortal Kombat'' producer Shaun Himmerick as "Zombie Liu Kang". Nevertheless, his alternate outfit for both games featured him as a living person in order to contrast his undead form. In ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', he sported a slightly altered version of his third costume, in addition to a championship belt adorned with the ''Mortal Kombat'' dragon emblem. Although in ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', Liu Kang's design remains similar to his ''Mortal Kombat II'' one, Himmerick comments that it was the most revised one from the game along with Kung Lao's.

In video games

Introduced in the first ''Mortal Kombat'' game as a Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu fighting monk, Liu Kang enters the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament in order to protect Earthrealm from being destroyed for having lost several tournaments. During the tournament, Liu Kang defeats Grand Champion Goro and the host Shang Tsung, emerging as the new champion of Mortal Kombat. In the sequel, ''Mortal Kombat II'', Liu Kang finds many of his Shaolin killed in a vicious attack by a horde of nomadic mutants under orders from Emperor Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung's master. Enraged, Liu Kang decides to travel to Outworld, backed by his friend Kung Lao to seek revenge. At the tournament, Liu Kang fights Shao Kahn, eventually overpowering the emperor. In ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Liu Kang and his friends fight against Shao Khan's extermination squad which invaded Earthrealm. Liu Kang once again defeats Shao Kahn, causing him and his forces to retreat back to Outworld. By the time of ''Mortal Kombat 4'' Liu Kang discovers that Kitana has been captured by the Elder God Shinnok's forces and begins gathering Earth's warriors to defeat Shinnok. Eventually, Liu Kang confronts Shinnok and once again emerges victorious with Kitana and her people having survived to the attack. However, he is unable to commit himself to a relationship due to his duty while Kitana has to stay in Outworld as reigning princess.

In ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi join forces to kill Liu Kang, who is unplayable in the game. By the time of ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', his mentor, Raiden, reanimates Liu Kang's body and sends it on a rampage, causing his soul to attempt to control it. The undead Liu Kang appears as a secret character that can only be unlocked through the Konquest Mode. In the PlayStation Portable version of ''Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Unchained'', he is directly playable as the staff noted that it was very difficult to unlock him in ''Deception''. From there, Liu Kang enlists with the ninja Ermac to try and save his friends from Onaga who has been controlling them. He accomplishes this task in ''Deception'', but by ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'' he is still unable to fully control his body.

Along with Kung Lao, Liu Kang is the lead character in the spin-off action game ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks''. The game is a retelling from the storyline of ''Mortal Kombat II'' and features the two Shaolin Monks traveling to Outworld to find and defeat Shang Tsung, later ending in a fight with Shao Khan. Liu Kang also stars in the crossover ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', which features fights between characters from the ''Mortal Kombat'' and the DC Comics universe. In this game, Liu Kang appears as the protagonist from the first chapter of the ''Mortal Kombat'' story mode. (Tobias said that the fight he expected to see in the game was between Liu Kang and Batman as he noted their back-stories to be very similar.)

In the 2011 ''Mortal Kombat'' video game, Liu Kang reprises his role from the first two tournaments as Raiden who has visions from the future in which Shao Kahn remained as the last warrior believes him to be the warrior which his future self chose as the saviour. When Shao Kahn is preparing to invade Earthrealm, Raiden electrocutes Liu Kang before he could face him as he realized Shao Kahn had to win and merge the realms in order to avoid the events of the future.

Gameplay

Liu Kang specializes in kicks, with his most common move being flying across the screen and connect with a kick to the opponent's torso. He also has a "Bicycle Kick" in which Liu Kang flies across the screen with a series of multiple kicks to the opponent's torso resembling pedaling a bicycle, hence the name. Another of his signature abilities is the "Dragon Fire": with it Liu Kang sends a fiery flame in the shape of a dragon across the screen out of his hands at his opponent. After ''Mortal Kombat II'', he gains the ability to perform this while crouching and in the air, same for ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.

Liu Kang's first finishing move is the Fatality "Shaolin Uppercut". With it Liu Kang performs a butterfly kick on his opponent, before hitting an uppercut that knocks them into the air for several seconds. In ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', there were two versions; one where the victim explodes to pieces upon impact and the original, in which the opponent is torn to pieces upon falling to the ground. In another signature Fatality he morphs into a large dragon, chomping the upper body of his opponent. Developer John Vogel noted this Fatality to be his favorite due to how much Liu Kang's appearance changes and how big he becomes. This Fatality was turned into an Animality in ''Mortal Kombat 3'' and back into a normal Fatality in ''Mortal Kombat 4''. In the Game Boy and Game Gear versions of ''Mortal Kombat II'', he torches the opponent with a fireball. He also has a Fatality in which he disappears and then a ''Mortal Kombat'' arcade game machine drops down and crushes his opponent.

In other media

Liu Kang was the main protagonist of Malibu Comics' adaptation of the ''Mortal Kombat'' series. In the first miniseries, ''Blood & Thunder,'' his backstory was mostly kept intact as a Shaolin monk out to restore the tournament to their righteous owners, with the only difference being that he was not the chosen one to defeat Goro, which instead fell on twin monk brothers named Sing and Sang, two original characters created specifically for the comics; after they are killed by Goro in the third issue, Liu Kang becomes the Shaolin's only hope in defeating Shang Tsung. The following miniseries, ''Battlewave,'' stated that Liu Kang won the first tournament after defeating Goro, which never appeared in the ''B&T;'' miniseries. He returns to his normal life as an architect in Chicago, having left the Order of Light before the events of the first series. However, he suffers from constant attacks by an unknown force of ninjas and later receives help from Johnny Cage's bodyguard Bo when Goro ambushes him in an office building. Eventually he decides to travel to Outworld, realizing that he cannot avoid Mortal Kombat.

He is the main protagonist in both ''Mortal Kombat'' movies, portrayed by Robin Shou. Director Paul W. S. Anderson wanted Liu Kang's character to be "really engaging" and chose Shou, noting his skills with martial arts. In the first film, he takes part in the tournament out of guilt over his brother's death at the hands of Shang Tsung, and defeats Tsung in the final battle. Shou, along with Talisa Soto, was one of only two actors to reprise their roles in the sequel, ''Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'' (Keith Cooke, who played Reptile, returned as well, but as the new Sub-Zero). In the sequel, Liu Kang joins the Earthrealm warriors to stop Shao Kahn's menace.

Liu Kang was also one of the lead characters in the 1996 animated series ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'', voiced by Brian Tochi. He was not the main protagonist therein as opposed to the game storyline, instead sharing this role with several other Earthrealm heroes.

In the animated film ''Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins'', Liu Kang appears as one of the main characters.

Promotion and reception

In 1996, Toy Island published a Liu Kang action figure which had a white shirt. Two Liu Kang action figures from ''Shaolin Monks'' were released by Jazwares. Apart from being flexible, both figures included different types of weapons such as swords and axes. GameSpot featured him in their poll for the title of "All Time Greatest Game Hero" in 2009, in which he has lost to Yoshi. He was also ranked as 94th on UGO.com's 2008 "Top 100 Heroes of All Time" list, noting his role in the ''Mortal Kombat'' series as well as character depth. GamesRadar featured him their article "Kickass Bruce Lee clones" citing his similarities with Bruce Lee and with one of his shouts featured in famous quotes. His relation with Kitana was ranked fourth in IGN's list of "Best Videogames Couples" in 2006. His redesign in ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' was praised by GameSpot for being one of the best ones from the title, and was featured in GamesRadar's list of "The 37 greatest zombie triumphs" in 2009, but was ranked as the nineth worst ''Mortal Kombat'' character by ScrewAttack in 2011. Liu Kang's finishing move turned into a dragon fatality has been listed as one of the best fatalities from the series by both ''Game Informer'' and UGO. On the other hand, his fatality in which he throws a ''Mortal Kombat'' arcade and his first fatality were pointed by both ''Game Informer'' and GamePro as one of the worst from the series due to their humor and lack of violence, respectively.

Some video game publications criticized his gameplay and shouts while others noted him to be entertaining. IGN's Douglas Perry wrote that he preferred Liu Kang over Kung Lao as a playable character in ''Shaolin Monks'' because of his "intuitive fighting moves," adding that his shouts were "annoying" yet "strangely pleasing." GameDaily also complained on his voice, saying that "Liu Kang screams out like a chicken". Eurogamer commented that Liu Kang's kicks are ridiculous, while their intensified versions from ''Shaolin Monks'' are demented. Upon his death in ''Deadly Alliance'', IGN's Jeremy Dunham noted that Liu Kang was killed as the series needed "'starting over' mentality", as he regarded Liu Kang as the series' strongest character. IGN also said that "it just wouldn't be right having a game without him", noting that him to be as fierce as the DC characters from ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''. Like all the characters from ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', Liu Kang was selected to be a playable character based on his popularity.

References

External links

Liu Kang - The Mortal Kombat Wiki

Liu Kang at IGN

Liu Kang at the IMDb

Category:Fictional Buddhist monks Category:Fictional characters based on real people Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1992 Category:Fictional Chinese people Category:Fictional Jeet Kune Do practitioners Category:Fictional martial artists Category:Fictional undead Category:Fictional wushu practitioners Category:Film characters Category:Male video game characters Category:Mortal Kombat characters

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