<s>
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shaolin	I-Application
Monks	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2005	O
action-adventure	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Midway	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off	O
of	O
the	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
to	O
not	O
be	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telling	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
players	O
control	O
the	O
eponymous	O
Shaolin	O
monks	O
Liu	O
Kang	O
and	O
Kung	O
Lao	O
in	O
either	O
single	O
player	O
or	O
cooperative	O
play	O
as	O
they	O
protect	O
Earthrealm	O
from	O
the	O
forces	O
of	O
Outworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off	O
centered	O
on	O
Liu	O
Kang	O
had	O
been	O
considered	O
since	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
shelved	O
after	O
negative	O
reception	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
adventure	O
spin-offs	O
,	O
Mythologies	B-Application
:	I-Application
Sub-Zero	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
and	O
Special	B-Device
Forces	I-Device
(	O
2000	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shaolin	O
Monks	O
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
in	O
2004	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Midway	O
's	O
plan	O
to	O
release	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
games	O
annually	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
with	O
the	O
intent	O
of	O
appealing	O
to	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
fans	O
,	O
Shaolin	O
Monks	O
incorporates	O
elements	O
from	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
entries	O
,	O
including	O
Fatalities	O
,	O
combos	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
versus	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
a	O
shortened	O
,	O
censored	O
demo	O
version	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Suffering	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ties	I-Application
That	I-Application
Bind	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
emulated	O
arcade	O
perfect	O
version	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
which	O
is	O
taken	O
from	O
Midway	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
Treasures	I-Application
2	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
includes	O
Fatalities	O
,	O
a	O
common	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
characters	O
have	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
perform	O
several	O
different	O
Fatality	O
moves	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
3D	O
updated	O
versions	O
of	O
Fatalities	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
second	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shaolin	I-Application
Monks	I-Application
spans	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
starting	O
with	O
the	O
aftermath	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
successful	O
,	O
Shang	O
Tsung	O
will	O
conquer	O
Earth	O
without	O
winning	O
a	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
tournament	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
cheating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smoke	O
,	O
in	O
reference	O
to	O
his	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
depiction	O
,	O
is	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
Living	O
Forest	O
where	O
he	O
assigns	O
the	O
player	O
optional	O
missions	O
required	O
to	O
unlock	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off	O
game	O
starring	O
Liu	O
Kang	O
was	O
originally	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
shortly	O
after	O
Mortal	B-Device
Kombat	I-Device
:	I-Device
Special	I-Device
Forces	I-Device
,	O
the	O
previous	O
action-adventure	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
this	O
however	O
did	O
not	O
happen	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
departure	O
of	O
John	O
Tobias	O
and	O
the	O
very	O
negative	O
reception	O
of	O
Special	B-Device
Forces	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
president	O
of	O
Midway	O
Games	O
,	O
David	O
F	O
.	O
Zucker	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Shaolin	O
Monks	O
the	O
"	O
first	O
step	O
toward	O
delivering	O
something	O
that	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
fans	O
have	O
been	O
calling	O
for	O
:	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
universe	O
every	O
year.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Shaun	O
Himmerick	O
stated	O
the	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
with	O
a	O
"	O
deeper	O
story.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
creator	O
worked	O
as	O
the	O
creative	O
director	O
for	O
Shaolin	O
Monks	O
and	O
joined	O
the	O
programmers	O
from	O
the	O
team	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
fighting	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
added	O
multiple	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
elements	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
more	O
appealing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
Ed	O
Boon	O
's	O
favorite	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
this	O
spin-off	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
desire	O
to	O
include	O
both	O
Liu	O
Kang	O
and	O
Kung	O
Lao	O
as	O
protagonists	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
having	O
been	O
introduced	O
in	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
in	O
the	O
typical	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
games	O
,	O
the	O
versus	O
mode	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
include	O
adventure	O
games	O
 '	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
engine	O
is	O
different	O
from	O
the	O
one	O
from	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
Deception	O
and	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
rival	O
other	O
adventure	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shaolin	I-Application
Monks	I-Application
has	O
sold	O
over	O
one	O
million	O
copies	O
and	O
received	O
mostly	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
GameRankings	O
,	O
it	O
holds	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
79.10	O
%	O
and	O
80.64	O
%	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
was	O
noted	O
for	O
having	O
the	O
same	O
movements	O
from	O
the	O
classic	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
games	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Fatalities	O
and	O
the	O
way	O
combos	O
are	O
handled	O
compared	O
to	O
God	O
of	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TeamXbox	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
enjoyable	O
despite	O
negative	O
feedback	O
provided	O
to	O
other	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
narratives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
focused	O
on	O
Scorpion	O
and	O
Sub-Zero	O
,	O
titled	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	O
Fire	O
&	O
Ice	O
,	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Paradox	O
,	O
but	O
financial	O
constraint	O
caused	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
cancellation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
possible	O
HD	O
remake	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shaolin	I-Application
Monks	I-Application
was	O
teased	O
by	O
Boon	O
in	O
October	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
he	O
also	O
disclosed	O
that	O
they	O
already	O
did	O
talk	O
"	O
about	O
doing	O
an	O
up-rez	O
'	O
ed	O
version	O
for	O
 [ the ] 	O
PS3	B-Operating_System
and	O
360	B-Operating_System
a	O
few	O
years	O
ago.	O
"	O
</s>
