Mortal Kombat fans may not know Steve Ritchie by sight, but his booming voice has become iconic within the franchise. Twenty-five years ago, Ritchie was recruited to be the new voice of Mortal Kombat II, and he unleashed his take on the majority of the series’ most famous lines including “Fatality,” “Flawless Victory,” and the ever popular “Round 1… Fight!” Ritchie also portrayed the voice of Shao Kahn, the ultimate boss during the final duel in Outworld. However, Ritchie’s greater contributions to gaming come from his decades as a pinball designer, as detailed in a new profile from Great Big Story.
Within the video, Ritchie got a chance to demonstrate several of his favorite lines from the Mortal Kombat games before he explained how he was recruited by the makers of Mortal Kombat II. It turns out that location played a large part in that, as he was designing pinball games on one floor while the Mortal Kombat team worked on another floor within the same building.
While Ritchie has also lent his voice to several pinball games, it seems clear that his primary passion is for creating pinball game boards, which he’s been working on over the course of his four decades within the industry. “I created more pinball machines than anyone else in pinball history,” said Ritchie in the video. He also explained the philosophy behind his games is to make the players feel as if they are actually battling the pinball machines with every flip of the ball.
What do you think about Ritchie’s Mortal Kombat voice work and his pinball legacy? “Finish him” in the comment section below!
Image: Great Big Story
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