• Posted April 22nd, 2011 at 17:10 EDT by Mike Harradence
• 2 Comments

Music is a powerful medium. Capable of stirring up long-forgotten memories and evoking powerful emotion in the listener, music can reduce even the burliest of blokes into blubbering, crumpled heaps. And who says that us guys are afraid to show their sensitive side? Poppycock. Of course, video games are no exception to this rule, and as often is the case, a stellar soundtrack can greatly accentuate the on-screen antics, elevating even the most perfunctory scene to hard-hitting greatness.

In a continued celebration of some of gaming’s ear-pleasing aural accomplishments, PSU presents yet another installment in our ongoing Classic Tracks series. For our latest entry, we’re scrutinizing the ear-assaulting efforts of bloody brawler Mortal Kombat III, specifically the theme tune accompanying The Pit III.

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Title: The Pit III
Soundtrack: Mortal Kombat III Official Soundtrack
Composer(s): Dan “Toasty” Forden

Mortal Kombat’s ubiquitous Pit stages have become renowned for delivering some of the series’ bloodiest fatalities to date, so it only seems fitting their accompanying score reflects this. Indeed, these stages are grim, blood-encrusted domains of death, emanating a profound sense of doom. The Pit III is no exception, and its score encapsulate this aura perfectly. A slow, plodding number that is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, The Pit III doesn’t mince its words. Its message is clear-cut: if you succumb to your enemy here, you’re brown bread, guaranteed.

As with virtually all tracks plucked from the MK III era, The Pit III comes in numerous flavours depending on the version available. These range from the classic 16-bit, stripped-down ditty found on the Mega Drive/SNES conversion, to the ponderous groan of the Mortal Kombat Trilogy release. Then of course there’s the middle-ground version seen in the Arcade iteration, which is the version I’ve singled out for inclusion in this very feature. Enjoy.