Publisher: Midway
Developer: Eurocom
Size: 1 GD Rom
VMU: 5 blocks
No. of players: 2(simultaneously)
Official Ad: Yes
Got it for: $39.99, new.
A former elder god, Shinnok, has been freed from the Netherealm and is now taking his revenge on those who have banished him there. With the help of the supreme sorcerer known as Quan Chi, Shinnok now wages a war against Rayden and the Elder Gods. The mortals of Earthrealm are called to defend against this new menace, and help Earth's protector, Rayden in the fight. For more on this I would like to point you to Gavok's Mortal Kombat Plot Canon Guide for a really well done overview of the entire MK story.

What's it all about?
It's Mortal Kombat 4, with a shitload of extras: New characters, new backgrounds, a constant 60fps framerate, new high-res textures and the return of Goro! Mileena, Baraka, Kitana, Kung Lao, Cyrax and two hidden characters(Sektor and Noob Saibot) return to MK along with three new levels(MK3's Church and Soul Chamber, and a new stage called "The Ladder").
Like in the arcade, you can choose various skill ladders as well as play some super-fun 2 on 2 matches with a buddy or against the computer.

Graphics - Fucking good. All of the original, high-res textures that the MK team originally made for the game(before having to tone them down for the arcade release) are now included. There are some camera issues that make for some really odd viewing angles, but these generally only show up during fatalities performed near the borders of each stage. Not a big deal, but annoying...
Sound - It's the music and sound samples from the arcade, mixed in with a few of the older tracks(for the new levels)...so it sounds great. Dan Forden, once again, busts his ass to give us another amazing soundtrack. About the only downside to the audio is a glitch that will, a lot of times, kill the music when your second character jumps out during a 2 on 2 match.
Control - Smooth. MK4's control was great in the arcade version, and it makes a nice transition to the DC's 4 button setup.
AI - Cheap. It's not like it's a surprise, MK's AI is legendarily cheap...always has been. MKG's AI, thoug, is a lot more lenient than the extra impossible challenges of UMK3 and MKT's AI, allowing for a much better one player game.
Replay value - High. It's an arcade fighter with a lot of characters, technique and combos. Multiple skill levels and 2 on 2 matches will have you coming back for more for quite a while.

The very rarely seen "Ladder" stage...
 Tips for better gaming experiences:
As the game does not have "auto-save" programmed into it, be SURE to save your data before you turn off the system!

To select Noob Saibot, on the Character Select screen choose Hidden then move over to Reiko(up 2, left 3) and press BL+RN.

To select Sektor, on the Character Select screen choose Hidden then move over to Cyrax(up 4, left 3) and press BL+RN.
Cool Stuff on the VMU:
Just the MK dragon logo...that's about it. 

My rating: 95(out of 100) - This is an arcade conversion so far superior to the actual game it was based off of, it's not even funny. One of the best MK games ever, made even better by the power of the Dreamcast and the added content. This game loses points only to some sloppy programming that allows for certain various game glitches to remain.
EGM gave it: 4.5(out of 10)
GameFan gave it: 70, 73, 90, 88(out of 100)
Game Informer gave it: 6, 7.75, 7.75(out of 10)
 
Cat's meow: The new characters can just dominate, they are soooo cheap! Other than that though, this version of MK4 rocks! Also, just so we're clear, Mileena's hot! Come over here, pretty kitty!

Fujin lifting Tanya up for a little peek...
Busting Kung Lao's ass in Reptile's Lair.
Launching Reptile!
Some tasty sais for Reiko.

Finish Him!

As insane as it may sound, I have actually recorded *all* of the Mortal Kombat Gold Fatalities. To check them out, click below. Also, I have gif-ed the MK1, MK3 and UMK3 -alitites..

Mortal Kombat Gold Fatality Demonstration
Mortal Kombat Fatality Demonstration
Mortal Kombat II -ality Demonstration
Mortal Kombat 3 -ality Demonstration
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 -ality Demonstration
Hot, new?:
As a lot of people still don't know, I'll go over this one more time: There are two different versions of Mortal Kombat Gold out there. Version 1.0, was released at the Dreamcast's launch. This version had so many bugs and glitches, you'd swear it was a beta copy! Version 2.0 came out a month(or so) afterwards, cleaning up almost all of the major bugs and restoring VMU support.

Here's a quick guide on how to tell which is which:

* Version 1.0's actual game GD has a gold tint to it. This version has no VMU support, a LOT of game resetting/freezing bugs and numerous in-game graphical glitches. If you're a real fan, you may want to try to find a copy of this, just to laugh at some of the many things that can go wrong during a typical game.

* Version 2.0's actual GD has a red tint to it, and more easily noticeable, a green "Hot, New" sticker on the actual manual cover. This version, though the manual still states doesn't have VMU support, does actually have it(you *can* save your options, endings, etc. now). Most of the game freezing/resetting glitches have been eliminated, leaving only a few camera bugs and music glitches.