I've mentioned that Mortal Kombat was revolutionary so many times that I've lost count. We all know that had a huge impact on gaming, created a huge following, and even spawned movies, a live action series, a live tour, and a cartoon series. But what I'm going to talk about this time around is something that normally escapes the minds of gamers and MK fans: collectibles. The majority of this article will be an overview of some really cool action figures, so I'm hoping that nobody falls asleep out there. Please keep in mind that I don't own any of these(but I do have a birthday coming up if you want to get your favorite writer a cool birthday gift!).

I enjoyed Mortal Kombat: Deception. Pissing and moaning aside, the game had some solid combos and brought Baraka back to me. It also gave the fans many different costume designs for characters such as Baraka and Sub-Zero – Sub-Zero being a bad thing. A toy company called Jazwares(jazwares.com) created some extremely sweet toys based off of the character models from Deception.

Jazwares' first line of Mortal Kombat toys featured Sub-Zero, Baraka, Raiden, and Scorpion. As you can see, these figures are pretty detailed and look great. Even the weapons look good: Sub-Zero has his Kori Blade, Baraka has his arm blades, Scorpion has his sword, and...Raiden's lacking a bo staff, guys. Eh, oh well.

I do have complaints about these figures, however. The first gripe is the joining of the neck and head. Could this look any more awkward? Raiden's head is the abosolute worst of the four. I know that Sub-Zero was colored a little strange in Deception, but I don't believe that his "Shredder" costume had a skin color like that - and what's up with Scorpion's skin tone?

These figures don't look all that bad. I'd collect them if they were available, but I don't believe I'd pay top dollar. There's far better ahead.

A vast improvement over the first series, the second line of Mortal Kombat toys from Jazwares was based off of characters models seen in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. I say that these are a vast improvement because not only does the paint look far better on these figures, but they also don't have that screwed up section where the head and neck meets like the first ones do. They look far more realistic with this simple detail issue taken care of.

I'm also a much bigger fan of the costume designs from Shaolin Monks than Deception. Scorpion looks the way I would want him to, Sub-Zero stopped playing Shredder while his Lin Kuei friends pretended to be the Ninja Turtles, and Kung Lao simply looks badass with the detailed hat.

However, the Liu Kang figure looks both rushed and cheap. The plastic simply doesn't look as polished and detailed as the others. The face is also pretty poor. I would still be sure to jump on any lot deal that offers all four of them for around $34 like I've been seeing, but I'm skeptical on Liu. I'm probably nitpicking because the bare chest doesn't look nearly as good as the highly detailed clothing that Jazwares offers with these toys.

My absolute favorite series from the Jazwares Mortal Kombat line is series three. I'm sure everyone can immediately tell why(again, birthday soon. I'm a Noob Saibot fiend). Series three was based off of character models from MK: Armageddon.

The figures in this third series are possibly the highest in detail except for Johnny Cage. It looks like it was made in a hurry rather than timely shaped and crafted. The Reptile figure simply blows my mind. They did a wonderful job on his clothing, scales, face – everything. The Kano figurine has some goods and some bad. First off, the chest hair effect definitely didn't work. This makes the entire thing just suck. Second, I guess they decided to get creative and give Kano longer hair than in any of the games. This makes the figure really come off looking like someone else rather than Kano.

As the last hurrah in the toyline, I believe that the Mortal Kombat Series 3 from Jazwares is the absolute best they could offer, and I'm certainly impressed - and it's not only because Noob Saibot is in that series. It's the detailing of both Noob Saibot and Reptile that captivated my attention with this line, but I must admit that it's extremely hard to overlook that rather poor quality of the Kano figure.

Moving on, I found the above figure out of stock at Toywiz.com. Obviously, it is a fair attempt at a "skullhead" Scorpion figure.

I'd first like to say that I do enjoy the costume and body work done to this piece. Not entirely able to stand up against Jazwares, this figure has a charm of its own in the detail department. The one thing that ruins the entire figure for me is the skullhead itself. It looks cheap, unimaginative, and downright pitiful. Is this the skull we saw in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks? I certainly don't recall staring at this - and I'd rather stop now.

Onto a Goro figurine from Toywiz.com that will cost you a whoppin' $30 plus shipping. Also from Jazwares, this special edition Goro looks far better off than the Cage and Kang figures. The detailing is very nice, and the issue from the Series one figures isn't present. It looks great, and I'd love to hang it on my wall. The only thing that would hold me back is the steep price. Even at Toywiz this one goes for $10 more than any of the other Jazwares MK figures. Damn...

Allow me to introduce you to the special edition Cold Snap Sub-Zero from Jazwares. This figure actually caused quite a stir when it was revealed at Comic Con 2005. The overall idea and art of the figure really doesn't give me the chance to critique in a normal way. It looks simply amazing. I have to warn those who wish to hunt this piece down. Be prepared to pay damn good money if you want it. The lowest price I've been able to find was $50.

Two of the coolest things I have ever witnessed on eBay would happen to be these custom made Sub-Zero and Scorpion figures for the Heroclix game. I don't play the Heroclix game, and I certainly don't care; I would own these clix no matter what. Aside from the insane detail and unique charm, these things are custom made. The creator certainly wasn't slacking when he made these. The sad thing is he used to offer a free custom made Reptile piece if both Sub-Zero and Scorpion were ordered. I guess that's no longer an offer. What a shame.

I'm certain that oldschool fans knew I'd be talking about the GI Joe series of toys soon enough. While the figures definitely lacked in detail, the kickass part about them is that they were the first of their kind - and dared to come out during the violence controversy.

The art team for this series of figures definitely got creative with them. You're lucky if a single one honestly resembles the character it's trying to portray face-wise. Even some of the costumes are downright strange. What the hell is Shang Tsung wearing? And where did Sonya Blade get a gi?! At least none of the ninja characters were messed up. But how could one honestly mess up something as simple as a MK 1 ninja?

The main reason to own these figures is the charm they have. They were the first of their kind during a time where Mortal Kombat was the devil and wasn't to be associated with kids. But right in the middle of this PR war came a lot of cool figures with the GI Joe look and feel. They definitely gave us the chance to finally have that Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter battle with the GI JOe Street Fighter toy lineup. Those were certainly the days.