Best Mobile Phones 2014: 10 Best smartphones you can buy

Best Mobile Phones 2014: 10 Best smartphones you can buy

10. NOKIA LUMIA 1020

Key features:

• 5.7-inch 1080p Full HD screen
• 13-megapixel main camera with LED flash
• Best stylus experience on a phone
• 32GB of storage with microSD card support

It might not be the best all round smartphone, but if you are looking for a great cameraphone the Nokia Lumia 1020 definitely fits the bill. 

The 4.5-inch, Windows 8-running 1020 piles in some impressive photo-grabbing specs including a 41-megapixel PureView camera and a Xenon flash with LED focus light. Image results can compete with compact system cameras in the right conditions and can be viewed back on a punchy, colourful 1,280x768 resolution screen. 

It's only dual-core and does still suffer from a poor selection of Windows apps. But if you really want camera quality photos, then the Lumia 1020 is the handset to snap up.

Review price: £599

9. LG G2

Key features:

• 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p display
• 13-megapixel main camera
• Strong battery life
• Rear physical buttons on the back

The smartphone with the buttons on the back, the LG G2 sees the South Korean company make an impressive return to smartphone prominence. 

The 5.2-inch G2 features a full HD IPS edge-to-edge display, a 13-megapixel OIS (optical image stabilization) camera and a speedy Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU. 

Moving the buttons to the rear and reducing the screen bezel frees up the extra screen estate to make the most of HD movie and video watching. The camera is good, but doesn't deliver Z1 or Lumia 1020-like images. 

The G2 delivers a strong overall package making it a great alternative to the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Price: £400

8. SONY XPERIA Z1

Key features:

• 5-inch Full HD 1080p screen
• 20.7-megapixel main camera with 1/2.3-inch sensor
• 16GB of onboard storage
• Impressive battery performance

Addressing the key issues with the Xperia Z, the Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the most powerful smartphones to currently get your hands on. 

The 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor delivers one of the slickest overall performances we've seen and the 3,000mAh battery gives the Z1 real staying power. 

A slightly curvier design makes the 5-inch smartphone more comfortable to hold and the added camera button makes it easier to take photos and video underwater. The improved 20.7-megapixel camera didn’t blow us away but is still one of the best smartphone snappers around. 

Look out Samsung and HTC, Sony is starting to get a hang of this smartphone-making business...

Review price: £550

7.SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3

Key features:

• 5.7-inch 1080p Full HD screen
• 13-megapixel main camera with LED flash
• Best stylus experience on a phone
• 32GB of storage with microSD card support

King of the big phones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is once again equipped with the excellent S-Pen stylus. 

Featuring a 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen, the Note 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz CPU and has 32GB and 3GB of RAM to take care of multitasking. 

The key design change from the Note 2 is the leather-effect battery cover which is more cosmetic than adding anything in terms of comfort. There’s a 13-megapixel main camera to shoot photos on par with the S4, but the S Pen stylus is once again the star of the show and has more apps to utilize its stylus powers. 

If you are after a big screen phone to get creative with, this is the best to go for.

Review price: £619.99

6. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4

Key features:

• Stunning 5-inch Full HD screen
• 13-megapixel camera takes solid pictures
• Powerful overall performance
• New features like Air View, Smart Pause and Infra Red remote

The Galaxy S series has come to be seen as the pinnacle of Android, and with good reason. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a superb phone. 

It has a 13-megapixel camera, giant 1080p 5-inch display and quad-core processor (the 8-core version is not available in the UK.) In Samsung style, it has masses of extra software features including a fitness tracker, translator and eye tracking software that lets you scroll books and articles with just a gesture. 

Quite simply the Samsung Galaxy S4 is still one of the best Android phones to buy.

Review price: £579

5. HTC ONE

Key features:

• Superb 4.7-inch full HD display
• Excellent aluminium chassis
• Great overall performance
• Runs on Android 4.3 with HTC Sense 5.5

One of the most desirable phone of the year so far is the HTC One. And, yes, that includes the Samsung Galaxy S4. 

It has a sleek aluminium body that makes the top-end competition feel a little bit cheap. The HTC One also has a few other new HTC features. Top of the list are the UltraPixel camera and Blinkfeed, the star of the show of the new Sense UI. It’s sleeker and more stylish than the HTC Sense of old and – in our experience – it works better too.What’s not to like? 

The 4-megapixel camera doesn’t reap as detail-packed shots as its top rivals in bright sunlight, but it’ll win out in dim situations. Until the HTC One Two turns up, this is still wins our vote as the top high end Android smartphone. 

Review price: £549

4. GOOGLE NEXUS 5

Key features:

• 5-inch full HD 1080p screen
• 8-megapixel camera with decent low-light camera performance
• Runs on Android 4.4 KitKat
• Powerful enough to run apps smoothly

If this was a round-up of the best value smartphones, the Nexus 5 would win hands down. At £300 for the 16GB version, the Nexus 5 is far better value than the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4, or any other rival we can think of. 

Its Snapdragon 800 processor means it's a match for the iPhone's A7 processor, and it's actually faster than the S4 and HTC One by dint of having the latest version of Qualcomm's top-end processor. 

Elsewhere, we love the understated and practical design, the screen and the pure Android 4.4 experience with its improved interface. 

Where it falls down is in the battery life and camera departments. Neither are bad, but they don't quite match up to the iPhone 5S, which is why it's only a narrow (but still excellent) second overall.

Review price: £300

3. SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT

Key features:

• Great 4.3-inch 720p HD screen
• Water and dust-proof
• Solid battery life

The new king of the mini smartphones, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact doesn’t make the same performance compromises as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and the HTC One Mini and as a result is a fantastic 4.3-inch Android smartphone. 

The single aluminium frame gives it a construction similar to the iPhone 4S and despite the drop down in screen resolution, is still a sharp and colourful place to watch high resolution video. In the power department, it uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU as the Xperia Z1 so expect a similarly slick performance and it also manages an all-day battery life. 

Packing the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Z1 the Compact produces good but not Nokia Lumia 1020-rivalling photos. If you are looking for a classy mini that comfortably sits in the pocket this is the best out there. 

Review price: £430

2. I PHONE 5S

Originally reviewed by Evan Kypreos 05 December 2013

Key features:

• 4-inch retina display
• New Touch ID fingerprint unlocking
• Powerful, 64-bit A7 dual-core processor
• 8-megapixel camera with True-Tone LED flash

The iPhone 5S continues Apple's benchmark setting trend, though the gap between it and its rivals is as narrow as narrow can be.

Keeping the same 4-inch Retina display found on the iPhone 5 and its replacement the iPhone 5C, the high grade aluminium phone is now available in gold and 'space grey' colours.

The most radical design change is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor situated in the home button to add an extra layer of security and convenience.

The super-fast A7 processor is great, too, but it's the camera that clinches things for the 5S. The new True-Tone LED flash leads to better shots with the flash enabled, while the infinite burst mode, slow-mo video, speedy app and outstanding HDR mode make using the iPhone 5S camera a joy.

Review price: £549

1. MOTO G

Key features: 

• Great 4.5-inch 720p IPS screen
• Runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Available with 8/16Gb of internal storage
• Amazing value for money

Currently the only phone on this list to get a full 10 out of 10 score, the Motorola Moto G is a truly a game-changer.

At 143g and 11.6mm thick it’s not the slimmest or lightest phone but it’s but it's still a nice-looking handset for the price. It’s the first time we’ve seen a 720p screen on a phone this cheap and it serves up good, sharp image quality with a Gorilla Glass screen adding a layer of durability. 

The Moto G runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and the Snapdragon 400 CPU with 1GB of RAM ensures it handles most everday tasks like browsing, and playing games well. The 5-megapixel camera delivers decent image quality, while the 720P HD video shooting is on par with other similar phones.

Whether you go for the 8GB version at £135 or the 16GB version at £160, the Moto G offers far better specs than any other big-name phone you can buy for £150 and is the cheap smartphone to beat as it stands.

Price: £135 (8GB), £160 (16GB)

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movie of 2014

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Maleficent -- The fairy-tale re-imaginings haven't been wildly successful yet, but there is reason to believe that first-time director, Robert Stromberg, can bring the same look and feel he brought as the visual effects supervisor on Pan's Labyrinth to this dark tale told from the perspective of Sleeping Beauty's evil nemesis. It doesn't hurt that Angelina Jolie will fill the title role, or that the cast is rounded out by Elle Fanning (Princess Aurora), Juno Temple (Thistletwit), Sharlto Copley (Stefan) and Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It) as King Kinloch.

Noah -- Here's all you need to know about Noah: It comes from Darren Aronofsky, who I believe is trying to get his redo on The Fountain with a visually sumptuous and dark, existential Biblical tale. Aronofsky has described his Noah as "a man who loves Earth and all of its animal inhabitants but has become disillusioned with the way humans have treated their planet," so I expect something very dark and politically charged. Russell Crowe is set to play the title character, with Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Hopkins also on board. These images from Aronofksy's Noah graphic novel should give us some hint as to what to expect.

Robopocalypse -- Assuming that Steven Spielberg actually follows through on his promise to direct Robopacalypse, the film -- scripted by Drew Goddard and based on a Daniel H. Wilson novel -- holds immense potential. The novel is already a critical favorite, described as an Andromeda Strain for a new century. Comparisons to early Michael Crichton are aplenty. Set the not-too-distant future, Robopocalypse is about robots that have made our lives a lot easier: they help clean our kitchens, drive our cars, and fight our wars -- until they are turned into efficient murderers by a sentient artificial intelligence buried miles below the surface of Alaska. What? That sounds batshit. But, robots, murder, and Spielberg! Rumors that Chris Hemsworth could board the project in the lead role make it all that more appealing.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 -- Wait, wait. Before you loosen your bowels, hear me out: My opinion of the first The Amazing Spider-Man was that, if it weren't for the fact that the story had already been told, it could've been a great film, a better version of Sam Raimi's first movie. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were an amazing pair, and Marc Webb did a good job with the film, too. What the movie was missing was a good, original screenplay. Now that the rebooted franchise has gotten the requisite origins story out of the way, they have the freedom to tell a better, darker story. Spider-Man 2 was the best in the Raimi trilogy, and I expect this one to be the best in Garfield's, especially if Sony decides to take it to a that place and kill off Gwen in this installment.

The Hobbit Part 3 -- I'm not that excited to be putting this on the list, but by the time it rolls around, The Hobbit Part 3 will be the most anticipated movie of the year, if only because it will finally see the end of a trilogy that has no business being a trilogy. How are they going to turn a very modest little book into three movies? I don't know, but I'm really excited for it to end. It also has a couple of cast members going for it that the LOTR movies did not, namely Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaugh) and Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins). The bad news: There's a lot of LOTR characters in the movie that don't belong.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I -- I feel similarly about Mockingjay Part I as I do about three Hobbit movies: It shouldn't exist. Mockingjay is the weakest of the Hunger Games novels and therefore, the least designed to be broken in two. There's not even a natural break for the movie. However, my hope is that the screenwriters find a way -- in expanding the novel into two movies -- to bring some new elements, and more life to a novel that clearly was written under a tight deadline. There are great characters in The Hunger Games and it's a splendid universe. Hopefully, the two movies can give the final chapter the justice it didn't receive in the books.

X-Men: Days of Future Past -- 2011 was meant to be the year of the Superhero, but it turned out that the first one out of the gate, X-Men: First Class, was the best of a bunch that included Captain America, Thor and Green Lantern. The young X-Men are due again to compete against Captain America in 2014, and I expect a similar result: Matthew Vaughn is back, and James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence are more popular than ever. It helps, too, that it's based on one of the most famous X-Men stories, a very dark one that involves a world where mutants are hunted mercilessly by sentinels. Lots of X-Men may die. That's my kind of superhero movie.

King Dork -- I cannot guarantee that King Dork will arrive in 2014 (though, that is its current forecast), as development on the film has stopped and started on several occasions. A director has finally been hired -- Matt Piedmont (Casa de mi Padre) -- and D.V. DeVincentis (High Fidelity) wrote the screenplay. Last I heard, Thomas Mann (Project X), Keir Gilchrist (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) and Nick Offerman were attached to the film. It is a brilliant, funny, amazing coming-of-age novel with a mystery twist -- probably one of my favorite books of the last decade -- and it's really well-designed for a movie. With the right people behind it, it could be one hell of an amazing film, one I've been anticipating since Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company bought the rights back in 2006.

Jupiter Ascending -- Nobody knows a ton about The Wachowski Sibling's Jupiter Ascending, except that it's being described as completely off-the-sh*t bat-wall, that it stars Charming Potato and Mila Kunis, an offer was made to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and it's expected to be the first entry in another Wachowski trilogy. This is the story, as broken down by Vulture, based on an anonymous source:

The story centers on an unlikely and reluctant heroine, a recent Russian immigrant -- played by actual Ukrainian native Mila Kunis -- who scrubs toilets for a living. Unbeknownst to her, however, she possesses the same perfect genetic makeup as the Queen of the Universe and is therefore a threat to her immortal rule. These other evolved beings are categorized into various groups, but all of them share at least some human DNA. The rest is animal DNA, which heightens their best qualities -- e.g., soldiers obtain the fearlessness of wolves, workers obtain the industriousness of bees, etc.Soon, an evolved bounty hunter -- likely played by Channing Tatum -- is sent out to dispatch the cleaning lady with the Great Pair of Nucleotides. However, true to Matrix fashion, they fall in love. From there, calamity ensues.

The Wachowskis, plus Mila Kunis, is enough to get me excited. The sci-fi Snow White story is just gravy.

The World's End -- I am super stoked about The World's End the final part in the Cornetto trilogy that includes Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Once again, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will reunite with director Edgar Wright. The team behind it is a big enough sell, but the premise seals it:

The film starts 20 years after five childhood friends attempted an epic pub crawl. The friends reunite when one of them becomes hell-bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.

Read more at http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/the-10-most-anticipated-movies-of-2014.php#Yulae1AfCQfrZ5WT.99 

TOP 10 ALL-TIME BEST VILLAINS

Ah, the bad guys--a film just isn’t as complete unless there is at least one person to root against. But an all-time best list of baddies isn’t as easy to come up. You have to weed out the crazies (Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction), the inhuman monsters (Michael Myers in Halloween), the misunderstood (Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner)--and yes, even the plethora of animated evilness--and truly enter the Heart of Darkness. Here’s our top 10 list of the purely evil: 

10. The Joker (Heath Ledger), The Dark Knight OK, to be fair, Ledger’s totally creepy, absolutely mesmerizing performance as Batman’s nemesis The Joker, the ultimate anarchist, should probably rank higher on this list, but it’s still so fresh in our minds, it needs to settle a bit with time. Check back next year. 
Most Villainous Line: “Do you wanna know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the...little..emotions. And..you see..in their last moments...people show you who they really are. So, in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which one of them were cowards?”

9. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), Die Hard 
Rickman's Hans is our choice for the most diabolical two-bit criminal. He’s really only in it for the money, all $600 million of it, but he does rather enjoy tormenting his captors--until he comes across big, bad John McClane. Guess Hans didn’t figure on “Mr. Cowboy.” 
Most Villainous Line: “When they land we blow up the roof, they spend a month sifting through rubble, and by the time they work out what went wrong, we'll be sitting on a beach, earning 20 percent.” 


8. Stansfield (Gary Oldman), The Professional Technically, Stansfield is tad more on the psychotic side (see above criteria), but it’s the way Oldman plays the corrupted cop that chills us--from sniffing whatever that stuff he carries around with him up his nose, to his obsession with Beethoven, to shooting a little boy. He’s actually pretty sane when it comes to his mayhem. Shiver. 
Most Villainous Line: “It's always the same thing. It's when you start to become really afraid of death that you learn to appreciate life. Do you like life, sweetheart?”


7. Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), Austin Powers Series
Come on, he’s got “evil” in his name! You’ve got to include Dr. Evil, even if he isn’t nearly as terrifying as he’d like you to think he is. Being that he was has been partially frozen for 30 years, throw him a friggin’ bone, will ya? 
Most Villainous Line: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to my underground Lair. I have gathered here before me the world's deadliest assassins, and yet, each of you has failed to kill Austin Powers. That makes me angry, and when Dr. Evil get angry, Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, and when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset people DIE!”


6. Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), The Wizard of Oz 
[Cue the Witch’s theme song] Remembering the first time you saw The Wizard of Oz, it’s that image of the Wicked Witch’s green pointy face you can’t get out of your head--cackling at her crystal ball while her minion of flying monkeys stood by, waiting for her command (the character’s redemption in the musical Wicked doesn’t count, by the way). 
Most Villainous Line: “The last to go will see the first three go before her. And her little dog, too.” 



5. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Harry Potter SeriesFiennes has played a few evil men in his acting career (his Nazi colonel in Schindler's List almost made the cut), but it’s his He Who Should Not Be Named, the Dark Lord--or as I like to call him, ole Snake Face--who really stands out as the best of the baddies. 
Most Villainous Line: “Astounding what a few drops of your blood will do, eh, Harry?”



4. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), No Country for Old Men Perhaps we thought we’d seen every kind of assassin there was--boy, were we wrong! Bardem’s Oscar-winning performance as the cold-blooded Anton, whose single-minded determination to follow through on every job to its very end, is bone-chilling. Made even more so when he occasionally gives his victim’s a 50-50 chance by the flip of a coin. 
Most Villainous Line: “Call it.” 


3. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 
In those horrifying visions of a psycho nurse coming at you with a large hypothermic needle, the name that comes to mind is Nurse Ratched. Fletcher’s portrayal isn’t so much maniacal as it is sadistic as she thoroughly gets off on keeping her mental patients right there next to her, crazy as ever.
Most Villainous Line: “You know Billy, what worries me is how your mother is going to take this.” 



2. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), Silence of the Lambs 
Nothing can top Hopkins’ Hannibal. OK, maybe one villain can top him (click to the next page), but as far as cannibalistic serial killers are concerned, Lecter takes the cake. Bet you can’t say Chianti and fava beans the same way. 
Most Villainous Line: “I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner.”



1. Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Star Wars Series
And our No. 1? Yes, it’s Lord Vader. He personifies all that is dark and evil in The Force. When you see how he gets to be the way he is, you have to empathize, just a little--and of course, his salvation at the end is sweet. But honestly, folks, it’s hard to forgive all the other mean stuff he did. 
Most Villainous Line: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” 

Top 10 Character Of Mortal Kombat

10

10. Jax

Jackson "Jax" Briggs first made his debut in Mortal Kombat II, but it wasn't until Mortal Kombat 3 that he started sporting his iconic bionic arms. In Mortal Kombat II, this Special Forces badass rescued Sonya from the Outworld and was able to single-handedly bringKano into custody. When he learned of Kahn's plans to invade Earthrealm in MK3, he ordered a pair of bionic implants for his arms that gave his punches an extra boost of pain. Together with Sonya, he later went on to form the Outer World Investigation Agency in an effort to make sure incidents such as Kahn's plan to conquer earth never happen again.

9

Kitana

Princess Katana is over 10,000 years old, yet she can still somehow go toe-to-toe with the best of 'em in battle -- and look really hot while doing it. She and her mommy, Sindel, should be on every Hot Females in Videogames list. On top of all that, we have never seen a more badass usage of fans in a video game. Are fans really this handy in battle? Perhaps if they're made of metal and have knives sticking out of them, they would be.

8	Sonya Blade

Just as John Tobias and Ed Boon were getting ready to release the first Mortal Kombat, they came to a somewhat shocking realization – there were absolutely no female characters in the entire game! Early beta testers complained of the lack of a lady to kick ass with, so the boys removed perpetual loser, Kurtis Stryker -- who would eventually make his debut in Mortal Kombat 3 -- and replaced him with the hot, butch Sonya Blade, a Special Forces soldier inspired by actress Cynthia Rothrock. Sonya is another one of the franchise's mainstays, appearing in almost every game, but unlike some of the other characters, her appearance and moveset have changed dramatically, from her original green spandex outfit to the military fatigues and exposed midriff look she sports today.

7

Baraka

A member of the mutant race called the Tarkatan, Baraka is known in Mortal Kombat for the deadly blades that protrude from his forearms (which prove to be formidable weapon used in many of his attacks). And these brutal things aren't just good in close quarters. Scraping them together shoots out a deadly spark of energy, a fantastic ranged weapon. Baraka debuted in Mortal Kombat II as one of Shao Kahn's minions. The Tarkatan's famous fatalities include decaptiation and using his blades to make Shish kebabs of his opponents' heads. In a recent live action video, Baraka was depicted as a pent up surgeon who put himself under the knife.

6

Reptile

The original hidden character, the green-skinned Reptile, made his debut as a simple reskinned Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat I, but the sheer amount of work necessary to face and unlock him (perform a double flawless victory with fatality just as the shadow passes over the moon in the Pit stage) made him an arcade legend. The fact that Boon and Tobias included a hidden fighter that only the most hardcore would ever see helped promulgate the world of Mortal Kombat as one where other secrets and surprises lurked around every corner, ready to be revealed at the drop of a quarter. He returned as a playable character in the second game, with a pile of interesting special moves that combined the best ofScorpion and Sub-Zero. Future games would feature even more hidden enemies and complicated ways of accessing them, but the first was still the best.

5

Kung Lao

Kung Lao first appeared in Mortal Kombat II as the last descendant of the Great Kung Lao. Although he is a pacifist of the Earthrealm, he has no qualms about slicing your head off with his hat if you should provoke him. According to co-creator John Tobias, he was inspired by Goldeneye villian Oddjob.

4

Raiden

One of the grand old men of the Mortal Kombat world, Raiden has electrified every game but one – the abysmal PS1 spin-off, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. The thunder god of Japanese mythology is cast in the Kombat universe as the protector of Earthrealm, recruiting a team of defenders to battle against the demonic invasion of Shao Kahn's hordes game after game. Raiden is most notable for his Chinese coolie hat and tendency to utter bizarre phrases during special moves – voice actor John Hey revealed in an interview that Raiden's language isn't Japanese, or even Chinese, but rather made-up nonsense sounds. His special moves have remained constant throughout the series – lightning bolts, teleports, and the extremely abusable Torpedo. Played by legendary actors Christopher Lambert and James Remar in the pair of MK movies, Raiden is one of the iconic characters of the franchise, and we only wish we could get Mortal Kombat Vs. Marvel to see him go toe-to-toe with Thor.

3

Sub-Zero

If there's one character design that screams Mortal Kombat, it's the masked ninja. Daniel Pesina, one actor clad in an iconic costume received multiple palette swaps to be recolored and repurposed as Ermac, Smoke, Scorpion, Reptile – the list goes on and on. But we all know that Sub Zero came first. The blue-clad Chinese ninja warrior with a heart so cold made his debut in the first game and is the only character to be playable in every single installment of the series. A secret operative for the Lin Kuei clan, Sub-Zero's people are descended from Cryomancers, demons who could wield the power of cold for various effects. One thing that's lost in the mythos of the games is that Sub-Zero was actually two different people – in the first Mortal Kombat, he was killed by Scorpion and replaced in the following games by his younger brother, who took up the frosty mantle. But nobody stays dead for long in MK, so look for Sub-Zero elder to show up later on this list... as someone else.

2

Scorpion

"Get over here!" That battle cry is recognizable by anyone who has stepped into an arcade at any point in the past 15 years. It is the special move sound of the evil zombie ninja Scorpion, who proves that tough guys do indeed wear banana yellow. Formerly a human ninja, Scorpion faced Sub-Zero in a battle over some mysterious map and was eventually decapitated by the icy warrior. But death is just the beginning in Mortal Kombat, and Scorpion was resurrected as a revenant with a bad attitude, capable of teleporting and throwing brutal grappling hooks. Out for revenge, he killed Sub-Zero at the end of the first Mortal Kombat tournament before returning to the Otherworld. But that wasn't the end of Scorpion, as he's returned in almost every other MK game since, with meaner moves and more attitude. His signature Fatality -- the one where he removes his mask and immolates his foes with fiery breath -- is one of our all-time faves.

1

Liu Kang

Known as the champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament, Liu Kang has to be on this list somewhere. Fighting vigorously to defeat Shang Tsung since the original Mortal Kombat(and beating him a few times since), he is known for his speed and power. He has used many fatalities over the years, including throwing fireballs at his opponents as well as possessing them and then ripping their heads off. Fun fact: In the original game, Liu Kang's fatality was the only one that didn't depict the killing of an opponent. Rather, he resorted to uppercuts and butterfly kicks. Since then, though, he's more than made up for it.