Mobygames, Wikipedia, GameFAQs and Google say so :p

I've checked Polish Wikipedia and it says 1999, which seems to be wrong. Never expected it may need cross-check ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

1997 was the year of my first Voodoo card (bought it on a fair in spring) and it was because of one game: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight.
Until I saw the demo on the PC of a friend who already had one, I thought software rendering would be enough.

And it also was the year when I then went to munich with a game shopping list for me and a couple of friends and the clerk kept watching me and how close I was to the exit holding that bunch of game boxes.

Log entry #01 to Mortal Kombat 4
The leap started way behind to 1993 with the father of the series!
Mortal Kombat 1
Graphics are superb without any tweaking: very captivating to me as in its day, sound wasn't as good as I remember it was on the arcades but I don't complain.
2 bads:
1) The game supports -4 buttons joystick- but 5 buttons are needed: LowPunch, HighPunch, LowKick, HighKick, Block. Supposedly, the game "handles" that with a "conversion thing to identify if you are pressing the missing button" that is NOT documented anywhere... Anyway, my cheapO gamepad did not work: Liu Kang ducked all the time as an obsessed & possessed soul... Then, was turn to try the Dosbox mapping (gamepad buttons converted to keyboard presses) and did NOT work either: the duck obsession disappeared (I was finally able to move my character without problems) BUT none of the buttons work... still, the letters on the keyboard worked (consolation prize?!)
I did take time for some research, trial/error config (in the game & dosbox) but no, I could not get a full working gamepad. I gave up
Probably using a 3rd party tool for gamepad could solve this issue. But 2 thoughts:
a) I still would need to find the logic of the -black box button conversion thing-
b) I purchased this game to enjoy without the need of hacks and/or dark procedures...
Conclusion: A bleed of points on my rate because of this.
2) The game only give you 5 credits (5 -continues- in 2021 terms). Once you exhaust them, the game -resets- to a -fresh start-. I perfectly know the arcade business was to sell coins but this is not the case anymore... Developers could have made an effort to hide this epoch discrepancy and give unlimited credits...
In summary, I did NOT enjoy all the splendor of this great game of all times (on my personal list) as I should: A fighting game loses a lot of its fun (and ability) if gamepad availability is not there. Anyway, I had kind of fun and remembrances of great years but my master plan was to share this great game contending vs my youngster relatives... A thing I did not do because the embarrassment of sharing both the keyboard... Something that could not happen even in my worst nightmares!
No need to mention:
1)I limited my gameplay to the trustable and the simplest character to handle: Liu Kang
Goodbye to the fun to play deeply every single fighter on the cast as in the old times!
2)I did not even dare to try any fatality moves on the keyboard... and of course my skills were laughable... yes, some due my age, other due my lack of practice, but definitely the worst offender: the keyboard! A really sour travel.
Personal note: To explore (document) and exhaust the experience on other platforms available... someday.
Next leap on this MK tour: Mortal Kombat 2
Few MK1 pics enclosed