They peered out from behind the Living Forest, like two ninja pals sharing a private joke at the player's expense. Gray and green - mysterious and alluring. They were Smoke & Jade -- and together with Noob Saibot -- they left an indelible mark as all new Mortal Kombat II hidden characters! [Related Article: The Top 10 Hidden and Unlockable Characters]

Under the right set of circumstances - they could be challenged! A well timed portal activation, or mastering victory through kicks could open the challenge to high speed, high difficulty challenges! This couldn't numb the longing of many an arcade warrior to control them. Alas; despite years of rumors and half truths - they were never playable. Until now!

As reported by CVG; M.A.M.E. hacker & MKOmmunity User has cracked the code to make playing as Smoke, Jade & Noob Saibot easier than ever -- provided you've got mad skillz, of course.

The method will require some editing, and there's still the chance of some persistent glitches, but Abystus' method primarily sets itself apart by leaving the entire playable roster in tact. As Abystus himself put it, he's made them "real" playable characters, true to their CPU play style - and is still working to resolve any lingering bugs.

Get the full method and any updates by visiting his post on the mamecheat.co.uk forum. You can check out a completed Jade playthrough in the embedded video page top. Check out more videos posted by on the forums.

Register to find and discuss stories like this on the 2D Klassic Kombat forum. You can also find and share more fan ingenuity on the Fan Submission forum!