On it's way back to the top of the fighting genre.
Mortal Kombat was once the king of all fighting games, it pulverised the competition with it's memorable characters, inventive moves and some pretty gruesome fatalities. The series however began to get a little stale and following the release of Mortal Kombat 4 people started asking questions. The series' high standards had dropped and so had many of it's fans along the way. This is Midway's answer to all it's critics, it has been a long time in the making and it's name is Mortal Kombat : Deadly Alliance. This is the game that they hope will shoot them back to the top of the genre and show rival franchises like Tekken and Dead or Alive who's boss.
Before this games release Midway boasted an impressive 60 different styles of fighting to be included in this game and they delivered. It had me and i am sure many others mouths watering at the prospect of what was to come, but after playing the game though i couldn't help but feel disappointed. Yes there are many fighting styles here, each having their own unique move sets and combo's, but unfortunately most of them are unimaginative and quite a few of them are near identical to each other.
Each character has a total of 3 different fighting styles that can be used in any one fight and switched with a fairly simple push of L1. This varies the gameplay immensly, you may find one fighting style more effective than another against a certain type of opponent and this adds quite a large tactical element. It also makes combo's a lot more inventive for the gamer, you could start a battle with a quick fighting style which would give you the opportunities to knock your opponent into the air while then switching to a style with more powerful attacks to maximise the damage you inflict on your opponent whilst juggling them.
Some of these styles just don't suit their characters though, Sonya is a prime example of somebody who doesn't feel or fight anything like she used to in previous games and will take a bit of getting used to. Then you have characters who have 3 fighting styles that are all pretty similar which kind of defeats the object. There are characters like Shang Tsung though who has an exciting mix of Snake, Crane and Sword styles that suit him perfectly.
You won't find many fighters on the market with as many moves as this game offers. it's just a shame many of thrm are unimaginative and a little too similar for my liking. Fans of the fighting genre will probably also notice quite a few of the moves that have clearly been stole from the competition. Johnny Cages Kick Jump for example is a little too remiscent of the one Law uses from the Tekken series. Also Kenshi's moves are shockingly similar to that of Ermac's from previous Mortal Kombat installments.
This game does have one thing that is very impressive and that is a fully functional 3D fighting system that puts all others to shame. No double taps up and down or silly dodge buttons will be found here. To circle your opponent in battle a simple press up or down is all that is needed. This allows fighters to access the whole fighting arena with relative ease and dodge attacks without being mauled in the attempt. You may be thinking "so how do you jump?" and the answer is again rather simple. A diagonal push up and left or up and right will make your character jump accordingly, a diagonal push down and your character will crouch.
This game looks great and is one of the best looking fighters to grace a console. The light and shadows on display can at times be jaw-dropping and really create a sense of realism many games try for and fail. The realism this game offers makes for some pretty graphic fatalities, it was rumoured this game would not feature fatalities at all, that they would remove them in the hopes of appealing to a younger targer audience. They didn't and what a relief, there is more blood than ever before. It is just a shame each character is limited to one fatality, you just feel the removal of a disappointing character like Drachin would have given them the opportunity to give the other characters more finishing moves.
One aim that Midway did have in their sights for their latest installment in the Mortal Kombat series was an improved single player. The previous attempts aren't even worth a mention but thankfully they have finally got it right in the form of The Krypt. The Krypt is essentially a room full of locked coffins organised alphabetically, starting with AA and then AB and so on. Each coffin can be unlocked by obtaining different coloured coins throughout the game, the prizes aren't half bad either. Ranging from concept art and behind-the-scenes footage of how they made the game to characters like Jax, Cyrax and Katana. Some even contain nothing at all, unless you cheat with a strategy guide then it should take you some time to unlock all the characters, even longer if you want every single coffin opened.
While on the subject of the single player a new mode called "Conquest" has been added to the proceeding's. This mode see's you selecting a character and going on a journey to become the ultimate fighter. You will learn some useful moves and combos for each of the characters along the way, which is sure to improve your skills. Sadly though, while this mode does have potential it gets repetitive very quickly as almost almost every conquest is essentially the same for every character.
Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance while good isn't as good as it could have been with a little more effort on Midway's part. It seems they got lazy at times and threw in any old character or move to make up the numbers. This game does have a superb fighting engine though and some stunning visuals, but is just lacking some vital ingredients. With flashes of brilliance and a pretty unique fighting structure Mortal Kombat is well on it's way back to the top of the fighting genre. While it can't directly compare to games like Tekken and Dead or Alive just yet it certainly has put itself back on the map.
