Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

"The Old Ultra-Violence"

This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence.
- A Clockwork Orange

Mortal Kombat is truly a legend. It introduced a bit of the old ultra-violence upon mainstream America, and it was eaten up. Fans craved the spine-ripping, face-impaling experience that this game delivered. It paved the way for violence in videogames, but after a while, its charm wore off. After a certain amount of time, most games were just as violent, leaving Mortal Kombat without its hook. It became just another game, and eventually, the series fell into predictable mediocrity. So now, many long years since the release of the first game, we are given a true sequel to the main series in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Does this game live up to the standards of the first few games? The answer is a resounding yes. But does it hold up to the new standards of fighting games? Not quite.

For those not familiar with Mortal Kombat, the premise is quite simple. It's a 3d fighting game, that sets two opponents within a arena. You must beat the life out of your opponent using your fists, feet and whatever kind of weapon you happen to be carrying. Landing a blow to your opponent will inflict massive blood loss, which is how these games became so famous. Each character has their own unique weapons to slice and dice with, everything from a standard katana to massive butterfly swords. So, if you've got some pent up anger in you, and you'd like to release it upon something, then this game is probably for you.

The story is about what you'd expect from a fighting game. After the events of the last Mortal Kombat tournament, the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi have formed an alliance, in an attempt to revive the army of the Dragon King. The heroes of Earthrealm have formed an alliance of their own, trying to stop this. If the army is revived, then the world is doomed. It's up to classic characters like Raiden, Sonya, Jax and Johnny Cage. And then you have the classic villains, like Kano and Reptile. Of course, the tremendously popular Scorpion and Sub-Zero return as well.

To its credit, Deadly Alliance does a great job of improving over their past. You'll need a certain degree of strategy if you'd like to advance far into the game or become a skilled player. Each character has three forms of martial arts, the third being weapon-based. Skilled players will be able to chain attacks together, flowing from one form to another. Most of these attacks, however, are quite complicated and are almost useless in battle. It's very hard to input long commands while not letting your opponent bludgeon you over the head with something. If you do become skilled enough, these combinations will look extremely impressive, and will do some great damage. Most of the time, players will find themselves sticking with moves they know will work, or simply button-mashing. Some of the later characters almost require button-mashing and constant attacking or you'll lose in no time. This is my only complaint, that button-mashing is far too useful. This game would have been fantastic if it had been a launch game with the PS2. But this game is being released after Virtua Fighter 4, and to some extent, Tekken 4. Button-mashing and memorizing two or three moves to go all the way through story mode is simply unacceptable now.

The game attempts to teach the player how to fight, but it merely shows the player how to. In a mode called Konquest mode, the player must pass through several stations where he must complete several combos and learn special moves. While this is a fantastic concept, it's only deep on the surface. You learn how to do a certain combo, and then you're sent on you're way. You aren't taught when to use the combos or how to use them effectively. Normally, this wouldn't have been so bad, but when you try these combos out in the real game and they don't work, you'll be wishing you knew how to use them properly. Of course, one could argue that you don't need to know how to use them properly. I would have to agree with that statement. Why go through all the trouble of learning complex combos when you can simply button-mash your way to victory? So what exactly am I complaining about? I'm complaining about the fact that the developers put in this training feature, and failed to utilize it to the point it should have been. If it had taught you to use the combos properly, there would be no need for button-mashing and relying on special moves. It would have eliminated a major problem, and made the game a lot more fun. Deadly Alliance simply cannot compete with the other, more balanced fighting games on the market.

On the other hand, the graphics are quite good. The arenas look fantastic, from smoldering lava, to acid pits to a pirate ship with waves crashing onto it. The characters also look very good, most of the time. Sometimes, when a move is being pulled off, it looks very strange and forced, like the character was lifted off the ground by a wire instead of jumping. It isn't enough to ruin the game, because you probably won't even notice half the time. The graphics also lend the old ultra- violence a hand. Never before have you seen so much blood on the floor. It's a wonder the fighters don't pass out after a while. One of the most well known devices of the Mortal Kombat series are the fatalities. Once you have beaten an opponent, you'll be able to perform a special move that completely decimates the other character. These are nice and gory, and elevate violence in fighting games once more.

''Get over here!'' is one line you'll probably be hearing a lot of. The voices in this game are good, even if many of the characters don't speak at all. The story is told by a narrator, Raiden, so the only time you hear the characters speak is in battle, and half the time they're just grunting or groaning. The sound effects are very cool. Swords tearing through flesh, a fist connecting on target, it all sounds very good and over the top. The music is actually one of the better parts of the game. It is very creepy, which fits the mood of the game very well.

The best part of the game is the replay value. As you progress through the game, you can acquire all sorts of different kinds of tokens. These can be taken through the Krypt, where you can purchase just about anything you want to. From new arenas, characters, videos, design art and promotional stuff, it has everything a die-hard Mortal Kombat fan could ask for. You'll want to play through the game with all the characters to unlock all the endings. The Krypt will take even the most dedicated gamer busy for weeks if not months. It's a truly great addition, but it simply cannot make up for the fact that the gameplay falters.

So, while this a terrific improvement over past installments, it isn't as good or deep as some of the other fighters available for Sony's little black box. Button-mashing really holds this game back and prevents it from realizing how grand of a game it could have been. Just as years before, the violence is the draw, along with some new flashy moves. But this is a fighting game, and that should be the focus of the next game, instead of the violence. But if all you want is some of the old ultra-violence, then this game is for you. I cannot recommend it to everyone, however.

Gameplay- 6/10
Button-mashing and relying to heavily on special moves really hurt the experience. A more competent training mode is in order.

Graphics- 7/10
They're good, but nothing spectacular. It doesn't look or flow as well as Tekken 4 or Virtua Fighter 4.

Sound- 8/10
The music is great, but there's not much else here.

Replay- 10/10
Deadly Alliance will take a long time to unlock everything, even for the most dedicated fans.

Final Score- 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03