Mortal Kombat: Deception

"The perfect game for your inner sociopath"

Mortal Kombat Deception is the second game in the Mortal Kombat series to appear on the next-generation consoles. Despite being based on the same engine and game play mechanics as Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Deception is far ahead of its predecessor in all categories.

Graphics:9/10

Barney's Hide and Seek this is not. Deception is a dark, dark game. You'll marvel at the fluidity of the animation as a demon rips the spine out of an unsuspecting monk. Jaws will drop as perfectly drawn blood drips from an impaled corpse. The graphical quality of Deception is noticeably improved from Deadly Alliance, and is considerably above the PS2 graphical standard. One major point of note is the vastly upgraded backgrounds. Every stage is a testament to the commitment of the artists, filled to the brim with details and hidden surprises for fans.

Gameplay 10/10

Deception's Konquest mode is totally revamped from Deadly Alliance's version. In Konquest, you follow the story of Shujinko, a thirteen year old who dreams of becoming a Mortal Kombat champion. Konquest is a completely free roaming adventure, with huge environments and hundreds of people to interact with. Also, the plethora of unlockables will keep you up in the wee hours of the night searching for that last treasure chest.

Arcade mode is the typical Mortal Kombat experience. Two fighters face off in a head to head battle, only ending when one fighter lies dead on the ground. It is not the most in-depth fighting game, but there is more then enough strategy to interest the average player, and the action is nonstop.

Puzzle and Chess Kombat are brand new side games, introduced in Deception. Chess Kombat is a whole new take on the ancient game, with combatants replacing the chess pieces and arcade mode battling for squares. No longer does the queen simply capture the every other piece without question. If the queen isn't careful, it might find itself decapitated by even the lowliest pawn. Puzzle Kombat is Tetris, with a violent twist. You compete with a friend or the computer to last the longest before the blocks fill your screen. As you play, two combatants battle it out at the bottom of the screen. If you delete a couple blocks, your fighter will deliver a weak punch to the opponent. Manage to eliminate many blocks at once, and watch as your fighter pummels your opponent with a combo.

Sound 6/10

As much as it saddens me, this game does have one serious flaw, and that is the voice acting. Sure, Scorpion's “Get over here” is perfect, as are the screams and moans of the dying. However, Konquest mode has some of the most abysmal voice acting ever heard in a video game. The actors emphasize the wrong words, talk way to quickly, and are laughably incompetent. .

Replay Value 10/10

You can forget about sleep. Although it has only been a few days since release, Deception promises to keep players coming back for years. With hundreds of unlockables, a massive Konquest mode, Chess and Puzzle Kombat, and a magnificent arcade mode, Deception will have a long shelf life.

Deception is the total package. It contains a sound fighting system, an epic adventure mode, interesting diversions like Chess and Puzzle Kombat, and hundreds of unlockables. It may not be the deepest, most difficult fighter to master, but it promises endless replay value and just pure fun. I'd recommend the game for everyone, even if you have disliked previous installments in the Mortal Kombat series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/07/04