Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

"So Brutal ... So Evil ... So Deadly ... So KICK-ASS."

You know, there's just something about Mortal Kombat. I've got a PS2 and an Xbox, and I've played just about every fighting game on both systems. There's some jewels out there - Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4, Dead or Alive 3, Capcom vs. SNK 2 - but none of them quite have that...how you say, je ne se quois?... that the good ol' MK series is.

I mean, come on, this is Mortal Kombat we're talking about here. This game was pushing the boundaries of good taste and social decorum before anyone had heard of BMX XXX or Grand Theft Auto. You gotta love that.

But it doesn't have a review, yet. And you gotta hate that. So here goes.

GRAPHICS: 8.5 out of 10
It's not Tekken 4 gorgeous, but the graphics do shine. Far better than all but one or two 3d fighters out there. The backgrounds, especially, are handsome as hell. There obviously was a lot of work put into the scenery. The immediate arenas have lots of character - you can see individual chips in tile floors, and shadows play across them quite well.

The characters aren't quite as well-rendered, but they move well. I've noticed no jaggies and only one or two collision issues - and only then in really wierd circumstances, like two characters sliding into the invisible barrier at the edge of each arena simultaneously. Characters HAVE multiple costumes, not just slight color variations. Apparently, some characters have more than just 2, but the only way to see more than 1 of them at the start is to play Versus mode, and both players must choose the same character.

There are supposedly more models to unlock, but there's more on that, later...

There are some really nice touches, graphically. Rubble from broken pillars remains on the ground. Spilt blood - and there are gallons upon gallons of it, in an average match - doesn't magically evaporate as soon as it hits the ground (yes, there's a ''reduce gore'' option). Character models show cuts, bruises, and even ripped clothing (get your mind out of the gutter). There's neat flare- and lighting-effects from some of the special attacks (Quan-Chi's flaming skull attack will make you ooh and ahh). Very slickly done, Midway.

STORY: 9 out of 10
The only thing that prevents the game from getting a 10 out of 10 is the lack of intro movies for each character. The story is very well laid-out, complete with a detailed and beautifully rendered (I think it's using the game-engine, too) movie, and voiced-over by the Thunder God, Raiden, himself. Two evil sorcerers (Quan-Chi and Shang Tsung, remember them?) have joined forces, murdered the ruler of Outworld, and are preparing a new Tournament to capture souls of slain warriors to power-up an unstoppable undead army. Thus, each of the 20 (wow, that seems HUGE for an MK game, to me) characters has a very specific relation to the overall story, as well as an affiliation and alignment.

It's slick. I just wish each character had an intro movie. But that's OK. The Konquest (training) mode helps make up for that somewhat.

SOUND/MUSIC: 9 out of 10
Niiiiiiiiiiiice...
The sound is one of the best parts of the game. The music has a nice mix of electronica (think the MK movies), ominous music (I especially like the music in one arena, the ''Hall of Drums''), and dirge-like themes.

The SFX are really good, too, although the sound of dripping blood (you can see it streaming down Kombatants' arms and bodies) can get a tad annoying when you're busily stalking each other. You can find lots of ways to make enough noise to drown out the bleeding, though. The thumps, whacks, stabs, and screams all sound good. The special attacks sound especially great, and the fatalities just flat-out sound as gory as they look.

Great stuff. I need to go take my meds, now...

MULTIPLAYER: 9 out of 10
What can I say? Tearing your friend's liver out = good clean fun, not to mention what it's really all about. The ability to wager Koins (again, more later) against your friend when you play is a great touch. I'd prefer
there to be some more modes - team battle or the like - but the betting feature is a very nice touch.

GAMEPLAY: 10 out of 10
This is where MK: DA shines. The controls are responsive, and no characters seem too far out of whack, power-wise. The game definitely plays better with the S-controller, but it's still good with the standard chunktroller. The game features a very innovative system whereby you create a user profile, and then collect Koins (the Kurrency of the Realm, the letter ''C'' being banned, apparently), for use in the Krypt (of Kourse), where you buy Koffins (*twitch*) to open to unlock secrets, such as locked characters, arenas, alternate costumes, Koncept Art, and Kodes. In multiplayer, you and a friend can both load your profiles and bet Koins on the outcome of matches. Moves are fairly easy to pull off, but not ridiculously so. SFII-style non-stop Hadoken-wars don't work well in MK. The pace is a bit more measured and slow than in VF4 or Tekken 4, and button mashing is a good way to get your heart torn out. Some folks might not like the slower pace of the fights, but I like it. The fatalities are impressive, gory, innovative, and relatively simple to achieve.

I know there's stage fatalities... must... learn... how to knock... opponent into... acid bath...

REPLAYABILITY: 10 out of 10
With all the hidden goodies, multiple characters, and the 676 Koffins to unlock, this isn't a fighter you blaze through in the course of an evening. For a brawler, this one has a TON of replay value.

BUY OR RENT: If you're a fan of the MK series, run, don't walk, run out and buy this game. If you're a fan of fighting games, this one definitely merits a rent.

Bear in mind though, that renting this game is a test-drive. If you like it, you're not going to get the whole game down in just a 3-day rental...

And now, as we're at the end of the review, I shall FINISH IT!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/02, Updated 11/21/02