Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

"After the disaster of MK4, Midway resurrects its fighting franchise!"

The Mortal Kombat franchise has really fallen on some tough times. Personally, I feel the series hit its apex with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and then took a sharp turn downward with each subsequent release in the franchise. Mortal Kombat 4 was a huge failure in its move to 3D, and the Special Forces and Sub-Zero games were horrible gaming experiences. Needless to say, I was very apprehensive when I heard that Midway was planning a new game in my beloved fighting series. I just hoped that this game would not tarnish the MK name too much, but instead, I found a game with refreshing new concepts and a savior to the entire series. Finally, I have found a game to surpass UMK3 as my favorite game in this series!

Graphics:
The graphics on this game are simply outstanding. The backgrounds are well-detailed, and the character models are interesting and very cool! Midway decided to forget about its infamous palette-swapping and instead create a unique model for each character, which I'm sure all MK fans will applaud. The Xbox really shows its stuff with this game. The visuals are not up to par with those found in Dead or Alive 3, but they are still quite beautiful and detailed.

Score: 10/10

Sound:
The sound here was nothing really special. Background music isn't all that great, but it isn't bad either. The sounds of combat are accurately reproduced, and it's always nice to hear the MK announcer say, ''Finish him!'' Overall, this is nothing to get excited about, but it does get the job done.

Score: 8/10

Gameplay:
This was the big question heading into MK:DA. Would this new fighting engine be a great innovation or just a failed idea? Give Ed Boon some credit; this game is super fun to play and has the best fighting engine of any MK game to date. Instead of having traditional HP, LP, and so forth for the controls, the attacks are now mapped to the four main face buttons as attacks 1, 2, 3, and 4. The game also makes use of the right trigger as a block button and the left trigger for changing fighting styles. Ah yes, the ability to change fighting styles! This is what gives MK:DA a huge boost. Each character has three different fighting styles, including one weapon style, which can easily be changed with just a press of the left trigger. This makes for some very cool combo opportunities with changing fighting styles right in the middle of the combo string. Trying to discover new and innovative attacks will keep gamers coming back for more. Also, there is a wide selection of characters from which to choose; you begin with 12 playable characters, and an additional 11 may be unlocked. Many fan favorites return, although some of the more popular ones, like Raiden, are among the unlockables. All in all, MK:DA has plenty of other secrets to find which I won't spoil here. Suffice it to say, you'll be having fun with this one for quite some time.

Score: 10/10

Replayability:
The mark of any good fighter is its replayability, and MK:DA scores highly here as well. As mentioned in the previous section, there are plenty of things to unlock in this game. Also, the fun factor in this latest installment is off the charts! I can't see putting this game away to collect dust even after I finish unlocking everything. Hardcore MK fans like me will play this one to death, but I think fighting game fans in general should take a long look at it. It's not just a great MK game; it's a great fighter, period.

Score: 10/10

Overall impressions:
The prayers of all of MK's devoted fans have finally been answered! Playing this brilliant game makes suffering through the poorly-conceived sequels and spinoffs like MK4, MK Trilogy, and Special Forces worth it. The only thing I really find wrong with this one is that the great feeling and battling friends and strangers in the confines of the local arcade is gone. Of course, the arcade scene has been dying for several years, and this game can always be played at parties, but somehow it doesn't feel the same. However, none of this detracts from the fact that this is simply the best game in the legendary MK series. Fans of fighting games need to be sure to have a copy of this game in their libraries.

Overall score (not an average): 10/10

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