Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

"I'm a diehard MK fan, read my review"

The MK series has always represented two things to me; brutal fighting and innovation. There are hundreds of games that are at least as gory as the MK series, their problem is that they are often not as good, and if they are, then they are not nearly as popular. Mortal Kombat is back and this time with a vengeance. As usual we find classic fighters like everyone’s favorite ninja “bigger than the franchise” Scorpion and of course his ever present nemesis Sub-Zero who is now the only character that has been in every MK game. There’s also Sonya, Jax and of course Kano with them. New characters includes Frost, a female Sub-Zero that us fans have been waiting for since MK2, Nitara, a luscious vampire, Drahmin, a skinless zombie with flies flying around him and Kenshi, blind samurai with a vengeance.
Finally the fans were heard and we see Liu Kang getting killed off during the intro movie, things can only get better from here.

Gameplay 8/10
It’s a combination of Soul Calibur and Tekken actually. What’s new is that every character has two styles and a weapon. You can cycle through these at any time and this is where the true innovation lies. The ability to change styles adds depth not seen in any game before it since it’s universal for all characters. All styles also has a special maneuver specific to that style. You will find everything from the orthodox styles like classic Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Sambo Commando and Wrestling to more exotic styles like Snake Fist, Escrima, Drunken Boxing and Crab style Kung Fu.
Every character is unique and while they don’t have many special attacks they make up for it with the multiple styles and different weapons. The coolest part is that every character can do something no one else can. Kitana for example is the only who can actually throw her weapon, Raiden is the only one who can throw with his weapon out, only Nitara can regenerate health by throwing (being a vampire and all), Kano has certain stuns that only he can do and Drahmin who has no real combos can use his specials to juggle better than anyone else.
The only problem here is that the controllers isn’t as tight as it was in MK4 but that’s probably because of the Xbox controller. Also the blocking button takes some getting used to, especially since the game is initially so similar to Tekken.

Graphics 9/10
A huge leap over MK4 and the best looking MK game to date. The characters can now move freely around the stages that all look great. The details are the strongest point here, everything from the blood running down your character’s surface to the projectiles all look great. If your character is hit in the face he or she will be bruised and sometimes you may get away with the victory only to have your face remodeled by the opponent as the price. The effects, character design and amazing attention to detail makes this game a winner. Sonya never looked hotter.

Sound 8/10
Typical MK sound. Dark music with plenty of drums sets the mood just right, the sound effects are solid and the chants are a bit silly sounding but much better than any previous MK game before it. Everything sounds like it should and the environmental effects play in nicely but it’s nothing to write home about.

Endurance 8/10
There’s 676 secrets to unlock. You can unlock characters that almost doubles the amount of characters available from the start. Getting all the characters, completing all the missions in quest mode, unlocking all the stages, the artwork, the movie clips (like Cooking With Scoprion, a classic) endings and the bonuses will take you weeks. After that the game can last forever in VS mode just like any fighting game, provided you have the friends for it. There is also a music video, making of clip and an infomercial movie that tells you all about MK.

Overall 8/10
A must have for the fans and a true revival of the series. In single player this game will last longer than any other fighting title out there. If you ever enjoyed a single MK game or brutal fighting in general this is one game you have got to try, it’s too good to pass up completely. Ed Boon and co put alot of work into this and while it certainly won’t compete seriously with the likes of Tekken and Virtua Fighter it is easily the best fighting game ever made in the US.

Mika L

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/03, Updated 06/30/03