Gaming Target - GameCube: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Written by Tim McGrew on November 19, 2002

Final Glimpse: Angry right wing censors: AVOID THIS GAME!

Mortal Kombat has been a series in limbo for quite some time. It first made an appearance in the arcades and finally at home with both a Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo version of the game. Shortly after, the game's themes and story developed into two feature films, three sequels, and was mentioned in countless political debates concerning violence in our media. Needless to say, the series has had its ups and downs for quite a few years but at its core the game is an addicting fighter featuring fatal maneuvers and gallons of blood and gore that have angered media censors for years. Finally the series is back with its first 128-bit rendition gracing us all on what the developers are calling Fatality Friday on November 22nd; Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance.

Once again, the Earth realm is threatened by a number of evil foes and it's up to Raiden and a few other characters to stop them from invading and enslaving the living. However, the game itself is more of a retelling of the story rather than a pseudo sequel to the other four games. This time around, the game has undergone quite a few game play changes, incorporating the best features from all previous Mortal Kombat games into this somewhat hybrid title.

For better or worse, weapons have made a return in this game, which were first presented as a staple of the game play in Mortal Kombat 4. Unfortunately, the weapons in MK4 were rather difficult to use and were awkward to weild. No longer is that the case for MKDA since all weapons are now drawn with a single button and are actually handled with a method similar to Soul Calibur. Not only are weapons returning, but they are also accompanied by a new stance system unseen in previous games in the series. Each character has roughly two fighting stances and one weapon stance and each has a great deal of variety in terms of moves and abilities.

Thus far, the game is setting up to be one of the most diverse in the series with a list of moves that dwarfs every other MK game released to date and a nmber of characters that are far superior to any other game in the series as well. There are a few characters returning, but the majority of the cast is new and fairly original. Fans of the series will recognize characters such as Kung Lao, Reptile, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Kitana, and Sonya Blade, but there are new faces present such as Bo Rai Cho, Kenshi, Frost, and a number of others. The new character designs are of particular interest since they are unique in design both from an artistic sense and a maneuver sense. Bo Rai Cho for example has a vomit maneuver that acts similar to Sub-Zero's ground freeze from Mortal Kombat 2 causing the players to slip up and lose balance until the move either wears off or an opponent hits them.

Speaking of the fighting styles, players can alternate between them on the fly as opposed to selecting one at the start of a match. Because of this feature, players can actually alternate between styles during combos creating one long attack string that causes massive damage. The in game moves are slightly altered in MKDA. Specific moves, especially the upper cut maneuver that has become synonymous with the MK series, have been drastically altered and certain moves may not be nearly as strong as they used to be in previous installments. Some players may not even have an upper cut maneuver this time around but rather several different moves that pop opponents into the air for quick aerial combos. Johnny Cage will pound a character with an overhead smash that bounces them off the ground and into the air to be devastated with a string of moves. Also included is a type of impaling move available for characters with bladed weapons that when used, opens a hole in a character's body causing them to bleed profusely resulting in health loss as they continue to bleed and the only way to halt the process is by hitting your opponent, which can be difficult if they're good at dodging your projectile attacks and keeping their distance.

The game is entirely 3D meaning that you can roam around the enormous levels. Surrounding the fighters is an invisible force wall that can't be surpassed, but can be used as a weapon because it slightly damages characters when they run into it. Also included in the levels will be breakable objects which will also deal damage to players as they run into them. The art design itself is quite good for these levels and original as well as visually pleasing to look at.

The graphics themselves are quite nice with excellent collision detection as one would expect from a fighter. The characters are also highly detailed with high polygon counts and smooth animation. The backgrounds encompass a great deal of detail including blood splatters that remain on the ground as you progress through the match and some levels that have lots of motion keeping the levels original and unobtrusive.