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Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
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Score: 90%
ESRB: Mature
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Media: Cart/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Fighting
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Graphics & Sound:
I missed my calling in the Arcade, and the first place I really had my shot at mastering Mortal Kombat was on the Sega Genesis. Sure, that was 10 years ago, but let me tell you that it's taken that much time to put all the magic I remember from Genesis (and the Arcade), on a portable system. What used to take up most of a wall in wires and controllers and outlets and a modest television set now comes on a 2-inch screen and a system you can hold in your hand. The look of Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance for GBA may not be Arcade perfect, but it's a good approximation and certainly a great bit of nostalgia if you did have the experience of playing this Fighter on less powerful systems back in The Day. The blood and guts have been depicted so faithfully that MK Deadly Alliance earns a Mature rating, and even finishing moves are done here to perfection. If you can think of yourself watching a punishing finishing move going, 'Oh! Oh! Aaaaah!' then believe me when I say you'll have the same impression on the small screen. The classic characters are here, along with new characters that are every bit the equal of their predecessors. The moves on screen look awesome, weapon attacks blur, throws have a visceral 'crunch' and slow or fast moving characters actually look realistic in action. Earning points can open up new outfits and characters, as well as new locations. The locations you fight in are awesome and have animation in the background that looks nice as you feint and twirl and jump and sidestep during battles. Even in the menus and extra, non-combat screens, MK Deadly Alliance is a visual feast, and that's no joke. The game would be chronically incomplete without the sounds of battle, all here preserved from the Arcade. 'Fight! Finish him! Ugh!' And Adema on GBA? Well, it's interesting to hear, but I'll leave it to you to decide how you feel about pumping heavy stuff like this through a tiny speaker. Try headphones for the fullest experience. Or just buy the album. |
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Gameplay:
Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance has a lot of the excitement we would expect for a game that comes from such an explosive lineage. Looking for a great fighting game? This is the only game in town, as far as GBA is concerned. And, MK fans will be pleased at the integrity present in all parts of this translation. Multiplayer is here, and you can link up another GBA to fight with a character of your choice in a ring of your choice. Either player can bring the characters and special options she's opened to the game, and both will benefit when the player profiles are loaded. Profiles are the way the game identifies you and saves all you've unlocked. The basic idea here is that multiple players could have a profile saved, share one GBA and still be able to follow their game progress individually. So, when you 'konnect' with another player who has a profile, your collective session takes advantage of all the options you and your friend have unlocked. In a neat twist, you can wager before matches, risking the valuable currency you've won in your game in the hope your fighting skills are superior. Opening up the game as a Single Player is good fun, and you have 2 main modes to compete against the CPU controlled fighters. Arcade and Survival Mode both take you through bloody fighting matches, but in Arcade you progress in sequenced battles with some breaks and even mini-games to really vary the action. Survival is a test of how long you can keep fighting waves of opponents before you lose a match. Once you lose, Survival Mode ends. Both modes offer a chance to learn new skills by earning Koins. You don't just unlock options during battle, but instead have to go into a completely different area from the main menu, called The Krypt. Here, you can cash in Koins to open koffins (yes, that 'k' thing does get a little silly, doesn't it?) and reveal anything from more Koins to special characters, character outfits or fighting stages. There isn't a practice stage, and nothing like the odd story mode or adventure mode that has graced other fighters over the last few years. But, the fighting action is awesome, and the mini-games between matches come up every so often and give a nice productive break. You can earn koins during the mini-games, which basically involve mad button pushing, timing or simple matching skills. Nothing too outlandish, but challenging and great to have as part of the whole package.
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Difficulty:
Most every option you'd want to configure can be changed in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, including 5 levels of difficulty! You can adjust how long matches last, how many success rounds are required to win a match, and other special options as you earn them.
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Game Mechanics:
Controlling all the possible attacks isn't quite as satisfying on GBA, but for the portability I think we can all overlook a few small gripes. Not having more than 2 attack buttons creates limitations, but the developers created a neat workaround to this in having several fighting styles each character can use. Not that the controls change, but the character's execution changes and the visuals are totally different. Not only does changing up your style (easily executed with the left shoulder button) confuse an enemy, but it adds double the amount of available moves to your arsenal without extra special moves or attack combos to memorize. Roughly 5 or 6 special moves are available for each character, and of course the finishing move you'll have to discover on your own. Triggering specials is a little more difficult on the compressed control scheme GBA offers, but hardly a challenge dedicated MK fans won't jump to overcome. Blocks, throws and projectile attacks are all part of your arsenal, to be used wisely depending on the opponent. AI seems solid, as each character seems to use a certain style against you, making for variety and challenge. But, on the easier settings, almost any combination of punching, kicking or jumping attacks will take out any combatant, which is fine for younger, less experienced gamers. For veterans of the series anxious to test their skill, Hard or Very Hard mode plays with some really tough AI and opponents you'll be lucky to lay a hand on. Being able to double tap and sidestep attacks is a really nice feature, but putting block on a shoulder button seems a little awkward when you spend so much time on the D-Pad and front buttons. Nothing we saw here led us to believe that MK Deadly Alliance is anything but a game fans will be proud of, and the depth in features available to be unlocked as well as multiplayer betting and solid control really helps take the game over the hump. Personally, playing MK Deadly Alliance brought back some very fond memories of lining up to play on Sega Genesis and wishing I knew enough to not get my butt whipped at the Arcade. By the time you've completed Arcade mode on Normal or Hard, unlocked every koffin in The Krypt and tried a little multiplayer, you will have put hours and hours into MK Deadly Alliance, which always sounds like a 'good investment' for any game, if you ask me. |
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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