Best Fighting Game
Mortal Kombat: Deception (Xbox, PS2)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Read our preview from E3 2004 >>
The classic Mortal Kombat series of fighting games was languishing for a while until Midway pulled off 2002's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the fifth game in the series and the best MK installment in years. As great as that game was, though, the forthcoming Mortal Kombat: Deception is looking substantially better. If Midway plays its cards right, this game should fulfill a lot of Deadly Alliance's untapped potential and just might emerge as one of the best new fighting games in years.
Look at the facts. Deception is based on the tried-and-true gameplay of Deadly Alliance, though in some ways it's moving even closer to classic MK-style gameplay, with lots of pop-up moves, midair juggle combos, and fun stuff like that. Deception is also bringing back many favorite characters from the series' bygone days. Best of all, though, Deception will be featuring online play on both the Xbox and PlayStation 2, which should all but assure fighting game fans of having good competition ready and waiting at all hours.
What's more, Deception will feature a number of peripheral modes of play that should widely broaden the game's appeal. From a Tetris-style puzzle game to a chess-style strategy game in which the pieces must duke it out, Mortal Kombat: Deception's alternate gameplay types are certainly surprising, and they also seem very entertaining. These will be playable online, too. And on top of all that, the game promises tons of unlockable extras, such as hidden characters, outfits, and more.
Fighting games are experiencing what might be considered a renaissance these days, with the advent of online play. Many of us at GameSpot were hardcore into the genre at one time, but as the nation's arcades dwindled, competition became harder to come by, and our interest naturally dwindled. But this looks like the perfect opportunity to dive right back in, and we absolutely can't wait. There were other promising fighting games at E3, but Mortal Kombat: Deception had us most excited.
The other Best Fighting Game finalists:
Def Jam: Fight for NY (Xbox, PS2, GC)
Guilty Gear Isuka (PS2)
King of Fighters: Maximum Impact (PS2)
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (Xbox, PS2)
More Features
Games you may like…
-
Resident Evil 4
(WII) -
Resident Evil
(GC) -
Resident Evil 0
(GC) -
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
(GC) -
Blood Omen 2
(GC)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games