"Deception 1.5"
Anyway, enough of what the people who weren't even born in 1992 think, and on with the review.
So many reviews regurgitate so much information, reading them can become tedious; “this is how air-kombat works, this is how many motor kombat tracks there are, etc. etc. etc.” Rather than repeat what you probably already know by now, I'll be as precise as I can and simply cut to the pros and cons of each mode.
Kombat, which has a feel somewhere between MK:D and MK:DA, is above average. Anyone feigning shock over the attack system revolving around a fairly basic 50/50 guessing game can stop it right now – you knew this was coming. (Er, I mean, koming?) Undoubtedly the occasional free throw or glitch still slips through, and that's only considering those found during the first week of play, (let's pray the bugs still hiding are mild) but all-around, everything is still manageable. The parries are useful when engaged properly, and may urge more offensive players to take closer notice of the block button. The larger characters are mostly hindered by slow movement, but given more power than average, which was expected. For the avid MK:D or MK:DA player, making the jump from three to two stances per character is only slightly problematic. Anyone like me, who found great joy in the style-branching combos, will suffer a minor disappointment from this, but on the flipside of that coin, there are subsequently more characters to learn, and with less information to have to memorize for each, the tradeoff might seem more reasonable over time. There's also a new wake-up game (attacks or dodges upon rising), which is only slightly modified from MK:D and appears to have been thrown in at the last minute, but that is at least some improvement. It is true that a lot of styles from MK:DA and MK:D were recycled, and shuffled among different characters, but once again... anyone truly embracing the 'Deception 1.5' concept shouldn't be too surprised by this. Actually, I found it to be useful; I have no idea what Shinnok's moves are, but I notice his weapon stance is exactly like Sindel's from MK:D, which means - I already know how to use it. One gripe I have about the gameplay, which I'm not sure is shared by other vets of the series, is that the feel during kombat is somewhat… sluggish. Directional stepping doesn't seem to be as crisp as it once was, and considering 70-80% of the gameplay elements were probably borrowed from previous installments, I see no reason why this should be. Still though, overall, it is manageable, and it still is ‘mortal kombat' at its core. Create a fatality is... a catch 22. On one side, you have the ability to create the most hilarious, sidesplitting, personalized fatalities. For example, my latest is this: knee them in the chest, spin them around, spin them around, spin them around, spin them around, drop them to a knee, pick them up, drop them to a knee, pick them up, spin them around, spin them around, smack them across the face... you get the point. The fatalities can be as ridiculous or as obscene as you want them. Just remember - there's only a set list of moves to choose from. On the other side, no individual character has his or her 'personal' fatality. You've probably read this before, but I insist that it is a well deserved complaint. Fatalities are what MADE Mortal Kombat, especially the first few installments. Stripping the game of character-specific finishers somehow lessens the personality associated with each fighter, it seems.
Konquest mode, adopting a "Shaolin Monks-esque" feel, was a real treat to play through. Some of the boss fights tended to be a little repetitive, but the overall pacing is done well, and should suck up 6-8 hours of your time (that isn't spent learning moves for 60+ characters). The transitions from brawler-like stage clearing, cut scenes, and character battles are very well timed, and maintain your attention. However, during the character battles, which are exactly like regular rounds of kombat, the computer AI still leaves much to be desired. Artificial intelligence in a fighting game can be downright nasty. I don't care how good you think you are – you're not beating the CPU on max because you're 1337. You're beating it because you're abusing a pattern. Let's get one thing straight - NOBODY plays fighting games to battle against the AI. If you do, may I strongly suggest a) going online, or b) finding someone to play in person… it's only about 10 to 20 times as fun. There simply is no enjoyment whatsoever in competing against a system that (very blatantly) makes split-second adjustments based entirely upon your button presses. It's as if I were playing a friend, and telegraphing my every move to them. "OK, here comes a punch. Wow, you blocked it! Now I'm going to throw you. Whoa, you dodged again, amazing..." In my opinion, playing against other humans is the only way to enjoy a fighter; missed opportunities, incorrect button presses, and catching on to patterns is what makes a good fighter so enjoyable. (Remember that, and your ability to play this game with other people – either online or in person – when you consider purchasing this title) As in the earlier MK titles, the CPU can not be analyzed. It marches straight up to you, usually ducks, and waits for you to make a move so it can instantaneously perform the counter to it. (The accuracy of all of this is based on the CPU difficulty, of course.) This may mean nothing to some of you, but fighters have always been (and should always be) first and foremost about the gameplay. What good is any level of gameplay if the CPU is doing nothing but consistently initiating pre-programmed countermeasures against your every move? Wow. FUN. The resolution to this problem is almost equally as annoying as the AI, and that is the cheap, tactic-less warfare you have to engage in just to be effective. For example, making Taven repeatedly throw his fireball projectile in-between back-stepping, side-stepping and front-stepping animations is an almost surefire way to win a fight against the CPU. As soon as the computer associates that attack with a sidestep, simply step in a different direction and do it again. And again. And again. Also, waiting for the CPU to advance and letting them walk into combos is effective. Sure, up close I can be fighting my arse off and get stomped every time, but turtling, whoring projectiles, and intentionally whiffing combos somehow enable me to pull off the win. Effective? Yes. Fun? Not at all. The voice acting in Konquest is above-average, but the timing isn't quite right in some spots. Again, the pacing is very well done; the flow between exploratory, dialogue and kombat segments really keeps you wanting more. I'm pleased at how much effort is required to complete Konquest mode; it a-l-m-o-s-t makes up for the chess and puzzle games getting ditched for the absolute debacle which is… Motor Kombat. Motor Kombat, Midway's attempt to replace the Puzzle and Chess games from Deception, is average at best. Even a Mario Kart fan such as myself can appreciate a good racing mini-game, but the appeal has got to be there, and Motor Kombat simply falls flat. Sure it's exciting see some of the MK gang in a new light, their characteristics and abilities applied in a new way. And yes, it's entertaining to race someone else online, knowing that their kart is plodding along as slowly and uneventfully as yours. Still, no matter how you slice it, you can't help but feel underwhelmed by this new ‘distraction', the term Ed Boon and his crew use to describe any in-game diversion from regular kombat. Well Eddie, the only ‘distraction' I suffered was a huge letdown in what this feature turned out to be, compared to what it could have been. You can't shake the feeling that everything in Motor Kombat has been done before, by somebody else, and usually with a greater degree of success. Kreate-a-Kharacter is largely a redeeming factor for Armageddon, and is just as in-depth and fun to toy with as all of the pre-release hype and rumors were speculating. While online, I've seen plenty of original (and somewhat lame) creations. Every once in a while it's a true delight to run into a famous character from TV or movies. Most impressive is, if the creator took the time to make the character model as close to the real thing as possible, you could probably identify them without even seeing the name. That's how great (and accurate) this new feature is. My tribute to Fred Rogers is as dead-on as it gets, barring the absence of 'cardigan sweater' from the clothing options. Oh well, you can't have it all, and 'periwinkle-blue blazer' seemed a very adequate substitution. Fighting created characters online is exciting, especially when facing them for the first time. Like a blind date, you never know quite what to expect... though most blind dates don't normally end up puking on or spitting blood at you. (most...) As far as constructing move sets for the created characters are concerned, the prediction I made months before MK:A released was correct. Anyone who knows which moves from each style are the fastest, safest, strongest, (cheapest), and so on, can easily throw together a very annoyingly effective character. Even the special moves alone can be matched up to create a nasty arsenal that no other character has access to. If you're like me, and you can't stand playing more than a few games against the same character who uses the same moves over and over and over again, this can get a little tiring. On story and secrets… I don't pay attention to the story in fighters, and frankly, I don't know why anybody else does either. I also don't dawdle with every unlockable and bonus feature a game has, until I become obtusely bored and spend a rainy afternoon checking everything out, 3 months after buying it. Given that, don't expect me to comment much on these facets of Armageddon. I will say that it's much easier to unlock alternate costumes, extra stages and stage music this time around, which is a godsend - anyone remembering the "find the key, open the chest, take a plane to Reno, get the right currency, wait until 3:45am on a Saturday, do the hokey pokey, go to the krypt" method from Deception's Konquest mode will truly appreciate the newfound simplicity. A streamlined currency system also makes things easier to handle this time around. Graphics: Decent, and (as anyone with an IQ over 60 and the ability to read would know) mostly borrowed from previous installments.
Sound: Above average, with exciting music and crisp, accurate sound effects (mostly borrowed – are you getting the hang of it now?)
Control: Just a little bit more sluggish than Deception; air kombat seems difficult to pull off online, but adds a noticeable change along with parries.
Story: There were once a bunch of beings who fought each other… wait a minute, who cares? Do you have Johnny Cage's 2114, jump up, 112, bounceback 1134 combo learned yet? Well you better stop that foolish reading and get with it! Replay: High
MK fans – buy it, unless you're allergic to Deception and/or Deadly Alliance, then you can just keep playing Tekken and Soul Calibur and leave us all alone. (Online play is a major benefit, if you are able.)
Casual gamers – rent this first. If you've never played a Mortal Kombat title before this one, then you won't even know the difference and probably enjoy it.