Mortal Kombat: Deception

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

Following on from the last game in the MK series,Deadly Alliance,it emerges that the defenders of Earth-Realm failed in their mission to stop evil-doers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung from taking control of Earth-Realm.In a last ditch attempt to stop them,the resistance's leader,Rayden,did battle single-handedly with them,but their combined might proved too much for him.However,both sides now face a new threat in the shape of Onega,the evil dragon-lord,considered to be the only true ruler of Earth-Realm...

The long-running MK franchise attempts to branch out with Deception,a game in which there is a 'puzzle' option in which you must control the movement of shapes and objects in order to win.There is also a segment entitled 'Chess Mortal Kombat',in which you must basically play Mortal Kombat in the style of,well,chess?!?Urrrgh,I've never played chess before in my life,let's just get to what we all came for,hard-core arcade style fighting!Here the game really blows hot and blows cold.There's a new selection of characters to choose from,none of them as appealing as with the previous game,but fairly adept fighters all the same.The graphics feel a little podgier than before,but where the game offers compensation is in scope.You can hurtle characters up high in the air,sending them up through glass roofs,you can knock them through wooden floor-boards and,to expurgate on this a bit,the death scenes are certainly a lot grislier.Characters are knocked from high cliff-tops and find themselves impaled on wooden spikes,they're knocked into spinning gurders,they're even just knocked from high heights,land on the ground,and splatter into a bloody mess just from the force of the impact.With recent publicity surrounding the effects of violent games and what they can lead to on young minds,it's a little nulifying to think that video game retailers may sell games such as this to youngsters with the 18 certificate being used merely as a precautionary measure!

Overall,for all it's catchy gimmicks,this still doesn't quite manage to better Deadly Alliance in any way.That's not to mention that the game's obsession with spelling every single word that actually begins with a c with a k is a novelty that's starting to wear off now (there's even a character called Kobra in it-yeeesh!)But I can't say that it's worse than it in any way,either.Maybe Santa'll bring it me for Christmas.***

In this case nostalgia is good. Old MK characters return and stage fatalities return. Konquest in this game is an RPG like adventure with the main character named Shujinko. Konquest does have some terrible voice acting in spots, but not everyone is bad. Midway has got the right idea with Konquest. It just needs to be fleshed out more. Shujinko's controls are slightly stiff when it comes to moving.

Most of the stories are good when you beat arcade mode. There is a couple that disappoint.

There is also a new addition to the MK series. Which is Hara Kiris. Its suicide basically. Most of the Hara Kiri's range from cool to bland.

All the characters have their own voices. Which is great and adds more depth to the game in my opinion.

The fighting feels more updated and not so clunky like in Deadly Alliance. There are multi-tiered levels now. There are two fatalities instead of one like in Deadly Alliance. Overall a major improvement over Deadly Alliance.

Mortal Kombat: Deception is a standout entry in the series, not only for its engaging gameplay, diverse roster, and detailed Konquest mode, but also for introducing Kira, the first playable female member of the Black Dragon. Though she may not be a major character in the grand scheme of the Mortal Kombat universe, Kira's debut holds a special place for fans who appreciate the deeper Black Dragon lore. She becomes the first recruit of Kabal's reformed Black Dragon, and her role, although minor, adds a new dynamic to the story.

What sets Kira apart in Deception is how her character endings from Kira, Kabal, and Kobra seamlessly fit together, creating one of the most coherent and satisfying arcs in the game. Despite these endings not being canon, they add depth to the story that's often missing in other Mortal Kombat titles, especially for Black Dragon fans. The Kabal-led storyline gives a refreshing take on the criminal underworld, making it one of the most well-crafted storylines for the Black Dragon faction in any Mortal Kombat game.

However, not all fans embraced Kira's arrival. Many criticized her for filling the void left by absent favorites like Kano and Sonya, as she adopts movesets reminiscent of both characters. Some saw this as a lazy design choice, though the concept behind her fighting style was actually an intriguing one. Despite the lackluster execution, the idea of blending elements from two iconic characters into one could have been a unique way to introduce Kira as a hybrid fighter.

In the larger context of Mortal Kombat: Deception, Kira's presence gives fans of the Black Dragon something new to appreciate. Her addition as the first playable female Black Dragon member, despite being preceded by Tasia in an NPC role, is a notable achievement. Deception not only serves as her introduction but also lays the foundation for future Black Dragon stories, making it a memorable entry in the Mortal Kombat series.

A Kick ass game this was, it is my second favorite Mortal Kombat game behind Armageddon, Chess Kombat rocks, I am a huge fan of both Mortal Kombat and Chess, Onaga, who is the final boss of this game is the best main villain/final villain boss in my opinion and Second best Final Boss to Blaze, Puzzle Kombat was cool too, it is like Tetris, Konquest in this Mortal Kombat is probably my favorite Konquest since you can go back places basically anytime, I love how you can make your chess teams and save them to your profiles, the idea of different colored coins was very creative too, Noob Saibot and Smoke though should have been separate, it was not fair to either of them and they did not get to use weapons, there are only 3 of the 24 endings I didn't care for, the rest were good though. Characters in this game that rock are Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Noob-Smoke, Ermac, Baraka, Mileena, Jade, Li Mei (Her ending was just way out of her character there), Sindel, Kira, and Kabal, although I didn't like that the likes of Kitana, Reptile, Cyrax, Sektor, etc. weren't playable, but I also loved the story lines involving the realms and the Komidogu, overall a must have game for decades to come! S Ranking, 5 Stars and 1000/10 This series just keeps getting better.

Rated M for Strong Bloody Violence.

The Mortal Kombat series has generated a lot of controversy.It was one of the first video games to show lots of blood.The first game and some of its sequels were censored on certain consoles such as SNES.I used to like the Tekken series better.But Mortal Kombat definitely wastes that fighting series! Sure Tekken may have better graphics but who needs graphics when you have tons of cool combos,characters and a lot of blood.There are many modes in this game such as Chess Combat which is like Chess only instead of jumping over characters you fight them to take their place on the square.There is also Puzzle Combat.Then there is konquest mode where you learn new fighting moves while doing little missions for people on the street.Mortal Kombat Deception is an excellent fighting game and it is worth buying!

10/10