Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance

Mortal Kombat was first unleashed to the world back in 1992. It was released on most platforms including the Sega Mega Drive, Arcade, SNES and GameBoy. Mortal Kombat had a story line which, although shallow, was something most fighters lacked. It was about an ultimate fighting tournemant called Mortal Kombat. Fighters of all origins and styles were pitted against each other in a fight to the death (usually). There were a group of Earth warriors who had to fight against fighters from different realms in order to protect the Earth. The story was o.k but it was the gameplay that counted.
The gameplay consisted of choosing a character and fighting you way to the top. After you beat your oppenent into a pulp who had the option of 'finishing' him. This is perhaps MKs strongest appeal. After 2 rounds of a hard fought battle you were able to kill your oppenent in a number of violent, often disturbing ways. From ripping them in half to burning them, MK had it all.
Another of MKs strong points was the fact that the characters wernt left to use just their hands and feet but instead each character was given multiple specials moves ranging from Scorpians spear to Sub-Zeros ice. This really enhanced the games overall appeal.
Mortal Kombat was a huge success so Mortal Kombat 2 was made, then Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat Mythlogogies and a few other variations on the game. The number go characters rose and so did the violence but by MK3 they game was 'old' and had nothing new to offer.
After the release of the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation, Midway realeased a new version called Mortal Kombat 4.
Mortal Kombat 4 was basically the same game with improved visuals and the ability for the characters to draw weapons and fight with them. Sure the game was fun for a while but like the other MKs before them the appeal was gone as quickly as it had came. Now a new generation of consoles have been born and so to the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Midway stated that they wanted to give the new MK a new and original look and feel and the first step was to give it a different name rather then Mortal Kombat 5. So Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was born. Would this rekindle the flame the the MK games used to have?
MK:DA brings back some old characters plus some new ones, new levels, better graphics and a totally new fighting engine.
The idea of the game is still there, beat the shit out of your oppenent and then kill them but now you have many more moves and combos to use.
Each character has 3 fighting stances, 2 arts (juiustu, karate ect) and a weapon stance. Both arts have a totally different move list which allows for a much more strategic battle. The weapons stance is purely there to dish out some damage.
Another new feature is the abililty to fight in full 3-D arenas. No more 2-D kombat but instead you can utilize the whole arena.
So far the game is looking great visually and sound wise. The newly designed fighting system is looking superb and should help make the MK franchise the powerhouse it once was.
So in summing up what we have is a new Mortal Kombat with a new fighting engine, improved graphics/sound, new characters, new fatalities and well, just about everything is new. Everything is looking good and only time will tell how good it turns out. If it fails to impress, as far as the MK franchise goes "Finish Him".

ANTICIPATION RATING:

= BRING IT ON!
= Looking Good
= A Little Excitement
= Looks Much of the Same
= Let Microsoft have it

Previewer: Spag777