bit-tech Shopping: Midway Mortal Kombat: Deception (GC)

Rating: 6

Time with product: 1 Days

Strengths: +Many characters to choose from, classic characters, two characters exclusive to the Gamecube!

Weaknesses: -None really...

Summary: Before playing the game, I thought this was going to be another Deadly Alliance. After playing the game, I thought wrong. Unlike Deadly Alliance, they added A LOT more things you can do. There are different modes you can play including: Konquest Mode, puzzle kombat, and chess kombat (which is actually pretty fun). The fighting is very fun and well done. Oh and did i mention it was GORY! Unlike Deadly Alliance, you're allowed to pick up weapons that are on the map. Which makes the game even more fun and gory. I recommend all MK fans to pick this up, otherwise this isn't the game for you.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Over-the-top fighting, lots of extra modes and unlockables

Weaknesses: Will not appeal to people who disliked past Mortal Kombat games

Summary: Mortal Kombat: Deception is the latest fighting game in the long running series. This time around though, the game is packed full of extras. Not only do you get the fun 3D fighter that you expect from Mortal Kombat, but you also get Puzzle Kombat (a Super Puzzle Fighter-esque puzzle game), Kombat Chess (a board game based loosely on chess), and Konquest mode (a story-based adventure with some RPG elements). There?s an overwhelming amount of content on this disc and it is an extremely good deal. The main fighting game features a rather deep combo list with the ability to change between three different fighting styles on the fly and use weapons. There are lots of fatalities to learn as well as stage fatalities. The GameCube version of this game also includes two exclusive characters (Goro and Shao Kahn) to make up for the lack of online play. Every mode in this game earns you Koins which you can then use to unlock items in the Krypt. There is an enormous amount of unlockables in this game and it will keep you busy for hours. I highly recommend this game to fans of the series and to anyone who is looking for a lot of value for their money.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Huge roster of fighters, Gamecube-exclusive Goro and Shao Khan, new Puzzle/Chess modes, DOA-style interactive backgrounds

Weaknesses: Largely uninteresting cast of characters, same graphics and sound as Deadly Alliance, Gamecube controller not ideal for combos, no online support

Summary: Perhaps Mortal Kombat's biggest problem is that the series gameplay simply hasn't evolved much over the years since the move from 2D to 3D. In fact, Deception is basically just a remix of last year's Deadly Alliance. Deception tries to mix things up this year by including a Tetris-like puzzle mode, a Kombat-inspired chess mode and an RPG-lite Konquest mode with more backstory. MK fanatics will love these additions, but casual players likely won't care. Other than a roster update and some minor fighting mechanic tweaks, the other core change for Deception is the inclusion of more interactive breakaway, multi-tiered and death trap backgrounds. Unfortunately, you can't take the action online with Gamecube, but you do get to play as truly fleshed out Goro and Shao Khan characters. If you've enjoyed the MK series in its previous forms, you'll like Deception as well. However even with the new puzzle, chess, etc. modes, Deception probably won't convince many casual players to sign up. Thankfully, its recent budget pricing may win over some skeptical fighting fans.