Mortal Kombat Deception

The latest installment of Mortal Kombat, Deception, experiments with several new features in its genre. Unlocking characters are now accomplished in "konquest" mode which imitates the style of RPGs. The gamers runs around in the realm solving quests and side quests to acquire keys and koins for unlocking items and characters in the krypt.

One of the most anticipated features in the new Mortal Kombat is the online feature. I did have a chance to test out online fighting for a few hours with my friend Jackson. The online fighting is very smooth and responsive via XBox Live. We were able to voice chat in both the character selection screen and during fighting. But I was hoping there would be more options to customize for setting up online fights such as changing time limits and the number of rounds. Strangely, with both of our super phat braodband connections, we did get disconnected several times with messages that said "connection lost" or "connection speed inadequate". I am not sure why we got disconnected from each other at all. I am hoping the disconnects were simply early server errors since this game has just been released. Jackson and I did also compete online in two new mini-games of Deception: Kombat Chess and Puzzle Kombat. Kombat Chess is similar to battle chess without truly simulating the movements of chess pieces. Puzzle Kombat, which is actually very fun online, is exactly like Puzzle Fighter.

The graphics have definitely improved from Deadly Alliance but not by much. The same can also be said with the fighting physics, special moves, and gameplay. In a way, Deception is very similar to Deadly Alliance but slightly better.

Although I am a bit disappointed at the Konquest mode, this game will certainly please the fans of Mortal Kombat. The two new mini-games and online features are welcoming additions to the title. It is about time that gamers may "kombat" online.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Mortal Kombat Deception Site