You should get "Mortal Kombat: Deception." The "Mortal Kombat" games have always been the definitive games of the fighting genre. It's clear why. First of all, there are no annoying cut scenes before every battle. No cheesy trash-talking lines spoken by the characters before you can throw the first punch, just that familiar, near-demonic voice that says "Round 1. Fight!" before each battle, and you're off.
There's also the famous violence that has come to be associated with the MK series. I'm not usually a big fan of blood and gore, but the MK games have made the violence so over the top that's it almost comical. Characters bleed crimson, almost gelatinous blobs every time they're hit. The blood can be switched off on the options menu, but this takes away MK's unique sparkle, including the ability to perform a Fatality. As a finishing move, mash a few buttons you found on the Internet and your character will disembowel the opponent, removing generic organs and leaving a pool of blood. Even the bugs that are trodden underfoot in one arena leave behind a gratuitous amount of guts.
Of course, re-playability factor in very high. In the one player arcade mode, you will be randomly assigned a series of opponents and arenas to fight in each time, always climaxing with the ridiculously hard-to-beat Onaga, the Dragon King. And, of course, the two-player battles never get old, with each character having an incredible variety of unique combos and fighting moves to perform (as in the previous game, "Deadly Alliance", each character has two martial arts styles and a weapon.) Though some of the combos (especially the fatalities) are so difficult they'll make you swear your controllers are broken (especially in "Konquest" mode.)
"MK: Deception" is the peak of the series. There are some unfortunate changes from "Deadly Alliance", but unless you were a big fan of that game, you won't even miss them. The biggest change is the cast of characters. It's almost completely different, missing most of the classic characters that were featured in "Deadly Alliance", as well as the newly-introduced characters like Sub-Zero's protégé' Frost and vampire chick Nitara. However, perennial favorites Sub-Zero and Scorpion do return, as does Li Mei, my favorite "Deadly Alliance" fighter. There's also a handful of newcomers, including Kira, a sexy-redheaded member of Kano's syndicate.
Gone is the ability to impale the opponent with your weapon, forcing them to kill immediately or bleed to death. Arenas are also darker and less whimsical than in the previous game. However, "Deception" introduces some vast improvements, including interactive environments. Objects in the arenas can damage an opponent, or mangle them completely in graphic "stage fatalities." Also, some arenas contain weapons that can be picked up and used by the fighters. There's also a "blocker" feature, which will finally enable you to do something about that friend who uses the same cheap combo over and over, but only up to three times per fight. The best improvement, however, is the inclusion of multiple fatalities, including the Hira-Kira, or self-fatality. The Hira-Kira deprives your opponent of the satisfaction of a fatality and makes even the worst loss feel like a victory.
Also, "Test Your Sight" and "Test Your Might" mini-games are missing, but they are replaced by chess and puzzle games. The chess game is a complete mockery of the game of chess, taking away all of the strategic elements, but is a somewhat amusing way of putting a tournament together. The puzzle game, however, is strangely addictive for a generic "Tetris" knock-off. Finally, there's a Konquest mode, an RPG game that incorporates typical MK violence and provides a back story for the main game's tournament. Unfortunately, it requires you to learn every character's most ridiculous combos, and, unlike in "Deadly Alliance", must be completed in order to unlock certain characters and costumes in "the Krypt."
