Mortal Kombat: Deception

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.

I decided to wait on commenting on the latest game in the long-running "Mortal Kombat" franchise, titled "Mortal Kombat: Deception," because I first wanted to see how things would pan out after it was beaten. Turns out, there's a whole lot of game, and a whole lot of frustration in there.

I won't bother with the plot, since there isn't much in the first place, and a lot of characters are missing. (The only recognizable characters in the beginning of the game are Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Mileena, and Baraka.) Other than that, you're stuck with these four familiars, plus a few characters that made their debut in "Deadly Alliance" and some brand-new characters.

This latest "MK" entry offers a whole lot of game, including "Puzzle Kombat," "Chess Kombat," and "Konquest," where you assume the role of "Shujinko" and you must complete a quest (not unlike what we've seen in dozens of martial arts movies before) and this section of "Deception" makes up about 1/4 of the bulk of the game.

It is here in "Konquest" that you pretty much learn about the whole "Mortal Kombat" universe and you train, learn special moves, and earn "kombat koins" to open up unlockables in the "krypt" (everything that's usually spelled with a "c" is spelled with a "k" in the "Mortal Kombat" universe).

"Deception" is undoubtedly fun, but unfortunately it's also quite maddening and frustrating. The biggest flaw the game suffers from is the maddening combo system. It takes the manual dexterity of someone with the quickest hand-eye coordination to complete some of the combo training tasks the game throws at you.

It's insanely frustrating, especially for a fan like myself who grew up playing "Mortal Kombat." But if you're not up for the B.S. that's offered in the maddening "Konquest," you can of course duke-it-out with the CPU or your friends in old-fashioned "Arcade" mode. But even here you're limited because you'd need to have beaten the game to get all the really cool characters.

It took me about two weeks to complete "Mortal Kombat: Deception" and I can honestly say that I took a DEEP breath of relief when it was done, especially after I made it through the impossible combo training sessions, ridiculous fights (ever tried fighting Scorpion while he delivers blows that cause 3x more damage than they normally do AND he heals at the same time, or tried fighting Sindel while bleeding to death at 50% health?), and a somewhat weak "reward" for completing the core of the Konquest mode.

Despite its ridiculousness, it's still a thorough and engaging entry into one of the most successful fighting franchises ever released.

However, the tag line is not B.S.; it will "Konsume" you!

7/10

This game completely kicks ass. The Konquest mode is fun, but too easy. The arcade mode (should be arkade,lol) is insanely hard but still fun, chess is a real blast (especially when a trap is tripped), puzzle kombat is fun, the characters are mostly fun but if midway is reading this separate Noob Saibot and Smoke please. The fatalities and suicides aka Hara Kiris, are sometimes cool and sometimes bland but always bloody. Stage fatalities, now activated at any time are awesome. the new characters are incredibly powerful, especially a demoness on the way to purification, Ashrah. Throw in background weapons and multitiered stages, and you have a kickass game.

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.

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.***