Mortal Kombat: Deception
It was completely by chance that I ended up buying this game. I had talked about buying it when it came out for the Playstation 2, but decided to wait once I heard the official announcement of a Gamecube version. However, as the game’s release grew closer, my interest in getting it did not seem to get any higher. However, after watching the history of the Dead or Alive fighting game series on TV, I felt the sudden urge to get a fighting game. When Deception came out, my impulses took over and I bought the game without a second thought. Usually impulse buys don’t turn out very well, but lucky for me my impulse was right, and I’m here now to tell you why Mortal Kombat: Deception has become one of my favorite fighting games of all time.

Graphics:

For the most part, Deception’s graphics aren’t a very big step over Deadly Alliance’s. While they may be improved just a tad bit, the amount of improvement is barely noticeable. To be honest, the graphics themselves can be separated into two separate categories. One category would be the excellent kombat mode, chess mode, and puzzle kombat mode graphics. The second would be the unimpressive graphics of konquest mode. However, since the story mode isn’t what the game is all about, the fact that the graphics aren’t as impressive as in-game kombat graphics doesn’t make any difference at all. In the area of character and level design, Deception far surpasses Deadly Alliance. Both old characters and new characters look great, and the multi-leveled stages add even more depth to a game that was already fun. Overall, Deception’s presentation is superb.

Sound and Music:

Mortal Kombat games are known for their dark and gothic tone of music, which is why the music in Deception seems to stand out a bit against that of Deadly Alliance. Not only is the gothic music still there, but there is also a mix of rock and techno style songs thrown in as well. However, when it comes to the music, the return of classic MK songs from previous games in the series is definitely what I enjoy the most. As for sound, this Mortal Kombat game features a large amount of voice acting, mainly due to the konquest mode. The voice of Shujinko (the main character in konquest) is definitely the most impressive, with all the other character voices being mediocre at best. Everything is on par with the quality of a Mortal Kombat game, but nothing goes above and beyond what you’d expect from the series.

Storyline:

Mortal Kombat: Deception directly ties into the events of Deadly Alliance. In fact, the opening cutscene takes place exactly where Deadly Alliance left off. Apparently, the mortals of Earth have failed in destroying the Deadly Alliance, so it is now up to Raiden to try and stop Shang Tsung and Quan Chi from resurrecting the Dragon King’s army. Well, long story short, Raiden loses and the Deadly Alliance comes to an end when the two allies lust for power and turn against each other. Quan Chi wins, but it isn’t long before an alliance of Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi forms out of to desperation to stop a greater threat: The Dragon King’s return. With none of their attacks working, Raiden summons all of his energy and attempts to destroy anything and everything around him, including the Dragon King. Unfortunately, the Dragon King isn’t harmed one bit, and he now has Quan Chi’s medallion, which is what he needs to become supreme ruler of all the realms. This is the basic premise of the kombat mode, but konquest mode is an entirely different story (no pun intended). Konquest mode revolves around a young man by the name of Shujinko. After completing his training, he is contacted by someone named Damashi, who tells Shujinko that he is the champion of the elder gods, and that it is his duty to travel through the realms in search of ancient artifacts known as the Kamidogu. The story mode takes place over many years, and by the end of it, not only will Shujinko be an old man, but the players will finally know why the game is subtitled “Deception.”

Gameplay:

In terms of fighting games, Mortal Kombat: Deception is about as diverse as they come. Not only does the game feature the traditional kombat mode, but it also features an action/adventure story mode (konquest), mortal kombat chess, and a tetris-style puzzle kombat. Kombat mode is basically set up the same way as Deadly Alliance was. The characters and arenas are different, but for the most part everything will seem familiar. However, kombat mode still has a few tricks up its sleeve. The majority of levels are multi-tiered, which means you can knock your opponents through certain walls and over certain ledges, only to have them fall on another area where the fighting can continue. The second addition is deathtraps. Certain levels now feature deathtraps, such as spike filled pits, large grinding machinery, and pools of acid. Knocking your opponent into deathtraps will result in a brutal and instant death, which gives you an immediate win for that round. Along with that, some levels even have stage weapons, which you can pick up and temporarily use to pummel your opponent. Konquest mode is basically a small adventure game (about 5-7 hours long) that follows a man named Shujinko as he travels through the different realms in search of ancient artifacts. There are a total of six realms, each of which has its own unique setting. As you make your way through konquest, you will learn the fighting styles of the various characters, along with completing tasks for random people. The nice thing about konquest is that is features just about every Mortal Kombat character ever created, and it does a nice job of tying its story into the stories of all the previous Mortal Kombat games. Chess kombat is probably one of the most addicting things I’ve ever played. It’s basically normal chess, but with a Mortal Kombat twist. The pieces can move differently, you can cast spells, and in order to take one of your opponent’s pieces you have to fight them in an actual fight. Lastly, there is puzzle kombat. I would have said “last but not least”, but then I’d be lying. Truthfully, puzzle kombat is tediously bad. The matches take forever, and it just isn’t very engaging to begin with. The only thing remotely interesting about it is that as you vaporize the blocks, your characters on the bottom of the screen are busy beating the living crap out of each other. All in all however, the gameplay in Mortal Kombat: Deception is pretty well rounded.

Controls:

In Deception, the controls are basically the same as they were in Deadly Alliance. However, this time around you aren’t forced to use D-pad and can opt for using the control stick instead. The irony of the matter is that, while I complained about the D-pad in Deadly Alliance, the control stick is much more annoying to use. Everything works the same as in Deadly Alliance, with L still switching the fighting style, R still blocking, etc. In konquest mode, the controls are a bit different. You use the control stick to run around, B punches, X allows you to meditate (which passes time on the game’s built in time system), and you are able to adjust the camera with the C-stick. As for chess kombat and puzzle kombat, the controls involve the simple moving of pieces/blocks with the control stick or D-pad. While the controls may be simplistic, they are very effective.

Replayability:

I definitely gave Deadly Alliance a lot of praise for the amount of replay value it included. Like Deadly Alliance, Deception contains its own version of the Krypt. However, this version of the krypt is much smaller, with 361 tombs, compared to DA’s 676. Luckily, the amount of physical gameplay included helps to balance out the decreased number of unlockables. Konquest mode will take at least 5 hours to complete, even longer if you search through it trying to find the keys that unlock certain tombs in the krypt. That’s right, not all the tombs in the krypt can be bought this time. You’ll have to find keys to unlock certain ones in konquest mode, most of which are important unlocks like characters, alternate costumes, arenas, etc. Unlike the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game, Deception only requires six characters to be unlocked instead of twelve, which is due to six of them already being unlocked from the start so that Midway could include Goro and Shao Kahn materials within the krypt. Also not included in the Gamecube version is the online feature, but if somebody asked me whether I’d rather have online or Goro and Shao Kahn as playable characters, I’d definitely go with the special characters. All in all, there is a crap load of things to be done in Deception. Even if you unlock every single thing there is to unlock, you can still enjoy kombat mode, the ever addicting chess kombat, and even puzzle kombat (if you’re into playing lame and boring mini-games).

When everything is said and done, Mortal Kombat: Deception definitely ranks higher than Deadly Alliance. While there may not be as many unlockables, the amount of variety in the gameplay will keep you coming back for months and months to come. Deception also offers something that Deadly Alliance didn’t: nostalgia. The inclusion of nearly the entire MK cast in konquest mode, the return of old stages from previous games (including the same music), and the return of many fan-favorite characters such as Baraka, Kabal, and Ermac all give the player the feeling that they are playing a suped-up version of a Mortal Kombat classic. As I said in the intro, impulse buys aren’t all that bad, because I ended up spontaneously purchasing one the best fighting games I’ve ever played.
Graphics: 8.7/10
Sound and Music: 9.3/10
Storyline: 8.5/10
Gameplay: 9.8/10
Controls: 9.0/10
Replayability: 9.6/10
9.2
Out of 10