Needless to say, the staff of
Mortal Kombat Online was quite excited to receive the invitation to
Midway Summer Gamers' Day 2004. Having never attended an event focused entirely on
Midway products, and being able to rub elbows with some of the most influential people in the Mortal Kombat universe, we were quite psyched up for such an über-event.
Now that the doors to THIN/Onyx have officially closed, Scott-Howell, RammSPOOn, and myself have come away as believers in the future of the Mortal Kombat universe. Without commenting on what has already been discussed in depth, Mortal Kombat: Deception has shaped itself up to be not only a premiere game in the fighting-genre, but also as a fantastic title for any gamer (whether they be puzzle fans, RPG-fans, or action fans). What stands out about Midway in comparison to previous years is a sincere desire for quality, rather then a insufficient desire to have titles out "on time". Each game shown today featured not only a solid foundation, but a serious scrubbing behind the ears. In terms of Mortal Kombat: Deception, it is evident that the game has been polished and re-polished to a shiny glow that will fill the gap that was left in some players' hearts after Deadly Alliance.
To sum the game up in simple terms, it was fun. To play Mortal Kombat: Deception is to revisit Aladdin's Castle or Quarter Time in the days of Mortal Kombat 1 and 2, where players spoke trash, jabbed one another, and had a great time laughing at the shocking moments of old. What Deception features is replayability, the keystone element that many games are now missing. Fighting in traditional Kombat modes puts a player in traditional fighting elements on adrenaline. Unequally yoked players will find one another enjoyable to play against, because variables keep everyone on their toes. Keeping a look out for those bright-red lines on the floor will cause even the most skilled of players to rethink their fighting strategy, and the salvation of a stage weapon can put some hope into the heart of even the freshest of novices. If traditional Kombat is not your thing, MK Chess allows you the timeless battle of brain versus brawn. A smarter player can devastate a better player, simply by using strategy. However, if the smart player isn't careful enough, the better player can win with a solitary pawn. Puzzle Kombat finds a happy end to this, allowing brain-to-brain match-ups of the MK faithful. And for what Konquest lacks in sheer polygonal beauty, it makes up for in tons of story-telling intrigue. But the faithful have already figured these things out. Here are some of the details that were revealed for the first time today:
Kombat: Previously unseen in traditional Mortal Kombat fighting were the combo-breakers. As you have seen in screenshots and movies, each player has three white lightening bolts underneath their energy bar. These three bolts signify how many breakers each fighter has available, limiting characters to a small amount of opportunities to use breakers. This adds a greater element of strategy, so that players cannot simply perform breaker after breaker to deter their opponent. Breakers are easy to accomplish: Simply pushing forward+block will do the trick. However, it becomes difficult to conserve these special moves when facing a combo-friendly foe. It would seem that Breakers have effectively replaced Power-Ups, Reversals, and Taunts (but does anyone miss these three Deadly Alliance maneuvers?). Also unseen in traditional kombat is the great amount of depth put into each character, as each moveset seems to interlace much more smoothly into the match. No longer faced with overlooked infinite-combos or cheap chains of jumpkicks, warriors will feel the additional speed and the greater power of upper-cuts and strong throws to turn the match into their favor. Back, of course, are teleport moves and uniquely effective special moves that not only cause damage but also relocate characters on the arena floor, making them susceptible to stage dangers. On the topic of stage dangers, we've seen some cool new hazards to face. On the Yin-Yang Island, not only are you in danger of piranha death attacks, but you also run the risk of being knocked in the head with a coconut if you are bumped into a tree. The Prison will find you at risk of being grabbed mercilessly by jailmates (the cast of whom seems to be randomized between matches, featuring Goro, Cage, Sektor, Kai, and many more!), leaving you open to free shots by your foe. Windows break, glass panes shatter, pictures on the wall shake around. Everything is very interactive, and it is very fun to see the looks of shock on everyone's face when a particularly well-placed throw ends the match in a pool of gratifying blood. Arena sneak-previews and concept art that we've seen include Liu Kang's Tomb, Dragon King's Lair, and returning Deadly Alliance stages Kuatan Palace, Quan Chi's Fortress, and tons of retro backgrounds (including Pit 2 [complete with a witch flying across the moon!]), The Portal, Dead Pool, and so many more). While the gameplay will feel very familiar in comparison to Deadly Alliance, it is only a matter of a few rounds that tons of fresh gameplay elements become uncovered.
Krypt: Returning to Deception is the Krypt. Though there are "only" 400 koffins this time around, each seems to be filled with more memorable kontent. In the half-dozen I was able to purchase, I unlocked Scorpion's alternate outfit, concept work for Liu Kang's Tomb, and a staff bio for Nick Shin (I attempted koffin NS as being "Noob-Smoke", but I was wrong!) Interestingly, Koffins are not only unlocked via earned koins (from won matches, accomplished Konquest tasks, and simply found strewn throughout the game), but also via keys that are obtained only through search and discovery in Konquest mode. Usually, the keyed koffins feature the more desirable pieces of kontent (alternate outfits, unlocked characters). The Krypt features characters running around in the background, perhaps as a throw-back to all of the Noob Saibot rumors from Deadly Alliance. The setting for the new Krypt is an outdoor graveyard, and unlocking koffins "digs-up" the unlocked goodies from the ground.
Chess, Puzzle, and Konquest: Not that these three modes deserve to be grouped into the same category, but not much has changed in their actual gameplay since the E3 build. Both are still quite fun, and the polish has come in the form of more resolute finishing moves (as have been seen in the trailers), tighter graphics, and more characters to select. The majority of the attendees' gameplay was in traditional gameplay mode, so unfortunately we had little time to explore the new features in each. Rest assured, however, that each mode looks fantastic and will undoubtedly be a blast to play online against friends. In fact, several developers on the Mortal Kombat team threw comments back and forth (many quite hilarious) regarding their numerous experiences facing off against one another online into the wee hours of the night. As mentioned earlier, Mortal Kombat: Deception is all about the replay factor, leaving tons of content and interest reserved for cross-country face-offs. It is also worth mentioning that extensive work has been put into lag-prevention and "jerk-proofing" the system, so that unpluggers will be penalized and made apparent for their sins.
In conclusion, Mortal Kombat: Deception comes highly recommended by the three of us. You will have fun. You will be challenged. You will lose sleep, and your grades will go down. But it's worth it. Mortal Kombat: Deception is the next-generation fighting game that we have all been waiting for, and October cannot come soon enough. As for now, it has been a pleasure covering Midway Summer Gamers' Day; on behalf of Mortal Kombat Online, thanks for making us the number one news source for all of your Mortal Kombat needs. Be prepared for our exclusive direct-feed footage and other goodies coming your way in the upcoming hours. Our extended thanks to all of the staff members of Midway Games who put on such a great event, especially Tim DaRosa, Sarah "Smooshy" Moschea, and of course, Mr. Ed Boon. As for now, this is Mobster4Christ saying, "Godspeed and good night!".
