im so glad that the midway team came out with a new mk game. Deadly Alliace rocks and ive now been playing the game for 2 months, i decided to post my take on the game.
First off, i'd like to say, that killing off Liu Kang was good twist to the story, and brings the atmosphere of anything may happen.

The stages are breathtakingly beautiful. Each one has been taken the time to carefully implemented, and the special effects present in stages are just fantastic. Their use of interactive stages are very good. And i was shocked when i threw the spear at Li mei for the first time in the lost tomb stage, to see the spear go straight through. These subtletys are what makes mk games shine and deadly alliance in particular. My only negative comment about the stages? 'Barriers'.

The Character's

Scorpion
Always the fan favourite, and the series most popular character. This guy is the perfect character for beginners and advanced mkda players alike. with an anti-air move (flame backflip) and anti-block move (hellfire), combined with his trademark deadly spear, makes a very deadly adversary in mkda. His styles are blended together beautifully, his character design has improved and from mk4, he's really come into his own. Definetly a spectacular looking warrior in the arena and even the select screen.
He's definetly my favourite character without a doubt, and there's no doubt he will continue to grace the series with his presence.
His taunt in Hapkido is very useful, Shove in Pi gua is great for blocking opponents but i dont see why he needs it, as he has hellfire which is unblockable anyway, sidestep swing is very powerful and an excellent way to knock opponents well away from you.
Negative pointers, he could have had basic 4/5 hitter combos but thats not really any concern once u style switch. His ending, i didnt like it, but i didnt expect it either.

Sub-Zero
Another fan favourite, his ninja costume is no doubt the best, and kinda puts him on 'the best looking character in mkda list'.
Mastering this character as opposed to Scorpion is a little more difficult.
His combos are abit more tricky to pull off. Nevertheless he is Powerful in dragon, and quick in Shotokan.
I find playing subzero as a defensive character better thanks to his arsenal of ice moves and his retreat move. Impale with his Kori Blade is good move, which enhances the character's ability to play defensively.
A very powerful and defensive character that has been one my favourites.

Johnny Cage
This guy rules in MKDA. He has some very effective combos and hes a good fighter both close and long distance.
His karate is lethal, especially the foot sword which comes into play with several combos. Shadow kick is one of the most effective move to knock your opponent back.
his shadow uppercut, i use much more often due to its easy execution and the ability to slide and under projectiles.
His Jeet Kune do combo's sticky legs was one of them, is one of my favourites in the game.
Nunchukas are the only flaw, cos you have to be in close range to deal some damage which can be a disadvantage, as the opponent knows you'll have to advance toward them in nunchuka style.
Although peeps dont like him, i personally hope he does come back into the next series.

Shang Tsung
If there's one character in the series that has had a chance to shine, it's none other than the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung.
Although his combos and moves are quite weak, he has plenty of other advantages.
His soul steal is one the most effective moves in the game, that not only replinishes his health but also takes his opponents health away.
His 6/7 hit combo in Crane is one the most beautiful combo's seen visually.
His weapon style is the best in the game. The straight has some nasty combos that can make short work of any character, and its even useful against moloch. Should you get bored, you can always impale the weapon. Strategically, i find Shang Tsung very deadly offensively. He's a bit weak to play as defensively but it doesn't mean you cant play defensively. In this game Shang Tsung is definetly one of my favourites and i hope to see him in the next game, and actualy now has won the deadly alliance tournament.

Mavado
A very linear character, his combos are a bit weak, his hookswords force him to fight in close due to lack of range, and lack of specials. Despite these negative points, He is no doubt got a great deal of potential.It's a shame you cnat link longfist into wing chun which would open up some possibilities for this character for deadly combo's.
I Just hope the cool dudes @ midway spend some time to develop him a bit more.

Kung Lao
Definetly a better hero than liu kang, his mantis style, is excellent in its application, i find it very effective against moloch. His deadly hat throw can catch peeps off guard, the spin kicks are not as effective as kang's bick kick, cos u can catch Lao out if you're quick enough, but it is very effective too.
shaolin combo's are a bit hard to pull off, but the shaolin beatdown combo has to be another one of my favourites visually.
His broadsword has some good combo's that utilises many circualr movements. His alternate costume is also amongst the 'best looking character list'.

Bo Rai Cho
Dont really play as him much, but his drunken style is cool to watch and very efffective. He has a habit of farting and burping which kinda stops you from taking a fight with him seriously. maybe that's his tactic lol!.
For a man with a belly, he's no doubt very agile and surprisingly quick for his appearance.
His appearance is probably the only off-putting thing about.

Quan Chi
I love Tang Soo Do! It's spot on, and if any 1 has seen way of the dragon where Chuck Norris squares off with Bruce Lee, Chuck uses Tang Soo Do. It would have been nice to some of those movie combo's implemented into mkda, but hey, Tang Soo Do, still kicks ass.
Escrima is a very close range style utilising more hand tecniques. combos are a minimum but his broadswords more than make up for it.
altohugh his combos are limited the simple three hitter can dish out beautiful damage.
Storyline wise he makes an excellent sorceror and i'd love to see how his character develops in the series. I'm sorry to all Quan chi fan's but IMO i think Shang Tsung was more of the character that took the limelight in mkda.

Kenshi
Another cool looking character, great story and look about him. Tai Chi fits him like a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. He is very powerful surprisingly for a blind man not mention quick.
This character has great potential to develop.
The only cheapness i found with this character, was the mere fact that his katana moves/combos are exactly the same as Scorpion's ninja sword.
Kinda of ironic that 'ninja vs samurai' have the same moves but are normally bitter enemies.
San Shou was meant orginally for raiden but they made the right decision to give it to kenshi.
not a style with a great deal of moves but powerful nonetheless.
Combine this with telekinetic powers, he becomes a very effective fighter.

Reptile
I love his new look! although i'd also would have preferred an alternate ninja costume but hey he looks alot like he should be.
Hung gar i find is, very sneaky and powerful at the same time. Love his roundhouse kick in Hung gar.
his crab style is too hilarious to take seriously, but surprisingly quite good!
Kirehashi is good weapon, some scary combos can dish out quite a bit of damage.

I would write about the other characters, but i gotta go il b back later, post your comments.