[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I distinctly remember the first time I popped quarters into the first-ever [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] arcade game. I had read up on it in the magazines and was completely bewildered by the fact that a mainstream game had so much violence. I completely loved every cent I spent performing all of the special moves and fatalities, which for the game’s time were horrendously gross. I could never have enough [i]Mortal Kombat[/i]. Those who knew me would call me obsessed. I bought the game for the Super Nintendo despite the fact that there was no blood, and I bought both a Sega Genesis and Game Gear exclusively to play gory versions of the console game. I loved every single version. As the series progressed further, the game got a bit repetitive and even silly (the Babalities and Animalities were the most ridiculous concepts I had ever heard of), and my faith in the series dwindled to nothing.

[i]Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance[/i] for the PS2 was strictly responsible for the resurgence in my liking of the franchise, and I played that game and had a good couple of months doing so. However, nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for the bloodfest that awaited me in [i]Mortal Kombat: Deception[/i]. I was so eager for this game to come out on the shelves that I was practically drooling. When I finally got my hands on it, I tore into the wrapping and immediately played the game for about five hours. None of the hype that it received did the game justice. [i]Deception[/i] is by far the greatest fighting game I have played to this day, not only living up to its predecessors in a very big way, but also creating new paths for future games to follow.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatright]This game was built on the same engine as its latest predecessor, [i]Deadly Alliance[/i]. The characters are very easy to maneuver, and the moves are very easy to execute (there are menus that give you every single move in the game). The computer makes the game challenging, but experts in button-mashing will find that the combos make short work of their opponents if executed properly. Previously, if someone got caught in a combo, there was nothing that he or she could do but helplessly watch as they get pummeled by a ten-hit flurry of punches and kicks. What [i]Deception[/i] has that [i]Deadly Alliance[/i] does not, however, is the Breaker ability, which allows you to break up your opponent’s combo and push them away, allowing you time to recover and plan your next attack.

You start off with a bare-bones collection of fighters and stages, but as you progress through the single-player mode (which is a relatively short but easy RPG), you not only unlock more fighters and arenas, but you learn the game’s story and ultimately why the game is called “Deception.” And yes, the Krypt from the previous game is back, as are newer versions of stages from older games. The blood is heavier and stays on the ground for the entire fight. The fatalities are more brutal; there are two per fighter, plus the loser can kill himself before the other can do anything by using a “Hara-Kiri.” The selection of characters is vast, and each has three distinct fighting styles (one of which includes the use of strangely-shaped weapons) that each offer their own attacks and combos. Almost every single stage has at least one (sometimes two or three) deathtrap(s) that can be used [b]at any point in the battle[/b]. I find myself playing matches exclusively to use these, as they are both gruesome and an easy way to win a tough match.

In addition to the arcade style and the single-player RPG mode, the game offers two more styles of play. The first (and my favorite) is the Chess version, where you choose your characters to represent the pieces. Strategically moving your pieces isn’t enough-once you land on an occupied square, the two fighters duke it out for the rights to own the square. If your team is on a power square (or two), your fighter gains a really unfair advantage (and I always owned both squares!). If you don’t feel like fighting, then you can have your sorcerer cast a death or resurrection spell. The other (and not so fun) addition is the puzzle game, where you’re basically playing a [i]Dr. Mario[/i] spin-off against either the computer or another player, and two mini versions of the fighters you choose fight below the puzzles. I don’t like this at all because you’re so busy concentrating on working your pieces that keep falling that you can’t see what is happening below you.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The story is pretty simple. The [i]Deadly Alliance[/i] destroyed Raiden and fought each other for control over the world, but they were interrupted by the Dragon King Onaga, former ruler of Outworld, who had come back to claim what was (un)rightfully his. Realizing that they had no choice, Raiden joined with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in a new alliance to stop the threat (though I still don’t know how Raiden stood up just moments after being killed by the Deadly Alliance, but I ignored that gaping plot hole). Realizing that they couldn’t win, Raiden basically blew himself up to try to stop the beast, but that failed as well (and yet, another gaping plot hole has Raiden as an unlockable character). The stories for the games in the [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] series never meant much to me-because that’s not why I play them-but the story that unraveled in the single-player mode (and consequently watching it lead into the arcade mode) was a really neat concept. Midway scores again in this area.

While all of the additions make this game more incredible, this game is essentially just a good old two-round fighting game that usually ends very brutally for whoever loses the fight. Replay value is extremely high, and having small [i]Deception[/i] tournaments amongst your friends will never get old. My only complaints are: the horrible strategy guide does not offer any tips on unlocking any secrets; also, the RPG mode has a large pillar of light erecting from the area you must travel to which can be seen from all the way across the world. (My three-year-old nephew could play it without getting lost.) The only other flaw is that neither Shang Tsung nor Quan Chi are playable characters, but there are so many others to make up for them that I quickly forgot about that. Aside from that, the game is flawless. I never thought I would call fountains of blood a “beautiful sight” until I played this game. If you are a fan of the series, you will love this game. If you aren’t a fan of the series, you will still love this game for all of its creativity. If you just love fighting games period, then this is the game for you, because, again I say, this is easily the best fighting game I have ever played.