GENRE
	Fighting
	DEVELOPER
	Midway
	PUBLISHER
	Midway Home Entertainment
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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As fighting games go, hardly any series has gained the reputation and fame like the Mortal Kombat series. It seems like every arcade had at least one cabinet, and it was a source of much talk and controversy. It’s even had movies made after it, albeit bad ones. But how does this newest addition to the legacy stand up to the demanding requirements of today?

visuals

At first, the DMV scenes seemed crisp and refreshing, but upon further investigation, I found myself wondering what was lost in the video compression during the port over to the Gamecube. At passing glance, the video seems fine, but you soon start to realize that the blur effects were overused way too much. Thankfully, it’s hard to say that for the actual game, which is pleasantly dark, gloomy, and clean. To put it lightly, the game designers seemed to over exaggerate certain effects and the forces of gravity upon the characters. Another problem exists in battle; certain moves manipulate the camera so it becomes hard to adequately fight in a battle. Besides these problems, the 3D graphics are very smooth and generally well thought out.

audio

Unfortunately, the audio seems to suffer. Sure, there are all the standard grunts and sounds of the characters, but they and the rest of the sound effects just seem rather impersonal. There are also only one or two pieces of background music, which, in all fairness, set the scene with classic Mortal Kombat ambience, but hearing the same pieces over and over again does get old relatively fast.

gameplay

I have to admit that, when I first started up Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and saw a loading screen, I was very wary that this game would continue at a crawling pace, where load screens would hinder any straight progress and development. Luckily, however, the game seems to stride without blocking any advancement. For battle, you have your choice of Arcade mode, Versus mode, and even a type of Story mode where you can obtain koins (currency used to unlock secrets, among other things), better understand your controls, and learn why your character is fighting in the first place.

The fighting can be both very easy and very hard. Probably the most important fact is that you have to use the D-pad; you may not use the analog stick for anything. Not since my first times with a NES have I ever experienced "Nintendo thumb," but be prepared for some wear and blistering. Linking attacks to form combos (and fatalities) is also hard, in which using all the main buttons and the trigger buttons are required. While the enemy flawlessly links attack after attack, you will feel that your ability to control the character is stunted, especially at crucial points (like the battle against Moloch, who seems to be only able to be defeated using insane combos). Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance boasts a "new fighting system," which is basically just a 3D system where you can move left and right as opposed to just forward and back, which unfortunately makes jumping somewhat of a frustration.

As for secrets, this game has more than any game I've ever seen. Inside the “Krypt,” there are 676 koffins of varying prices, most which hold a secret of some type, whether it is an unlockable character (11 in all), an arena, outfit, video, or whatever. The replay for this game is insane, and you'll get hooked with ease.

multiplayer

A fighting game isn’t a fighting game without some sort of multiplayer option. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance doesn't disappoint in the standard One on One match, and it even incorporates handicaps and wagers for you and your friend's koins. Not only that, but it also includes the "Test Your Might" and "Test Your Sight" mini-games so you can obtain even more koins. A few more modes would have been greatly appreciated.

overall

Love mindless violence and rage? Not easily enraged by bad controls or continuous defeat? Decided that this is the port you want? If you answered "yes" to all of those questions, then this is the game for you! However, the polarity of how people perceive this game is so great, it's better for you to try before you buy.

7.6/10