Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Midway's current-gen MK swan song is solid, but not perfect.
Published: October 25, 2006
The Mortal Kombat series carries with it a very important distinction: it's arguably the only American-made fighting game to stand the test of time. Virtua Fighter, Tekken and Street Fighter are all alive and kicking, but they're all also imports from Japan where the fighting game scene -- and indeed the arcade in general -- is still lively. The death of the US arcade has meant Midway needed to retool their efforts for what used to be a mainstay of the coin-op industry, and what we got was MK: Deadly Alliance, a fighter that managed to translate nearly all of the 2D gory glory of the first couple MK games into 3D without messing things up too much.
Best of all, Midway has happily embraced home console development; the MK games are rife with extras; new modes, entire subgenres, an adventure mode that's continually improving and at the core the same bloody good time that it's always been. With Armageddon, however, they're treating the series to one of the most comprehensive send-offs possible. 60+ fighters from every MK game past combine in a kind of mega mash-up that most fighting game fans only get with something like MUGEN.
The beefed up roster has meant a few changes, however; gone are the multiple fighting styles, instead replaced with a close-up art and sometimes a weapon-based alternative. Gravity has been given a little break, making the game far more juggle and air combat-heavy (it's now possible to throw an opponent up in the air and then unleash a string of absolutely brutal attacks while they're kept aloft). The stages themselves, plucked from familiar locations and new arenas alike have been beefed up with more interactivity and instant death traps.
For all the changes that have into the game, though, the fighting starting to feel increasingly clunky. That's always been the MK style, but bolting decades-old gameplay onto a 3D skin still means it's stiff. Still, this is the last game in the series, and Midway has ample opportunity to fix things moving to next-gen, which I'm guessing was the idea. As a final send-off of this kind of fighting, what you get here is absolutely insane.
Let's start with the Kreate-a-Fighter mode, which is almost impossibly deep; what begins as a simple set of bits of clothing and basic moves becomes an almost labyrinthian spiral into flexibility and choice. After a few hours of unlocking things in the Krypt (yes, it's back, but more on that in a bit), it's possible to start creating characters from other fighting games. A few more hours and comic book creations are possible. And though it all, you can map moves and specials to every button you choose, culminating in the game's other new feature: Kreate-a-Fatality.
Best of all, Midway has happily embraced home console development; the MK games are rife with extras; new modes, entire subgenres, an adventure mode that's continually improving and at the core the same bloody good time that it's always been. With Armageddon, however, they're treating the series to one of the most comprehensive send-offs possible. 60+ fighters from every MK game past combine in a kind of mega mash-up that most fighting game fans only get with something like MUGEN.
The beefed up roster has meant a few changes, however; gone are the multiple fighting styles, instead replaced with a close-up art and sometimes a weapon-based alternative. Gravity has been given a little break, making the game far more juggle and air combat-heavy (it's now possible to throw an opponent up in the air and then unleash a string of absolutely brutal attacks while they're kept aloft). The stages themselves, plucked from familiar locations and new arenas alike have been beefed up with more interactivity and instant death traps.
For all the changes that have into the game, though, the fighting starting to feel increasingly clunky. That's always been the MK style, but bolting decades-old gameplay onto a 3D skin still means it's stiff. Still, this is the last game in the series, and Midway has ample opportunity to fix things moving to next-gen, which I'm guessing was the idea. As a final send-off of this kind of fighting, what you get here is absolutely insane.
Let's start with the Kreate-a-Fighter mode, which is almost impossibly deep; what begins as a simple set of bits of clothing and basic moves becomes an almost labyrinthian spiral into flexibility and choice. After a few hours of unlocking things in the Krypt (yes, it's back, but more on that in a bit), it's possible to start creating characters from other fighting games. A few more hours and comic book creations are possible. And though it all, you can map moves and specials to every button you choose, culminating in the game's other new feature: Kreate-a-Fatality.
