Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

Metachronos overall score = 8.2 / 10

Positive
- Every Mortal Kombat character, big and small, is here in some form
- Interesting single-player story mode
- Supports the Classic Controller

Negative
- Reuses a lot of stuff from the previous MK games
- Custom fatality system lacks personality
- Not a ton of differentiation among the game's 60+ fighters

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is Midway's attempt to take most of the stuff that has appeared in a Mortal Kombat game since Deadly Alliance was released back in 2002 and mash it all into one big game. It is a send-off of sorts of the current fighting style and game engine for the series. It was also a fitting send-off of the previous generation of consoles when it was originally released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox last year. Now, that game has come to the Wii, where it automatically becomes one of the best fighting games currently available on the platform simply because the options are limited. Armageddon reuses a little too much content from previous games, and as a result, it feels like it is coasting. But it's also the first substantial modern fighting game to be released on the Wii, and that alone, makes it notable.



There's a real kitchen-sink mindset at work in MK: Armageddon. If you can think of a Mortal Kombat character that has appeared in any of the previous games, real or rumored, chances are he or she makes some kind of appearance in this game. There are more than 60 playable characters in the game, each with his or her own fighting styles, though in practice, most of the major differences come down to their special moves. Each character has a handful of special attacks, and the classics are all present. Scorpion will still jab a spear into your chest and yank you across the screen, while Sub-Zero can still freeze you solid for a free attack. And yes, Stryker will still whip out a gun to blast you. All in all, the characters feel balanced, which is a feat, considering there are a ton of them. On top of that, there's a robust character-creation system that lets you customize the look and moves of a fighter, which can be cool if you're willing to put some time into it.



It's unfortunate, though understandable given the lack of online Wii games at this point, that MK: Armageddon doesn't have any kind of online support. Being able to fight or kart race against players around the world was a substantial part of the PS2 and Xbox releases, so it's worth noting that the Wii version lacks any sort of online play. However, you can fight against another player in the game's versus mode, and up to four players can play Motor Kombat via split-screen. So if you're surrounded by MK fanatics, or really, anyone who is up for a fight, you probably won't care. As in most fighting games, the game is best when you're playing against a similarly skilled human opponent.

Though you may find yourself nonplussed by the latest MK entry if you've been following the series for any length of time, Wii owners who haven't kept up with Midway's fighting series will find plenty of thrills, a ton of characters, and a lot of different things to do. The utter lack of good fighting games on the Wii certainly doesn't hurt either. If you're a Wii owner looking to knock off some heads and own a Classic or GameCube controller or two, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is pretty kool. Er…cool.



Cover is too big to fit
http://www.totalmortalkombat.com/mkarm/cover/mka_wii_front.jpg