Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
May 29, 2007
The most anticipated port yet for the Nintendo Wii, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon has been promising a new take on fighting games seemingly since before the console even launched. It's finally here, and the changes are as skull-shattering as we had hoped -- rejuvenating a franchise in dire need of a makeover.
If you're befuddled by fighting-game button memorization, the Wii version of MK: Armageddon is for you. Pulling off the most devastating maneuvers is simply a matter of holding the B (trigger) button on the Wii remote, and making some short motion gestures. For Raiden's tackle attack, just move the remote back, then forward. For Sub-Zero's famous freeze toss, merely perform a half-circle motion. It's not 100% accurate, but it's nearly 100 percent more fun than typical fighting-game controls. That, of course, makes it worth a look from even the most seasoned fighting-game fanatics.
The four regular attacks are oddly mapped to directions on the d-pad. This isn't very conducive to combos and requires some sliding of your right hand during play, but it works well enough. It's worth mentioning that you'll probably need to drop the difficulty level one full grade from where you'd normally play, but again, it's so much fun you really won't mind. And if you do mind, just plug in a GameCube or Wii Classic controller and play it old-school.
For the rest of the game, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon treads smartly on the motion-control path. It uses it only where it would be an asset to the game, and never where it would detract from your enjoyment. Driving in the clever, four-player supporting Motor Kombat kart game? Of course you'll motion-control steer. Navigating every single little menu? You'll be glad to use the nunchuk's control stick for those instances.
The unique Wii control is rarely used in the Konquest mode, which is probably best since that would've been flail overkill as enemy numbers are high. However, it proves a big boon (not to be confused with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon) to Armageddon's Fatality creation system. While we still miss exclusive (and more creative/brutal) Fatalities for each character, exploring with stabs, swoops, and other remote movements to execute multiple killing blows is reason enough to play through Arcade mode over and over. Speaking of modes, a survival-like Endurance mode has been added to the Wii version.
Mortal Kombat as a whole, however, is showing its age. Maybe it's because this is a new console, but the graphics look worse than ever. Character models aren't very detailed, and the game features some of the blandest backdrops in the genre. Perhaps that's to allow for more gory disfigurements and breakthrough environments, respectively, but next-gen cosmetic surgery for this series can't happen soon enough.
For such a successful, big-ticket series, Mortal Kombat has moments of amateurish design. Konquest mode is habit-forming in the way it dishes out quality goodies almost literally per every few feet of terrain, but the cutscenes, voiceover, and mechanics are almost laughable. This franchise has gotten by on its charm and violent humor for years now, but it won't be able to skate by on those qualities for another installment.
The Krypt has always been chock full of unlockables for those with koins burning a hole in their pocket. Armageddon mercifully does away with the randomness factor, ensuring you know exactly what you're buying. It's a nice switch, even if we'll miss the Christmas-morning surprise element from past titles. However, at least you know you're getting what you want.
The fighter creator is extremely robust, but note that you'll need to save up a good pile of koins for your new avatar. After all, almost every single option has a price tag on it. With a little time and a virtual-monetary investment, you can create a certain odd-haired military man from another classic fighting series, or the big-haired gentleman who totes a mammoth sword in one of gaming's most-loved RPGs. It was nice of Midway to allow for dream matches such as Akuma vs. Shang Tsung.
Online play is, of course, absent (isn't it about time Nintendo gets to work on that?), but you likely won't miss it. As fun as it is to sweep and slash with the remote against the computer, it's threefold better with an actual human opponent. Give them a little time to get assimilated to the control (the learning curve is between 10 and 30 minutes), and time will melt away like ice cubes in the stove. And, as stated before, Motor Kombat has four-player support.
This is the type of game we wanted to play on the Nintendo Wii. It may be a port, but it brings something totally new to the table that's fun and functional, and not to mention also attractive to both veterans of the series and new players.
Overall, since the Mortal Kombat series is still looking rather rough even at this point, MK: Armageddon is by no means a flawless victory. With sheer fun and innovation, however, it does win by Fatality.