|
Mortal Kombat has a legacy of followers unlike any other title. Despites the series' low points, fans have always gathered around and appreciated whatever Midway gave them. We said Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance for the consoles was great. The handheld version is awesome as well. It gives you all the major events from the console versions and is no doubt fun to play.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is a very solid fighter that will remind people of MK's glory days. The game isn't the powerhouse the console versions are, but for GBA competition, it's great. It matches, tops, and destroys other handheld fighters available in terms of size, graphics and unlockables. The game's introduction was greatly diminished from the console's wonderful CGI movie since all you get here is some scrolling text. It's clear from the very beginning that Midway has finally done it right after the embarrassing Mortal Kombat Advance they previously released. You'll begin with a few Kombaters and unlock more as you play. Everything feels very legit, which is awesome since that is missing in a lot of handheld conversions. The fighting is a bit limited but Midway has used the GBA very well and fighting as good if not better than other handheld fighters. The game simplified the controls to include a kick, block, punch and form switch button. Collision detection and the controls are both great. The controls are solid and responsive and really add to the game's playing.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is probably the nicest looking fighter for the Game Boy Advance. Since it uses resized sprites, the game doesn't look breathtaking, but still better than other handheld fighters. If Midway had made the game specifically for the GBA, the game would most likely look better. That's too much work though and what is here is good enough. You can barely notice some character's body parts and the GBA's dark screen blends some colors together. With that in mind, MK: DA GBA does things a little better, a little smoother than other games and puts it above the pack. There were several animations cut from the characters, but they were mostly flash and show animations. The actual moves look very good and convincing.
Besides the characters, the levels look very good. Since the series has gone 3D, you'll find some 3D elements here. The environments are able to rotate and scale in order to match some of the characters' movements. As you walk the backgrounds move and provide a believable 3D movement. There are a few levels that are a bit bland but most will surprise you in terms of how many things were included. Some levels feature (gasp!) reflections. I was very surprised when I got to the Lin Kuei Temple and notice the reflections on the ice. You'll treasure moments like this and luckily there are plenty in the game. The game should really be applauded; it accomplished a lot of things on the GBA.
Fortunately neither character sprites nor animation speak for the rest of the game. Environments scale, scroll, and rotate very nicely to match the 3D movements of the characters. As you walk up or down, the background shifts and the floor below you swivels to match your step. Midway also managed to couple this with some very nice reflections. For example, as you play in the Lin Kuei Temple (my favorite), the entire floor is made from mirror-like ice. This perhaps surprised me the most in MK: DA and it was a very pleasant surprise indeed. The surroundings are a little bland at times, but negligible compared to everything else this game has accomplished.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance for GBA has some of the clearest sounds heard out of the GBA's tiny speaker. Each character uses the same voice clips in the game. That means the male characters will sound like each other and female characters sound like each other. Jax sounds like Scorpion and Sonya sounds like Lin Mei. Not really a problem since the voices surprisingly fit every person in the game. Trademarks to each character weren't neglected. Jax's trademark grunts and Scorpion's now infamous, "Get over here!" are included. The announcer sounds very clear and crisp. You can understand everything he says, even if it isn't a whole lot. The background music fits the game very well. If you have some headphones, hook them up to fully experience the game's sounds.
Midway has made a very good handheld fighter. It's good enough to make you forget about Mortal Kombat: Advance. The game fits the Mortal Kombat universe very well. It also features recognizable characters and just 'feeling.' The game looks good and sounds great. The fighting as good as you're going to get on the GBA. You can get playing easily. The Krypt's unlockables are cool and no doubt the coolest reward system on the GBA. Your gut will tell you not to buy this, but if you're in the middle of MK: DA and have to go somewhere, this handheld version will satisfy your cravings. One of the best handheld fighters made. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Dec 10, 2002
|
