Review
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Wii)
With there being only one decent fighting game on the Wii (you can read our Budokai Tenkaichi 2 review here), Midway decided to step up to the plate with a port of the latest game in the Mortal Kombat series. Mortal Kombat Armageddon follows the gameplay path laid down by its predecessors, Deadly Alliance and Deception.
Returning gameplay elements include real-world martial arts and weapon styles unique to each character. The exception to this rule is for the larger characters (such as Onaga), who do not receive a weapon. The only difference between Armageddon and its brothers is that each character gets only one fighting style this time around, instead of two. This makes sense though, considering the scope of the character roster.
Speaking of, every one of the characters now has a unique look. For fans of the original designs, it is a vast departure. It's not to say that all of the new designs are bad, but they are definitely different. Thankfully the developers thought of us older fans when they added unlockable costumes that look closer to the original character designs.
To make up for the lack of buttons on the Wii remote, Midway mapped every special move to one of eight gestures. For example, Sub-Zero's Freeze Ball is quarter-circle forward. You just press the B trigger on the Wii remote and perform the quarter-circle motion in the air. So basically, this move is exactly the same as in other versions of the game, except now you make motions with your hand. It sounds cheesy, but this system works well -- when it does actually work that, is. The game seems to be a little touchy as to exactly how you perform these moves. Specifically, it seems to favor more of a quick wrist flick than an entire arm motion.
It takes a little getting used to, but I believe that it's worth it in the end. Some gamers are more impatient than others and might not give the controls the proper time needed. Take my friend for example. I tried to teach him to use the motion controlled special moves via the Wii Remote training mode, but he didn't seem to get the hang of it and was begging for the Classic Controller within minutes. Later, he seemed impressed when I was throwing around spears and freeze balls like it was nobody's business.
I was never that big a fan of fighters, mainly because of the difficulty in performing those awesome moves you see done at tournaments (or on YouTube). Okay, so Mortal Kombat's special moves were never that difficult to pull off, but the gestures definitely make the game more accessible (and fun) to a novice like me.
The gestures also help in another area – Fatalities. Yes, the classic killing move is back, only this time it works in a slightly different way. Instead of character-specific Fatalities, you actually control the Fatality yourself. After defeating your opponent, go up to him or her and motion one of the eight gestures to start the Fatality combo meter. This creates a meter at the top of the screen that shows how much time you have to input the next gesture. These motions do things like turn your opponent around, slap them, snap their neck, and so on, until you reach the end of the combo and it ends in a Fatality. Chain as many combos together as you can and you'll get a rating on just how brutal your Fatality was. Not all of the gestures work right after another, so you have to be quick about which ones to try.
Of course, special moves and fatalities are nothing if you don't know how to use your character's fighting style. While each character still has high and low kicks and punches (these attacks are represented by each direction on the D-pad), the individual styles make these kicks and punches extremely different. Some styles are very forceful, while others aim for the quick strike. Some are built around a good defense, yet others are built around strategy. It takes time to find the character with the right kind of style that suits your playing habits, but with 63 characters (representing just as many fighting styles), it shouldn't be that hard to find one that is suitable for you.
I didn't have much difficulty getting into the flow of the game using the control scheme conceived by Midway. However, if the Wii Remote is a feeling a bit too foreign, then it can be replaced by either a GameCube controller or the Classic Controller for a more familiar experience.
After the main game, there are a few more options here to keep you busy. These include the Konquest, Motor Kombat, and Kreate a Fighter modes.
Konquest mode follows the events of the son of an Edenia god, the man known as Taven. It features fairly basic 3rd-person fighting in generic 3D worlds. You start out with simple kicks, punches, and throws to rid yourself of the enemies that come at you on your journey. Fortunately, Midway added a little spice to keep things interesting by giving Taven special moves that he'll acquire throughout. Between fighting enemies and managing death traps, you will encounter many of the regular Kombatants. They will have to be defeated as if they were being faced in Arcade mode if you want to proceed.
This mode not only provides a somewhat entertaining distraction from the main game, but it also allows you to collect an immense amount of Koins for use in the Krypt. There you will find alternate costumes for characters, concept art, and other goodies for purchase. Sometimes you'll find these items (a majority being alternate costumes) on your way through Konquest mode.
While Konquest mode expands upon the story of some of the characters in the Mortal Kombat universe, Motor Kombat adds absolutely nothing. Motor Kombat is a basic Mario Kart clone. Each character sports a unique kart to race across one of several exotic courses. There are power-ups scattered throughout the course that give your character either a speed boost or the option to use a special ability, which is also unique to each character. This is the one mode that requires only the Wii Remote by itself (turning it sideways to act as a steering wheel). For a kart racing game hidden in the depths of a fighting game, it obviously lacks the depth a full-fledged game would have, but it's still surprisingly fun.
Finally, we come to the Kreate a Fighter mode. You might be wary about a mode such as this, as a majority of games that let you create your own character fail in one aspect or another. Fortunately, this isn't one of those games, and I believe this is one of the areas where Armageddon really shines. There's a smorgasborg (I've always wanted to use that word) of options from which to choose: lip size, jaw width, eye angle, cheekbones, etc. And as if there wasn't enough content in this game to drive a guy's testosterone level through the roof, breast size can be changed as well.
Not only do you get to customize your character's physical features, but you get to decide their fighting style as well (including the weapon you want him or her to wield). You can use any combination of fighting style and weapon you want, and you can even customize the individual attacks in each style. Special moves can be mixed and matched to your heart's content. The only limit is your wallet, as some of the better attacks cost quite a lot of Koins. You can even name your character and give them a little bit of an official backstory. To make a long story short, if you like making your own characters, you'll definitely want to try this mode out.
Returning gameplay elements include real-world martial arts and weapon styles unique to each character. The exception to this rule is for the larger characters (such as Onaga), who do not receive a weapon. The only difference between Armageddon and its brothers is that each character gets only one fighting style this time around, instead of two. This makes sense though, considering the scope of the character roster.
Speaking of, every one of the characters now has a unique look. For fans of the original designs, it is a vast departure. It's not to say that all of the new designs are bad, but they are definitely different. Thankfully the developers thought of us older fans when they added unlockable costumes that look closer to the original character designs.
To make up for the lack of buttons on the Wii remote, Midway mapped every special move to one of eight gestures. For example, Sub-Zero's Freeze Ball is quarter-circle forward. You just press the B trigger on the Wii remote and perform the quarter-circle motion in the air. So basically, this move is exactly the same as in other versions of the game, except now you make motions with your hand. It sounds cheesy, but this system works well -- when it does actually work that, is. The game seems to be a little touchy as to exactly how you perform these moves. Specifically, it seems to favor more of a quick wrist flick than an entire arm motion.
It takes a little getting used to, but I believe that it's worth it in the end. Some gamers are more impatient than others and might not give the controls the proper time needed. Take my friend for example. I tried to teach him to use the motion controlled special moves via the Wii Remote training mode, but he didn't seem to get the hang of it and was begging for the Classic Controller within minutes. Later, he seemed impressed when I was throwing around spears and freeze balls like it was nobody's business.
I was never that big a fan of fighters, mainly because of the difficulty in performing those awesome moves you see done at tournaments (or on YouTube). Okay, so Mortal Kombat's special moves were never that difficult to pull off, but the gestures definitely make the game more accessible (and fun) to a novice like me.
The gestures also help in another area – Fatalities. Yes, the classic killing move is back, only this time it works in a slightly different way. Instead of character-specific Fatalities, you actually control the Fatality yourself. After defeating your opponent, go up to him or her and motion one of the eight gestures to start the Fatality combo meter. This creates a meter at the top of the screen that shows how much time you have to input the next gesture. These motions do things like turn your opponent around, slap them, snap their neck, and so on, until you reach the end of the combo and it ends in a Fatality. Chain as many combos together as you can and you'll get a rating on just how brutal your Fatality was. Not all of the gestures work right after another, so you have to be quick about which ones to try.
Of course, special moves and fatalities are nothing if you don't know how to use your character's fighting style. While each character still has high and low kicks and punches (these attacks are represented by each direction on the D-pad), the individual styles make these kicks and punches extremely different. Some styles are very forceful, while others aim for the quick strike. Some are built around a good defense, yet others are built around strategy. It takes time to find the character with the right kind of style that suits your playing habits, but with 63 characters (representing just as many fighting styles), it shouldn't be that hard to find one that is suitable for you.
I didn't have much difficulty getting into the flow of the game using the control scheme conceived by Midway. However, if the Wii Remote is a feeling a bit too foreign, then it can be replaced by either a GameCube controller or the Classic Controller for a more familiar experience.
After the main game, there are a few more options here to keep you busy. These include the Konquest, Motor Kombat, and Kreate a Fighter modes.
Konquest mode follows the events of the son of an Edenia god, the man known as Taven. It features fairly basic 3rd-person fighting in generic 3D worlds. You start out with simple kicks, punches, and throws to rid yourself of the enemies that come at you on your journey. Fortunately, Midway added a little spice to keep things interesting by giving Taven special moves that he'll acquire throughout. Between fighting enemies and managing death traps, you will encounter many of the regular Kombatants. They will have to be defeated as if they were being faced in Arcade mode if you want to proceed.
This mode not only provides a somewhat entertaining distraction from the main game, but it also allows you to collect an immense amount of Koins for use in the Krypt. There you will find alternate costumes for characters, concept art, and other goodies for purchase. Sometimes you'll find these items (a majority being alternate costumes) on your way through Konquest mode.
While Konquest mode expands upon the story of some of the characters in the Mortal Kombat universe, Motor Kombat adds absolutely nothing. Motor Kombat is a basic Mario Kart clone. Each character sports a unique kart to race across one of several exotic courses. There are power-ups scattered throughout the course that give your character either a speed boost or the option to use a special ability, which is also unique to each character. This is the one mode that requires only the Wii Remote by itself (turning it sideways to act as a steering wheel). For a kart racing game hidden in the depths of a fighting game, it obviously lacks the depth a full-fledged game would have, but it's still surprisingly fun.
Finally, we come to the Kreate a Fighter mode. You might be wary about a mode such as this, as a majority of games that let you create your own character fail in one aspect or another. Fortunately, this isn't one of those games, and I believe this is one of the areas where Armageddon really shines. There's a smorgasborg (I've always wanted to use that word) of options from which to choose: lip size, jaw width, eye angle, cheekbones, etc. And as if there wasn't enough content in this game to drive a guy's testosterone level through the roof, breast size can be changed as well.
Not only do you get to customize your character's physical features, but you get to decide their fighting style as well (including the weapon you want him or her to wield). You can use any combination of fighting style and weapon you want, and you can even customize the individual attacks in each style. Special moves can be mixed and matched to your heart's content. The only limit is your wallet, as some of the better attacks cost quite a lot of Koins. You can even name your character and give them a little bit of an official backstory. To make a long story short, if you like making your own characters, you'll definitely want to try this mode out.
Closing Comments
K-k-k-k-k-kombo Breaker.
While Mortal Kombat Armageddon isn't really doing anything new, it just does everything old very well. Waggle doesn't magically fix all the problems of a game like this, but it does make things a bit more accessible to the novice game player. For those fans of fighting games or Mortal Kombat in general, this is definitely a game worthy of your attention. There's just so much to do, from the meaty main game, to the quirky Motor Kombat, to the robust Kreate a Fighter mode. You'll be wasting your life away for weeks to come.
