Online Bloodbath

Mortal Kombat Deception has been released in the US to positive reviews. The latest MK features about 24 fighters both old and new (half of which have to be unlocked as you play), two suitably gory fatalities per fighter, new stages that have instant-kill 'death traps', extra play modes that include Chess Kombat (which is actually closer to the PC classic Archon than actual chess), Puzzle Kombat (competitive Tetris with fatalities) and Konquest Mode, which is a pseudo RPG-exploratory adventure where you travel the Outworld expanses to raise your character. The game will include tons and tons of unlockable stuff and extra content, so Kombatants should find a lot to keep their attention with.

The graphics still bring to mind the predecessor, Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, and the animation is still just as stiff as before, though gameplay has supposedly been improved. Of course, the main feature aside from the actual fighting is the ability to take the fight online on Xbox Live, which Deception apparently does pretty well.

MKD takes the crown of 'First online 3-D fighter' from Tecmo's Dead or Alive Ultimate, which has been plagued by delays recently.

I'm not really an MK fan (I bought MK Deadly Alliance and played it a grand total of three times before setting it aside and I haven't gone back since), but I will make it a point to check this game out when it's available locally. Ah, the responsibility of a frustrated critic. Expect our own bloody review then.