Mortal Kombat: Deception is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series. Deception was developed and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004. A GameCube version was published in January 2005.
| Mortal Kombat: Deception | |
|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat: Deception U.S. Gamecube cover | |
| Developer(s) | Midway |
| Publisher(s) | Midway |
| Designer(s) | Ed Boon |
| Series | Mortal Kombat |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, PS2, Xbox |
| Release | October 4 2004 (PS2 & XBOX), February 28 2005 (GC) |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Mortal Kombat: Deception precedes Shaolin Monks (in release date only) and follows Deadly Alliance. MK:D was released in two versions for the Playstation 2 and Xbox; the regular version for both systems, a "Premium Pack" for Playstation 2, and "Kollector's Edition" for Xbox; both of which added a metal trading card and a bonus disc containing a history of Mortal Kombat, several video biographies of characters, and an "arcade perfect" version of the original Mortal Kombat.
Storyline
Template:Spoiler In the final events of Deadly Alliance, Raiden's warriors (Kitana, Kung Lao, Jax, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade) lay dead during their battle against the Tarkatan warriors and ultimately, the Deadly Alliance itself (Shang Tsung and Quan Chi). The Elder Gods had advised Raiden not to interfere, but he defied their wishes; alone he challenged the alliance of Tsung and Quan Chi inside Shang Tsung's palace, in Mortal Kombat. He had the upper hand for most of the fight, besting Tsung and Quan Chi, until Tsung absorbed a soul from the Soulnado and knocked him down with a fireball. From there, Quan Chi and Tsung combined their powers to defeat Raiden, with Quan Chi levitating the helpless Thunder God and Tsung using a fireball in the shape of a large Cobra to strike Raiden down.
With Raiden defeated, the Deadly Alliance turned on each other, with Tsung wanting Quan Chi's amulet. The Deadly Alliance was no more and Tsung found himself facing his one time partner Quan Chi. Despite Tsung's efforts, Quan Chi proved too much for him. Quan Chi struck Tsung to the ground, snapped his arm, then strangled Tsung, gagging blood out of his mouth. When Quan Chi stood alone, a hulking form entered the tomb, and the mummies of the Dragon King's army turned to kneel. In disbelief, Quan Chi looked in shock and in great horror... Onaga, the Dragon King, had returned.
Quan Chi knew what the Dragon King had come for: his amulet. Quan Chi used his powers against Onaga, but he could not stop him. Even with Tsung, and then Raiden, helping him, they could not stop Onaga. Raiden concentrated his godlike essence into a single blast, which destroyed the palace and everything within, but Onaga was unharmed, and possessed the amulet.
Onaga now seeks to use six artifacts called Kamidogu to fuse the realms into the One Being, resulting in the destruction of everything therein. Those fighters not killed in the battle against the Deadly Alliance (Li Mei, Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kenshi and Bo' Rai Cho) must now stand against him and his supporters. These include the Tarkatan horde (led by Baraka) and their former allies, who were resurrected by Onaga and are under his control.
In the story explored in Konquest mode, a young man named Shujinko is deceived (hence the game's title) into spending his life collecting the Kamidogu for Onaga, who uses the guise of an emissary of the Elder Gods named Damashi. This is prior to Onaga's resurrection in the body of Reptile. Onaga only reveals his identity and intentions after Shujinko has gathered all the Kamidogu. Shujinko, led to believe he was working for the greater good, joins the others opposing Onaga.
Characters
New characters
- Ashrah – a demon searching for redemption by killing demons with a magic sword called Kriss; she seeks to destroy Ermac and Noob in order to gain full purification.
- Dairou – Formerly Hotaru's subordinate, now a mercenary for hire. Contracted by Darrius to assassinate Hotaru.
- Darrius – Leader of the resistance in Seido, the realm of Order.
- Havik – a cleric of Chaos who saved Kabal from death; he wishes to consume Onaga's heart and revive Shao Kahn (unaware that this was a clone) to ensure chaos reigns, instead of the forced order that would follow if Onaga fused the worlds into the One Being.
- Hotaru – warrior of Order, pledged to serve the Dragon King.
- Kira – a cunning and brutal Black Dragon recruit recently hired by Kabal.
- Kobra – A brutal and bloodthirsty Black Dragon recruit.
- Onaga – The Dragon King and former emperor of Outworld, reincarnated by using Reptile as a vessel.
- Shujinko – An old warrior who was deceived by Onaga when he was a young adolescent. Onaga (under the guise of Damashi) gave him the power to mimic the abilities of his opponents.
Returning characters
- Baraka – Leader of the Tarkatan race.
- Bo' Rai Cho – The general of Edenia's army.
- Ermac – A mysterious fighter made of several fused souls who assists Liu Kang in his mission.
- Jade – A loyalist to Queen Sindel who agrees to help her save her daughter Kitana, and also seeks to see Tanya dead.
- Kabal – The leader of the new Black Dragon clan.
- Kenshi – The blind swordsman who was saved by Sub-Zero.
- Li Mei – A young warrior saved from the Deadly Alliance by Bo' Rai Cho.
- Liu Kang – Earthrealm's protector; now the disputed Champion of Mortal Kombat, returns as an undead.
- Mileena – Kitana's evil twin who poses as her to disrupt Edenia's defences.
- Nightwolf – A Native American warrior who acts as the "Sin Eater" of his tribe, allowing him to enter the Netherealm due to the "sins" in his soul.
- Noob-Smoke (The alliance of Noob Saibot and Smoke) – the joint team in which Noob Saibot looks to create an army of Cyber-Demons with Smoke as a template.
- Raiden – The God of Thunder who has become enraged at how mortals have repeatedly endangered Earthrealm.
- Scorpion – The Champion of the Elder Gods who has been sent to Outworld to destroy Onaga.
- Sindel – Queen of Edenia who looks to save Kitana and defend her realm from Shao Kahn.
- Sub-Zero – The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan who looks for a portal back to Earthrealm.
- Tanya – The traitor of Edenia, who now serves Onaga.
The GameCube version has two more playable characters. They were included to offset the lack of online play offered by the PS2 and Xbox versions:
- Goro – Saved by Shao Kahn after being left for dead on a battlefield.
- Shao Kahn – Escaped death by use of a clone. The clone was killed by the Deadly Alliance.
Puzzle Kombat Characters
Bosses
Boss
Sub-boss
New to the series
- Deception adds Chess Kombat and Puzzle Kombat game modes. Chess Kombat is similar to classical chess, but uses player-selected characters as pieces, and pieces must engage in Kombat to take a piece (much like the 1980s computer game Archon). Puzzle Kombat is reminiscient of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, a puzzle game by Capcom.
- Deception has highly interactive stages, with multiple levels, arena-specified weapons [1], breakable boundaries, and instant-death traps. Characters can no longer be slammed against walls, however.
- Deception also has a "Combo Breaker" system which allows players to interrupt combos up to three times per match.
- Weapon impalements are no longer in the game, due to the introduction of death traps.
- Deception characters have two Fatalities and a hara-kiri suicide move.
- Characters are more specialized as well, boasting unique (though sometimes held over from Deadly Alliance) throws, finishing poses, and rises after losing one round (e.g., Sub-Zero shoots ice to the floor to lift himself up, etc.).
- Certain stages also contain unique stage weapons, often following the stage's theme, that any character can pick up and use.
- Deception has a smaller Krypt than in Deadly Alliance (400 Koffins as opposed to 676). This reduces the number of "filler" Koffins that had either nothing or allusions to other koffins in them.
- Deception is the first game in the series to assume that the "good guys" lost the battle of the previous game.
- The character Noob-Smoke switches character models instead of fighting styles (Noob fights with Monkey style, Smoke with Mi Tzu), with no weapons style. They are playable after unlocking, and appear in Arcade Mode as sub-bosses. (Note: in the GameCube version, Noob-Smoke is playable without unlocking, as well as Jade, Li Mei, Kira, Hotaru and Havik)
- Deception is the first Mortal Kombat to feature an extensive online mode.
Konquest mode
Deception contains a RPG-style game named "Konquest". Konquest explores the history of Shujinko, starting prior to his training with Bo' Rai Cho and ending with the beginning of Deception. While mostly an adventure game, the combat elements take place in the normal Deception fighting mode. Players seeking to unlock much of the bonus content in Deception are required to play through the Konquest mode.
Mortal Kombat: Unchained
| Mortal Kombat: Unchained | |
|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat: Unchained Character selection screen of Unchained | |
| Developer(s) | Climax |
| Publisher(s) | Midway |
| Series | Mortal Kombat |
| Platform(s) | PSP |
| Release | US: November 13 2006 Europe: November 23 2006 Australia: November 9 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players. Wi-Fi |
Mortal Kombat: Unchained is the name given to the PlayStation Portable version of Mortal Kombat: Deception. The game was shipped on November 13 2006. The game includes all of the characters from the GameCube version of Deception, and four more characters from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance that are exclusive to the PSP system:
- Blaze – An Outworld elemental who was captured to incubate the means of Onaga's return, but is now free to pursue his own quest: to monitor the realms' companions and prepare for Armageddon, should they grow too powerful.
- Frost – Sub-Zero's traitorous disciple who revived after her own freezing ability appeared to kill her.
- Jax – Soldier of the Outer World Investigation Agency who fell in battle, and revived to serve Onaga.
- Kitana – Princess of Edenia who was killed in battle and revived to serve Onaga; appears to be fully aware - if not under control - of her actions.
An Endurance mode was an exclusive new feature in the PSP version, where players can compete against a constant wave of opponents. Also, the PSP's Wireless Ad-hoc functionality could be used for Multiplayer games.
Trivia
- In the 1996 movie The Cable Guy, the titular character played by Jim Carrey says to another character, while proclaiming what he believed to be the future of the Internet, "You'll be able to play Mortal Kombat with your friend in Vietnam!" Eight years later Mortal Kombat: Deception was released, the first MK title featuring an online function.
- Due mostly to the inclusion of several cameos in Konquest mode (as well as in the Dark Prison arena), Mortal Kombat: Deception features nearly every single character from the Mortal Kombat series in some form or another, ranging from the well-established (Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, etc.) to the more obscure (Rain, who is a non-playable character in Konquest mode).
- Deception is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature Stage Fatalities (now known as Death Traps) since Mortal Kombat 4.
- Deception is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature two "humanoid" characters as a sub-boss rather than the traditional otherworldly creatures such as the Shokans, Centaurians or Oni. The new sub-boss (so to speak) is the tag-team tandem known as Noob-Smoke.
- Stages like the Dead Pool, the Living Forest and the Pit were brought back due to fan complaints as they were popular stages in the Mortal Kombat series.
- Kitana was supposed to be featured in this game. However, it was decided that the storyline would change and have her brainwashed in favor of the reappearance of Jade, who has not been featured in many Mortal Kombat games, however she was later included in the PSP version Mortal Kombat: Unchained.
- Some characters (such as Darrius for example) are said to be plays on established Mortal Kombat characters. Darrius, in this sense is said to be a play on Jax, who was the first African-American Mortal Kombat character. Other characters such as Kira and Kobra are actually hybrids of different characters such as Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage and Kano. Kira, for instance, has Sonya's and Kano's special abilities (plus a fireball of her own, presumably a play on Tanya's fireball in Mortal Kombat 4) while Kobra's moves are identical to the ones Johnny Cage used in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
- Although the deceased Earthrealm warriors from Deadly Alliance (Jax, Sonya Blade, Kitana, Johnny Cage & Kung Lao) are stated to be under the Dragon King's control after he resurrected them, the characters are not playable. The only character that died in the Deadly Alliance/Deception story and returned as a playable character is Liu Kang. The deceased Earthrealm warriors, as well as Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, can be fought in Konquest, and in fact some must be fought in order to unlock other secrets (e.g. Jax must be fought to unlock the temple where Liu Kang is found). Each of these non-playable characters uses fighting styles already possessed by other Deception playable characters with the notable exception of Jax, who uses a completely different set of fighting stances. He is the only non-playable character besides Onaga to have a completely different fighting style.
- It was rumored that there would be "Super Unlockables" in the game. After Deception was released, GameSpot initially reported that the character Motaro could be unlocked. This was later proved to be untrue, however, and was subsequently removed from the website once it was revealed that there are no super unlockables in the game. The source which provided GameSpot with the faulty information is unknown.
- A number of characters from this game are present in the trading card game, Epic Battles.
- In the film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", the main character's friends play Deception and he performs Sub-Zero's fatality on Baraka, then Baraka does a fatality on Sub-Zero. It should be noted, though, that said characters are using Nintendo-64 controllers, a system for which Deception was not released.
- Despite being playable in the GameCube version, the characters Goro and Shao Kahn can still be found behind bars in the Dark Prison stage, even when you select them to fight as. Also, Deception uses two character models for Reptile; his classic MKII model, which can also be seen during Konquest mode in the Living Forest of Outworld, and his model from MK4 and Gold. The MK4 version of reptile occassionly appears in the dark prison as does the classic reptile featured konquest mode. Although it is rare, both reptiles have bene known to appear at the same time in the dark prison arena.
- Because Frost, Kitana, Jax, and Blaze were merely ported to Unchained from Deadly Alliance, they only have one fatality (or in the case of Blaze, none at all), and no hara-kiri.
References
See also
- Konquest Mode
- The Krypt
External links
Official Websites:
- Official Deception website
- Europe Official Website
- Official Unchained website
- Midway's E3 page on Unchained
Other Websites: