(E3 2002) Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Impressions
Midway unleashes their next-generation fighting game!
Mortal Kombat was one of the most anticipated fighters for me at E3, and the impression that I was left with when I spent over an hour playing it was that it had amazing potential, but it was missing some key features.
In the playable version the special moves weren’t built-in yet, so many of the suspected problems that might’ve came with projectiles and other attacks can’t be spoken about just yet, but the normal moves that were present were fluid and even included some throwbacks from previous Mortal Kombats (such as the classic uppercuts). The button layout has also changed from the other games in the series, with a new fifth attack button that was mapped onto L1. The four face buttons represented the traditional HP, LP, HK, LK layout while R1 allowed you to cycle between your character’s three fighting styles and R2 was for block. While you can move around in full 3D, MK:DA does not have more advanced techniques to use such as crouch dashing forwards or backwards. When I talked to a Midway rep about this, I was told that there is a possibility that tactics for more advanced players could make it into the game if they don’t fall behind in development. However, what was really cool about fighting in the arenas was the fact the wall system that has been implemented into the game. When you get close to the edge of an arena, instead of falling out completely, you are actually blocked by a force field and are open to just about anything your opponent will dish out. This wall system is not complete as of yet, but apparently you will be able to ring out your opponent if you knock them into this force field enough times.
While this build was fairly early in development (I couldn’t get an estimation from Midway, but it seemed to be 40 – 50% complete), signs of specific strategies have already started popping up. For example, while Blind Kenshi wasn’t especially fast with his attacks in his hand to hand fighting styles, he was incredibly quick when you busted out his sword and went to town on your opponent. On the other hand, when Scorpion wielded his weapon he was much slower than he was in his Hapkido and Karate fighting stances.
The animation was especially good with many of the characters, especially Kenshi when he was attacking with his weapon. It reminded me a lot of a Wushu kata, with a lot of sword twirling and fancy footwork. Despite being really close to the Konami booth (one of the loudest in the entire hall), I could hear a lot of what was going on in MK:DA. The classic announcer from previous MK games is back, while all the characters have new voices.
While Mortal Kombat: Dark Alliance still needs to implement a lot of stuff before anyone can judge it fairly, I think it’s safe to assume that the boys at Midway are on the right track with this game.
If my memory of her has an expiration date, let it be 10,000 years.
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