Wii Review: Mortal Kombat Armageddon

By Andrew Groen: 2007-06-08 06:42:59

Players: 1-2
Price: $49.99
Platform(s): Wii
Developer: Midway
Publisher: Midway
ESRB: Mature [Blood and Gore, Intense Violence]
Website: http://mkarmageddon.com/
Rating:

The beginning CG movie in Mortal Kombat Armageddon says something to the effect that so many Mortal Kombat fighters have come about in the recent years that they’ve begun to tear apart the fabric of the universes existence. At least this shows that they know what they’ve been doing to the world with their past few releases. This most recent incarnation of the Mortal Kombat series sings much the same tune as the last few games in the series; It’s chock full of goodies, but all of them are tragically underdeveloped.

It’s all pretty much business as usual for MK this time around. As expected you’ll beat the snot out of other fighters with your choice of 60 different fighters. The problems with the fighting portion of the game begins here. There are 60 different fighters, a fantastically large roster of combatants by any standards, but they’re all way too similar. Everybody has a different style of martial arts to work with, but the differences aren’t showcased in the fighting engine. The fact is, fighting with Scorpian, Motaro, or Sonya doesn’t actually require you to change your tactics. It’s all pretty much a contest of who is the best at running up to the other person and uncontrollably flailing the Wii-mote, at best. The Wii-mote controls, as you may have already inferred, aren’t terribly useful. They help give each character a common thread which makes it easy to jump in and play, but they are often unresponsive and they take the joy out of accomplishing a special move.

The other returning mode is Konquest; a beat-em-up styled game which looks and plays like it belongs on the Playstation 2’s launch line-up. The primary function of this game is to reward you with alternate costumes and money for the character creation system (more on that later). It functions fine as a quick little diversion, but as its own being, it’s a terrifyingly underdeveloped piece of game code. You’ll take control of MK newcomer Taven who is apparently on the hunt to earn the right to succeed his father as king of Edenia. I say “apparently” because the story is shockingly nonsensical. Every event in the game functions as a medium for completely out of place characters to play a part. For instance, at one point Taven is praying next to an altar when Sektor comes out of nowhere, kidnaps him, and takes him into outer space. Why? Because they had no other reason for Sektor to make an appearance, and because they wanted an excuse to change the level scenery.

The last new mode is called Motor Kombat. Yes. Motor Kombat. Think Mario Kart with MK characters and much less fun. The entertainment value of Motor Kombat can be summed up rather well by my own experience with it. Shortly after I started playing, the-old-ball-and-chain called to tell me she’d be over in fifteen minutes with a pan of baked mostaccioli. Motor Kombat kept me playing for those fifteen minutes, but my attention was swiftly and irrevocably averted upon the arrival of mostacioli. There you have it, not terrible for a few minutes at a time, unless it’s in competition with melted cheese and pasta. (Editor's Note: Yes folks, mostacioli is more powerful than video games.)

The only truly solid aspect of the game to speak of is the character creation system. Virtually every piece of clothing or armor worn in the game (including dozens of other assets) can be mixed and matched to adorn your fighter. There are so many fighters in the game and all of them with a couple alternate costumes, that you can actually create some awesome looking characters. I myself actually managed to make a fine looking Sephiroth, a picture perfect Nightcrawler and rock solid Venom. Creating characters is a good time, but the catch is that you then have nothing else to do with them than play in the boring, poorly designed fighting mode.

From a technical standpoint, MK also underwhelms. The graphics are tolerable in the fighting modes, but in Konquest mode they look terribly bad. They’re not quite as bad as say, Spiderman 3 on Wii, but they’re pretty bad nonetheless. Level design is equally as uninspired, as Konquest basically forces you down one narrow pathway. You do what they tell you to do and take what they give you. It’s really pretty boring. There’s no need to waste your time on a substandard beat-em-up like this when Streets of Rage 2 is available on the Virtual Console.

All in all, if you’re a fan of MK you’re still going to get a kick out of all the gore and over-the-top fatalities as you always have. If you’re considering checking out Mortal Kombat for the first time though, I have to advise you to stay away. This is a substandard entry, even considering MK’s past 5 years. If you’re really itching for some gory action, go check out Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance on the Xbox. It’s older, but it’ll serve you a lot better than this.

Tips N4G

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Corey Says:
June 8th, 2007 at 15:04
We'll there are only a few points that I agree with you actually to be specific only one. Which is your, right fighting styles do not necessarily mean you have to change strategy but who says thats a bad thing. I bought this game for the Wii and have followed most MK's games. I feel you gave a real craptastic review of this game IGN gave this game an 8.5 and only because it didn't have online. Compared to the so-called "horrible" graphic of the wii launch titles graphical this game is a dream, it's not a PS3, but its not so far behind. Actually graphics in all parts of the game are great. And if you are going to speak on a technical basis then give technical info. Saying the word technical and partnering it with "it blows" really doesn't work. On the same level as Metal of Honor maybe better. You didn't really get into the game and talk about everything thing it the most general review I have ever heard and then you didn't even rate the game, what a gip! I love the character creation if makes me feel like I developer for Midway,its really nice and very easy to get into when defining you fighting style and weapone style moves and bio's. My only regret is that they didn't at more stuff. There a ton of things to customize and I love how you made Xmen I made the Hulk, IT WAS AWESOME! And stop comparing it to Mario Kart we all not very few games compare to Shigeru's games so just let it go. Its a lot of fun. My only beef is that you can pick from all 60 characters. You missed endurance mode, practice mode, wii training, and The krypt. Konquet mode is really solid, good game play, nice graphics, sound is cool, story is nice (not the best of all times but still good), Making money and unlocking things easy to do a lot of. It can also be very challenging as well. OH, and speaking of wiimotes usefulness if I had read this after playing this game for the first time (regardless if I was a familiar with MK or not) I would totally agree with you. However, after having had this game for a 10 days, playing like a fein, once get the timing down, which is fairly easy, performing super moves is easy. Currently the only pain in the A$$ thing is attemping fatalities. Now you complain about they took the fun out of perform super moves but super moves in this game have never ever been difficult to perform. Not fatalities on the new MK if you thought it was challenging before you ain't seen nothing. It takes more skill and better timimg to pull them off, I'm still working on it. I've learned the in the gaming industry if you are a review its traditional to rag on the underdog's game not matter how great they are unless a game the was made virtually perfect. Wii's twilight princess has been a major hit but I'm sure tons of people ragged on it away. Basically MK Armageddon is a really fun game and its even tons better with friends the only bad part is that doesn't have online. Simply because it would be pheonominal to test custom characters agianst other players as well as they could always update the Kreat-A-Fighter mode with new weapons, super moves, fight styles and so on.

CB G: Andrew Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 18:39
OK COREY: You wanna throw down, let's throw down. First of all, don't compare us to IGN, or anybody for that matter. We're different people with different views on games. You also might want to note that at IGN a 7.0 is the rating for average. Where as at CB Games it's 2 1/2 stars (5.0). So if their reviewer weas scoring on our system they would have given it about 3 stars (maybe 3 1/2). So in reality the scores aren't that far off. I think it is a poor design decision to split up your team and make all different kinds of games when you should be focuses on making ONE great game. I've always thought that the addition of these modes was a cover for the fact that the MK license is getting stale, and they don't have the talent over there to make a fighter on par with the big dogs of the genre.

You also say "stop comparing it to Mario Kart we all not very few games compare to Shigeru's games so just let it go." In regards to the Motor Kombat "game." Why shouldn't I Kompare it to Mario Kart? Why should we be made to suffer through inferior products? If you're going to do something, do it right and try to be the best, otherwise you're making games for your stocks, not your customers.

You may also want to look at the bold letters that say RATING: and then the big golden stars next to it before you complain any further about me not giving it a rating...I dunno how you missed that one.

Do you really think it's worth wasting the reader's time talking about, two different practice modes, a slight variation on the arcade mode, and a mode where all you do is look at pictures (wii training, practice, endurance, and the krypt respectively)? I didn't talk about practice or endurance, because I can't think of a game since Street Fighter II that didn't have a practice mode and endurance.

The reason I rag on the wiimote control, is because yes after I played it for 15 hours or so it got easier to use, but the whole point of Midway incorporating the Wiimote waggle was because they wanted to make it more beginner friendly. They failed, plain and simple. No control scheme has succeeded if it takes that long to master.

You also should spend more time around gaming if you think that it's customary to rag on the little guys. If anything, smalled games get much better ratings because A) most reviewers love the idea of the smaller guy thwarting the likes of EA and other biggies, and B) because they want to make it seem better so people will buy it despite it's lack of mass market appeal. Who the heck gave you the idea that MK and Midway are underdogs anyways? Trust me, they're not.

In closing, you came here, and clicked on my review because you wanted to read another opinion. If you weren't expecting another point of view, then why did you come in the first place? I've been around games a long time, and it's my job to make sure that CB's readers reader's get a definitive and trustworthy review. I could not in good conscience recommend this game to anyone but very loyal Mortal Kombat fans as I stated in the review. No one else seems to have complained except for one big Mortal Kombat fan...seems like my review was spot on.

David Says:
June 10th, 2007 at 00:17
Alrighty then, my turn.

I got MK:A a few days ago because it seemed like a good way to jump into the series. Had just gotten a Wii about a month or so ago, and only ever owned 1 other Mortal Kombat game in my life (Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the Playstation) and figured Armageddon should be fun because of the Wii scheme sounding easier then button guessing, and since it had every character ever, I wouldn't be dissapointed in not being able to play a character I knew of, while still getting to know the newer ones that came out since then.

I got it, and played it as soon as I got home. I knew from a review I saw of the game somewhere that Konquest was the tutorial/way to unlock stuff section of the game so I hit there first. Konquest's story in general wasn't too bad. Some cameo's were definitly pushing their luck, while others weren't nearly as bad. Sektor, and the whole Black Dragon gang in the beginning is a good example of not too great cameo's, while ones like Shinnok, and Sub-Zero made a bit more sense. However the whole Tutoral and Unlocking stuff reasons I did it in the first place did work out, and in the end the story was no Final Fantasy, but it wasn't horrid.

After unlocking everything, I messed around in the practice bit for a few minutes to get a better feel for the different Wii controls for the Specials, and soon got the hang of most of them, although the vertical ones still give me trouble once in a while.

Arcade mode was next, and I wasn't too disappointed with it. I found it fairly easy to do what I needed most of the time, although fatalities seemed to never want to perform finishers for me. I'll have to check it out again after seeing your article on how to do all of them so if I get the chance I'll come back and say what I think on fatalities again after I mess with that a bit more. Can't believe I didn't think of trying to use the nunchuk also when performing them.

As for most of the characters fighting almost exactly the same no matter what style you use, I never really minded that too much. I kinda just took that for a small thing to not have them all look like they studied under the exact same martial arts teacher, but not really change the gameplay at all. There does seem to be slight differences with each of the characters with how quick they are, or how much damage they'll take, but nothing with the style itself that really changed much. That's probably why they let you name your created fighter's style whatever the heck you wanna call it, because it really doesn't matter in and of itself what it's called, it's just to let you know which moves you'll be able to pull off currently, and to have different animations in fighting.

Motor Kombat I looked at for about 5 minutes, and decided pretty much the same thing the original reviewer said. It's a nice little distraction for a few minutes at a time, but I'm probably not gonna pop in the game just to play it.

Graphics aren't mind-blowing, but they weren't ugly either. i didn't really see anything bad about them personally. It may not be so detailed to the point where you can pick out the individual screws in sektor's suit or anything, but they do work quite well.

Create a fighter I messed around with for a few minutes, but as of now I've only messed with the appearences, and haven't done much checking with the moves themselves yet. There are a few nice choices in there, and some that seem funny (like the sailor moon/dragon ball looking haircuts) and it doesn't look like it would be too hard to get a decent looking fighter.

Overall it's a fun game, and it only took me about 5 minutes to get used to the new fighting controls, although getting certain moves just right did take slightly longer. If your finding your special moves aren't responding for some reason, try exagerating them out a little bit more. It may sound like a pain since the game is obviously very quick, but it really does make things much easier, especially if the game is confusing your semi circles for horizontal slashes. I've had the game for about 3 days now, and am checking out all of these characters I've never heard of and seeing what they can do, along with figuring out fatalities, and trying to convince my dad to join in sometime so we can see how the 2 player feels.

Rick Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 03:45
I am a huge MK fan, have been for a long time. I have owned almost all of the MK games that have come and gone.
I really dont have a whole bunch to say. I think the original review was a bit harsh, but there were some decent points made. The graphix are that of PS2, Motor Kombat is just something to pass the time, Konquest Mode has come a long way since just running down the path to the next person in line to practice your skills - but still not a fully functional "awesome" game. But when you put all of these things together I think it makes for a great "Wii" game. Look at all of the other Wii games out there with their cartoon graphix. This isnt a Blue Ray PS3. I think it is exactly as we should expect from Nintendo. I didnt but MKA on Wii for the graphix... I bought it because 1) it has like EVERY character from all the past MK's on it 2) I love MK and 3) I wanted to be able to play a MK game that worked out more then just my thumbs!!! I mean, I have only had this game for a short time, but I have YET to sit down and play. The Wii is all about being able to stand up and move around while playing, and if you can look at it that way, then the graphics and the game mode wont really matter much. So, if you want the hard core grahics, spend the extra cash for the PS3, otherwise, get off the couch, stand up, move your arms around alittle bit and JUST HAVE FUN!

And remember, these are all just our opinions. not everyone is going to feel the same way, so be nice!

later!

Harlan Says:
December 5th, 2007 at 23:51
Amazing, but.

This game is one of the best so far at least, they shouldn't have taken out the chess theme from the gamecube version. The motor kombat is cool and all, but theres only that. Yes, seeing as how it has a lot of other stuff like create a Character and Konquest, still. But yeah overall this game was sweet. I dont feel like writing a whole bunch but I would perfer you use the gamecube controllers, easier with fighting and Konquest. Because the wii remote screws you up when moving around and using specials, they dont always happen when you want them to, unless you over exagorate your actions. Not saying I would be able to create something better, its just not a game for the wii. Still an amazing game though.

Peace.

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Wii Review: Mortal Kombat Armageddon

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