| Introduction
Gamers may recall the last time Midway released a
'Mortal Kombat' title for the GameBoy Advance. To say
the results were a little disappointing would be a huge
understatement as the outcome was not only sloppy and
unplayable, it also encapsulated everything that could
go wrong with a GBA conversion.
Occasionally though, a publisher will learn from
their mistakes and a press releases late last year indicated
that Midway were to rebuild the whole fighting engine
from the ground up. This seems to have paid off, judging
from the enthusiastic response that 'Deadly Alliance'
has received on the various home consoles. It's now
on the GBA, however, and it'll be interesting to see
just how well it measures in pocket form.
GamePlay
At it's most basic level 'Deadly Alliance' contains
two modes of play – 'Arcade' and 'Survival'. 'Arcade'
is the mode, which we all know and love, where you must
battle it out with a whole host of fighters in the best
of three bouts. 'Survival' is self-explanatory really,
with the challenge here to see just how long you can
last in the area with progressively more difficult and
skilled opponents.
The opponents in question are all very different,
both in the manner in which they approach the fight
and their special weapons, so moves which may defeat
one challenger won't always work on another. You'll
also quickly realize that the AI is a little more receptive
to your fight patterns than you may be used to, so just
when you think you've discovered a weak spot your opponent
will change stance in order to become more difficult
to damage. Change your fighting method and he (or she)
will do the same. If all the battling gets a bit too
much there are always the mini-games that pop up from
time to time and though they only tend to hone your
observational skills. they're still great fun.
Obviously, games of this nature are a lot more fun
played against a 'real' player as opposed to one of
the many AI fighters. Midway have addressed this with
the now standard link up mode. There is a slight downside
to this - you and a friend will each need a copy of
the game although, given the level of technology on
show, it is clear that a 'boot' game was out of the
question. Even after you've fought more bouts that you
can possibly imagine there's still an incentive to go
on. This is because of the huge number of 'unlockables'
available in the 'Krypt' section. To open any of the
boxes you'll need to earn Koins, which are won through
fighting although you can also push up your booty by
betting on multi-player matches.
Finally, the developers have banished the clumsy
password system by including a battery backup that automatically
saves at the end of each stage. Before you do this,
however, you'll need to create a profile in one of three
slots. This is incredibly useful and allows you to record
your various bouts and just how well you did in them.
Controls
From my point of view fighting games are never simple
in the control department but Midway's internal development
studio has obviously spent some time on developing an
interface which manages to be user friendly without
detracting from the enjoyment of the game. Every button
on the GBA is used but some avoidance tactics can be
implemented by manipulating just the 'D-pad' which makes
jumping, ducking or simply getting out of the way incredibly
simple.
The fighting controls are also very intuitive and
most users should get to grips with them in no time
at all although the special moves will remain a bit
of a mystery until you discover or unlock them. Overall,
'Deadly Alliance' boasts one of the best control systems
I've encountered on a GBA title and it's even more impressive
considering it's a beat'em up.
Graphics
Because of the newly developed game engine, the graphics
had to be impressive and whilst the various individual
elements are only above average, the end result is quite
spectacular. This is mostly due to the various arenas
that rotate as the fighters battle it out in what appears,
thanks to some clever visual trickery, to be full 3D.
There are some wonderful touches including environments
with marble or polished floors that reflect everything
around them and some backgrounds featuring excellent
spot animations.
The fighters themselves are constructed of pre-rendered
animations and not the photo realistic composition that
the series is famed for. These have the tendency to
appear a little blocky on occasions but as the animation
is so slick and the camera keeps shifting its axis,
you'll hardly notice.
Sound & Music
Before I say anything, let me just start by mentioning
headphones, because to truly get the most out of this
latest Mortal Kombat title, you're going to need them.
Right then, here we go...
'Deadly Alliance' sounds fantastic. A lot of the
audio wouldn't be misplaced blurting out from an arcade
cabinet, never mind a humble GBA. You know you're in
for something of a treat as soon as you fire up the
game and the initial theme tune is both atmospheric
and very well composed. Similar music runs through the
various bouts and the sampled sound clips are nothing
short of outstanding - the announcer and fighters could
be alongside you. You might notice that much of the
audio is recycled so some of the fighters sound exactly
the same but when a game's audio sounds this good there's
really no sense quibbling over minor details.
Final Comments
After a less than impressive showing on the GBA,
Midway appear to have finally got things right. This
handheld version of the classic beat'em up is just about
as good as it gets. This is mostly down to the newly
developed game engine, which allows for some incredible
fighting action whether you indulge in the single player
experience or one of the multi-player bouts. In addition,
there are some very pleasing visuals and excellent sound,
demonstrating a level of care that should be evident
in all GBA products. Even if you already own all the
so-called classic fighting titles on the GBA, you need
'Deadly Alliance' in your collection. On the other hand,
if you think beat'em ups just aren't your thing, then
this could be the game to change your mind. Get it now!
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