One of the best things about the best reasons to play Mortal Kombat: Deception on the consoles was that it offered online support allowing you to play other people from around the world. Unfortunately this online support didn’t make it to the PSP game, which is a real shame because it could have helped differentiate this game from something like Tekken. Thankfully you can still play your friends via a wireless ad hoc mode, but there’s something to be said about being the first portable fighting game to go online.
Even though Mortal Kombat: Unchained is a remake of a two year old game, it still manages to look pretty good. The character models are large and detailed, and the levels have a lot going on that is easy to look at. Some of the animations can be bit jerky and unspectacular, but overall the game manages to shine on the portable system.
It also plays remarkably well. You can use either the D-pad or the analog nub to control your character, and the face buttons are responsive. You never feel like you miss anything by losing the second analog stick or two should buttons, so it feels like this type of game is perfect for the handheld. Considering how well the 2D and 3D fighters have translated to the PSP it’s a shame we don’t see more franchises hitting the system.
While it’s not the best 3D fighting game on the market, Mortal Kombat: Unchained is a great diversion to what is already out there. The control is solid, it has a bunch of memorable characters and there are enough extra modes to keep you busy until the next great fighting game is released. It has its share of faults, but at the end of the day Midway has managed to port one of the better 3D Mortal Kombat games to the PlayStation Portable. It’s a shame that we got a port of this 2004 game and not the brand new Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but this is better than nothing. Those who have already experienced the console version may want to wait until something better comes along, but if you’ve never played a 3D Mortal Kombat game then this is a perfect place to jump off. Toasty!
C-
As a port of a 2004 console game, Mortal Kombat: Unchained is spot on. Unfortunately the fighting system hasn’t aged as well as you would hope and some of the extra modes are just as pointless today as they were two years ago. But still, if you have never played any other 3D Mortal Kombat games then this is a great place to jump off!
Page 3 of 3
