First image from Mortal Kombat Deception!

[Anya 0]

Yeah, the arm panel thing is the same. And Cyrax DOES have the dreadlocks. He even uses them in a fatality, where he spins around like a helicopter and slices them up.

 

Speaking of dreadlocks Ultra Vortek has a character named "Dreadloc" who is a stereotypical Jamican guy. He blows rings of smoke and says "hey mon!" all the time. Like a MK version of Dee Jay, I guess.

[Damaramu 0]

What MK was the helicopter Fatality in!? Was that in 3? I thought he did the Self Destruct and then a bomb or something.......

[Guest Askewniverse]

What MK was the helicopter Fatality in!? Was that in 3? I thought he did the Self Destruct and then a bomb or something.......

Yeah, Cyrax's helicopter fatality was in MK3. Each character had two fatalities in MK3. Cyrax had the helicopter one and the self-destruct one.

[Damaramu 0]

God damn that Moloch! He's fucking hard! Anyone have a strategy to beat him?

[AndrewTS 0]

Yeah, the arm panel thing is the same. And Cyrax DOES have the dreadlocks. He even uses them in a fatality, where he spins around like a helicopter and slices them up.

That's just the wire "hair," though. They aren't dangling around his head like they are on Pred.

 

Fulgore and cyborg Smoke can both go invisible as well.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

God damn that Moloch! He's fucking hard! Anyone have a strategy to beat him?

Chances are, Dama, you're going about it the same way every normal player does when they fight Moloch - full steam ahead.

 

Moloch is, hands down, the easiest guy to beat in the game when you know how to. Usually I choose someone like Scorpion, Kung Lao or Kano, as they are guys who have really easy and quick 3-4 button combos. Simply nail Moloch with a combo non-stop until he dies. If he blocks, either immedietly hit your block button and hope to God he doesn't throw you, or quickly sidestep and lay into the fucker with another combo. Because he doesn't fall down, it's easy to just tear him to shreds without him even knowing what the hell is going on.

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

What MK was the helicopter Fatality in!? Was that in 3? I thought he did the Self Destruct and then a bomb or something.......

Smoke has the Bomb Fatalities.

 

The fact that Cyrax has the bomb special moves yet Smoke has the bomb Fatalities makes no sense....

 

 

 

UYI is right. Use short chain combos against Moloch. Also stay just outside range of his lunging strikes and then run in and attack him when he misses.

[DangerousDamon 0]

The two people I use to beat Moloch are Kenji and Scorpion because their sword attacks are exactly the same and I know the combos like the back of my hand. I once did like a 50 hit combo on Moloch because I Kept mashing the buttons. For some reason, his health went down like 2 percent.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

That is a bizarre glitch I've found as well, Proto.

 

I tend to use Shang Tsung, and go about obliterating Moloch with enough rage to destroy a small country, only to have his health drop by a fraction.

 

Then, of course, due to the fact I am stunned that my onslaught barely phased the big oaf, he clips me with a cheap shot and proceeds to kill off three quarters of my life by using 3 moves.

 

Fucker.

 

UYI

[AndrewTS 0]

*sends a suggestion to the MK folks to bring back Moluch in Deception, and give him RESURRECTION a la Gill*

[Guest Adrian 3:16]

God damn that Moloch! He's fucking hard! Anyone have a strategy to beat him?

I always used Raiden and kept hitting him off with staff combos. Works every time for me.

[Guest Jack Daniels]

The way I go about beating Moloch is by using Jax and piston punch the holy hell out of that sack 'o crap.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

GameSpot have just released a two-page preview of MKDeception:

 

Following our first look at the trailer for Mortal Kombat: Deception, we were able to get a rundown of what the game is going to offer from none other than Ed Boon, cocreator of the bloody juggernaut series, at Midway's gamers' day. The presentation gave us an overview of the game and its various features and offered us one of our first genuine surprises of 2004. While we expected the next entry in the Mortal Kombat series to build on the promising elements introduced in 2002's Deadly Alliance, we weren't really prepared for the insanity laid out before us. Boon and company's latest evolution of the venerable franchise goes crazy in what appears to be the best possible direction.

 

Boon's presentation covered six topics: gameplay, backgrounds, characters, fatalities, new game modes, and online. The gameplay segment shed light on the surprising number of tweaks and additions to the already-solid fighting system introduced in Deadly Alliance. Mortal Kombat: Deception's core system will feature the basic elements that worked so well in Deadly Alliance, so you can plan on each fighter having three fighting styles with unique combos, special moves, and fatalities. Returning characters will likely retain some, but not necessarily all, of their existing styles. The current plan is for each character to have roughly six special moves and multiple fatalities (more on that in a bit).

 

The additions to the combat system appear to be adding a level of strategy that should please fighting fans looking for more depth. A new position switch move, similar to the position swap seen in Tekken 4, will let you quickly switch your place with an opponent if you're backed into a corner, which should come in very handy. However, the most interesting addition is undoubtedly what Boon dubbed "fight state indicators." The indicators appear vertically on the lower left- and right-hand sides of the screen and identify your fighter's current state, on the fly, during a battle. The color-coded indicators let you know when you're vulnerable to attack, are able to counterattack, or are in a danger zone. Obviously, when the indicators aren't reacting at all you'll know all is well. The stoplight-like meters, whose appearance is still a work in progress, struck us as a training-wheel-like addition to the game. The indicators should help veteran players hone their skills to perfection and let new players get a better understanding of the fighting system.

 

Another sign of the fighting system's evolution is the way its new features relate to the game's backgrounds. The arenas will be multitiered and will feature a high level of interactivity that will end up enriching the fighting system. Boon stated that the arenas will end up playing a big role in the flow of the battle, almost as much as the character you choose, based on their unique size and shape. Some will slowly crumble as you fight on them, making a "ring out" sort of victory possible. Another background Boon talked about was a sort of "yin and yang" arena that randomly flips between good and evil. On the good side, you'll see a Virtua Fighter-like beach, complete with seagulls and a generally peaceful setting. But when that flips around, you'll get an evil version of the same background. Getting knocked out of the arena on the good side won't be so bad for the losing player, but getting knocked out when things aren't so pleasant will probably be a bloodier affair.

 

Deception's final roster of characters is still being kept a secret, but we sussed out a number of them from the trailer, such as Baraka, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Ermac, Mileena, and Nightwolf. The game will feature 24 fighters in all, 14 of which you'll be able to play with right off the bat. In talking to Boon, we discovered that the white-clad fighter shown in the video wasn't Raiden, or even a man, for that matter. Boon didn't reveal much other than to say it was a woman named Ashra. Given her appearance, we figure she's probably related to the god of thunder in some way. Ashra will be joined by around seven more new characters.

 

The basic level of interactivity offered by the backgrounds will match everything seen in Deadly Alliance, so you'll be able to break objects around the arenas and exploit areas within them that will do damage, such as the acid pits in the previous game. That's just for starters, though--certain breakable background elements will act as weapons you can use to dole out damage to your opponent, specifically the walls you'll be knocking them through in spectacularly violent fashion. In addition, you'll now find color-coded squares that will clue you in to the good, the bad, and the ugly of your surroundings. The good will be indicated by green squares that will tip you off to useful items, such as weapons strewn about the arena that you can pick up and use. The bad will show up as yellow squares that represent danger zones, which will harm you or your opponent in some painful way. The ugly is shown with red squares that clue you in to death traps, an evil, new addition to the MK franchise's meaty selection of ways you can bring instant, and gruesome, death to your foe.

 

Speaking of ways to die, MK Deception will come fully loaded for those looking for ways to eviscerate their opponents. As mentioned, each character will have two fatalities to brutally finish off their foes, but that's not the only way to rid yourself of an enemy. The death traps in each arena feature some truly spectacular ways to end a fight. The sequence at the end of the trailer, where Baraka is thrown into the pair of menacing spiked rollers, offers a taste of what's possible. However, if you happen to be competing against someone who thrives on humiliating you, Deception offers a nice way to tell your opponents to suck it. When your battered fighter is wobbling about and waiting to be finished off, you'll be able to perform a suicide move and finish yourself off before your opponent does. This new move now makes the end of a battle as hectic as the fight itself, as both players will have to race to input their command before the other.

 

You'll have the opportunity to put the fighting system through its paces in a robust assortment of modes, and this is where we found some of the game's biggest surprises. In addition to the standard assortment of single-player and versus modes, you'll find some cool new additions. The konquest mode has been completely overhauled to offer a deeper, free-roaming, RPG-like experience that will put you in control of a teenaged character and charge you with guiding him to adulthood and victory. The missions will again range from standard tutorial missions, which fill you in on the combat system, to battles with a variety of victory conditions. You'll take on the missions by roaming freely through six realms populated by old and new faces whom you'll interact with. Boon mentioned that every character that's ever been in a Mortal Kombat game will make some sort of appearance in this mode.

 

The konquest mode will include a feature that will track time in the game. In addition to tracking the age of your character, the feature will work in tandem with the day and night cycle in the game, since many unlockable secrets will be tied to a specific time and place. For example, you may see a character moving among the rocks in the distance in a certain area. If you try to be in the area when that happens, you'll engage the character in battle and earn something if you win. Boon stated that, while the koin currency system and the krypt will be in the game, the majority of the hidden characters will be found in konquest. Once you complete konquest mode, you'll be able to take your character into the other game modes with three fighting styles of your choosing.

 

Speaking of other modes, Boon's demo of the other modes was pretty jaw-dropping. The versus and konquest modes were impressive but not entirely unexpected; however, the two new modes--puzzle kombat and MK chess--were. Apparently, Boon and company weren't content with just buffing up the fighting system and overhauling konquest mode and have thus created two all-new game modes. The resulting modes are complete changes of pace that look to be pretty fun. Puzzle kombat is a Tetris-style puzzle game proudly cut from the same cloth as Capcom's classic gem, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. The game will feature superdeformed versions of the main cast who will duke it out as you try to clear like-colored blocks. A super meter will let you perform various attacks based on the blocks you remove, with combos allowing for better attacks and even super moves. And, of course, this mode will also feature some superdeformed fatalities.

 

MK chess is an even greater throwback that recalls both the old-school classic Archon and the board game Stratego. The mode lets you select an assortment of fighters that you assign a class to and move around on a chess-style board in an attempt to take out your opponent in turn-based combat. Your class selection will affect that fighter's stats while providing unique abilities. For example, Scorpion can be cast as a healer, which will let him heal units but significantly reduces his attack power. There will be multiple arenas in this mode, and some classic backgrounds from previous MK games will appear here, as well.

 

The icing to this already sizable cake is the online support in Mortal Kombat: Deception--you can play versus, Puzzle kombat, and MK chess online. The exact details are being kept under wraps, but we'd like to think the game will include leaderboards and the expected stat tracking, at the least.

 

While we went into the presentation with certain preconceptions of what to expect out of Mortal Kombat: Deception, what we saw easily surpassed them. The game's impressive overhaul is a bold move that recalls some of the insane, old-school brilliance of the classic early entries of the series. It's good to see that nearly every aspect of the game is being given some depth and that the additions are so well polished. Puzzle kombat and MK chess seem to be solid enough that they could have worked as stand-alone games (although we're glad to see Midway didn't actually try to ship them as such). However, the strongest aspect of the game will likely be its online play. In an era when the arcade scene is all but dead, the chance to test your skills against random strangers is a dope reminder of the days when you would roll up to a machine and set your quarter down. If the ambitious package works as well as it looks like it might, Mortal Kombat: Deception may well be the best entry in the series yet.

 

Some cool, new screenshots are also up at GameSpot.

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

Gameinformer confirmed Kabal!

 

24 characters. 8 new, 10 classics and 6 from MKDA.

 

So far...

 

 

New:

1.Hotaru

2.Ashra

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

 

 

Classic:

1.Baraka

2.Mileena

3.Ermac

4.Noob

5.Nightwolf

6.Kabal

7.Sindel

8.Smoke?

9.

10.

 

MKDA:

1.Scorpion

2.Sub-Zero

3.Kenshi

4.Bo' Rai Cho?

5.Kitana?

6.Quan Chi?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

You've got to be kidding me.

 

Movado murdered Kabal, and we know this actually happend as Movado's weapons were stolen straight from the hands of the dead Kabal himself.

 

I was never a fan of Kabal, so that's probably why I'm a lot less forgiving in terms of bringing him back, but it is still a retarded move.

 

No Kano yet either? I'd much rather him than Kabal.

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

The wording was that Mavado had "apparently" killed Kabal.

 

So I guess Mavado was wrong and left Kabal for dead.

 

 

Using "apparently" and then having someone return has been done before. Goro being a notable example.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I hated Kabal in the game, too goofy for me. Although in the cheesy cartoon, they actually made him look like a badass (they even took away his white googly eyes look), I really liked that.

 

How did they explain Kano in MKDA? I thought he died in MK3. What happened to Jerek or whatever from MK4?

[Anya 0]

They said Motaro saved Kano from death in MK3 and that Kano was in Outworld during MK4.

 

 

Not sure about Jarek. MKDA kind of hints that Hsu Hao killed him though. In Kano's Konquest it's like "do it for Jarek!" in one of the missions against Hsu, who we know was previously hunting down Black Dragon members.

[AndrewTS 0]

I've gotta at least try this, just to see how much of a mindfuck Puzzle Kombat will be.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I hated Kabal in the game, too goofy for me. Although in the cheesy cartoon, they actually made him look like a badass (they even took away his white googly eyes look), I really liked that.

 

How did they explain Kano in MKDA? I thought he died in MK3. What happened to Jerek or whatever from MK4?

Kano's always had some fucker after his sorry ass since the very first Mortal Kombat. I think it's safe to say that if isn't dead by the next game, which I highly doubt he will be, then there's no killing him off.

 

However, I would of told you the same thing about Liu.

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

Kano's had a pretty good career, especially for one who's missed two games. He's gone from an every day thug to the general of Kahn's forces.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

More screens? More info?

 

IGN is your hook up, yet again:

 

 

The new ad campaign for Las Vegas states that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Well, that's only partially true. A few weeks back, a number of IGN editors were able to sit in on a special presentation of the latest Mortal Kombat offering, subtitled Deception at Midway Gamer's Day in Las Vegas. Game creator Ed Boon walked us through several of the new features and game modes that Deception will include. Now we're sharing it with you, and breaking the chain. Sorry, Nevada… guess you'll need a new slogan.

 

 

First things first: Fatalities. We know it's what you want to know about, so we won't make you wait. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, each fighter will have two unique Fatalities, and from what we've seen, they're more gruesome than anything the series has ever offered. But that's how we like our Kombat… bathed in blood.

 

In addition to individual fighter Fatalities, each character will also be able to trigger a hari-kari move. So when the ring announcer announces the famous words "Finish Him!" both characters will have an opportunity to do a finishing move. Pull off the hari-kari maneuver before your foe does his/her finisher, and you'll rob them of the satisfaction. Did we mention that the hari-kari moves are also horrendously bloody?

 

But wait, there's more! Since Midway is committed to giving Kombat fans all of the liquid red krovvy they desire, they have added some extra goodies in the area of Fatalities. For the first time ever, players will be able to use the actual fighting environments to produce what Boon referred to as "Background Fatalities." Those who took a look at the Mortal Kombat: Deception trailer will recognize one of these areas—the meat grinder that resulted in the blood storm at the end of the trailer.

 

The mechanic for triggering the Fatality is simply a red square on the arena floor. Step in it and trigger the Fatality, and you could completely change the outcome of the match in one move. Background Fatalities are primed to make Deception a much more wide-open, free-for-all affair than Deadly Alliance, as fighters will have the ability to use them as a sort of "ring out" from anywhere in the environment.

 

Speaking of arenas, Boon revealed even more interesting information about how they will be used to enhance the fighting experience. First off, as suspected, Deception will feature destructible areas and multi-tiered fighting, much like that in Dead or Alive 3. What's more, players will be able to interact with elements of the environment. In the exclusive screenshots included in this article, you'll see this dynamic at play, as Baraka interacts with the hanging corpses in an especially brutal stage.

 

In addition to being able to destroy arenas, certain environments will change on their own, posing new threats and challenges. One such arena is beach that flips continuously throughout the fight. At first it's a bright, cheery day conjuring up images of bikinis and pineapple drinks, and then it flips into a dark, stormy and dangerous map. When it changes to the dark side, different elements of the arena become danger zones, forcing players to adapt quickly. Another fight we saw took place atop a large, crumbling spire of rock. As the battle raged on, rings around the outside of the fighting surface sloughed off, leaving less and less real estate to battle on.

 

As far as the fighting mechanic is concerned, the biggest change is the inclusion of indicator lights that show you what state your opponent is in. For instance, if an opponent launches an attack that misses, he may be open to a counter, and the lights will indicate that. By the same token, if you unleash a strong attack, your own fighter's light will show that, and give your opponent information on how to go about attacking you. While some fans may balk at this concept, it seems like it will add an interesting dynamic to each fight. Those well-versed in reading the indicators should do a lot better. And of course, there is always the option to turn the lights off completely.

 

 

Perhaps the biggest revelation of the day, however, was the inclusion of three new modes of gameplay: Konquest, MK Chess and Puzzle Kombat. The Konquest mode will greatly expand on the story mode that was included in Deadly Alliance, including tons of extra gameplay. The Konquest will play out like an RPG, where the character begins as a teenager and grows older as you play the mode.

 

Time is a huge factor in Konquest mode, as there will be specific events staged at specific times (as in a game like Animal Crossing), where if you are standing at a predetermined place at the right moment on the game clock, you will meet a person who will give you an exclusive unlockable tied to that place and time. This should come as good news to the collection fiends out there.

 

MK Chess is perhaps the most intriguing of the new modes, as it seeks to combine the MK aesthetic with the old school charm of Archon. In the presentation, that game was mentioned directly several times, and it appears the concept behind the mode is right on par with Archon's mix of strategy and action. For those unfamiliar with the game, it is essentially a form of chess, where players try to control the board and maneuver their pieces into power positions to be victorious. However, whenever two pieces meet on a square, there is combat—or in this case, Kombat—to determine who gets to keep that chunk of real estate, and who gets toppled. In this mode, you will have the ability to set a role for each of your fighters before going into battle, enhancing their abilities in strategic ways in order to ensure victory.

 

Another interesting addition to the already plump package is Puzzle Kombat, a Tetris-style puzzle game that is similar to the Super Puzzle Fighter series. In this mode, cartoonish MK characters hang out beneath each puzzle and contribute to the action as it feverishly unfolds above. The mini-MKs will each have their own Fatalities as well, so rest assured that the blood doesn't stop at the main game.

 

Both Puzzle Kombat and MK Chess will also support online play, in addition to the main head-to-head game. The PS2 version will go online thanks to GameSpy, and the Xbox game will, of course, use Xbox Live. This promises to be a huge element of gameplay, and we'll keep you posted as we get more information about exactly what the online experience will entail.

 

From what we've seen, Deception promises to be a huge upgrade to an already robust fighter. The teaser footage was awesome, and we can't wait to get our hands on all the new tweaks and game modes. Color us Anticipatory Red. Which of the 24 Mortal Kombat characters will be in the game? Which 14 will be available right off the bat? Keep your dial tuned to IGN for future updates, coming soon.

 

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

Not much new from IGN. Too bad they didn't confirm a new character or something.

 

Them hyping up stage Fatalities as something never before seen is sad. Theyve been around since MK1!

[Use Your Illusion 0]

The pics they gave there still look as though they are only preliminary shots (which they almost certainly are), so we still cannot really get a good idea how awesome everything will look.

 

I really, really, really like the hanging bodies though. That's fucking great.

 

That look like Ermac to you, Sakura?

 

UYI

[Anya 0]

That is Ermac.

[Guest Adrian 3:16]

The wording was that Mavado had "apparently" killed Kabal.

 

So I guess Mavado was wrong and left Kabal for dead.

 

 

Using "apparently" and then having someone return has been done before. Goro being a notable example.

Not only that, but Mavado had "apparently" killed Kenshi in DA and left him for dead, until Sonya came along and saved him.

 

You know, for a deadly assassin Mavado sure leaves a lot of loose ends.

 

But as for Jarek, Sakura I thought Sonya's ending from MK4 where he falls over the cliff was supposed to be canon?

 

Though I suppose Hsu Hao could've been the one who narced on his location. He was working covertly with the Special Forces at the time wasn't he? That could explain Kano's comment without really contradicting MK4.

[Guest Coffey]

So, with the new "backround" Fatalities you can win at any time during the fight? I don't know how much I'll like that. I'd hate to be winning a fight only for the map to switch from yin to yang and...oh look, I'm on a red squared...guess I'm beat.

 

I'm glad to hear that you can shut that indicator off too.

[Anya 0]

But as for Jarek, Sakura I thought Sonya's ending from MK4 where he falls over the cliff was supposed to be canon?

It could be but unless they specifically mention it later it's not canon.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I preferred the Sonya death alternative version of that ending, even though it never actually happend.

 

I completed MK4 with Jarek before I did with Sonya (because I absolutely cannot stand her) and was overjoyed to see the bitch finally get hers.

 

Hopefully Kano gets the job done in DA.

 

UYI

[Guest Coffey]

Any new news? What's the latest happening? I'm really interested in this topic, since I'll probably buy the game on launch.

 

In other words, bump.