At the beginning of Armageddon you'll be treated to an FMV which explains the storyline behind the game. As you'd expect from a game titled Armageddon all hell has broken loose in the Mortal Kombat universe. Every time a tournament is held there are more and more skilled fighters entering the realms. All of the fighting and the power has slowly been tearing the realms apart, including Earthrealm and Outworld. As a solution to this problem the Gods have created a pyramid with a guard who is simply known as Blaze. The role of the pyramid is to signal when the final battle for the universe will be held. Towards the end of the movie all of the characters are battling it out to try and get to the top of the pyramid and it is revealed that Liu Kang is back (in zombie form nonetheless) and he is ready to take on Shang Tsung. The storyline obviously isn't going to win any awards but at least some attempt was made to explain how come all of the characters from the Mortal Kombat universe are in the one spot at the one time.
Alternatively press X Square, Circle, Triangle, Square, Up
Armageddon features every character to appear in every Mortal Kombat title yet. This means traditional characters like Sub Zero and Scorpion are on the roster but characters that don't often appear in many of the other Mortal Kombat titles are also available for selection, including Frost, Mileena and Kitana. The Wii version also has an exclusive character, Khameleon. Khameleon is a grey female ninja that can perform four special moves including Mileena's transport kick and Tanya's fireball. Khameleon's fighting style of Eagle Claw and her weapon is a massive sword named a Falchion. Khameleon is available immediately and doesn't need to be unlocked by playing through the Konquest mode.
The Konquest mode revolves around Taven, one of the new characters in Armageddon. In the Konquest mode you walk around the Mortal Kombat universe facing off against Mortal Kombat characters and exploring the storyline behind Armageddon. The Konquest mode is linear but still a lot of fun. It does get tiring fighting against thugs that all remarkably similar but as there is hidden content to be found in the realsm you'll want to scope out every little aspect of the Konquest mode.
The Konquest mode is a great inclusion but only really a small part of the game. There is an arcade mode where you have to fight your way through your opponents to reach the top of the pyramid. There is also a practice mode which lets you practice with any character. Midway has included an endurance option for the Wii version which works much like every other survival mode in a fighting game. You'll start off with a full health bar and an opponent, once you defeat him you'll need to move onto the next opponent. Your health bar won't increase at all, so the endurance mode is quite a challenge. To get players used to the Wii controls there is also a Wii training video and a wii training mode which takes you through the moves you can execute with the Wii remote.
Executing moves really is rather simple.
With dozens of characters the last thing you’re likely to want to do is create your own fighter but if you’re still unsatisfied with the wealth of characters on offer then you can do so. There are plenty of customisation options we’re just not that sure that you’re going to want to bother. In the spirit of creating things you’re also able to make your own fatality. Instead of putting in a specific button combination at the end of a battle you're able to now input your own sequence of buttons to "create a fatality". Personally (and this really will come down to personal choice) I preferred the scripted fatalities as these fatalities aren’t anywhere near as interesting as the fatalities in Deadly Alliance.
One of the more gimmicky inclusions in the game is the Mario Kart clone, Motor Kombat. Motor Kombat uses the Wii remote exclusively and requires you to turn the Wii remote to the side and control a Mortal Kombat character in a kart race. There are ten characters to choose from including Raiden, Mileena and Kitana and five courses to race on. The 2 button is used to accelerate whereas you move by leaning the Wii remote either left or right. As with any kart racing game there are power ups to be collected as well. Overall Motor Kombat comes off feeling like a little bit of a second thought, but it’s an okay bonus.
The controls are where Mortal Kombat Armageddon has changed the most from the PlayStation 2 version. You’re actually able to use the classic controller, a Gamecube controller or the Wii remote and nunchuk combo to control your characters. Using the Gamecube controller and classic controller result in an experience much like playing on any other console, so we’ve focused on our experience with using the Wii remote and the nunchuk. Firstly, the included training video is almost essential viewing. The special moves in the game are executed by holding down the B button and gesturing with the Wii remote. The gestures are limited, so you’ll only need to do things like move the Wii remote left and right or swing the remote in a half circle. The special moves are extraordinarily easy to execute and those who are sick of having to remember button combos will lap up the Wii Remote controls. Simple moves such as punching and kicking are still executed with the buttons on the Wii Remote.
The most fun you'll have on a racing game in a retail game yet.
Graphically Armageddon is more impressive on the Wii. The loading has been noticeably decreased. The sound is about as decent as you would expect from a Mortal Kombat title. The sounds of combat and freaky music that plays in the background while you fight gives the game a unique sound, sound will also come out of the Wii Remote every time you perform a gesture based attack.
Armageddon is a game that will last a considerable amount of time as well. Armageddon isn’t a title that you’ll finish in one sitting and the Konquest mode alone will take about ten hours to complete. There are unlockables such as costumes and soundtracks to be unlocked for those who play through the game extensively.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon on the Wii is superior to its Xbox and PlayStation 2 counterparts but only just. With a new control system, a new character and a new endurance mode the game is still incredibly enjoyable and is a lot of fun. It may just be an upgraded port but Armageddon is a fighting game that still comes highly recommended.
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