I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that cares about this, but this screenshot of the character selection screen just made my morning.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/Mkacs.jpg

Is it 10/9 yet? O_O

No, you are not...Damn! On what platform is this?

According to GameFAQs, it'll be out on the PS2, Xbox and... Wii?? Riiiight.

I bought Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance a while ago but never got a chance to really play it much. The constant saving after Every. Single. Action just annoyed the heck out of me. Was that fixed for Deception?

That character select screen does look really good, though. I had heard rumors that they were bringing everyone back, but I didn't think they really would. Is that supposed to be Stryker below Scorpion?

I admit that I've fallen out of grace with Mortal Kombat a long time ago, but I just can't deny my love for a good fighter selection shot.  Looks very, very impressive indeed.

Hm, I was thinking Stryker was the one to the right of Nightwolf?

Actually, I think I remember reading that the game was heading to Wii, though I might be mistaken as I'm guilty as charged with the not caring thing. 

According to Wikipedia, that's actually Mokap. Strange that they're including some of the jokier characters. Then again, wasn't even Mokujin incorporated into Tekken continuity?

And yeah, it's confirmed for Wii:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/731/731841p1.html

I read an article several months ago in... Game Informer, I think, where Ed Boon stated that every playable MK character from all of the games would be in Armageddon. And, if that screenshot is any indication, they are.

However, my mind is spinning right now because I'm concerned about how many of those are available off the bat and how many are going to have to be unlocked by doing ridiculous amounts of traveling and Koin collecting.

Ed Boon....does anybody here remember that 'secret' character Noob Saibot (mock name of creator's names Boon and Tobias). I have tried many times to unlock that character in MK3 (Ultimate). Does he even exist? Or was he just another 'Shen Long'?

Oh he definitely existed. He was in MK2 as (I think) a black version of the ninjas. In Ultimate MK3, he might only have been in the console versions but I'm not sure about that. He was definitely in MK Trilogy and (if I remember correctly) he was a normal selectable character.

If you want to get technical... Noob was in the original MK, considering how he's the wraith of the original Sub-Zero after he was killed by Scorpion at the end of the first MK tournament. Cool back story and stuff at Wiki, per usual:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noob_Saibot

Noob was in MK Deception as well as part of Noob-Smoke. In the game you press a button to change your fighting style, which gives you access to different normal attacks and dial-a-combos, but when you pick Noob-Smoke your character changes from one to the other. The dynamic of those characters together is RIDICULOUS. Definitely my favorite pick from MKD, and well worth learning in full detail. The flash combos and mid-string character swaps are unbelievable.

I played the hell out of MK3 but eventually, the gameplay got stale. I just ordered Deception and I'm looking forward to seeing how the series has progressed. At any rate, the over-the-top violence should be entertaining...

Yeah, it's definitely entertaining if anything. Great for VS mode with a friend, especially in the levels where there are death traps. I'll admit the fighting engine isn't the best out there, but I really don't care for fighting games and MK:D held my attention for months. Unlocked everything, learned all the moves and fatalities... aaaah, MK.

*waxes nostalgic*

I've always wondered, if Raiden is a god, how is it that he can lose? 

-avatar

ps Yeah, looks quite good, although I shudder to think at all the different moves you'll have to learn for all the characters, fatalities, yadda yadda!

I just picked up my copy of MK today. I like to embellish sometimes, but I am being 100% serious when I say the following

- The intro movie is the best intro I have ever, ever seen. The nostalgia and pure awesomeness of seeing every character beat the piss out of each other for 6 minutes is intense.

- Sixty-something characters. All but four are available from the beginning. WOW.

- This is a perfect blend of Deception ground combat and Shaolin Monks air combat.

- There's a good chance that I'm not going to finish Okami for a long ass time.

I know some people might think I'm crazy, but I'm feeling Game of the Year with this one.

Is that a post-mortem Liu Kang? Sounds like classic MK antics to me.

Zane, is the Puzzle Kombat in it?  How are the fatalities?

I've not liked any of the 3D MKs, especially with the multiple fighting stances.  That and the characters felt as if they moved really slow and their moves were nigh pointless.  Chaining moves together tends to annoy me.  Even so, I may give this one another shot---how does this one compare to Deception (I've not played Shaolin Monks), in your opinion?

No Puzzle Kombat or Chess this time around. Instead there's Motor Kombat, a kart game I haven't tried out yet. Konquest mode is a lot more Shaolin Monks-esque this time around, which is better off for me because I loved SM. Just a real fun mode, killing shit, breaking open chests and unlocking stuff for the main game, etc.

Fatalities are... very interesting. There are no character specific moves, just a bunch of generic fatalities you can string together. There's a time limit, and every time you do a successful move the timer goes up a bit. I'm not sure if you ever played Weaponlord (16 bit), but it reminds me of that a little. Rip off an arm, break a leg, pull out a brain, do a decap... ah, violence.

I never really got into Deadly Alliance, but I would say that the fighting engine is about 90% Deception and 10% Shaolin Monks. There are only two fighting styles (one bare hand, one weapon), but there are lots of juggle and SM-inspired air combos that you can incorporate into the matches. There are air moves and combos for each style the fighter has, so it's like having two regular stances and two little mini air-stances.

If you didn't really dig Deception, you probably won't be head over heels for this one either. It's a little more accessable, and there are WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS (in the best way possible), so it'll take a long time (if ever) to get to that "same ol, same ol" feeling at the character select screen. It is the same style of fighting pretty much, though, most importantly. Me and my girlfriend used to tool around on Deception for hours a day. We unlocked everything, and then continued to beat the crap out of each other in VS mode for weeks afterward. So, I'm really biased when it comes to 3D Kombat. I love it.

Why would they drop something as good as Puzzle Kombat?  Bah...

I may end up renting it this weekend when my cousin comes down.  The stringing together of a bunch of generic fatalities sounds neat, but it would still be nice for them to each have a fatality.

I do like what you said about changing Konquest Mode, although I've not played Shaolin Monks, I'm assuming it is less an RPG and more a brawler, right?  That sounds great to me.

As it stands, the SNES release of Mortal Kombat II, IMO, was the highlight of the entire franchise.