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Nintendo not the way to go

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: May 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First let me say that this is a fun game. It's easily the best Mortal Kombat yet. The combat system is simplified from Deadly Alliance and Deception so that you only have to remember two move sets per character (including weapon kombat) instead of three. Some might see two styles as more limiting, but for me it helped make each fighter more accessible and made it easier to get into the game. Having the full cast of characters from every previous Mortal Kombat game is also nice and being able to create your own fighter is possibly the best feature of the whole game.

However, the Wii version of this game has a lot of strikes against it. Having come out so much later than the other platform versions, I was hoping Nintendo would have added a few things to make it worth the wait. Unfortunately, the Wii version has much less. Sure it has the female version of Khameleon, but that is about all the Wii version has over the other versions.

The Wii controls aren't as easy to learn as they're made out to be. Judging from the message boards I've been to, I'm not the only one with a problem. You have to hold the "B" button while making the special move motions and you have to time precisely when you press it and when you let go. Some times the motion sensor will mistake a side/side motion with a half circle motion and give you the wrong move. Sometimes it won't do anything at all. And you can't always tell what you did right or what you did wrong. In a fighting game where every split second counts, controls simply have to be more responsive than that. I've gone back to simply using the Gamecube controller. Thank goodness they made that an option.

The X-Box and Playstation versions also had a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 included with their games. Not so with the Wii version. This may not be a big deal for some. After all, you're paying for MK Armageddon, not UMK 3. All the same, when a game comes out for Nintendo so much later than the other platforms, I'd expect there to be more options to choose from, not less.

But possibly the biggest shortcoming is no online play. That is simply inexcusable. With the Wii, Nintendo has the ability to start increasing their online playability in games. There's simply no excuse to cut out online play for a game that has it on all other platforms.

Nintendo better get on the ball by making their third party games comparable to what people are getting on the other platforms. When the other platforms have a whole other game port with Ultimate MK3 and online playing capabilities; meanwhile the Wii has nothing to show for their version coming out months later, the choice is painfully obvious.

All that said, Mortal Kombat Armageddon is a fun game. I see no need for me to go back to Deadly Alliance or Deception any time soon. I also love that I can make my own characters for the game. It'll keep me playing for some time.

Didn't know what they were doing

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you like confusing your Wii more than actually controlling the game, this is for you. As if it wasn't bad enough that there is absolutely nothing intuitive about the way the controls work, there's also nothing accurate about it. They claim that it is easier than ever to do super moves, and this claim is beyond absurd. You have to hold down B in perfect sync with the motions, which is really obnoxious. The motions themselves often make no sense in regards to the action they perform (though not always), and the worst part is that the game can just barely discern between the different motions. This is a result of poor code writing, and of the many different Wii games I have played, not one of them has had this same problem. When Marvel Ultimate Alliance was first translated to the Wii, the controls were 50% accurate. They kept testing and rewriting it until they got to 97% accuracy. Apparently MK was less than willing to put anywhere near that kind of effort into it. Boo!

Cool graphics and some stuff to please MK fans though. Just not any fun with such horrible controls.

Nice game but the Wii controls are not that easy

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: June 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

In paper it looks that doing moves and fatalities will be very cool with the Wii Controls, but they don't. All the basic moves are easy to do, but fatalities, if you try to do something, most times the system will do something different or it won't work at all. This is very frustrating. I might get a Virtual Console game pad, but there is no game pad fatality list available at the Internet. The game will tell you the basic moves itself but the fatalities you have to search at the web. The Wii control fatality list is available, but no for the GCN or Virtual Console game pad yet.

I had great expectations for this game, I had some satisfaction, but it is frustrating trying to do fatalities (somes in specific) and watch something else to happen

the idea sounded good....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: June 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

When I heard that MKA would be coming out for the Nintendo Wii, I thought that it would easily be the best version of the game. With the Wii motion sensor system, one could mimic the movements of character-specific fighting and have them translated into actual on-screen maneuvers. Unfortunately, it seems that either the technology isn't advanced enough to handle such demands, or else there just wasn't enough effort put into the Wii controls. Since the release date was quite a bit later for the Wii version than for the PS2/Xbox versions, I was certainly expecting much better.

The only way movements of the Wii remote are utilized in this game is in the execution of the characters' special moves and fatalities. You press the B button on the back of the remote down, perform the specific motion for the move, then let go of the B button. Many of these gestures just reflect the movements one would be doing with their thumb on the joystick or D-pad of a regular control and do not actually reflect the movements of the characters on the screen. Furthermore, while performing these moves has never been flawless on a controller, accuracy is far more difficult with the Wii remote. New-comers and veterans alike struggle to get the desired move to occur, usually either executing the wrong special move or none at all. Furthermore, the normal punches and kicks are executed by pressing directions on the D-pad (Left for Attack 1, Up for Attack 2, etc.), which becomes very tiring for the thumb, is difficult for the brain to handle, and results in handicapping the player (when the idea of this control system was to ENABLE players). Fortunately, Nintendo seemed to know this new system would frustrate players, so you can still use a GameCube controller or one of those "original" controllers for the Wii. Still, for those of us who own one or both of the other systems, it seems like "Why did I buy this for the Wii if I'm just going to use a normal controller?"

...particularly because there is NO ONLINE PLAY for the Wii version (big surprise). For whatever reason, despite the utter failure of Nintendo's GameCube against the PS2 and Xbox (largely blamed on the lack of online gameplay capabilities), the availability of Wi-Fi play on the Nintendo DS, and the Wii's ability connect to the Internet, Nintendo seems to be stupidly holding its Wii owners back from the opportunity to experience online gameplay on titles that would obviously benefit from it. Why Nintendo would choose to dig their own grave now that they are ahead is beyond me. The Wii version does have the exclusive fighter, Khameleon (who has the abilities of Jade, Kitana, Mileena, and Tanya) added to the roster, and the graphics could be slightly better than those on the last-generation systems, but that hardly makes up for the disapointing work done on the controls and lack of online capabilities.

The actual game is pretty good. It does feel like there is some redundancy between the characters' moves and combos, and some of the stages are less appealing than usual in new MK installments. Also, it is annoying that there is now only one fighting style for each character (plus the ability to switch to a weapon....except with some of the "boss characters") when the previous installment of MK wowed players with the ability to have two styles per character (plus a weapon). Finally, I think the choice to REPLACE the character-specific fatalities with the Kreate-A-Fatality system was very unwise. I have a feeling this was done to save space because of the huge roster of characters, but I would have rather had no Motor Kombat and Konquest Mode and character-specific fatalities. Creating your own fatalities can be fun, but MK was largely based upon character fatalities! Luckily, the other "Kreate" idea (Kreate-A-Fighter) is a great one, and customizing your own fighter can be really fun.

Overall, the game is fine for those who don't have a PS2, PS3, Xbox, or Xbox360 (as long as you have a GC controller or Wii original controller). However, if you could own it for one of those systems and are still deciding if you want to get it for the Wii, I'd strongly suggest you stay away from it.

nice but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: November 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I like this game don`t get me wrong it could be refreshing and at the same time bring memories of the first titles released more than a decade ago. It features a couple mini games as you probably now by now like motor kombat which is kind of a Mario karting but with mortal kombat characters it`s fun!

Now about the wii controls for fighting which is what interests the most to players well sure it`s easier to do the special abilities of every character but at the same time I find it harder to fight, a lot harder.

For this reasons and I think the guys at midway understood that an arcade game needs some speed on buttons, you can also play with another controllers like the "wii classic" attachment or game cube controllers which I think it easier for fighting but less fun than with the wiimote.

OK

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: February 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat is ok. i am not that much of a fighting dude but the car races are fun. i would only advice you to buy this game if you are a game collector.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon Wii Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This review will detail the features of the Wii version. If you wish to know more about the game as a whole, there are plenty of other places to look.

Wii Exclusives:

Wiimote Motion Control
Wiimote Training Video
Wiimote Training Mode
Khameleon Character (From N64 MK Trilogy)
Endurance Mode
Fastest Load Times (3 Seconds compared to PS2's 9 Seconds)
Sharpest Graphics

There is a demonstration video showing you how to use the new motion controls...you can also test them out in the practice mode.

I had absolutely no problem adapting to the controls, and I much prefer them to the standard button input and can't imagine going back. It's not always accurate...I'd say it's about as accurate as the button inputs would be. The motion controls are just for special moves and the kreate-a-fatalities in Arcade mode.

Tilt steering is supported in Motor Kombat of course and Menu navigation is a breeze with the Wii remote as a laser pointer style mouse.

IF YOU ARE TURNED OFF BY THE WII CONTROLS, both the GAMECUBE and CLASSIC CONTROLLERS are supported as an alternative! You can even play with a combination of control types.

The only thing missing is the online play, and I'll leave it up to you weather that is a big deal of not...It really depends on if you play games online. I don't, so I don't mind.

The best fighting game on the Wii so far

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game would be the perfect Mortal Kombat game if all of the old fatalities were still here. Instead, every character can now do the same fatalities and none of their own unique ones like the kiss of death, turning into a dragon or ripping someone's heart out.

The levels are great, the moves are easy to get used to on the Wii and if you're looking for a great game to play with a friend, look no further.

Wii Controls NOT Nearly As Bad

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: August 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a "returning" gamer (haven't really played since SNES and a brief 3DO ownership in the early 90's), having been romanced by the Wii into coming back. I am 26 years old, married, all that jazz.

Anyhow, I used to play Mortal Kombat II as a kid and, to me, ONCE YOU'VE DONE TRAINING MODE for a while, the Wii controls work great. They work consistently for me, BUT I have significantly modified some of the suggested moves. For example, the "U" shaped moves I perform in the sort of way you would a "hit" in Rayman, when you're playing a music game: like hitting a drum with a drumstick, except I either do a little roll to the left or right at the end depending on what move I want.

Coordinating the B button is not that hard, come on. Go into training and do the moves repetitively until it happens every time. Was a little long for me, but I remained humble, had some faith in the developers and sure enough I found movements that worked for me.

The back-forth or forward-back motion requires you hold and move the remote on a fairly flat plane. My wife pointed out when I was not performing it correctly, my motions were "warping" to one side or another, or I was holding the remote oddly. A nice flat back-forth works great, every time.

Just like other reviewers say, sometimes it doesn't work. But I honestly think this is just "in the heat of battle" excitement making you a little sloppy with what are physical motions.

Honestly, the only thing I really DON'T like about this game is the "rubber doll" feel to the characters. Sometimes I feel like I am playing with Barbie and Ken just like I did when I was a kid by making them fight. They seem to have this sort of glazed over sheen over much of their personality and it feels a little plasticy. But boy are they vicious.

Anyhow, a solid four-star game all around. Worth the purchase price, or at very least the price of a used copy.

Another round of Kombat

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Mortal Kombat Armageddon concludes the "new" trilogy that began with Deadly Alliance and continued with Deception. This is the big battle royale finale, and it's a fight to the finish with every single character *ever*. That's 60+ characters. That's a lot of kombat.

While I was initially hyped for Armageddon, the excitment is subdued somewhat now that I've actually had a chance to play the game. Yes it includes everyone, but a lot of what's in here has already been seen before, especially for those who worked through every inch of the other installments. Same character models, same fighting styles and weapons (though some have been switched up and applied to the new characters), the obligatory death traps, unlockable content, bonus modes, etc. It's a perfect summation of the successful reboot of the franchise, and it's hardly a bad game. It just doesn't pack the 'wow' factor it did before.

The Wii controls have been talked about a lot. I've put some time into the game, and I'm just beginning to get the hang of them. When they work, you can pull off special moves pretty easily and with less button combos to memorize. When they don't, it gets annoying. The option to use Gamecube controllers and the classic pad is welcomed. The lack of an online mode (when Wii is so close to going online) is disappointing. But that's more Nintendo's fault than midways.

In all, MK: Armageddon is a solid purchase for fans of the series, or just Wii gamers looking for a fighting game. It lacks the freshness of its predecessors, but its still a nice wrap-up to this generation of the series.

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