Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Game Boy Advance)

The Mortal Kombat series doesn't exactly have the smoothest track record when it comes to quality, especially on portable systems. The old Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were difficult to play, and Mortal Kombat Advance, which was released in late 2001, is one of the worst games available for the Game Boy Advance. Thankfully, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance breaks this cycle of abuse. It's a very good one-on-one fighting game with plenty of strategy, and it doesn't stray too far from the classic formula of simple fighting moves and extreme gore.

Scorpion reels in Li Mei with his spear.

Unlike Mortal Kombat Advance, which was an unresponsive mess, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is easy to play and get the hang of. Punches, kicks, and special attacks are performed with the buttons and directional pad, while the two shoulder buttons allow you to block and change fighting styles. Each character has two distinct fighting styles that you can switch between at will, as well as an assortment of special attacks that you can perform in either stance. There are weapon-based attacks as well, although they're no more powerful than the standard techniques. One of the better enhancements found in Deadly Alliance is the ability to walk freely around the arena, which gives you more opportunities to dodge attacks or sneak behind your opponent.

The characters feature a wide variety of combo attacks and juggles, but the overall gameplay isn't as deep as what you'll find in games like Street Fighter Alpha 3 or Tekken Advance. There are a few cheap juggles, but they don't hurt the game very much, especially since you can literally kill your opponent at the end of a match--this isn't exactly a tournament involving good sportsmanship. Even with all the blood you'll see during a fight, it's the fatality moves that give the Mortal Kombat series its unique edge. Each character in Deadly Alliance has a specific killing move that you can execute after you've defeated your opponent. The button combinations for these moves are really simple and you can perform them at almost any distance--so it doesn't take much effort to actually rip your opponent's lungs out of their quivering bodies, and so forth.

If violent fighting games are your kick, there's certainly a decent amount to do and unlock in Deadly Alliance. The roster includes 12 playable characters, a few of which--such as Sub Zero and Kano--are holdovers from the original Mortal Kombat. Another classic MK character, Shang Tsung, retains his ability to morph into any other character at will, which is great. As you play through the single-player mode, you'll earn coins that you can use to unlock additional costumes, arenas, and outfits. The game also has the usual survival and two-player link modes we've come to expect from fighting games, as well as night vision and psychedelic modes that offer trippy alternate perspectives.