Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - Page 3

**D Mac** · 05-12-2006, 02:43 AM

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/707/707837p1.html

May 11, 2006 - Day 2 at E3 is always a little less crazy than the first couple of days, so we're able to check out some more titles at a slower pace, which is good, because we're able to soak in everything better. So we headed off to Midway to check out a couple of games, including the last Mortal Kombat game on the PS2, Armageddon.

The finale is shaping up to be a huge and expansive title that looks to surpass everything that Midway has done in the past. For starters, there will be over 60 characters in this game, and that makes up the entire roster for the whole series, including such monsters as Goro, Kintaro and Motaro. Classic characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero are in the game too.

Armaggedon changes the gameplay up a little bit compared to Deadly Alliance and Deception. Instead of three fighting styles per character, that number has been narrowed down to two, in order to keep everything tighter and balanced. For the most part, one style is a hand-to-hand art while the other is a weapon-based style. Even the four-armed wonders have weapons too. Don't worry about balance problems though, because Midway has promised that the reduction in fighting styles will prove to make the game more balanced.

Environmental traps and fatalities are still in the game, but one new thing that's been added are aerial raves (air combos). Certain attacks will now launch your opponent high into the air, and you can now follow them and throw in another combo in the air for more damage. The combos that you can pull off are either preset combos, or you can easily cancel one combo and go into another. The other big thing -- and this will delight fans of gore -- is the ability to custom create your own fatality on the fly. Yes, the preset fatalities are stil intact, but instead of doing that, you can perform up to five attacks to deal your own version of death. The way the custom fatality works is that you'll have a timer for each part of your fatality, with the timer counting down faster and faster as you add more moves. Once the coup de grace has been executed, you'll be grade on your , ahem, performance.

Aside from the fighting, there have been major revisions to the Konquest mode. Taking some inspiration from Midway's own Shaolin Monks, the beat-em-up action is much better than before, with huge, chaining combos now possible. There are also environmental traps in Konquest, but there will be a lot of checkpoints so that you can easily restart your game. Encountering a major character in Konquest will put you in a 1 on 1 fight, like in the main game.

Finally, customization will play a big part in the game. You can now create your own kombatant, right down to the color of their eyes. You can even mix and match threads that the classic MK characters wear. Ever wanted a Scorpion with Kano's metal head and Sub-Zero's ice-infested arms? It's all possible with the new create a kombatant mode. After creating your fighter, you can assign regular and special moves, and then use these fighters both offline and online. Midway assures us that balance issues are going to be dealt with, so that players cannot overpower their character. Hopefully they're right, and we don't see legions of overpowered dummies hanging out online.

Speaking of online, there will be improvements on how you ca arrange matches, although Midway reps were hesitant to say what exactly they had in mind. Since the Xbox has a better infrastructure when it comes to online play, Midway reps said they were thinking of adding more features to the Xbox version, such as ranked ladders and whatnot. However, this is totally unconfirmed at the moment.

With an expected shipping date of October, Midway is pulling all stops to ensure that Armageddon is the biggest and best entry into the series yet. Our only concern lies with the balancing of the characters, which is always a big issue when it comes to fighting games. Look for more information soon!

**Jaded-Dragon** · 05-12-2006, 03:17 AM

If it doesn't have the framerate issues fixed, escapable throws, and some custimization to the combo system, I won't be playing this one.

**Funky Fly** · 05-12-2006, 03:19 AM

Cool.

**ClockShot** · 05-12-2006, 08:40 AM

Wow. Looks like a pretty good lineup. Glad to see Rain back in the mix. I just hope the Story/Konquest mode will be alot longer than it was in Shaolin Monks. Other than that, it a buyer for me.

**94 SVT Cobra** · 05-12-2006, 08:46 PM

Making your own fatalities on the fly? fucking insane

**Kalyx triaD** · 05-13-2006, 08:24 PM

I can finally make my white ninja, Zero. I'am happier about this than I sound.

**94 SVT Cobra** · 05-13-2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD

I can finally make my white ninja, Zero. I'am happier about this than I sound.

Hey whats your neg rep number any ways? -938 is mine

**Kalyx triaD** · 05-14-2006, 12:10 AM

-952

**D Mac** · 05-15-2006, 03:25 AM

I'm going to make a Scorpion/Sub Zero mix. What should I name him?

**Kalyx triaD** · 05-15-2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel Mac

I'm going to make a Scorpion/Sub Zero mix. What should I name him?

In the tradition of DBZ fusions:

Subion
Scorpzero (or Scorpero)
Zorpion

**D Mac** · 05-16-2006, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD

In the tradition of DBZ fusions:

Subion
Scorpzero (or Scorpero)
Zorpion

LOL

I would pos. rep you but I don't think it would make any difference.

**D Mac** · 05-16-2006, 01:45 AM

Also, I will create Tekken and Soul Calibur characters in this.

**Lara Emily** · 05-23-2006, 05:19 AM

Nice, glad to hear preset fatalities are still in tact. I like the idea of custom fatalties but I'm not the greatest at doing the button combos uber fast, so at I'll be able to still do the preset ones.

**D Mac** · 09-07-2006, 08:40 AM

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/794/794354/vids_1.html

Check out the new gameplay vids, especially the Meet the Cast vid.

It shows 2 new characters I've never seen before, Taven and Daegon.

**What Would Kevin Do?** · 09-07-2006, 09:03 AM

Looks pretty badass.

**ClockShot** · 09-07-2006, 09:14 AM

Looks good.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-07-2006, 01:14 PM

Damn, all those characters. Great costumes, too. I don't mind the fighting engine being simplistic for what I'm getting. Having Goro, Kintaro, and Motaro in one game is worth $50 by itself. Then there's character creation, and online play (Deception was the smoothest XBLive experience I ever had). It's gonna be the goods.

We haven't had a gaming season this good since 2004.

**Fignuts** · 09-07-2006, 10:01 PM

Yeah, I tried to get into the other games, because the character design is miles ahead of any other fighter. But the engine falls short, imo. Hopefully this one changes that.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-21-2006, 01:12 AM

F'n Awesome.

MKA Intro

**What Would Kevin Do?** · 09-21-2006, 01:56 AM

That is badass beyond all belief.

**Blitz** · 09-21-2006, 02:25 AM

AWWWWWW YEAHHHHHHHH

**D Mac** · 09-21-2006, 05:04 AM

Fuck yeah.

This better be compatible with 360.

**ClockShot** · 09-21-2006, 07:59 AM

Ohhhhh. Pretty.

**Destor** · 09-21-2006, 10:54 AM

Thats too fuckn cool.

**Disturbed316** · 09-21-2006, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel Mac

Fuck yeah.

This better be compatible with 360.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-21-2006, 06:36 PM

LOL @ Shao Khan getting taken away by Unaga.

It may be the most technical fighter compared to Soul Calibur or Tekken; but damn if it ain't fun. And it's online. Kreate a Fighter, Kart Racing (?!); this is a great example of overcoming a simple engine with sheer content. Can't beat that with a stick.

**Blitz** · 09-21-2006, 06:37 PM

........there's kart racing?

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-21-2006, 07:07 PM

Yes.

Up tp 4plyr offline, 8-online.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-21-2006, 07:18 PM

Kart Racing

**Blitz** · 09-21-2006, 07:30 PM

That is pretty goddamned awesome.

**D Mac** · 09-23-2006, 03:05 PM

What's up with Stryker? Why is he wearing that gay blue uniform?

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-23-2006, 03:18 PM

He's pretty gay to begin with. I guess he's going for some spec-ops thing now.

**D Mac** · 09-23-2006, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD

He's pretty gay to begin with. I guess he's going for some spec-ops thing now.

I thought he was pretty badass in MK3.

Mainly because his strapping a bomb to his opponent fatality was pretty easy to pull off.

**D Mac** · 09-29-2006, 06:24 AM

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/794/794354/vids_1.html

New vids added.

**D Mac** · 09-29-2006, 06:38 AM

From what I get from the vid, "Sticks and Stones", the Create A Fatality is just pushing a certain button and getting 1 part of the fatality, like ripping off an arm, then pushing another button to get another part of it, like ripping a heart out, and trying to keep a string of different parts of the fatality going by pushing different buttons. This is available to all the combatants so there will be no pre-set fatalities I guess.

**Destor** · 09-29-2006, 03:23 PM

Damn Konquest mode looks bad ass.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-30-2006, 12:20 AM

This comes with UMK3, right? Deception had the first one, Shaolin Monks had part 2, and I'm guessing this one will round it out with MK3 (the Ultimate version).

**Blitz** · 09-30-2006, 02:30 PM

I think (could be wrong) only the collectors edition comes with MK3. Collectors edition also comes with a DVD on the history of Fatalities.

**Kalyx triaD** · 09-30-2006, 03:25 PM

And I believe Midway is releasing UMK3 on some classic arcade collection complete with online play?

Thinking about it now; releasing UMK3 with MKA seems needless.

**Blitz** · 09-30-2006, 04:11 PM

I'm sure MK3 comes with it in some capacity; just not sure if it's just the premium edition or if it's UMK3 or regular MK3.

05-12-2006, 02:43 AM	#81
D Mac Posts: 21,603	http://ps2.ign.com/articles/707/707837p1.html May 11, 2006 - Day 2 at E3 is always a little less crazy than the first couple of days, so we're able to check out some more titles at a slower pace, which is good, because we're able to soak in everything better. So we headed off to Midway to check out a couple of games, including the last Mortal Kombat game on the PS2, Armageddon. The finale is shaping up to be a huge and expansive title that looks to surpass everything that Midway has done in the past. For starters, there will be over 60 characters in this game, and that makes up the entire roster for the whole series, including such monsters as Goro, Kintaro and Motaro. Classic characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero are in the game too. Armaggedon changes the gameplay up a little bit compared to Deadly Alliance and Deception. Instead of three fighting styles per character, that number has been narrowed down to two, in order to keep everything tighter and balanced. For the most part, one style is a hand-to-hand art while the other is a weapon-based style. Even the four-armed wonders have weapons too. Don't worry about balance problems though, because Midway has promised that the reduction in fighting styles will prove to make the game more balanced. Environmental traps and fatalities are still in the game, but one new thing that's been added are aerial raves (air combos). Certain attacks will now launch your opponent high into the air, and you can now follow them and throw in another combo in the air for more damage. The combos that you can pull off are either preset combos, or you can easily cancel one combo and go into another. The other big thing -- and this will delight fans of gore -- is the ability to custom create your own fatality on the fly. Yes, the preset fatalities are stil intact, but instead of doing that, you can perform up to five attacks to deal your own version of death. The way the custom fatality works is that you'll have a timer for each part of your fatality, with the timer counting down faster and faster as you add more moves. Once the coup de grace has been executed, you'll be grade on your , ahem, performance. Aside from the fighting, there have been major revisions to the Konquest mode. Taking some inspiration from Midway's own Shaolin Monks, the beat-em-up action is much better than before, with huge, chaining combos now possible. There are also environmental traps in Konquest, but there will be a lot of checkpoints so that you can easily restart your game. Encountering a major character in Konquest will put you in a 1 on 1 fight, like in the main game. Finally, customization will play a big part in the game. You can now create your own kombatant, right down to the color of their eyes. You can even mix and match threads that the classic MK characters wear. Ever wanted a Scorpion with Kano's metal head and Sub-Zero's ice-infested arms? It's all possible with the new create a kombatant mode. After creating your fighter, you can assign regular and special moves, and then use these fighters both offline and online. Midway assures us that balance issues are going to be dealt with, so that players cannot overpower their character. Hopefully they're right, and we don't see legions of overpowered dummies hanging out online. Speaking of online, there will be improvements on how you ca arrange matches, although Midway reps were hesitant to say what exactly they had in mind. Since the Xbox has a better infrastructure when it comes to online play, Midway reps said they were thinking of adding more features to the Xbox version, such as ranked ladders and whatnot. However, this is totally unconfirmed at the moment. With an expected shipping date of October, Midway is pulling all stops to ensure that Armageddon is the biggest and best entry into the series yet. Our only concern lies with the balancing of the characters, which is always a big issue when it comes to fighting games. Look for more information soon!

05-12-2006, 03:17 AM	#82
Jaded-Dragon That Guy Posts: 420	If it doesn't have the framerate issues fixed, escapable throws, and some custimization to the combo system, I won't be playing this one.

05-12-2006, 03:19 AM	#83
Funky Fly The Satanic Mechanic Posts: 52,521	Cool.

05-12-2006, 08:40 AM	#84
ClockShot TPWW Fire Pro Champ Posts: 34,001	Wow. Looks like a pretty good lineup. Glad to see Rain back in the mix. I just hope the Story/Konquest mode will be alot longer than it was in Shaolin Monks. Other than that, it a buyer for me.

05-12-2006, 08:46 PM	#85
94 SVT Cobra Bent his wookie Posts: 1,420	Making your own fatalities on the fly? fucking insane

05-13-2006, 08:24 PM	#86
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	I can finally make my white ninja, Zero. I'am happier about this than I sound.

05-14-2006, 12:10 AM	#88
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	-952

05-15-2006, 03:25 AM	#89
D Mac Posts: 21,603	I'm going to make a Scorpion/Sub Zero mix. What should I name him?

05-16-2006, 01:45 AM	#92
D Mac Posts: 21,603	Also, I will create Tekken and Soul Calibur characters in this.

05-23-2006, 05:19 AM	#93
Lara Emily Hey Posts: 15,664	Nice, glad to hear preset fatalities are still in tact. I like the idea of custom fatalties but I'm not the greatest at doing the button combos uber fast, so at I'll be able to still do the preset ones.

09-07-2006, 08:40 AM	#94
D Mac Posts: 21,603	http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/794/794354/vids_1.html Check out the new gameplay vids, especially the Meet the Cast vid. It shows 2 new characters I've never seen before, Taven and Daegon.

09-07-2006, 09:03 AM	#95
What Would Kevin Do? Ninja Mod, Esquire Posts: 12,676	Looks pretty badass.

09-07-2006, 09:14 AM	#96
ClockShot TPWW Fire Pro Champ Posts: 34,001	Looks good.

09-07-2006, 01:14 PM	#97
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	Damn, all those characters. Great costumes, too. I don't mind the fighting engine being simplistic for what I'm getting. Having Goro, Kintaro, and Motaro in one game is worth $50 by itself. Then there's character creation, and online play (Deception was the smoothest XBLive experience I ever had). It's gonna be the goods. We haven't had a gaming season this good since 2004.

09-07-2006, 10:01 PM	#98
Fignuts Hey Mister! Posts: 54,952	Yeah, I tried to get into the other games, because the character design is miles ahead of any other fighter. But the engine falls short, imo. Hopefully this one changes that.

09-21-2006, 01:12 AM	#99
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	F'n Awesome. MKA Intro

09-21-2006, 01:56 AM	#100
What Would Kevin Do? Ninja Mod, Esquire Posts: 12,676	That is badass beyond all belief.

09-21-2006, 02:25 AM	#101
Blitz Angel Headed Hipster Posts: 37,942	AWWWWWW YEAHHHHHHHH

09-21-2006, 05:04 AM	#102
D Mac Posts: 21,603	Fuck yeah. This better be compatible with 360.

09-21-2006, 07:59 AM	#103
ClockShot TPWW Fire Pro Champ Posts: 34,001	Ohhhhh. Pretty.

09-21-2006, 10:54 AM	#104
Destor I am the cheese Posts: 51,528	Thats too fuckn cool.

09-21-2006, 06:36 PM	#106
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	LOL @ Shao Khan getting taken away by Unaga. It may be the most technical fighter compared to Soul Calibur or Tekken; but damn if it ain't fun. And it's online. Kreate a Fighter, Kart Racing (?!); this is a great example of overcoming a simple engine with sheer content. Can't beat that with a stick.

09-21-2006, 06:37 PM	#107
Blitz Angel Headed Hipster Posts: 37,942	........there's kart racing?

09-21-2006, 07:07 PM	#108
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	Yes. Up tp 4plyr offline, 8-online.

09-21-2006, 07:18 PM	#109
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	Kart Racing

09-21-2006, 07:30 PM	#110
Blitz Angel Headed Hipster Posts: 37,942	That is pretty goddamned awesome.

09-23-2006, 03:05 PM	#111
D Mac Posts: 21,603	What's up with Stryker? Why is he wearing that gay blue uniform?

09-23-2006, 03:18 PM	#112
Kalyx triaD Raw Video Footage Posts: 45,951	He's pretty gay to begin with. I guess he's going for some spec-ops thing now.

09-29-2006, 06:24 AM	#114
D Mac Posts: 21,603	http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/794/794354/vids_1.html New vids added.

09-29-2006, 06:38 AM	#115
D Mac Posts: 21,603	From what I get from the vid, "Sticks and Stones", the Create A Fatality is just pushing a certain button and getting 1 part of the fatality, like ripping off an arm, then pushing another button to get another part of it, like ripping a heart out, and trying to keep a string of different parts of the fatality going by pushing different buttons. This is available to all the combatants so there will be no pre-set fatalities I guess.