Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

About Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is a 2006 fighting game developed and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with a later port for the Wii developed by Just Games Interactive (later releases were published by Warner Bros. Games after Midway's bankruptcy). It is the seventh main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, and a sequel to 2004's Mortal Kombat: Deception. Chronologically the final chapter in the original Mortal Kombat storyline, it features virtually every character from the previous games. Players select one of them and battle a selection of the other fighters. The story follows a warrior named Taven, who, after being awakened, goes on a journey to defeat his evil brother, leading up to the Armageddon war to determine the fate of the Mortal Kombat universe.

The gameplay retains many of the same elements from the previous Mortal Kombat titles Deadly Alliance and Deception, including characters' multiple fighting styles. Instead of the pre-scripted Fatalities of the previous games, players can now create their Fatality from a series of gory attacks. They can also design a custom character using the "Kreate a Fighter" mode. The game also includes the story-based Konquest mode from Deception, now casting the player as the warrior Taven, who must defeat his evil brother Daegon. Succeeding its predecessor's "Puzzle Kombat" mini game is "Motor Kombat", a cartoonish driving game influenced by Mario Kart.

The game was well-received, particularly for the many playable characters and the Konquest mode. However, reviewers criticized the use of the same engine from the previous two games and the similar play styles between characters; reaction to the game's custom Fatality feature was also mixed. Armageddon is the final Mortal Kombat game for sixth-generation consoles and the first for seventh-generation consoles with its release for the Wii. The next game in the series, the crossover Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, was released exclusively on seventh-generation consoles. The main storyline of the series was later revisited in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, the first production from the newly-formed NetherRealm Studios.

The PS2 and Xbox versions of Armageddon contain 62 fighters (as well as two extra slots for user-created characters), the most of any Mortal Kombat or tournament fighter game to date. Only two characters, Daegon and Taven, are new to the series. In contrast, Sareena makes her playable debut on non-portable consoles, and Meat makes his debut as a legitimate character. The Wii version contains all the original characters from both the original versions, as well as exclusive character Khameleon from the Nintendo 64 port of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, increasing the roster to 63.

Playable characters in bold are returning characters with new designs or characters entirely new to the series. The rest of the roster's character models are recycled from Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Shaolin Monks.