Mortal Kombat: Deception (M) (4 stars)
Midway
Xbox, PlayStation 2
Ready ... fight! It used to be that simple. But with Mortal Kombat: Deception, fighting is only a small part of the package. There's also Chess Kombat, Puzzle Kombat and other modes, not to mention a daunting number of unlockables. Of course, the MK franchise has always prided itself on its overkill.
The game has its low points, particularly the Konquest story portion, which should have been called Krappy Koin Kollecting. But the actual combat—with dozens of new and returning characters, fighting styles that can be switched on the fly and countless gory combos (including a new hara kiri fatality)—has never been better, making Deception a near flawless victory.
Bloodrayne 2 (M) (4 stars)
Majesco
Xbox, PlayStation 2
BloodRayne was a pretty mediocre action platformer. But with its unusually erotic heroine and third-person perspective allowing gamers to spend hours staring at her leather-clad ass, it became a sleeper hit. With a feature film and myriad other spin-offs depending on it, the sequel actually lives up to the hype. Improved game-play and graphics have Rayne's shiny heinie looking better than ever.
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (M) (4 stars)
Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox
In most real-time strategy warfare games, you as the general get to sit back in comfort and safety as you order thousands of faceless troops into the meat grinder. Does that seem right? In The Crusaders, you'll split your time between issuing commands and hacking 'n' slashing alongside your men in some of the most spectacularly epic battles ever.
King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact (T) (3 stars)
SNK NeoGeo
PlayStation 2
The King of Fighters series turns 10 and gets a third dimension for its birthday. Though the combat is still solid, some of the franchise's most distinctive elements are MIA, making the game unmemorable. Without some improvement, in the world of 3D brawlers, King of Fighters may find itself demoted to duke.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].