Mortal Kombat Unchained PSP/ENG/2006

PSP Mortal Kombat Unchained (PSP/ENG/2006)
English | Platform: PSP | Release: November 13, 2006 | Publisher and Developed by Midway Games | 796 MB
Genre: Fighting

Looks like Mortal Kombat escaped the end of days after all on the PSP, that is. Consoles experienced the closing of the series on current gen systems with the recent release of MK: Armageddon. Instead of porting the cataclysmic battle over to Sonys handheld, Midway decided to bring over the previous installment of the franchise to the PSP with Mortal Kombat Unchained. However, while having a portable version of MK: Deception with almost every feature from the console is an impressive feat on a UMD, the games implementation of the title definitely leaves much to be desired.

Unchaineds story picks up where MK: Deadly Alliance left off, with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung successfully resurrecting the army of the fabled Dragon King before they turn on each other. Unfortunately for the two treacherous sorcerers, a nasty surprise shows up when Onaga returns to reclaim the throne of Outworld. The combined strength of Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and even Raiden working together isnt enough to dent the Dragon King, and even a desperate suicide attack from Raiden doesnt faze the beast. This, of course, leads to various characters within the MK universe fighting it out, each attempting to eliminate Onaga for their own personal reasons.

While the plot of Unchained hasnt changed since 2004, the roster of the game has been boosted for the PSP version. Along with Goro and Shao Kahn (who were included for the Gamecube version of Deception), players can also choose to fight as Kitana, Jax, Frost or Blaze. Just like the console version of the game, characters have different fighting stances that they can use in battle, as well as weapons that they can break out to cause additional damage. All of your characters have special attacks as well, and players will be able to chain together attacks and even string large combos by switching between stances quickly. Of course, getting continually juggled by an opponent skilled in combos can be extremely frustrating for any fighting fan. Fortunately, the combo breaker system that was included in Deception has been included in Unchained, so you can interrupt long dial a combo strings. Unchained also includes the various multi tiered levels and death traps that made Deception a stand out on the console.

On top of the fighting system, Unchained also brings over the various game modes that were included in Deception. Puzzle Kombat is a mini game in the vein of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, complete with deformed characters and special attacks. Chess Kombat, on the other hand, takes the basic concept of a chess game and turns it on its head. Much more like Archon than anything, pieces literally fight each other to determine who takes a square on a chess board. Konquest is a separate adventure mode that tells the history of Shujinko, a young man in the MK Universe whose actions directly influence the plot behind Onagas return in Unchained. Finally, the Krypt holds a number of archived secrets and bonus materials, ranging from alternate costumes and artwork to movies. This is joined by a new Endurance mode, which pits you against a never ending stream of enemies.

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