Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Xbox

The fighting genre's poster (whipping?) boy for gruesome violence makes its final appearance on Xbox before moving in a new direction for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is thus a hostile homage to its frenzied fans, a love letter of sorts that tears away the hearttugging sentiment for the stillbeating heart. Armageddon offers the most significant throng of Mortal Kombat fighters thus far, with a roster spanning 62 combatants every minor and major character that has appeared in the series to date. The entire cast is also immediately playable from the opening screen.

The "Konquest Mode" introduced in 2004's Mortal Kombat: Deception returns with fasterpaced action, two new boss characters, and a seamless blend of oneonone and group encounters through an estimated six hours of storydriven action. While the core 3D fighting engine is similar to 2004's entry, the fatality system now allows players to create custom finishing moves. Players can also design their own fighter with an assortment of body parts, weapons, clothing options, and fighting styles to choose from. Each new combatant can challenge others online in a tournament or a single match.

Perhaps the most amusing addition for longtime fans is the debut of "Motor Kombat," a racing minigame patterned after Nintendo's Mario Kart. Motor Kombat has players selecting a vehicle from the following 10 characters: SubZero, Bo' Rai Cho, Scorpion, Mileena, Kitana, Johnny Cage, Jax, Cyrax, Baraka, and Raiden. Each superdeformed driver performs his or her trademark move on rivals, from Raiden's electricity to Scorpion's spear attack. The themed courses also feature hazards of their own, including lava pools, spikes, fire, and more. Motor Kombat supports four players in a splitscreen view, or up to eight via Xbox Live. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide