This May, Scorpion and company bring their bloody feuds to the Nintendo Wii in the Xbox/PlayStation 2 port Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Although the game contains the same content as its counterpart, publisher Midway has taken steps to appeal to the Wii audience, adapting the complex button controls to the remote and Wii's nunchuk for a more user friendly experience, at least in theory. While raising and lowering the devices to pull off brutal fatalities may seem like a good idea, unresponsive controls may "finish" this game before it has a chance to shine.

Despite Midway's efforts, controlling one's character proves difficult. Guiding them about the arenas turns into a chore since they oftentimes perform back flips instead of moving left to right. Furthermore, the developers mapped simple punches and kicks to the remote's d-pad. Located at the top of the controller, these buttons prove difficult to reach considering the reliance on motion sensitive maneuvers, which require the user to place their thumb on the A button and curl their index finger underneath the B trigger. Having to quickly move back and forth between the d-pad and A button proves frustrating, especially since it only takes a second for an opponent to bust out some ridiculous special move.

As for the motion controls, while holding B and shaking the remote left to right in order to pull off Scorpion's infamous spear gives the illusion of having enhanced control, this fantasy quickly vanishes once the user realizes that it oftentimes takes several attempts. Even worse, Midway expands on this concept with maneuvers that require various motions, and these prove even more frustrating. The developers include on screen prompts to teach gamers, but newcomers may scoff at the learning curve.

Aside from the unique controls, Midway also included one additional (and unannounced) character, plus an Endurance Mode, which throws an infinite amount of opponents at the player.

Other than these minor enhancements, the game remains unchanged. It still includes the enjoyable Konquest, Kreate-A-Fighter and Kreate-A-Fatality modes. Finally, it still has an impressive roster that includes combatants from all of the Mortal Kombat games, including Raiden, Sub-Zero, Shao Kahn, and Liu Kang.

With so much "content," players would be fools to pass up this smorgasbord of blood splattering, gut tearing goodness. However, if Midway fails to address the control issues, the game's going to suck. Seeing as how it ships May 14, there's still time to polish.

Related Links

Mortal Kombat Armageddon Game Guide

Midway