A legacy of gore has carried the Mortal Kombat fighting game through seven incarnations—specifically, the "fatality" move, when you can finish off an opponent by, say, ripping out his spine and showing it to him. The big question for the series, then, is how to keep things fresh now that blood-and-guts mayhem has grown commonplace and fighting games are a hotly contested arena. For Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the answer is simply "more"—more characters (62 total), more playing modes, more versatility in character creation and special moves, and perhaps most importantly of all, more ways to eviscerate your opponent in the field of battle. To that end, there's "Kreate-A-Fatality," a new addition that allows you to string together unique and hilariously sadistic finishing moves.
The arcade mode is the one that made MK famous, and it's still the deepest and most satisfying route through the game, since mastering the fighting moves of 62 characters while defending against the rest of the field's counter-moves will take months of dedication to master. The other modes are diverting but underdeveloped, great add-ons to the core game that don't necessarily justify the price of admission on their own. Konquest sends you through the standard adventure/platform-game paces with chances to improve your skills and pick up cool little trinkets and extras along the way. The story is confusing hokum, something about two demigod sons being sent to Earthrealm on a quest to become "protector of Edenia" and defeat Blaze, a creature intent on destroying the realms in a bloody apocalypse. Most of all, Konquest is useful for providing a nice break from the mano-a-beastie battles by throwing in some mêlée attacks and mechanized people-crushers. Other than that, MK is really still about what happens in the space between "Fight!" and "Finish him!"
Beyond the gameplay: Since those best-two-out-of-three arena battles are the game's bread and butter, nearly every encounter with another being in Konquest mode leads to fisticuffs. You sort out whether you're actually pals later.
Worth playing for: Fourteen years after the first Mortal Kombat hit the arcades, the "fatality" moves are still gaming's best way of saying "In your face!" to a vanquished foe.
Frustration sets in when: The Motor Kombat mode attempts to introduce the franchise's badassery to a go-kart-racing mini-game, but it's only worth a few minutes' distraction.
Final judgment: Armageddon will reportedly be the last MK until it hits next-gen consoles, and a little retooling might be healthy.