eadly Alliance is the Mortal Kombat evolution I’ve waited for since MK II. Gone are the days of shared moves for every character. These fighters have three unique styles – including one for weapons. Each style brings about accurately modeled moves and combos, and can be switched on the fly. The gameplay features less button-mashing than Tekken or even Virtua Fighter. That doesn’t mean fewer combos, however; it equals more strategy. It makes the game more of an art to master.

Seeing everything Deadly Alliance has to offer will take you an eternity. Every hard-fought victory earns "koins" of various colors, to be spent at the Krypt. Buy a "koffin" to win a prize. It’s like 676 Christmas presents – some sweaters and tube socks, but lots of good stuff, too. You’ll unlock characters (over 20), costumes, and wacky videos. The Konquest (mission) mode is an effective and lengthy training course, and really helps you get to know the fighters.

Visually, Deadly Alliance trails only Dead or Alive 3. Characters just look bad ass, and the blood effect rules – it actually rolls down body parts and splatters on the ground. Cool points are off the chart in this game, and I’m willing to bet sales will be, too. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance isn’t all hype, and should be the next fighter you own.