Mortal Kombat: Deception

Mortal Kombat: Deception is the sixth installment in the Mortal Kombat series. Deception was developed and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004. A Nintendo GameCube version was published in January 2005. A PlayStation Portable Port was released in 2006 renamed Mortal Kombat: Unchained which included new characters.

Mortal Kombat: Deception precedes Shaolin Monks (in release date only) and follows Deadly Alliance. Deception was released in two versions for the Playstation 2 and Xbox, a regular version, and a 'Kollector's Edition' which added a metal trading card and a bonus disc containing a history of Mortal Kombat, several video biographies of characters, and an 'arcade perfect' version of the original Mortal Kombat.

Intro
thumb|right|300px|Mortal Kombat: Deception opening sequence ''"It was not by chance that this struggle came to be. The blame falls squarely upon my shoulders for giving evil the chance it needed and therefore fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Raiden's Earthrealm champions had failed to stop the Deadly Alliance from fully resurrecting the mummified army of the Dragon King. In the end, only Raiden himself stood between Earthrealm and total destruction. Defying the Elder Gods' wishes, he alone challenged Quan Chi and Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, Earthrealm's last hope for freedom. Raiden fought well against the two sorcerers, and it seemed as though victory was at hand. But the combined might of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung proved to be overwhelming even for a Thunder God. Raiden, was defeated. The Deadly Alliance had won. Their victory was short-lived. As suspicion and lust for power overcame both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, the former allies turned on each other. The Deadly Alliance was no more. Quan Chi defeated Shang Tsung and revelled in his conquest. But it is said that there is only one true ruler of Outworld. And that ruler had returned: Onaga, former emperor of Outworld, the Dragon King. The prophecy had been fulfilled. The Dragon King had indeed returned to Outworld to reclaim his army and impose his dominance. Death awaited all who stood in his way. And so it was that a new alliance formed out of desperation. Sworn enemies joined forces to kombat a greater threat. Raiden began to realize that even their combined might was not enough to defeat the Dragon King. There was only one chance left. Raiden’s sacrifice was in vain, for the blast had little effect on the Dragon King. Now Onaga has what he needs to shape the Realms as he sees fit. I was the fool who brought him this power. Only I can destroy this threat, born of deception."''

(These are the words of Shujinko)

Storyline
In the final events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Raiden's Earthrealm warriors had failed to stop the Deadly Alliance. Kitana, Kung Lao, Jax, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage were defeated during their battle against the Tarkatan warriors, Frost was consumed by her own freezing ability and put into the tombs of the Cryomancers, and Sub-Zero was trapped in Outworld, trying to find the portal back to Earthrealm. Ultimately, the Deadly Alliance itself (Shang Tsung and Quan Chi) had completed their plan. The Elder Gods had advised Raiden not to interfere, but he defied their wishes; alone he challenged the alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, in Mortal Kombat. He had the upper hand for most of the fight, besting Tsung and Quan Chi, until Tsung absorbed a soul from the Soulnado and knocked him down with a fireball. From there, Quan Chi and Tsung combined their powers to defeat Raiden, with Quan Chi levitating the helpless Thunder God and Tsung using a fireball to strike Raiden down.

With Raiden defeated, the Deadly Alliance turned on each other, with Tsung wanting Quan Chi's amulet. The Deadly Alliance was no more and Tsung found himself facing his one time partner Quan Chi. Despite Tsung's efforts, Quan Chi proved too much for him. When Quan Chi stood alone, a hulking form entered the tomb, and the mummies of the Dragon King's army turned to kneel. In disbelief, Quan Chi looked in shock and in great horror...Onaga, the Dragon King, had returned.

Quan Chi knew that the Dragon King had come to claim his amulet. Quan Chi used his powers against Onaga, but he could not stop him. Even with Tsung, and then Raiden, helping him, they could not stop Onaga. Raiden concentrated his godlike essence into a single blast, which destroyed the palace and everything within, but Onaga was unharmed, and possessed the amulet.

Onaga now seeks to use six artifacts called Kamidogu to fuse the realms into the One Being, resulting in the destruction of everything therein. Those fighters not killed in the battle against the Deadly Alliance (Li Mei, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kenshi and Bo' Rai Cho) must now stand against him and his supporters. These include the Tarkatan horde (led by Baraka) and their former allies, who were resurrected by Onaga and are under his control. Raiden became corrupted by his suicide by Onaga's magic and resurrected Liu Kang's body and sent it on a rampage. The spirit of Liu Kang joins Ermac to help him save his friends.

In the story explored in Konquest mode, a young man named Shujinko is deceived (hence the game's title) into spending his life collecting the Kamidogu for Onaga, who uses the guise of an emissary of the Elder Gods named Damashi. This is prior to Onaga's resurrection in the body of Reptile. Onaga only reveals his identity and intentions after Shujinko has gathered all the Kamidogu. Shujinko, led to believe he was working for the greater good, joins the others opposing Onaga.

New characters

 * Ashrah – a demon searching for redemption by killing demons with a magic sword called the Kriss; she seeks to destroy Ermac and Noob in order to gain full purification.
 * Dairou – Hotaru's former subordinate, hired by Darrius to assassinate Hotaru.
 * Darrius – Leader of the resistance in Seido, the realm of Order.
 * Havik – a cleric of Chaos who saved Kabal from death; he wishes to consume Onaga's heart and revive Shao Kahn to ensure chaos reigns, instead of the forced order that would follow if Onaga fused the worlds into the One Being.
 * Hotaru – warrior of Order, pledged to serve the Dragon King.
 * Kira – a cunning and brutal Black Dragon recruit recently hired by Kabal.
 * Kobra – A brutal and bloodthirsty Black Dragon recruit.
 * Onaga – The Dragon King and former emperor of Outworld, reincarnated by using Reptile as a vessel.
 * Shujinko – An old warrior who was deceived by Onaga when he was a young adolescent, who received the power to mimic other fighting styles from Onaga.

Returning characters

 * Baraka – Leader of the Tarkatan race.
 * Bo' Rai Cho – The general of Edenia's army.
 * Ermac – A mysterious fighter made of several fused souls who assists Liu Kang in his mission.
 * Goro – The Shokan prince who appeared to be working with Shao Kahn.
 * Jade – A loyalist to Queen Sindel who agrees to help her save her daughter Kitana, and also seeks to see Tanya dead.
 * Kabal – The leader of the new Black Dragon clan.
 * Kenshi – The blind swordsman who was saved by Sub-Zero.
 * Li Mei – A young warrior saved from the Deadly Alliance by Bo' Rai Cho and helps him in Edenia to fight the Tarkatan Horde.
 * Liu Kang – Earthrealm's protector, the undisputed Champion of Mortal Kombat, and reanimated zombie being controlled by some unknown force.
 * Mileena – Kitana's evil clone who poses as her to disrupt Edenia's defenses.
 * Nightwolf – A Native American warrior who acts as the "Sin Eater" of his tribe.
 * Noob-Smoke (The alliance of Noob Saibot and Smoke) – the joint team in which Noob Saibot looks to create an army of Cyber-Demons with Smoke as a template. Deception officially revealed Saibot to be the original Sub-Zero from the first Mortal Kombat game.
 * Raiden – The God of Thunder who is reborn from his death and has become enraged at how mortals have repeatedly endangered Earthrealm.
 * Scorpion – The Champion of the Elder Gods who has been sent to Outworld to destroy Onaga.
 * Shao Kahn - The Emperor of Outworld. Thought to have been killed by the Deadly Alliance, Kahn tries to stop Onaga.
 * Sindel – Queen of Edenia who looks to save Kitana.
 * Sub-Zero – The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan who looks for a portal back to Earthrealm.
 * Tanya – The traitor of Edenia, who now serves Onaga.

Shao Kahn and Goro are playable characters in the GameCube version. They were included to offset the lack of online play offered by the PS2 and Xbox versions. Both villains apparently survived the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance; Shao Kahn by the use of a clone, and Goro was saved on the battlefield by Kahn after having been left for dead by his allies. Both characters follow the storyline of trying to return Shao Kahn to power.

Cameo Appearances
Nearly every fighter in the entire series makes a cameo in Mortal Kombat: Deception.


 * Blaze
 * Cyrax
 * Drahmin
 * Frost
 * Fujin
 * Goro
 * Hsu Hao
 * Jarek
 * Jax
 * Johnny Cage
 * Kai
 * Kano
 * Kintaro
 * Kitana
 * Kung Lao
 * Mavado
 * Meat
 * Mokap
 * Moloch
 * Motaro
 * Nitara
 * Quan Chi
 * Rain
 * Reiko
 * Reptile
 * Sareena
 * Sektor
 * Shang Tsung
 * Shao Kahn
 * Sheeva
 * Shinnok
 * Sonya Blade
 * Stryker

Trading Cards

 * Ashrah
 * Baraka
 * Bo' Rai Cho
 * Cyrax
 * Darrius
 * Goro
 * Jade
 * Jax Briggs
 * Johnny Cage
 * Kabal
 * Kano
 * Kenshi
 * Kira
 * Kitana
 * Kung Lao
 * Mileena
 * Moloch
 * Nightwolf
 * Quan Chi
 * Raiden
 * Reptile
 * Scorpion
 * Shang Tsung
 * Shao Kahn
 * Shujinko
 * Sindel
 * Smoke
 * Sonya Blade
 * Sub-Zero
 * Tanya

Arenas

 * Beetle Lair
 * Chamber of Artifacts
 * Courtyard
 * Dark Prison
 * Dead Pool
 * Dragon King's Temple
 * Dragon Mountain
 * Falling Cliffs
 * Golden Desert
 * Hell's Foundry
 * Kuatan Palace
 * Liu Kang's Tomb
 * Living Forest
 * Lower Mines
 * Nethership Interior
 * The Nexus
 * The Pit
 * Portal
 * Quan Chi's Fortress
 * Sky Temple
 * Slaughterhouse
 * Yin Yang Island

New to the series

 * MK:D has highly interactive stages, with multiple levels, breakable boundaries, and instant-death traps. Characters can no longer be slammed against walls (visible or not), however.
 * MK:D also has a "Combo Breaker" system which allows players to interrupt combos up to three times per match. This is generally regarded as a welcome change to Deadly Alliance ' s uninterruptible combos (combos tend to be shorter in this game as well).
 * Weapon impalements are no longer in the game, due to the introduction of death traps.
 * MK:D characters have two Fatalities and a Hara-Kiri suicide move.
 * Characters are more specialized as well, boasting unique (though sometimes held over from Deadly Alliance) throws, finishing poses, and rises after losing one round (e.g., Sub-Zero shoots ice to the floor to lift himself up, etc.). Also, perhaps due to complaints, every non-weapon fighting style includes an uppercut, a trademark of the numbered series (1 through 4), but used only sporadically throughout Deadly Alliance.
 * Certain stages also contain unique stage weapons often following the stage's theme, that any character can pick up and use.
 * MK:D has a smaller Krypt than in Deadly Alliance (400 Koffins as opposed to 676). This reduces the number of "filler" Koffins that had either nothing or allusions to other koffins in them.
 * MK:D adds Chess Kombat and Puzzle Kombat game modes. Chess Kombat is similar to classical chess, but uses player-selected characters as pieces, and pieces must engage in Kombat to take a piece (much like the 1980s computer game Archon). Puzzle Kombat is reminiscent of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, a puzzle game by Capcom.
 * MK:D does not contain the Test Your Might or Test Your Sight minigames.
 * MK:D continues the dark theme, starting off with a whimper for the forces of good and getting worse. It is the first game in the series to assume that the good guys lost the battle of the previous game.
 * The character Noob-Smoke switches character models instead of fighting styles (Noob fights with Monkey style, Smoke with Mit Zu), with no weapons style. They are playable after unlocking, and appear in Arcade Mode as sub-bosses. (Note: in the GameCube version, Noob-Smoke is playable without unlocking.)
 * MK:D is the first Mortal Kombat to feature an extensive online mode.

Konquest Mode
Deception contained a RPG-style game named 'Konquest.' Konquest explored the history of Shujinko, starting prior to his training with Bo' Rai Cho and ending with the beginning of Deception. While mostly an adventure game, the combat elements all took place in the normal Deception fighting mode. Players seeking to unlock much of the bonus content in Deception were required to play through the Konquest mode, which critics regarded as a sub-par addition to the game.

Note: The story of this konquest mode takes place long before the first Mortal Kombat game.

Mini Games
Chess Kombat: A mode where you can use characters as chess pieces including Leader, Champion, Sorcerer, Shifter, and Grunt. When you try to steal a square from one of your enemies, you will fight that opponent for the square. You can fight at classic arenas including Courtyard, The Pit, Dead Pool, Portal, and Living Forest.

Puzzle Kombat: A mode where you can play a game that is similar to tetris. To win, your opponent will have squares stacked up all the way to the top of the opponents' screen. When you get a colored dragon symbol, you will use it to land it on a same color the symbol is to give your opponent more squares.

The characters that include in this mode are:
 * Baraka--Double Edge
 * Bo' Rai Cho--Collapes
 * Ermac--Levitate
 * Jade--Stack
 * Kabal--Double Bomb
 * Kenshi--Invisibility
 * Mileena--Drill
 * Nightwolf--Breaker Buster
 * Raiden--Storm
 * Scorpion--Jumble
 * Sindel--Arrange
 * Sub-Zero--Freeze

The arenas that include in this mode are:
 * Beetle Lair
 * Hell's Foundry
 * Liu Kang's Tomb
 * Sky Temple
 * Slaughterhouse
 * Yin Yang Island

Characters in ports
(Only referred to Kombat mode)

The Krypt
The Krypt has exactly 400 koffins to unlock. Like Deadly Alliance, players can unlock characters, arenas and other kontent. To look up the list of koffins, click on Mortal Kombat: Deception/Cheats.

Trivia

 * In the 1996 movie Spy Hard, the antagonist General Rancor played by Andy Griffith says to the titular character Dick Steele played by Leslie Nielsen, while proclaiming what he believed to be the future of the Internet: "What's left of you will have to watch helplessly while I play Mortal Kombat with the entire world!" Eight years later Deception was released, the first Mortal Kombat game to feature online gameplay. (Note: There was a short-lived online game adaptor called "X-Band" for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, at the end of both consoles' lifecycle).
 * This is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature online gameplay.
 * Due mostly to the inclusion of several cameos in Konquest mode (as well as in the Dark Prison arena), Mortal Kombat: Deception features nearly every single character from the Mortal Kombat series in some form or another, ranging from the well-established (Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, etc.) to the more obscure (Rain, who is a non-playable character in Konquest mode).
 * Mortal Kombat: Deception is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature Stage Fatalities (now known as Death Traps) since Mortal Kombat 4. Since then, Stage Fatalities were not seen. The re-introduction of death traps into Deception makes the game far superior in this aspect than its predecessor Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (which featured only one fatality per character and no stage fatalities).
 * Is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature two "human" characters as a sub-boss rather than the traditional hideous creatures such as the Shokans, Centaurians or Oni. The new sub-boss (so to speak) is the tag-team tandem known as Noob-Smoke.
 * And is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature a non human boss (Onaga) instead the traditional human-like bosses (Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Shinnok and Quan Chi)
 * Stages like the Dead Pool, the Living Forest and the Pit were brought back due to fan complaints as they were popular stages in the Mortal Kombat series.
 * Kitana was supposed to be featured in this game. However, it was decided that the storyline would change and have her dead in favor of the reappearance of Jade, who has not been featured in many Mortal Kombat games. There are file strings that refer to Kitana that support this.
 * Some characters (such as Darrius for example) are said to be plays on established Mortal Kombat characters. Darrius, in this sense is said to be a play on Jax, who was the first African-American Mortal Kombat character. Other characters such as Kira and Kobra are actually hybrids of different characters such as Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage and Kano. Kira, for instance, has Sonya's and Kano's special abilities (plus a fireball of her own, presumably a play on Tanya's fireball in Mortal Kombat 4) while Kobra's moves are identical to the ones Johnny Cage used in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
 * Although the deceased Earthrealm warriors from Deadly Alliance (Jax, Sonya Blade, Kitana, Johnny Cage & Kung Lao) are stated to be under the Dragon King's control after he resurrected them, the characters are not playable. The only character that died in the Deadly Alliance/Deception story and returned as a playable character is Liu Kang. The deceased Earthrealm warriors, as well as Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, can be fought in Konquest, and in fact some must be fought in order to unlock other secrets (e.g. Jax must be fought to unlock the temple where Liu Kang is found). Each of these non-playable characters uses fighting styles already possessed by other Deception playable characters with the notable exception of Jax, who uses a completely different set of fighting stances. He is the only non-playable character besides Onaga to have a completely different fighting style.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Unchained, however, Jax and Kitana are playable. His bio tells that he is already free from Onaga's spell but Kitana is not, yet.
 * It was rumored that there would be "Super Unlockables" in the game. After Deception was released, Gamespot.com initially reported that the character Motaro could be unlocked. This was later proved to be untrue, however, and was subsequently removed from the website once it was revealed that there are no super unlockables in the game. The source which provided Gamespot.com with the faulty information is unknown.
 * A number of characters from this game are present in the trading card game, Epic Battles.
 * If you knock Havik completely off of the sky tower, in the middle of his yelling as he plummets toward the ground he exclaims "Ah man, this is gonna suck" and then resumes his screaming the rest of the way down.
 * In France, the title had been changed to "Mortal Kombat: Mystification".
 * In the 2008 The Simpsons Game, in the gamefactory level, there are lots of references of famous videogames. The enemies in this stage are American Football players, and Liu Kang look-a-like's. Their only move is a fire ball. When the player's life bar is almost empty, a voice will yell "FINISH HIM!", whereby the enemy will respond with: "Ehm.. alright, I will!" Later in the level, there is a stage with lots of posters of EA games, and one of Mortal Kombat: Deceptions. On this poster is a picture of Flanders in a Johnny Cage costume.
 * Dairou, who was planned to appear in Deadly Alliance, debuts in this game.
 * Tanya is the only character who debuted in Mortal Kombat 4 to be featured in this game.
 * Special editions of the game would have one of five characters featured on their covers, along with a metallic card of the character: Baraka, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden and Mileena.

Glitches

 * In Konquest Mode, on one part of Baraka's training, his blades will sometimes turn purple.
 * In the Yin Yang arena, whenever the trees are the snakes and you knock an opponent against it, a coconut will still fall down on your opponent.
 * In Konquest Mode, when training with a character, sometimes they will do their fighting style in a fast movement.
 * In Konquest Mode, if you run fast enough and hit A to open a door, you'll walk through the wall into the house.
 * If a Hara-Kiri is performed on the wrong character, and the right character is ahead, after you hear "Finish Her/Him!", the character proceeds to kill themselves without input.
 * While on the Hell's Foundry stage, while using Darrius, sometimes, if your standing against the railing & you are hit with an uppercut by a weapon, you will go through the rail & land on the treadmill.

Videos
250px|Mortal Kombat Deception TV commercial

ru:Mortal Kombat: Deception