Mortal Kombat: Deception cover art

Mortal Kombat: Deception

The Deadly Alliance follow-up adding combo breakers, death traps, and online play.

Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION7 /10READS7 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION5 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    7/10

    Style strings plus stage-hazard spacing demand control

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    7/10

    Human opponents bait death traps and breakers

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    1/10

    Deterministic outside known stage hazards

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    5/10

    Combo routes and hazard positioning are lab work

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

Compare with

Similar games

see all →

Ranked by shared genre first, then by how closely the cheat-test profile matches - a cross-genre tag means a pick matched on skill profile alone.

SoulCalibur III cover art

SoulCalibur III

Competitive PvP · 3D fighting game

E
R
V
O
SoulCalibur III
Super Smash Bros. cover art

Super Smash Bros.

Competitive PvP · platform fighter

E
R
V
O
Super Smash Bros.
Injustice: Gods Among Us cover art

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Grand Arena · 2D fighting game

E
R
V
O
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 cover art

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Competitive PvP · arena fighting game

E
R
V
O
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Tekken cover art

Tekken

Competitive PvP · 3D fighting game

E
R
V
O
Tekken
Mortal Kombat Trilogy cover art

Mortal Kombat Trilogy

Competitive PvP · fighting game

E
R
V
O
Mortal Kombat Trilogy

Game details

Released
2004
Developer
Midway Games
Franchise
Mortal Kombat
Platforms
XBOX, NGC, PS2
Modes
Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
IGDB critics
77/100
IGDB users
71/100
FightingPuzzleAction