Everyone who has ever player the Mortal Kombat series since the mid-nineties will remember the range of strange characters, sacrilegious stages and above all the weird and disgusting finishing moves. Yes Mortal Kombat had come back yet again for another incarnation, this time called "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" for our beloved Xbox.

Back in the day of the mid-nineties it did cause a slight bit of controversy due to the blood and gore used in game, but nowadays it's like crying over spilt milk if you compare it to the likes of the 'Grand Theft Auto' series and 'Kingpin' for example. Around the time it was quite good because it only had the likes of 'Street Fighter' to contend with but in today's world we have quite solid respectable beat-em ups such as 'DOA3' and 'Soul Calibur'. But Midway have to decided to create yet another Mortal Kombat sequel and little has been said, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are the only confirmed characters so far, which makes you wonder where the rest of the cast from the previous game have disappeared to.

Although there has been a lot of talk about this game reinventing itself, it's taking a slight 'Soul Calibur' angle on the fighting genre by including weapons in the game, Midway have confirmed there will be a new control system along with a new fighting engine for the game. Although I wouldn't be surprised by Mortal Kombat including the usual array of muscled-up psychopaths, some new venues along with new backbreaking finishing moves too.

You can't ignore the fact that Mortal Kombat has sold over 19 million copies throughout the series, but as I've already said the series is dragging on slightly and is starting to copy elements from other fighting games and starting to lose the touch that made it so special all that time ago.

This will thrill the Mortal Kombat fans once again, otherwise it might not be worth the risk it's probably worth a rental though.

Preview By: Graham Seward