DESCRIPTION

It is a time of despair. A war that was supposed to have ended with the defeat of Shao Kahn has resumed — all thanks to an ambitious sorcerer named Quan Chi. The dark one freed the evil Elder God Shinnok from his imprisonment, thereby instigating yet another bloody conflict for control of Earth's realm.

It was Raiden himself, the God of Thunder, who banished Shinnok into the Netherealm thousands of years ago to protect against such a disaster. Now Raiden must once again stop Shinnok to save the world. He is not alone, however. A war to end all wars shall pit the finest combatants on Earth against the evil soldiers of the Netherealm. Who shall prevail? That's for you to decide — the fate of the universe is in your hands!

Mortal Kombat Gold is an enhanced version of 1998's Mortal Kombat 4, which marked the first time a game in the Mortal Kombat series appeared in 3D. Twenty different warriors are available as playable characters right from the start (all of whom have weapons), but more are waiting to be discovered for those skilled enough.

Fighting on behalf of the forces of evil are: Baraka, Mileena, Reiko, Shinnok, Scorpion, Reptile, and Quan Chi. Those opposing them include: Sub-Zero, Tanya, Raiden, Sonya, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, Kitana, Kai, Jax, Johnny Cage, Fujin, Jarek, and Cyrax.

A total of four different game modes are available: Arcade, Team, Endurance, Tournament and Practice. Arcade offers you a chance to enter a Kombat Zone and fight an opponent to the death (computer or human). Once victorious, you will move up a ladder and face another fighter until you eventually confront the boss characters to determine your destiny.

Also featured in the Arcade mode is the ability to engage in 2-on-2 Kombat, which involves choosing two fighters and trying to beat two different opponents. If you manage to lose one match, the next character will take his or her place until you either emerge victorious or suffer defeat.

Team Mode expands on 2-on-2 Kombat by allowing you to select a group of fighters to challenge the computer or a friend; the first person to defeat all the fighters on one team is considered the winner. Endurance lets you see how skilled you are in the art of flawless victories — your health meter never replenishes as you take on fighter after fighter!

Options within the Endurance mode include Vs. Endurance and Ultimate Endurance. Vs. Endurance has the computer automatically selecting the fighters as you challenge a friend for the most wins. Ultimate Endurance is structured exactly like the normal Endurance mode, only this time you'll receive an "Ultimate Kombat Rating" along with statistics.

Tournament Mode consists of four or eight players as you strive to defeat all opponents assigned to your bracket until you are the last one standing. The final mode is Practice, where you can learn the different moves against an active, inactive, or human opponent. Players can also elect to see the different button commands on the screen as they perform moves.

After honing their skills in the Practice Mode, players can select from a number of options to customize the main game. These include six levels of difficulty, adjustable wins (from two to nine) and continues (from zero to nine), and optional blood. Mortal Kombat Gold also features a Kombat Theater, allowing you to view each character's ending at any time, and supports the Jump Pack peripheral for vibration feedback. The game does not, however, make use of the VMU accessory. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide