Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Game Informer

I'll even go out on a limb and say that Deadly Alliance is the best 3D fighter to date! [Jan 2003, p.88]

AtomicGamer

This game can definitely hang with the best of them, though, which may come as a big surprise to those who thought that Mortal Kombat was dead. MK:DA has enough for both old MK fans and more "modern" fighting game players to keep most everyone entertained for quite a while.

GameZone

Diehard MK fans will surely love it, and all of my casual gamer friends think it's one of the best fighting games ever made.

Media and Games Online Network

Gameplay introduces many new elements, and the replay value is almost endless.

Absolute Playstation

The fighting is as brutal as ever; perhaps even more so with the power of the PS2 behind it...but the fun is still retained.

IGN

Smooth, fluid, and full of strategy, this is the best-playing game in the series by far.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

It's the perfect, brutal antidote to more complicated fighters like Tekken, but it's also complex enough to satisfy those put off by the stupidity of previous games. Bloody great. [Playstation 2 Max]

Gaming Maxx

I highly recommend this game to anyone who has any interest in fighting games, especially those who were disappointed with "Tekken 4" or people who have a craving for the Mortal Kombat series.

TotalGames.net

The action just lacks the fluidity and finesse of some of the competition, like "Tekken" and "Virtua Fighter," and that certain sparkle that makes good beat-’em-ups great.

Game Revolution

While the control limitations and simple combos will have you weary of the single-player modes in a couple days, the never-ending blood and neat three stance system will make kicking your friends' asses all the more enjoyable.

Gamer's Pulse

Manages to provide some of the most challenge and fun I've had with a fighter in years.

GameSpy

This is the over-the-top, pick-up-and-play fighter that's we've been missing for so long. It's far less complex than its top-rated contemporaries, but that's part of the fun.

GameSpot

Anyone looking for a wilder ride than the one offered by "Tekken 4"'s or "Virtua Fighter 4"'s comparatively straightforward martial arts battles should definitely check [it] out.

Electric Playground

This is not the fighting game for the young nor the squeamish, but it is a truly excellent fighting game. Mortal Kombat is back in the ring.

GamePro

Some of Deadly Alliance's game elements are still very arcade-minded—such as ludicrously difficult bosses and schizophrenic A.I.

PSX Nation

The controls are tight, the graphics good and the hidden stuff down by the Krypt ranges from junk to outstanding.

Gamestyle

An outstanding improvement on a stale series. There’s still room for improvement; a few more fatalities would have been nice, and more detailed arenas to fight in would take the game up a level.

Play Magazine

Unlike any other 3D fighters on the market. Midway has done an exceptional job of creating a brand new MK experience while still maintaining the old-school flavor that so many of us are familiar with. [Jan 2003, p.70]

G4 TV

For Mortal Kombat fans, this is easily the best installment since "Mortal Kombat II."

PSM Magazine

Each character actually has their own dedicated training session that does a wonderful job of teaching you the basic gameplay fundamentals. [Holiday 2002, p.51]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

The collectibles are going to make some of you completely addicted to Deadly Alliance. [Jan 2003, p.131]

Maxim Online

To hell with lame gunshot wounds and other gang violence. This game’s fatalities include creative beheadings and dismemberments that would make Hannibal green with envy.

GamerWeb Sony

The replay value for this title is huge and the amount of time that it's going to require to unlock everything is significant and will keep gamers glued to see what they can unlock next.

GameNow

There's an awful lot to play through, and regardless of any quirks, the thing caused me to have a damn good time whenever I picked up the joypad. [Jan 2003, p.46]

Entertainment Weekly

And that's the rub: Mortal Kombat may have grown up, but it didn't mature at all. [10 Jan 2003, p.77]

Yahoo! Games

Although the game works as a fresh take on the familiar without adding too much new content to leave old fans feeling lost, it also doesn't do as much as it could to liven things up.

GameShark

If there is one thing the Mortal Kombat series is good at, its giving you the bloodiest way to beat somebody's ass.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Strip away the surprisingly excellent graphics and gimmicky bonus material and you've got a 3D fighter that's derivative at best. [Jan 2003, p.178]

Eurogamer

It mixes it with the big boys in the early bouts, but it's never going to go the distance. We'd hold out for "Soul Calibur II."

Gaming Age

With more polish and character balancing, Midway could have crafted one of the best pick up and play fighters in existence – but combo timing issues hurt the overall score and that’s a shame.

netjak

Then there's stuff that's just disgraceful to Asian people in general. For instance, Li Mei looks like she's a drug-addled prostitute. And this is before she gets punched in the face.