Deadly Tournament
Creator(s): Heiko Thies / HT Software
and Patric Schumacher / Schumtastic
The idea behind this game is really neat. Take Multimedia Fusion, a video camera, a TV capture card, a 3d modelling program and a bunch of mates, and produce your own Mortal Kombat ripoff.
It's something you'll want to see not just for the gameplay, but also to check out how the concept turned out in the final product.
A shot showing the making of the game
Deadly Tournament allows you to pick from six fighters (which are captured images of the game's creator and his friends), and to play either against a human opponent or in the single player tournament mode. There are special moves to learn and Mortal-Kombat-ripoff fatalities to perform as you work your way up the Deadly Tournament challenge ladder, to eventually face the monstrous Project DTX himself (one of the creator's mates with a gas mask on).
To add to the replayability, there are four skill levels to pick from in the single player mode. Should you attempt the harder levels straight away, you will be beaten soundly by the game's impressive computer opponent. The computer knows all the tricks, including how to block and when to use which move, and is one of the best parts of the game.
The computer rips my head off, spilling blood everywhere
If you manage to beat the game, you'll see a different amusing ending depending on the character you chose. You'll also be taught a different secret depending on the skill level you played on (no secrets on the easy level, though).
The graphics in Deadly Tournament are clearly impressive, and the high standard is maintained throughout all the various non-combat screens as well. The 3d backgrounds don't always fit very well with the characters, though, and the creator could look at using photos instead or improving the lighting and 'cutting out' of the people.
The game's sounds are good, especially the announcer's voice and Project DTX's roarings, and the original sound effects fit well where they are used. Fighting sounds are a bit sparse, but maybe this is to give you more chance to hear the music...
The music must be important, because it's one of the main reasons that the game is a daunting 60Mb to download! We're talking high quality wav file music, in various dance and techno styles. I personally would have rather had a different music format if it meant a smaller download size.
The best way to describe the gameplay, really, is 'Mortal Kombat'. Deadly Tournament deliberately copies this arcade classic, right down to making the moves and fatailites really really hard to do. ;p
Unfortunately, though, the gameplay is where the few holes in this game show up. I could forgive the fact that the characters are pretty much the same and they don't have many moves, but it annoys me when the game exits for no reason or goes wrong on the last baddie. Some moves like the jump-kick can connect several times (the best way to win!), and sometimes the computer gets one last shot in when they're supposed to be dying already. The game gets stuck if anything interrupts a dying sequence, so you have to be very careful how you kill that Project DTX if you don't want to have to restart the game.
D. Splatter shoots some baskets down in the ghetto. ;)
Overall this game is a good idea with some smart presentation, but it is let down slightly by the huge file size and a few playability bugs (hence the rating).
Addendum: HTSoftware have revised Deadly Tournament since this review was written. The file size is down and bugs have apparently been fixed. This review and the rating refer to the original version of the game.
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 8/10
Music: 4/10 (game is too big!)
Presentation: 10/10
Playability: 7/10
My rating: 8/10
Creator's homepage: http://come.to/htsoftware
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