Guide to Fatalities I

Mortal Kombat burst onto the arcade scene all those many years ago, and it brought with it a furor of controversy. It was—and is—a bloody and violent game, brimming with buckets of wonderful gore. The fights themselves were gruesome enough back in the day to invite a raised eyebrow or two, but it was the finishing moves, dubbed "Fatalities" (a more appropriate name I cannot imagine), that really got people up in arms.

At the end of each Mortal Kombat match, the victor is invited to Finish Him/Her! With a well-timed series of button presses, the winner is able to produce a Fatality, an ultra violent maneuver that ended the battle with gruesome effect. Who can forget the first time they saw Kano pluck the still beating heart out of an enemy's chest or Raiden popping his opponent's head off with a surge of lightning? These are images burned into the collective minds of gamers everywhere (sans the younglings of course), and whether you love them or hate them, they are one of Mortal Kombat's definitive features.

Raiden's brewing something up.

Of course, Mortal Kombat®: Deception™ is no different. Every fighter boasts two Fatalities and a Hari Kiri move (a suicide maneuver, the purpose of which I'm still unsure of). Like all previous Mortal Kombat games, you're asked to find the Fatalities for yourself. Look all you want at the manual, and you won't find their secrets there.

However, in an effort to give gamers what they want and still preserve an element of the Fatality mystique, we offer you the secrets to one Fatality for each fighter. This article, our "Guide to Fatalities I," will cover all the default fighters. "Guide to Fatalities II" will look at all the unlockable fighters.

Note: It's easier to use the D-pad when attempting a Fatality. Also, each Fatality requires you to start your sequence at a set distance from your opponent. There are three distance requirements. They are:

• Close: Stand right next to the enemy.
• Sweep: Stand a few feet from the enemy, but still close enough for a sweep attack to hit.
• Far: Position your fighter a couple of jumps back from the enemy.

Finally, when you are in position, press the left trigger to enter the Fatality stance. This will ensure your fighter doesn't jump around when you're attempting the Fatality.

Okay, sounds like a plan.

Now, let's get down to our default fighters and see what sort of fatal tricks they have up their blood-soaked sleeves …

Scorpion: Get Over Here!
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Forward, Back, Forward, Back, X

This tasty little maneuver uses Scorpion's favorite weapon: the spear. He spears his victims arm and rip it clean off. Then, he spears a leg and do the same, and as the poor opponent hops hopelessly up and down, our yellow-clad ninja calmly walks up and, with a violent jerk, snaps the victim's neck.

Mileena: Chomp!
Distance: Sweep
Button Sequence: Forward, Forward, Down, Down, X

Turns out Mileena covers the lower part of her face for a reason. Like Baraka, she's a got a series of razor sharp teeth—and a will to use them. Perform this Fatality, and she'll hop on to her opponent, chomp down on their head, and rip it completely off. Yummy.

Done and done.

Baraka: Slice, Dice, and Pull
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Forward, Up, Down, Y

As a Tarkatan, Baraka is blessed with steel blades that jut out of his arms, and he uses them to excellent effect. Perform this Fatality, and he'll slice once across the waist, once down each shoulder blade, and once across the neck. It's not too gruesome … until he plunges a blade into his enemy's chest and pulls the torso clean away from the limbs and head …

Sub-Zero: Shattered
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Forward, Back, Down, Forward, Y

His name says it all. Sub-Zero is a master of cold and can harness its freezing effects at will. This Fatality has him freezing his opponent and then, nonchalant as can be, snapping their head off their body and shattering the rest of it with the enemy's own head.

I wonder if those teeth do anything.

Bo Rai Cho: Breathing Flame
Distance: Sweep
Button Sequence: Down, Up, Forward, Forward, Y

Bo Rai Cho is fond of imbibing an alcoholic beverage or two. With this Fatality, he guzzles a pint of some rather vile looking spirits, grabs a torch, and sprays the liquid out from his mouth, turning it to flame with the torch—and literally burning his opponent to pieces.

Nightwolf: Axed
Distance: Far
Button Sequence: Back, Forward, Back, Forward, X

Nightwolf whips out a tomahawk with dexterous ease, spins once for effect, and buries his tomahawk into the forehead of his enemy with an expert throw.

Something's missing.

Ermac: Telekinetic Torture
Distance: Sweep
Button Sequence: Back, Down, Back, Down, B

Ermac is endowed with telekinetic abilities, and he demonstrates them well with this Fatality. He lifts his opponent through the sheer force of his mind, bends his or her body into a ball, and then rips it to pieces.

Kabal: Hooksword in Half
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Up, Up, Down, Down, Y

Kabal's weapons are already nasty enough. His hookswords look like they were meant to jab, impale, pierce, and slice all in one. With this Fatality, Kabal kicks his opponent high in the air, pulls out a Hooksword, and fluidly slice them in half on the way down.

Darrius: Chop Away
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Down, Forward, Forward, Up, X

I dare you not to laugh the first time you see this one. Darrius moves in on his enemy and literally karate chops bloody pieces off of the body. Then, he pauses to look at his handiwork before landing a final kick.

There are environmental Fatalities as well.

Kobra: Eat Your Heart Out
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Down, Back, Forward, Down, B

Kobra may seem like a good-old-fashioned Martial Artist, but his Fatalities are just down-right mean. Perform this one, and Kobra will plunge his fist inside his enemy's chest and yank the heart out. If that wasn't humiliating enough, he shoves it back in his opponent's face, oozing blood and all, as a final insult.

Dairou: Plunge It In
Distance: Close
Button Sequence: Down, Down, Back, A

This is one of the easiest and most entertaining Fatalities. Dairou will plunge both hands inside his enemy, yank out two ribs in each hand, and then plunge them into the eye sockets of his tortured opponent. Whoa!

That's how you celebrate.

Ashrah: Breaking Out the Doll
Distance: Close
Button Combination: Down, Down, Up, Up, Y

Who knew Ashrah was into Voodoo? You will when you successfully pull off this Fatality. Ashrah will pull out a Voodoo doll and a wicked looking pin and proceed to stab the ever-living crap out of the doll. The effect on her fellow combatant is ruthless in the extreme. Quite a spectacle, I must say.

There, now you have one Fatality for each of the default fighters to practice and perfect. Fighting games have always been about bragging rights and embarrassing your opponent—why else would the game shout "Flawless Victory" at the end of a perfect match, thus pointing out you're opponent isn't even skilled enough to land a single blow. The Fatality, though, is the ultimate send off for the end of the battle. You don't just beat your opponent; you annihilate them in an act of unrepentant humiliation.

By Alex McLain