I'm going to start this review (as Geoff would say) by getting on my soapbox in defence of the PSP. I'm sick and tired of narrow-minded reviewers giving PSP games low marks for the following reasons:

Being a port of a PS2 game.
Load times.
Graphics not being as good as the PS2.

Now, I have done this myself from time to time on justifiably awful games (like Pirates of the Caribbean and Tenchu) but when they are aimed at a very good game, I must comment on it. All of these comments have recently been levelled at PSP's Mortal Kombat: Unchained by other reviewers and they're all totally unjustified. As a port of the PS2's Deception, Unchained ticks all the boxes that GUN Showdown and Prince of Persia: Revelations missed by miles, and by adding the Gamecube-exclusive characters Goro and Shao Kahn it means we actually get more from this than the PS2 version. To accuse this game of having long load times is an insult, as other games are far worse and at least it's not like the Mega-CD Kombat that actually had to load every round! The graphics are as good, but obviously not identical to the PS2's, and I hate this being used as a way to bash a PSP game; it's simply not possible to do as much as the PS2, but in trying at least we are not getting a version so bad that it bears no resemblance to the original game whatsoever (no one ever said anything about the poor, pixelated-blockman in SuperMarioland did they?)

With all that now off my chest, I have to admit that this isn't a Tekken beater, and I doubt any designer will ever attempt to beat Tekken, as they'll surely fail, but for those of you who went through their childhood living through the Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat debate may find joy in the fact that after being able to play the original thanks to the Midway Collection, we can now play the new game with improved graphics, gameplay and even an interesting story.

Unchained follows on from the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, with Raiden, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi defeated by Onaga, the Dragon King. Possessing Quan Chi's amulet, he's now seeking the six artefacts called Kamidogu to fuse the realms into 'The One Being', resulting in the destruction of everything within. Those who didn't perish in Deadly Alliance must now stand against Onaga and his allies. It's a simple story and I'm sure the past Mortal Kombat games all had a similar gist, but it's nice that a series as old as Mortal Kombat can still expand upon the mythology and the story established in past iterations. This is all beautifully explained in an opening movie that is possibly one of the most exciting and entertaining cut scenes to ever grace a PSP screen (or indeed any screen, for that matter).

The gameplay is split between four different sections. Firstly there's the usual Arcade Kombat, which is the typical two rounds for victory as you work your way through the cast of thirty fighters before meeting Onaga in the final battle. This features all the great action that you've come to expect from the series and the use of up to three combat styles (as first seen in Deadly Alliance) is a great touch for those who want to go from a combo style to a hard-hitting style, before finishing your opponent through the use of a gigantic sword. On offer as always is a wide variety of character-specific special moves, fatalities and new Hari-Kari moves, which allows your opponent to commit suicide before you get a chance to turn them into mush! These are all wonderful, and easy to get to grips with, which makes a change for this type of button-combination beat 'em up, leading to a smooth learning curve (depending on the character you choose, obviously) and you'll be pulling your opponent's legs off then beating them with to death with them in no time. The backgrounds and arenas are superb as always, and the detail that has gone into the interactive environments (including the many death traps) is so lavish that you'll pause the game at times, convinced that you can read the signs on the wall (you can't though!) There are very few glitches as you play and the load times between each fight are not excessive enough to cause any major problems.

Once you have completed the main game you can be forgiven for thinking "Well, what's left, but completing the game another thirty times with each character?!" Luckily for you, you won't be thinking that at all, as you can then try Endurance, which gives you one life bar to fight through as many fighters as you can before you are defeated. Then you can move onto the Konquest mode, which is a vast improvement on the laborious mode from Deadly Alliance and closely follows a story linked to the main game. I do wish that you could play through it with other characters, but then we can't have everything! This still takes more of a 'Tutorial' feel through most of the beginning, which can be a pain, but once these levels have been overcome, the progression is fabulous and really adds a lot to the longevity, as well as the winning of coins, which leads to unlocking one of the many, many tombs in the Kontent zone. The creation of small towns and villages and landscapes is beautiful to look at and not the slapdash work that I might expect in a mode that isn't the main focus of the game. This all shows the amount of care and attention that went into the creation of the game as a whole.

Still after more gameplay? Well, after this you can now play Kombat Chess or Kombat Puzzle; both games are a wonderful distraction from the main two modes and in some cases (particularly the Puzzle) just as fun. Chess Kombat allows you to play chess with characters as pieces, who all act out brutal moves when they capture another piece. This is almost like having one of those ludicrously expensive Disney-themed sets that you're paying off in monthly instalments for most of your life, and it recreates the game of chess to a tee, which should appease Chess-purists and Kombat fans alike. Kombat Puzzle is a mixture of Tetris and Columns, but instead of lines of groups of colours, the only way to eliminate blocks is to land a same colour MK symbol on the corresponding colour. This is all highlighted with a selection of mini-fighters who fight it out as you play, although I do wish this was a cut scene as you'll never be able to watch it due to concentrating on the game itself, and they do look great!

And if all that isn't already enough, what would a Mortal Kombat game be without a multiplayer mode? Although there is sadly no online play, Unchained does offer two-player wireless action for Kombat, Puzzle and Chess modes, doing much to increase the game's longevity. It's true that this is not a flawless experience, feeling a little slow at times, but it doesn't affect the game so much that it's unplayable and all of this actually makes it much better, as there really is nothing better than performing a Fatality on a friend!

So, you've played all the modes and think that's it? Nope! Now, you can unlock and view all the goodies in the Krypt, which range from costume changes and pictures of concept art throughout the series to concept videos and tests, character biographies, soundtrack with information from the composers and movies, and outtakes from the Mortal Kombat: Mythologies game. Although great, I do wish they had included the game too! It will take you a long while to unlock all the stuff here and I'd recommend you find a map for where all the good stuff is, as there are only so many concept pictures of Sub Zero that I can see before I cry.

While the original three MK games have been available in the Midway collection for some time, Mortal Kombat: Unchained is the first full release to hit the PSP and thereby there is nothing to compare it to. Most people will throw up the usual names (Tekken, Def Jam, Street Fighter, Smackdown) without actually realising that it doesn't really matter, as this is a truly different beast and fans will buy the game because of this. It's not quite perfect but it's as close as you can get on the PSP for now, and until they design a new MK release specifically for Sony's handheld, this is definitely a worthwhile purchase for beat 'em up fans who enjoy the gore and novelties that the MK series has always provided.

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).