Here we are, at the end of a generation. With the latest wave of consoles finding their footing amongst gamers across the world, Midway have announced that Mortal Kombat: Armageddon will be the last game in the series for the humble Playstation 2. Before the series jumps ship though, the team at Midway have lined up one hell of a send off.

Fact: 90% of created fighters will be scantily clad females in cowboy boots...

I guess you could call me a little bit of a Mortal Kombat fan deep down. I have Ultimate MK 3 for my arcade machine. I have the Mortal Kombat movie on DVD, VHS and on my PSP. Even as I write this, Scorpion's beady eyes stare up at me from a figure on my desk. Whilst I've moved on to appreciate the complexities of games such as Street Fighter 3: Third Strike and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, I continue to lap up each incarnation of Mortal Kombat as a guilty pleasure. Certainly not the most perfect game series out there but definitely one of the most fun if you're feeling sadistically inclined.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon brings together nearly every fighter in the Mortal Kombat Universe, in an epic Battle Royale to prove their worth by defeating Blaze, a firespawn sent by the Elder Gods of Edenia to cull the number of fighters in prevention of a foreseeable Armageddon. Nearly every character is present to duke it out, from familiars such as Liu Kang, in his newly undead state, right up to the oddball inclusions, Meat and Mokap. The only fighter missing is female shape shifting assassin Khameleon, featured only in the Nintendo 64 version of Trilogy, who will be appearing once again in the Wii release. Unlike the palette swaps used to represent new characters in the early games, significant work has been done to bring new life into lesser returning characters, new to 3D incarnations, and to further differentiate them from one another. Many characters also sport unlockable alternate outfits with their earlier look if you prefer. The moves sets have undergone a wealth of changes and not only has the way you perform special moves for some characters been altered, but also the special moves themselves, which may annoy some fans, but certainly adds a level of freshness to the gameplay.

The big new addition to Armageddon is customisation. For the first time in the series you are now able to "Kreate A Fighter". Not only are you able to select their gender, build and appearance, but also are able to fully customise your fighting stance, weapon and complete move set, to assign each individual button input as you wish. It's a perfectly competent editor and allows you to create characters with ease, from a bikini clad dominatrix to the Incredible Hulk. Parts and moves all need to be bought individually with Koins, but this just keeps you playing the other game modes to build up your kitty. It adds a great deal of life on top of the already overwhelming sixty-two character roster and best of all you are able to take your creations online.

...There is also the option to create pirate-ninja hybrids.

Also new, is the "Kreate A Fatality" system. Replacing the single action fatalities standard in every previous game, Armageddon now presents you with a time bar with which to string together shortened actions to perform a fatality just how you want. You can rip out your opponent's heart then rip off his arms and finish him off with a decapitation. The number of mini fatalities you can chain together is only limited by how fast you are. Just as the death traps introduced in Deception felt like a natural progression for the series from stage fatalities, so too do the new combo fatalities. They allow for greater experimentation and won't have you pausing the game every round to check a moves list.

With so much added to this new title, some things unfortunately had to go. Every fighter has now been reduced to only two fighting styles. This does reduce the variety of moves at your disposal, but the removal of a third fighting style comes at no real detriment. It helps to keeps things streamlined and it is now far more accessible to swap to your weapon based style when necessary. Air combat has also made a return to the series allowing for greater possibilities in combat. Whilst the new "Kreate A Fatality" system allows for an abundance of actions to construct your finisher as you desire, fatalities are now more general and no longer character specific. The loss of some of the more over the top fatalities, specifically those based on each character's powers and abilities, is a little disappointing and makes it more difficult to distinguish characters from one another.

After the lengthy RPG based Konquest mode included in Mortal Kombat: Deception, Midway have made some major changes following the success of the fantastic Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. The all new Konquest mode throws you straight into the action, without the need to complete training lessons or perform side quests. Instead, Konquest puts you in the shoes of Taven, a demi god called upon to stop the oncoming Armageddon, in a scrolling beat 'em up full of hidden secrets, special moves and fatalities. You travel through each of the realms of the Mortal Kombat Universe, interacting with many of the major characters, fighting those that stand in your way in traditional one on one kombat. It's not quite as good as Shaolin Monks and lacks the multiplayer competent that made the game such a joy to play. It's also a bit on the short side and can be repetitive at times. Whilst Konquest mode lasts though, it's a lot of fun.

Fujin: The god of Riverdance

The other main game mode is Motor Kombat, a Mario Kart-inspired racer with an injection of Mortal Kombat gameplay. There are five tracks to race on and ten characters to choose from, each with their own character-inspired vehicle and special move. Death traps also make a feature, allowing you to bump opponents into oncoming danger. There's the ability to take the race online, as with the regular game, but it won't hold your attention long, lacking the weapon variety and fantastic course design that make the Mario Kart games a joy to play.

Whilst the character line up is overwhelmingly impressive, Armageddon is not quite as filled to the brim with extras as we have been treated to in the previous 3D iterations. Motor Kombat is a weaker inclusion than both Chess and Puzzle Kombat. The number of items found in the Krpyt is significantly less than previous games also. Thankfully the items are more exclusively based around Armageddon, which should please fans. It also worth noting that with so many characters, many of the character endings are disappointing. Instead of FMV sequences illustrating what happened to them after the battle, some characters merely feature a text based ending, displayed while the character performs a martial arts routine on top of the pyramid. It is understandable the time and effort involved in constructing sixty two FMV sequences is too much, but it would have been adequate to simply display the text with relevant images.

Whilst I will not argue that Mortal Kombat is up to the same standard of technical prowess as Street Fighter or Tekken, it is still a hell of a lot of fun. The sheer number of characters will keep any fan satisfied and the ability to design your own characters and construct fatalities, when coupled with the online mode, ensures the long-term life span. Whilst the rewards are lessened this time around, there's more than enough content to justify the purchases. It removes a few aspects that will be sorely missed, but is great fun none the less. If you're a Mortal Kombat fan it's an essential purchase.

Keep an eye out for the Wii release, which introduces an interesting new control scheme along with the use for the classic controls, as well as completing the character line up.