MTV'S CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH
Original Release: Gotham Games, 2003, PC/PS1/PS2/Xbox
Silly yet ultra-violent fighting in the style of the minor MTV hit that ran from the late '90s to the mid-00s
MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch (PS2, Gotham Games, 2003)
Where to Buy: Amazon (PC and Xbox versions are a lot cheaper)
How to Emulate: PlayStation 2 Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
Can I say something without everyone getting upset? I think MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch is a decent enough little game, at least for the purpose it sets out to serve.
It's not a "balanced" or quality fighter, but you shouldn't expect that. It's a goofy little party game that offers some sloppy fun and outrageous brutality, for friends to play for a little while as part of a get-together. And the gameplay is just good enough to make it passable, though definitely with a big spoonful of jank mixed in.
I'll concede that the single-player experience is too lacking to buy it just for that reason alone. The only real game mode is a series of six "episodes" to play through, where you just play through three fights as different characters (and against a different opponent) each time. You unlock new characters by completing these, and a "perfect" for each episode (in this case just winning all three fights on the first try) unlocks the three additional arenas, but that's it without even an ending sequence when you finish it all up. Other than that there's a very basic create-a-player that allows you to swap in a small quantity of body parts, and I believe you can only have one of these per save file.
The key is multiplayer, where the game is basically a mascot fighter with fatalities and gore that would make nearly all of the Mortal Kombat series blush. Matches proceed until you beat the enemy's health meter all the way down, at which point you can perform one of your "kill moves" (R2 + the O button) ... though this is complicated by them going in and out of the dizzy state needed to successfully initiate it. Each player has at least a couple options here, plus if you do a throw when the enemy is near the end of their life bar you may randomly rip off some limbs which then allows for an alternate head-pulling fatality.
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| De cards don't lie! |
The gameplay is sloppy for sure, though not horrid. The biggest issue is that characters are utterly unbalanced. Some are near-useless due to a suite of overly elaborate diving moves that are hard to land (Marilyn Manson). Some are OP due to powerful combo hits or throws that are easy to initiate (Tommy Lee, the Alien). The ultimate cheeser is Miss Cleo, who can simply turn enemies into a frog for awhile and just kick at them repeatedly while they're helpless. Unlocking everything in single player is no problem, though, as the computer AI is braindead all the way through.
For the solo player, you may have fun for an afternoon or so as you explore and see all the animated hijinks for the first time ... but it doesn't have much to offer beyond that, so spend accordingly. It's a better choice as a party game you can wheel out once in a while.
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