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Mortal Kombat media fights for your entertainment
Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? We can't help but get a feeling of deja vu from these new Mortal Kombat screens, which pit classic franchise fighters against each other in a coliseum full of bloodthirsty spectators. Feel free to satiate your own blood lust by checking out the gallery below -- if you're looking for something a bit more on the moving side, head past the break for a new trailer. %Gallery-100910%
Ed Boon reveals Mortal Kombat: Fire & Ice, a canceled co-op game
While speaking to Game Informer about older Mortal Kombat projects, series creator Ed Boon unveiled one installment of the which never saw the light of day: A co-op action adventure game subtitled Fire & Ice. "When they finished [Shaolin Monks]," Boon explained, "the guys at Paradox were gonna do another one called Fire & Ice. It was gonna be a co-operative Scorpion and Sub-Zero game." We're not sure how the game's writers would have navigated the series' canon to make this union possible (don't those two, like, hate each other?), but we're disappointed nonetheless. To think -- if someone had asked us what our favorite co-op Mortal Kombat game was, and then asked what our favorite 1980s German ski film was, we could have just given them a single, satisfying answer.
Mortal Kombat creator says complexity of fighting games hurts sales
The Mortal Kombat reboot had to have been one of the more interesting surprises around E3. We certainly enjoyed what we saw at the show, which seemed to depict a game very much back to its roots -- you can't get more "MK" than splitting a guy in two with a metal hat, after all. And in speaking with Gamasutra, Ed Boon confirms that he's really gunning for the hardcore players with this latest installment. "Oddly enough, this [new Mortal Kombat] is the first one in a while that we've really made a conscious effort that we are going to focus hard on the hardcore player," he said. While Boon concedes that there are far more casual players out there than hardcore, he values the "opinionated" fans who go online and make their voices heard. Despite the existence of those passionate individuals, Boon thinks it's tough to sell a fighting game nowadays. "While I certainly think there is an audience for that, there's not a very huge audience for the really complex [fighting] games. Unfortunately, the sales numbers kind of demonstrate that," he added. While we certainly understand what he's saying, we'd be hard-pressed to agree. What about games like Street Fighter IV and Tekken 6? How about newcomers like BlazBlue? And that's not even taking into account the success of digitally distributed titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 -- so while we'd concede that fighting games can sometimes have a steep learning curve, we'd say now is a wonderful time of resurgence for the genre. Embrace the love, Boon!
Preview: Mortal Kombat
While E3 attendees file out of a darkened room after a demonstration of the new Mortal Kombat, series co-creator Ed Boon is approached by a pair of enthusiastic fans. He gladly gives them a few autographs, and his face lights up in surprise when he learns that they've grown enamored with the fighting franchise in their 18 years of existence -- despite being born well after its inception. Has Mortal Kombat really been around for almost 20 years? Working from NetherRealm Studios -- owned by Mortal Kombat's new custodian, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment -- Ed Boon doesn't limit his interaction with fans to chance encounters. The upcoming reboot is being driven by three major requests from series fans, which Boon calls his "marching orders." They've suggested a return to the M-rated presentation following 2008's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (check), a deeper fighting system (check) and, of course, a new set of outrageous fatalities (check out that perforated spleen). Boon claims that every combatant's interior, from the soon-to-be-shattered bones to the sickeningly squishy internal organs, has been modeled. It's not often that you get to literally see an artist's blood, sweat and tears in a game, but Boon assures me that when attacks find their mark, all "that shit pours out of them."
Game Informer rates the best and worst Mortal Kombat fatalities
After roughly 28 years in production and 43 separate iterations, it's inevitable that the Mortal Kombat series would have picked a few bad eggs in the Fatalities department. Game Informer has taken it upon itself to dig through the archives and uncover the best and very worst that the series has to offer. Now, lest there be any confusion, we're not talking about Babalities or pap like that. We're talking terrible finishers like Bo Rai Cho's penchant for blasting his enemies with a venomous murder fart. Yeah, it's adorable. Oh, and at one point, Smoke blows up the whole planet, killing every man, woman and child on it. ... Yeah, we're not sure if that's a good or bad one either.
The NBA rejected this Mortal Kombat-themed NBA Jam court for some reason
Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon continues to tweet about rarities from the MK archives, this time a Kombat-themed court intended for one of Acclaim's NBA Jam or NBA Hangtime games. "The spine held up the backboard," Boon explained. "The skull was the hoop and the flesh head was the basketball. Would've been fun!"In the following tweet, Boon offers the reason that this disgusting court didn't make it into the game. Unsurprisingly, despite the cachet the Mortal Kombat series had, the NBA declined to allow a basketball court made of human body parts into a game with its name on it.This court works pretty well as a shorthand for the ridiculousness of the Mortal Kombat series' emphasis on outrageous, nonsensical gore. See the full image, including the hoop and ball graphics, after the break.[Via GameSetWatch]
Mortal Kombat's Goro, actual size
On screen, Mortal Kombat's top-knotted, four-armed Goro was a menacing, scary figure, towering over our hapless Sub-Zeros and Raidens. This vintage picture from Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon's Twitter, reveals that, in real life, Goro was just a li'l guy.Of course, we knew the stop-motion model for the character wouldn't be fully human-sized, because that would be a ridiculous expense and effort for absolutely no payoff. But we're still delighted to see the actual sculpture used in the game, in all its diminutive glory. We also like how "homemade" the studio looks -- actual Mortal Kombat images were lit by a desk lamp taped to a cookie tin taped to some other stuff.[Via Giant Bomb]
Ed Boon: Next Mortal Kombat to be rated 'M'
If the uncharacteristic lack of over-the-top gore in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was an issue for you, series co-creator Ed Boon has some good news for you. Now (very clearly) heading up development of the ninth MK game, the designer has been tweeting about its content, recently saying that, "People want an M-rated MK....dammit we will give them an M-rated MK."Boon also addressed a tweet he received asking what it would take to make an AO-rated MK, saying, "I dont know where the line is to make MK an AO rated game. But we definitely dont want to kross it." "KROSS" it? Oh Ed, you krazy klown. That never gets old![Via IndustryGamers]
Report: Midway trying to salvage Ed Boon's promised $1 million bonus
As pillars continue to topple all around Midway, the company has begun to search for new ways to stay relevant, reaching out to one of the last remaining assets left in the struggling publisher's corner. Despite reportedly offering up company darling Mortal Kombat for sale, The Cut Scene reports that Midway hopes to keep series co-creator Ed Boon around -- at least for a while longer -- by continuing to pay bonuses for his role in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and an unannounced series entry in 2009's fourth quarter.Midway has apparently asked bankruptcy court for approval to pay the designer some $900,000 for sales of last year's comic book crossover. Another $105,000 is promised for other MK franchise revenue to Boon, whom Midway describes as "critical to maximizing the value of one of the Debtors' primary assets." The report suggests that keeping Boon around makes Mortal Kombat more attractive to potential suitors, assuming that he tags along if a company happens to open up its wallet. Still, critical or not, paying out bonuses seems like a tall order to fill for an outfit that's up to its eyeballs in debt.
MK vs. DC ships 1.8 million units, next Mortal Kombat on the way
Midway announced today that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe has shipped "approximately" 1.8 million units for Xbox 360 and PS3. Unlike another publisher, Midway is taking the shipped figure as a positive sign for the franchise. Ed Boon, creative director for Mortal Kombat, stated the group is already working on the "next version of Mortal Kombat," with details forthcoming.As much as this is positive news for the Mortal Kombat franchise, Death is still knocking on Midway's door. Can one moderately successful franchise pay for all those executive salaries?
Boon talks Midway layoffs, next Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat creator (kreator?) Ed Boon has come forward, labeling recent reports of Midway's Chicago branch handing out pink slips to many of the individuals who worked on Mortal Kombat vs. DC as "completely false." Last week, numerous outlets reported that the troubled publisher and developer let go of around 20 to 30 employees following the completion of both the recent cross-universe brawler and Blitz: The League II.However, speaking in an interview with GameDaily, Boon asserts that the Mortal Kombat team specifically is still together, and is already brainstorming on what to work on next. He adds that the crew is sizing up Mortal Kombat vs. DC's performance, as "it will have a good amount to do with what features we put in the next game." Of course, this says nothing of those in The Windy City who worked specifically on Midway's sequel to Blitz, or if the company decided to have them go long all the way to the unemployment line.
See tons of MK vs. DC Universe gameplay
We don't know how you feel about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe but we've gone from absolute bewilderment to an almost embarrassing desire for the full version. If you're still on the doubters' side of the fence, we'd like to humbly suggest only that you watch the above video, a boatload of gameplay narrated by your friend and ours, Ed Boon.It all looks sort of cool, but we have a hard time getting past the part where Superman runs Scorpion through seven walls without picking up the phone to pre-order the game. We can't even watch it anymore because after call number 9, the guy at Gamestop was starting to get downright rude. What say you on it?
New Mortal Kombat vs. DC screenshots are fairly brutal
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/New_Pics_from_Mortal_Kombat_VS_DC_Universe'; Let's face it -- one of the main things that has set Mortal Kombat apart from its contemporaries throughout the years has been its inclusion of flagrant acts of grisly violence. When Ed Boon explained that the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe would explore the softer side of the series with Teen-rated acts of pugilistic carnage, many fans were upset, as it seemed their thirst for evisceration would go unslaked. The latest salvo of screenshots for the brawler from Midway might confirm or ease your fears of a censored MK title -- no, there's no evidence of any impromptu spine-removal procedures, but there's pummeling and arm-breaking aplenty. Does the latest entry in the toasty franchise look gruesome enough for your sinister bloodlust? Gallery: Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe
Ed Boon clarifies Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fatalities
In a brief interview with Gamespot, Midway's Ed Boon has (once again) discussed the return of fatalities in upcoming cross-brand brawler, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The infamous finishing moves will be performed by all Mortal Kombatants and DC Comics villains, but not by any of DC's untarnished heroes. You know, the ones "who don't kill that often." Instead, nicer folks like The Flash will have "brutalities," moves which inflict pain upon the recipients without totally murdering them.Of course, don't expect the levels of violence and depravity to be quite up there (down there?) with previous Mortal Kombat games, as Ed Boon mentions that this Unreal-powered showdown is still pushing a slightly Tamer boundary. "Certain animations, blood effects, and sound effects that we have in the game are really pushing the T-rating envelope," he said. We're sure gore hounds will find this worthy of debate, but we're more concerned about everything that happens before the fatality. Let's hope E3 grants us the opportunity to beat the snot out of that smug Superman.%Gallery-23376%
Midway 'modifying fatalities' for MK vs. DC
When Midway announced that DC characters were splicing worlds with Mortal Kombat for a T-rated fighting game, we prepared our eulogy for the fatality, a staple of the MK universe that seemed to run against the DC philosophy. Not so fast, says MK series creator Ed Boon, who hints that the violent sendoffs will still be there, albeit in a tamer fashion.In an interview with GameTap, Boon notes that the developer never explicitly stated fatalities were going away. "We did acknowledge that we won't be able to do the same kinds of outrageous moves, like tearing someone's head off and the spine being attached to it," he says, adding, "My response is that, no, we're modifying fatalities. But I have every intention to keep finishers."What's left is to define, then, the nature of the fatality. Are they inherently ultra-violent? So far that answer's been yes, with the extreme alternatives being Friendships and Babalities. For now, we'll just have to wait for the screenshots to show us some kind of finisher that satiates our blood-thirsty desires. After the break, a collection of fatalities from the series.
No Wii Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe due to Unreal Engine
When we heard about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the first thing we asked ourselves was, "Why?" The second thing we asked ourselves was, "No really, why?" Then we started to wonder, though, why this game wasn't heading to the Wii. It's not that we're going to miss it (although we're sure some of you might, and that's completely fine). It's just that the decision to snub the Wii doesn't seem to make any business sense. The Wii does have a pretty large userbase, after all, and according to the Mortal Kombat series' co-creator and executive producer, Ed Boon, Armageddon did well on the Wii. In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, were graphics really going to be that much of an issue?As it turns out, the issue is the Unreal Engine. Since the newest version of the engine doesn't officially exist for the Wii, the developers thought it would be too challenging to bring the game to Nintendo's console. Yet, according to Boone, they're not against the idea. If they're waiting for Epic to support the Unreal Engine on the Wii, though, they better not hold their breath. Whether or not Midway will one day use the unofficial engine and port the game to the Wii remains to be seen.[Via GoNintendo]
Noob.com's big reveal happens tomorrow
The big countdown on Mortal Kombat chief Ed Boon's personal site, Noob.com, revealed the above blurry picture and anagram. Cutting to the chase, it translates: Embargo lifts tomorrow. People are speculating the fuzzy image is MK's Scorpion, but it could be from the house party scene in Eyes Wide Shut for all we know.If we really wanted to pinpoint a time Boon is going to make his big reveal, we'd shoot for something like 4PM Pacific. Why that time? Well, Midway is holding its media event in Las Vegas right now and the embargo on all information lifts at 4PM PST tomorrow. Maybe Boon will rebel and release his info early.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Noob.com has gotten even weirder
Right, so you may remember on April 1 when we stumbled upon Noob.com (Mortal Kombat chief Ed Boon's personal site) and tried to made some sense out of the coded images there. At the time, we thought (thanks to reader Batzarro) that the site was hinting at a new game in the series called "Ice Rage," as it steadily counted down to 3 p.m. on April 17.But things have gotten weirder now, with all those symbols replaced by a long series of numbers. We're hoping that they're a code of some sort and we're hoping that you smart, attractive readers can solve it. Feel free to use our comments section to work together and crack it Robert Langdon style.
Mortal Kombat wants to get "real serious"
What happens when an undisclosed number of game developers stop making the same blood-drenched fighting games and start getting real? A terrible Real World special. That's what. After Armageddon, MK creator Ed Boon said the next title in the franchise will be more realistic-looking and "not going to be like jokes." Indeed. It'll be an edgier move, grittier, dirtier. Darker? Whatever they plan, they're planning from scratch. Other than the idea of it being a fighting game, anything after that is open for consideration. No kart-racing, please.Boon added this about the upcoming (read: end of 2008) game: "We're not putting any restrictions like we HAVE to keep weapons or we HAVE to keep fighting styles and stuff like that... we're going to... try to introduce as many new characters as possible, new features, new stuff like that and take advantage of the amazing presentation, graphics that all of a sudden you can do, things that are a lot more real." New characters are always welcome, really. As far as features go, Boon and his Boonies (teehee, it's like Goonies) will try to incorporate the SIXAXIS controls in there and use the next-gen consoles as fully as possible. We look forward to seeing what gets revealed... next year.
Mortal Kombat 8 inspired by Gears of War, using Unreal Engine 3
Speaking with Game Informer, Ed Boon described an opportunity to start anew with the next version of Mortal Kombat, the eighth in the series. Boon revealed that MK8 will be built using Unreal Engine 3, inspired by Epic's recent engine showcase Gears of War. "To me, when I saw Gears of War, I was like, 'Holy shit! That's the look that we've been talking about.' Visually, that's what we want to do," explained Boon. Visually.MK8 is still a fighter at heart, and Boon and the team hope that by starting from scratch, Mortal Kombat can inspire the genre as it did more than a decade ago. "We're not going to have three fighting styles, we're not going to have the same punches and kicks and the same kind of control scheme. Everything is getting trashed. We're reinventing everything from the ground up," promised Boon. Don't expect any solid details for some time; Boon admitted that MK8 is currently not in a playable state, supposing that its release won't come until the end of 2008.While Boon hinted at the possibility of MK8 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, it should be noted that Epic's Mark Rein recently told Wired that "it's not in [Epic's] plans to bring Unreal Engine 3 to the Wii. It's really designed for next-gen, high-definition." Oh snap!
