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MK VS DC new screens, plus "Brutalities"
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/New_Pics_from_Mortal_Kombat_VS_DC_Universe'; When the game was first announced, fanboys on both sides were worried that Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe wouldn't be able to do justice to either property. While the main of that question is still up in the air, one small part of it has now been answered (for those few who really care). See, the very first episode of the MKast went up recently and promised again to its followers that the game would in fact feature the series' signature Fatalities. Bu- bu- bu- but Batman doesn't kill! Indeed. To rectify this, the DC characters will have what are known as Brutalities instead. Just like a Fatality, except, y'know, not fatal. As you can tell, we're absolutely ecstatic about this news. Wee.%Gallery-26906%
DC Comics swoops in and saves the XBLM
The entire Super Friends crew is coming to an Xbox Live Marketplace near you ... that is if you live in the States. Microsoft and DC Comics have partnered to launch a new DC Comics network onto the XBLM, allowing gamers to purchase their favorite DC Comics based television shows. So far, they've committed to releasing episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: The Fleischer Cartoons, Super Friends, The Adventures of Batman and Aquaman as well as DC based 360 theme and gamer picture downloads. Exciting stuff, especially when you've had nothing but Dark Knight on the mind for the past few months.[Thanks, Jarvis Slacks]
First super details on Sony's DC Universe Online
Breaking a new title into the MMO market is difficult, as any game developer whose name isn't synonymous with an overabundance of frosty precipitation will attest -- especially when your title fits into a particular niche already explored by another developer. For instance, NCSoft's City of Heroes cornered the super hero MMO market when it debuted in 2004, creating an intimidating hurdle that other online vigilante simulators have yet to attempt to vault.The latest issue of Edge magazine features an interview with Jim Lee, creative director for Sony's upcoming DC Universe Online, who reveals the steps Sony is taking to set their title apart from NCSoft's. With their inclusion of a number of recognizable faces from DC's voluminous roster, and their focus on making the title a "kick-ass hybrid between a traditional MMO and a first-person action console game", the apparent differences between the two games are clear. As long as there's a rich, intricate fish-controlling engine, we'll give it a shot.
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%
MK vs DC survey asks what you want in a potential 'Kollector's Edition'
Hot off the heels of announcing a new podcast related to the development of the upcoming fighter, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a potential list of special edition extras was teased today. Gamers on Midway's mailing list for more info on MK vs. DC were treated with a survey earlier today that asked which extra they would be interested in if a "Kollector's Edition" was made available.Possible extras include: Comic Book Art Book Soundtrack T-shirt Animation Cell Exclusive DC video Making of MK vs DC video To be honest we'd like something a bit cooler that deserves the extra few dollars. Not that an art book isn't nice, but how about a statue of Batman punching the lights out of Sub-Zero? Or you know, Kryptonite. In case Superman loses it and someone needs to take him out. Think we'd still prefer the statue, actually.
Frogger 2 achievements reveal possible DC port
When Frogger 2 was revealed (courtesy of the ESRB) to be coming to XBLA, there was some speculation as to which version of the game would end up being ported over. There was the original and then the later update, the latter of which was the game with the most content and most recent release, but the Live Arcade has seen older games show up too. Now that the achievements have been revealed, we can see from their details that they definitely refer to things that the later game had, but the earlier didn't. Given that this will be a port, let's hope that the netcode is that of the PC version, because XBLA hasn't had the best of luck with the online portion of Dreamcast ports. Achievement list after the break.
Five tips to minimize raiding downtime
I'm a rather avid raider, putting in a solid 20 hours a week on my Warrior. One of the major things about the time spent raiding is that it can be very precious. There is only so much time that 24 other people, plus appropriate class substitutions, can be available each week. It's critical that the time spent raiding is used well.Unfortunately, using raiding time well is about as much of a challenge as is downing Illidan. In preparation for this article, I've spent the past three weeks keeping track of the down time in raids. We raid Sunday through Thursday nights, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. We experience a downtime of about 51 minutes for each raid, which is about 20% of the time. Down time is defined as the time that my character is standing still, not attacking, not moving, and not being MDed to.Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not really sure. Tip #1: Chain pullingPersonally, I do my best at the main tank to chain pull and push the trash through as fast as possible. This works out 99% of the time, however the 1% of the time it doesn't work out can grind the raid to a halt. Case and point: The trash to Supremus isn't too bad, and is a lot of packs where the MT, OT, and Pally tank each have some mobs to tank. There are also some ranged dragons that the Warlocks tank. These pulls can go very fast, and are very predictable. Pulling slowly we can do this in about 40 minutes, while chain pulling each group, we can push through in 15.Tip #2: Fully self buffed, all the timeIt doesn't take much to buff yourself. Every class has some buff they can apply to themselves, be it food buffs, spell buffs, or shouts. The key here is that you can find a minute or two to always buff at least yourself, if not others. Although, it might not always be possible to buff others as you're going along - and that's okay with most raid leaders for trash pulls.
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]
DC set to publish Gears of War comic in Oct.
As if the Prototype series wasn't enough, DC Comics has inked a deal to produce a comic book series for another high profile gaming franchise that some of you may be familiar with. A lil' franchise that goes by the name of Gears of War ... have you heard?The Gears of War comic will debut later this October with a storyline focused on bridging the gap between the first Gears installment and Gears of War 2 which is set to release in November. More Gears storyline, more Gears artwork and more Gears goodness? Count us in with guns a blazing!
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe gets confirmation, trailer
We were a little skeptical when the first promotional poster for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe leaked out this morning, but now that GamesRadar has posted up the first trailer for the game our reaction has gone from skepticism to amazement. As in, we're amazed that this thing actually exists.The high impact, mid-air fight between Sub-Zero and Batman (shown below the break) seems a little out of character for the Dark Knight, who's always been more about calculation and strategy than all out hand-to-hand Kombat. We're also a little worried about how the DC heroes' long-standing prohibition against killing is going to match up with the Mortal Kombat series' famously fatal, er, fatalities. But these kinds of academic nerd-concerns are hard to maintain when watching the concentrated 360- and PS3-fueled awesomeness on display in this video. [Update: Gamespot has an interview with Project Lead Ed Boon that discusses the game's story and the balancing between the variously super-powered characters. The interview also confirm Superman's and Scorpion's somewhat obvious inclusion in the game. Gamespot's preview has more details][Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
MKO: Next Mortal Kombat pits MK against DC
According to Mortal Kombat Online, we don't have to wait for the big Noob.com reveal as they say a Midway source has confirmed to them that the next game in the series would be Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a game originally rumored back in September.Normally we'd be skeptical without a press release from Midway in our inbox, but MKO also nabbed the above image which we have to admit looks pretty darn authentic. Hopefully we'll get some more details later in the day about character rosters, but for now, you may be permitted to rabidly fantasize: What's your dream crossover battle? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Rumor: Mortal Kombat VS DC Comics?
With this being the year fighting games make their glorious return, it shouldn't be too surprising that Mortal Kombat is going to be getting a sequel (the eighth in the series, can you believe it?). While it is confirmed that there will be another game in the series, the specifics are tightly under wraps for the moment, and Midway plans to release them relatively soon. Some of the outlets that have gotten (or will get) access to the info already have teasers up for the thing, and those in and of themselves may have been more of a giveaway than intended. GamesRadar posted a teaser image with promise of an exclusive video tomorrow, but they should have looked much more closely at the filename. The image is named "MKDC blog--article_image" which basically gives away the big secret. Not to mention the blatantly obvious Superman silhouette in the picture itself. It looks as though Midway might have an answer of their own to Marvel VS Capcom and X-Men VS Street Fighter. Too bad they're about 10 years too late. [Note: Since this post's original writing, the picture has been removed from GamesRadar's post, so interpret what that means for yourself. We, however, think "confirmed"]
Series 3 action figures incoming!
Toy News International reports that the World of Warcraft action figures from DC Direct are coming in the last quarter of this year. I love my toys and I love WoW so this comes as great news, particularly with the new selection of figures -- a Blood Elf Paladin named Quin'thalan Sunfire (hell yeah!); Tamuura, a Draenei Mage; an Undead Rogue called Skeeve Sorrowblade; and a Human Priest, Sister Benedron, who can probably cure your allergies. As with previous World of Warcraft action figures from DC direct, the sculpts are mostly based on existing armor sets that players might recognize.Tamuura sports the Tier 6 raid set Tempest Regalia, while Sister Benedron is depicted in Tier 5 Avatar gear with exaggerated shoulder wings; Skeeve Sorrowblade appears to be wearing a highly-detailed version of Deathmantle, the Rogue Tier 5 set; and Quin'thalan Sunfire looks... well, he looks like he's a generic Silvermoon City guard whom you ask for directions. It's a bit disappointing, personally, although I guess it's cool to have a Silvermoon City guard. It would be kind of like having a named Stormtrooper or something. Historically, DC Direct's action figures have appeared in the World of Warcraft comic, so expect one or more of these new figures to make an appearance in the Chris Metzen-approved canon comic series.More pictures after the jump. So clickety-click, toy lovers (and uh, WoW fans)...
Lego Batman's villain-packed trailer looks promising
Holy (adjective) (noun), Batman! Our second bit of Lego related news for the evening (this time, about a real game) comes in the form of this fantastic new trailer for Lego Batman: The Video Game. We're positive that fans of The Dark Knight can find something to get excited about in this video, whether it be the inclusion of fan-favorite villainess Harley Quinn, the hint of a Catwoman romance subplot, or the chance to see some sweet Lego Joker ass. If, you know, that's your thing.
Jim Lee likes to gank noobs, make WoW comics
Jim Lee is excited about the World of Warcraft comic-- he makes that clear in this short clip from a Gametap interview done with the veteran comic book artist. Lee isn't actually drawing the comic, unfortunately (the little preview we saw didn't look bad, but it didn't look like Jim Lee, either), but he is putting the cover together, and the comic is actually being released under his imprint at DC, Wildstorm.He's also a player (paging Blizzard's ad department), and enjoys ganking "low-level noobies." He says also that he was glad to grab the comic license, since they did it so long after WoW actually got successful, and that Wildstorm has big hopes for the comic (apparently they're not just pinning their hopes on the Heroes serial). We're rooting for you, Jim, but only as long as you draw some more cool pictures of Shamans. Totems FTW.[Via Incgamers]
Issue #0 of World of Warcraft comic online
If the first few pages of the first issue of the World of Warcraft comic tickled your proverbial fancy, then you might want to check out the online-only issue #0 that MTV Multiplayer recently put up. The series, which is being published by Wildstorm (a branch of DC Comics) and written by former Hawkgirl author Walter Simonson, seems to pay more attention to lore than most comic book adaptations of popular franchises. For instance, on page three, a level 6 human rogue runs up to a level 70 blood elf warlock, calls him a H0M0L0RD, and /spits on him twenty times.You should be able to find issue #1 in your nearest Cheetos-scented comic book retailer this Wednesday.
WoW collectibles previewed by IGN
When the word "collectibles" comes in to play, the first thing that comes to my mind is those Precious Memories figurines that my Grandmother collected. However, I think that you'll find these World of Warcraft collect ables (they're not action figures -- they're designed to look awesome, not move around) produced by DC Direct to be much more appealing. They're incredibly detailed figures for which IGN's preview has nothing but praise:What impressed us the most were some of the finer details like the ritual scarring on the orc's chest or the blood on his fangs. DC was very careful to incorporate a strong level of "grit", ensuring that the figure has a strong degree of realism and avoiding the "fake toy" look that can plague a collectible. Other details like the eyes, mouth interior and clothing texture really help seal the deal.IGN has a great photo gallery if you want to check out these things for yourself and DC's page has a nice collection of pictures to flip through, as well. Series 1 of these figures should find their way to a store near you starting on October 24th, while Series 2 (including the figure to the right) won't be out until Feburary 2008.
More info on the Warcraft comic
BlizzPlanet's got a promotional writeup on the new World of Warcraft comic from DC (which we're supposed to be receiving a few copies of anytime now, I believe, here at WI Headquarters-- I'll go check my mailbox). As we've heard, the comic will have a Human protagionist (boo!). Fortunately, an Orc Shaman will play a big part, too (cheer!). A human is found unconscious on the shores of Kalimdor, with no memory of who he is or how he arrived there. Enslaved by the Orc Shaman Rehgar Earthfury, this man must fight for survival against members of both the Alliance and the Horde, striking uneasy relationships with other races in his quest to find the secrets of his past!Wait, check out that pic-- he was found unconscious on the shores... with Thunderfury? Weird.WorldofWar also points out that the comic may or may not touch upon the Missing Diplomat quest series, which many, many players are very interested in seeing an end do. I think it'd be kind of a cop out if they finished the quest off in the book (and never finished it in the game), but I guess we'll see.Are you guys excited about this or not? Seems like you'd have to be a comic book fan to go for this one, as I doubt many WoW fans will be running into comic stores for the first time to buy it. But if you like both, maybe you'll like this.
WoW Insider coming to Dragon*Con!
Following an amazing level of success with Blizzcon, Elizabeth Harper and I are headed for Dragon*Con in a little over two weeks. For what? To host this year's Dragon*Con World of Warcraft Meet & Greet! For those who have never experienced a Dragon*Con, it is billed as "America's largest, multi-media, popular arts convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film." Speaking from the experience of having attended last year's Dragon*Con along with over 40,000 other geeks of all flavors, I can vouch for just how utterly packed full of awesome sights and sounds Dragon*Con is. As part of this year's WoW Meet & Greet, (and with many thanks to Grim and the MMO/Gaming track for helping us organize this) we will be hosting a World of Warcraft costume contest. So for those headed there, be sure to pack the Rogue costume and your Boomkin suit. You definitely don't want to miss a chance at winning some great prizes! Outside of that, we'll be doing some trivia, talking more about the great goings on at Dragon*Con, as well as random giveaways featuring all manner of goodies from J!NX gear to TCG booster packs! (Maybe you'll pull out one of the rare cards that will net you some in-game goodies.) If you were on the fence about going to Dragon*Con, there are still memberships available.A map of the location for the Meet & Greet at the Con, and more details are behind the jump!
More DC figures coming this February!
As if somehow sensing that there might be some meager amount of money in my pocket left over from the holidays, DC has released the proofs for the next series of World of Warcraft figures for us all to covet and add to our Wish Lists! Pictured from left to right are: Human Warrior - Archilon Shadowheart Night Elf Druid - Broll Bearmantle Troll Priest - Zabra Hexx Additionally, the site lists a Gnome Warrior named Sprocket Gyrospring as being part of this next set of figures. Sadly, I couldn't find an image of him out there as yet. I suppose he's either lost somewhere behind all that Druid gear, or the Troll made some Gnome stew. In any event, these fantastic new figures are set to go on sale on February 20th, 2008. Luckily, this gives me more than enough time to clear off some shelf room in my office for them -- and Illidan! [via Action-Figures]
