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EA shares drop in response to layoffs, other publishers down too
Electronic Arts took a major hit in the stock market yesterday, finishing with a closing price of $22.99 per share -- a one-day decrease of 17.1 percent. This downturn followed news of the company's plans to let go of 6 percent of its workforce, as well as the $310 million in losses the company had incurred in the second quarter. Despite the decrease, EA spoke optimistically in a conference call with investors, stating their confidence in the selling power of their holiday lineup.Other gaming companies suffered losses as well, though none as significant as EA's. Activision Blizzard saw their shares drop 2.8 percent Friday, while THQ saw a decrease of 1.5 percent. In what may be the most compelling evidence of the pending apocalypse to date, Midway's shares actually increased 4 cents amidst the havoc. We know, we know -- our brains hurt too. Try not to think about it.
Midway secures Booty for long haul
Seven months after Midway chair Shari Redstone declared the company was seeking "dynamic new leadership," Midway has decided to stick with, well, the guy it was stuck with. Interim president and CEO Matt Booty -- in place since Zucker jumped ship back in March -- has been named the "official" president and CEO of the beleaguered publisher. Um ... Congratulations? As interim captain, Booty displayed stalwart steadfastness when he made the call to sever several "underperforming projects" from his ship's cargo earlier this month. It was said that Booty angled his face away from the crew, just slightly, so that they would not see the tear drop trickle down his cheek as he watched the dead weight sink below the waves.
Video: The MK vs DC Universe story
Writing this post, we were fully ready to laugh heartily at the "story" of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. We were ready to lambast the cheesiness of it. And yet, strangely, we find ourselves reveling in it. The idea that the universes of Mortal Kombat and DC are merging together seems appropriate enough, especially given the comic book context. The explanation that Superman can be hurt by magic and, thus, Scorpion, seems plausible enough. In fact, forget the cheese, forget the cliches, the shear amount of fanboy minutia being flung about is all that really matters. Check out the trailer above and tell us what you make of it.
MK vs DC Universe softened for Teen rating
Sad news DC and Mortal Kombat fans, Midway's quest for a Teen ESRB rating has taken its first victims. Some of the content in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, you see, has been scaled back in order to keep the dreaded 'M' rating off of the box. According to Kotaku, who spoke with Midway's Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe has been submitted to the ESRB three times, making minor changes each time in order to move the game from a Mature rating to Teen. The most painful fatality in this process (pun intented), is that the Joker's awesome, awesome "bang" fatality (see it after the break) has been changed, as the final headshot is now performed offscreen.So, in a nutshell, the series that spawned the ESRB is now bound to it. Midway needs its money though, and a T rating will sell more copies, which explains why the company is so serious about it.[Via Joystiq]
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe toned down to keep T-rating
Midway is in desperate need of a best-selling blockbuster, as any industry analyst will tell you that the 50-year-old company is circling the drain. While Midway is likely banking on the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to fill that role, an increasing amount of violence within the title has apparently pushed the game to M-rated territory -- which typically doesn't help sales during the holiday season. Therefore, we can't say we're surprised at Midway's decision to tone down the "toasty" brawler in order to keep the T-rating they've been shooting for.In a recent interview with Kotaku, Ed Boon explained that the developer had been working with the ESRB to squeeze as much brutality into the game while still remaining teen-friendly. However, one known casualty of some recent content cutbacks is the Joker's wicked "prank gun" fatality (posted after the break), the fatal part of which will now take place off-screen. It's unclear what else has been changed to appease the ESRB, though it's safe to assume that the final product won't contain any unceremoniously removed spinal cords, or, lamentably, disappearing pencils.
Two 'hardcore' b-ball franchises on the outs
Electronic Arts and Midway have shelved their competing arcade-style basketball franchises, as ESPN reports that both NBA Street and NBA Ballers have been benched. Regarding NBA Street, EA Sports boss Peter Moore explains to ESPN that the division is reevaluating its mixture of licensed and original IP, adding that "we need to develop some new things." But don't go expecting anything particularly edgy to come out of this moment of clarity. "If Wii Sports has taught us anything," adds Moore, "it's that people will sit there and play big head tennis all day long. We need to be able to tap into that audience." As for Midway, the company likely counts Ballers among the underperforming projects Interim CEO Matt Booty recently vowed to keep at arm's length. According to ESPN, the financially strapped publisher is currently digging under cushions in the office couch in order to "buy its way out of the licensing deal" it has with the NBA.[Thanks, Sean]
Sony working to return Mortal Kombat II to PSN
Mortal Kombat II inexplicably fell to the bottom of The Pit a few days ago, disappearing completely from PSN and from download lists of those who have purchased the game. At least it appears your suffering is finite: Sony tells 1UP that it's "working diligently" to get the game back up on the service.So what's the problem? Sony says "A Mortal Kombat II specification is being upgraded in connection with the release of the latest firmware update." If you don't speak public relations, that's code for, "We have absolutely no idea what happened."
Born for Wii: Discs of Tron
The year is 1982, and your mind has just been blown straight out of the back of your head into an alternate reality of endless imagination and gripping fantasy. Why? Because you just saw Tron. The iconic Disney film, which was one of the first movies in history to use computer graphics, cemented itself in the public conscience as an integral part of 80s pop culture. A handful of legendary scenes are still instantly evoked when Tron is mentioned, such as the lightcycle sequence -- and many of them have found their way into a real videogame over the years.One of those games was Discs of Tron, released in arcades a whopping 25 years ago. Inspired by a few minutes of the film, the game pits you against an adversary in a small arena on floating platforms, charged with "derezzing" your opponents before you bite the digital dust yourself. Unfortunately, you can't kick quite as much ass as Tron himself, but the game did an admirable job (especially by 1983 standards) of taking a single concept and making it fun. And even though the original really shows its age now and wouldn't stand up against the competition in 2008, just think of it this way: how could a murder disc simulator not be Born for Wii? #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-34937% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Cosmic Smash, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Mortal Kombat II vanishes from PSN
There's mystery afoot, dear gumshoes! One of the best-selling titles on the PSN (not to mention one of the best arcade fighters ever), Mortal Kombat II, has reportedly disappeared from the American PlayStation Store -- and from the download list of those who have already purchased the toasty title. No official word has come from Sony or Midway about the disappearance, though some potential kombatants who contacted customer service were informed that the disappearance is probably due to a glitch caused by firmware update 2.50. With a little under a month before the release of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, this "Case of the Missing Brawler" really couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Sheath up for PopStar Guitar
We're yet to write about Popstar Guitar, Midway and XS Games' Guitar Hero rip-off that takes "derivative" to a whole new level. There are several very good reasons for this, two of which you can find after the jump, and five of which you can see here.But at least the peripheral that comes with the game, this odd-looking Wiimote sheath, is interesting enough to warrant a mention. MTV's Patrick Klepek went hands-on with the add-on yesterday and reportedly found it ... pretty uncomfortable. Still, it's not really for hardcore blog-reading types, and as Klepek points out, $59.99 is a heck of a lot cheaper than the alternative. No pinkie-destroying fifth button, though? Kids these days!%Gallery-34682%
Midway to can underperforming licensed titles
After trying to plug the many holes in its sinking ship with dollar bills, Midway has begun to frantically look about for anything to toss overboard in order to stay afloat. GI.biz reports that the company plans to rid itself of any future titles based on unspecified licensed properties, though the specific brands and number of games swamped in this latest act of desperation remain unknown.Interim CEO Matt Booty, who continues to steer the ship following the resignation of former CEO David Zucker, stresses that the company continues to evaluate its "involvement with underperforming projects" and focus on what it calls its "core properties." Even so, we've circled November 16 on our calendar, and will wait and see if Midway tries to drown the Man of Steel should next month's otherworldly slugfest with DC Comics not pan out.
MK vs DC Universe brutalizes stores November 16
Midway has announced that its crossover brawler Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe will hit stores in November 16 in the US and on November 21 in Europe. In just one month, you'll be able to pit the likes of Wonder Woman and Sonya Blade in a battle to the death. Well, the near death if you happen to be playing as a hero. Who will you choose? Who will come out on top? DC? Mortal Kombatants? The answer is neither. When you pit these two forces together, the one who wins is simple: Midway.[Via Joystiq]
MK vs DC Universe decapitates retail November 16
November 16. That's the day that Midway will impale Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe onto retail shelves, at least in North America. European players, on the other hand, will have to wait until November 21 to see a newly frozen Supes served a painful uppercut to his chiseled Kryptonian jaw. Now all that remains to be seen is if Alex Ross alone has enough power in his brush to make us overlook such a ridiculous crossover, or if the pairing of magical ninjas and superheroes in tights is just too much to resist.
MK vs DC Universe Kollector's Edition gets Alex Ross cover
Not only does it have Shazam, but Ross as well. No, not that Ross, the other one. Midway announced that the upcoming "Kollector's Edition" of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe will feature cover art by legenday comic painter, Alex Ross. Also included will be a 16-page prequel comic illustrated by Mortal Kombat co-creator, John Tobias, as well as extra videos of some sort. But just look at that cover!? And if that isn't enough to relieve your wallet of an extra $10, the Kingdom Come artist's work will also be included as a seperate, removable print, which you can watch come to life in the video above while waiting for Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe to drop in from the Outworld this November.
Shazam snubbed on MK vs. DC box
Click to defeat Captain Marvel! They said it was impossible. They pointed and laughed, and called it names. But, just as Batman's license holders have every right to pit him in a crossover battle against an alien hunter will dreadlocks, they may also call upon the Dark Knight to beat a fire-burping, undead ninja within an inch of its tortured life -- just as long as he doesn't go that extra inch, ya know? (Off topic: So is Two-Face dead or what?) Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is very real folks, and here's the box art to prove it:%Gallery-23376%
Trophies: Blitz: The League II
1 Platinum2 Gold11 Silver36 Bronze Difficulty: Very Difficult Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 30 hoursDLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-27575%
DOH-pad: A visit with MK vs. DC on Xbox 360
I confess. I haven't touched the Mortal Kombat series since Trilogy on N64, and even then my interest had waned. The peak came in 1993 or thereabouts with MKII, so you can imagine the eyebrow raise when associate producer Hector Sanchez told me Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was taking it back to that iconic memory. Stopping short of digitized sprites and random outbursts of weirdness, MK vs. DC does succeed as an accessible fighter that's mostly contained on a two-dimensional plane. Call it "casual" -- Midway does.Game development has become ridonkulously expensive, and if you're creating a project within a niche genre, like a fighting game, you'd best sell out if you want to be around long enough to make another game. That's a harsh way to qualify what's happening all around the industry -- and let's be clear: MK vs. DC in no way stoops to the level of Castlevania Judgment -- but somehow "casual" has become careless, as if developers are afraid ordinary consumers won't appreciate good art. A certain amount of color, call it the "Noob Saibot" effect, seems wiped from the MK canvas. Gone is that unsophisticated humor that was always charming, if not entirely professional. (Where's that "Toasty" guy? What ever happened to reverting opponents to diapered infants?) With this in mind, and DC legal breathing down Midway's neck (we wouldn't want Supe's golden-boy reputation tarnished, not with a movie reboot possible, would we?), the team is tiptoeing to a final release.
Unreal Tournament 3 patch fixes bugs, in case you care
We can't help but wonder why Epic has decided to patch up Unreal Tournament 3 so late in the day, but they've done just that. The patch fixes a long list of problems, including AI issues, stability problems and other tweaks and improvements. It should be live by now -- simply place your UT3 disc in the PS3 drive and it will ask you to update. Of course, that's assuming you're still playing the game. Are you? If so, you probably won't be for long, what with WipEout HD (among plenty of other stuff) arriving tomorrow and Blu-ray releases ramping up from here til Christmas. Still, a free patch is a free patch. [Thanks silverwolf761]
Midway seeks $40 million from National Amusements for manufacturing
Cash-strapped Midway is so down in the dumps lately that it has struck a deal for $40 million from National Amusements to help pay for the manufacturing costs of the company's holiday lineup. National Amusements, which owns and operates movie theaters around the globe, will help the company in producing TNA iMPACT!, Blitz: The Leagues II and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.Midway recently lost a trio of executives and fired around 100 people as it hit losses of almost $70 million in just the first two quarters of this year. Hopefully, the Christmas cash will give the company some bigger spoons for scooping the water out of the ship.
MK vs. DC Achievements reveal Lex Luthor, Darkseid, more
The queue of people looking to take advantage of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's plot devices and punch Superman to death continues to grow, with a unconfirmed list of Xbox 360 Achievements revealing several previously unannounced characters. The relatively straightforward challenges task players with performing the "expert combos" for several kombatants, both known -- Batman, The Joker, Scorpion etc. -- and until now, unknown.The latter category features intergalactic menace Darkseid, sinister slap-head Lex Luthor and Outworld favorite Baraka, who probably wasn't hugged much as a child. Peer past the break for the complete list of known characters while we poke Midway for confirmation.Update: One curt comment: "Midway has not officially released the Xbox 360 achievements for MK vs. DCU."Update 2: Midway has just confirmed the full lineup of characters. You'll find 'em all after the break.
