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New Mortal Kombat trailer shows off Vita-centric gameplay
Mortal Kombat is a fairly tried and true formula by fighting game standards, but what happens when you introduce the Vita's massive array of sensors into the mix? As this latest trailer shows, the results can get positively wacky.Fear not though, fighting purists. Most of the truly outrageous stuff, like tilting the Vita to balance Skarlett over a pit of spikes while skulls are thrown at her, is relegated to the Vita-specific Challenge Tower, which introduces 150 new trials and tribulations designed specifically for Sony's handheld.
Street Fighter X Tekken can't take local teams online on Xbox 360
There's a major difference between the Xbox 360 version of Street Fighter X Tekken and its PS3 twin, it turns out. According to the manual included with both versions, the game's tag team modes allow you and a local friend to sign on to the same console and fight against two other people online; your buddy presses start at the character select screen and off you go. In actuality, this functionality only exists in the PS3 version of the game.The issue has been acknowledged by Christian Svensson at Capcom, who stated that Capcom has no plans to patch the feature in, and that its inclusion in the manual was a mistake. "The reason for this difference is because of the architecture differences between [Xbox Live] gamertags and PSN IDs. I'm not sure of the technical details, but basically it amounts to: Sony made it so you can mix and match online and offline, and Microsoft made it so you can't."That sounded like a reasonable explanation, until we remembered that the 360 version of Mortal Kombat does that exact thing, allowing two local players to take part in tag-team battles online. If it's possible for NetherRealm Studios to include the feature in Mortal Kombat -- the MK studio's first release under the NetherRealm banner -- its exclusion from Capcom's brand-new flagship fighter seems strange at the very least.
Batman: Arkham City shipped 6 million in 2011
Tucked away in the dark, crowded bowels of Time Warner's financial results statement for fiscal 2011 is news that Rocksteady's blockbuster, bat-centric beat-em-up (that would be Batman: Arkham City) has shipped 6 million units, as of December 31, 2011. Now, "shipped" is a much different statistic than "sold," but it's a strong figure nonetheless.It's difficult to tell how Warner Bros. Interactive did on its own in 2011, since its financial results are lumped in with two other Time Warner subsidiaries, (Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Television), both of which brought in astounding amounts of money with their respective Harry Potter and Big Bang Theory licenses. Overall, Time Warner's "Filmed Entertainment" (tv, movies and gaming) reported revenues of $12.6 billion; a 9 percent year-over-year increase.The statement also mentions Mortal Kombat and "several LEGO titles" as key contributors to the division's successful year.
Mortal Kombat creator talks about adapting Batman for iOS
I got to meet up with Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon on the red carpet at last weekend's VGAs, and rather than talking about the popular console fighting series, we instead talked about an iOS title: Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, which Boon's Netherrealm Studios developed in conjunction with Warner Brothers and the developer behind the console Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios. Boon says the game's release snuck up on him just as much as it did iOS customers. "It's one of our first iOS games," he says, "so we were doing it, and the whole process of iOS games, they don't promote them leading up to the launch, it's just boom, and you hear about it going out. But we've been working on it for quite a while." Netherrealm has shared assets with Rocksteady before, and the iOS game makes use of models from the console game (both are rendered with Unreal Engine 3), "so yeah," says Boon, "we're really proud of it." He does admit that the game borrows some ideas from the Infinity Blade series, but there are some cool progression features (not to mention that it uses the Batman license pretty well) that make Lockdown stand out. Boon says iOS development is a little easier than full console development, but it's getting harder. "It's not quite as big of a thing, but certainly the presentation is getting on par with the current generation of consoles and whatnot. It's definitely a more condensed project schedule, but a lot of the same assets." And this isn't the last we'll see of Netherrealm Studios on Apple's mobile platforms, according to Boon. "Oh, yeah," he told me, "we have a number of things in the works. But nothing we can say just yet.
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (PC) exists, depending on who you ask [update]
The PC version of Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection may be the world's first quantum video game. As we all know, quantum superposition tells us that any physical system (like an electron) exists in all possible states until observed or measured by an outside force. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection seems to follow the same set of rules -- the only problem is that the game's observable state is different depending on who's looking. According to life-long Mortal Kombat shepherd Ed Boon, a PC version of MKAK never existed. This directly contradicts the fighter's original press release, which announced the title for "PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC." Additionally, a statement made to DSOGaming claims that the port has not been canceled, though no release date has been given. It's a lot like Schrödinger's cat. We have no idea whether the project is dead or alive. We have reached out to Warner Bros. for comment. Update: So when Ed Boon said that MKAK never existed, it turns out he actually meant that it totally exists, albeit with no announced release date.
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection tops Sept. PSN sales charts
Those of you with fragile, tenuous grips on reality should cover your eyes for the rest of this article. Covered? Okay good, because according to Sony's PSN sales charts for September, we live in a world where 19-year-old Mortal Kombat games outsell Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Castlevania and Final Fantasy games. We know, we're suddenly very worried about 2012 as well. Head on past the break for the complete sales rundown, and if you're one of the many folks who purchased Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection during the month of September, know that they're working on it.
New Mortal Kombat movie coming from MK Legacy director
Did you like Kevin Tancharoen's Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series? New Line Cinema evidently did, as it's hired Tancharoen to direct a new film based on the bloody franchise. So, to sum up, that one self-produced "Rebirth" short got Tancharoen a job first as a web series director, and now on a feature film. The movie will reportedly feature a more "realistic" version of the Mortal Kombat characters, like the dead ninja who controls fire and the monk with the razor-sharp hat. "The new game and the online shorts have prompted us to consider a reboot of a brand we hadn't been actively thinking about," New Line president Toby Emmerich told the LA Times. So, the rebooted game series gave him the idea to reboot the film series. The fate of this new film isn't entirely assured, however. The film rights to the series are still in question, following ongoing lawsuits between Warner and Lawrence Kasanoff, a producer on the previous MK movies. Not even Shao Kahn himself can defeat the lawyers of Earthrealm.
Mortal Kombat's latest patch solves desynchronization errors, makes balance changes
As we've discussed before, fighting games make use of a language unique to the genre: Terms like "OTG" and "yomi" are common across the pantheon of games that populate the modern fighting scene. Within that universal language, however, are several distinct and established dialects, each centered around a different title or series. For instance, in Mortal Kombat's vernacular, there is no word more offensive or infuriating than "desynchronization." The desynchronization error, a plague upon both systems that was eventually quarantined to Xbox Live, caused matches to disconnect after selecting specific DLC costumes, alternate costumes, and default costumes. Thankfully though, the latest patch pushed by NetherRealm Studios seems to have finally cured the pandemic: we tested Scorpion's Klassic Kostume DLC and encountered zero errors, which is a massive improvement over the one-hundred percent guaranteed desynch rate associated with the costume previously. The patch also provides some desperately needed mechanical tweaks and balancing adjustments, and while many of those changes are undocumented, you can peep a list of the important stuff after the break. Fight!
S.A.V.3. on games all day with Amazon Lightning Deals
Amazon has dropped a selection of Lightning Deals on us, and while we can't be 100% sure of the identities of all the mystery deals (and less sure of the prices) it looks like there's enough stuff in there that you'll want to keep an Amazon window open, and an alarm clock set. Right now, F.E.A.R. 3 is $20 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Upcoming discounts include GTA IV, Mortal Kombat, and what is likely No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. To round out the deal while flattening your tummy, the ongoing Deal of the Day is Zumba Fitness for Wii or Xbox 360.
Mortal Kombat sells 'close to' 3 million worldwide, has paid for itself
When Midway bit the bullet and liquidated all of its assets during the first half of last year, the future of one of gaming's most ubiquitous and legendary franchises, Mortal Kombat, was completely up in the air. People didn't know whether or not MK's new baby-daddy at Warner Bros. Interactive would continue the series' proud tradition of increasingly ludicrous violence, or if it would continue the stagnating series period. Fast-forward a bit, and thankfully it seems to have worked out for history's favorite murderers, with Warner's first entry in the franchise garnering critical acclaim and millions of dollars. According to WB Interactive President Martin Tremblay, Mortal Kombat has already paid for all of the assets acquired from Midway by selling "close to" 3 million units worldwide. To put that number in perspective, as of June 30, 2011 Super Street Fighter 4 has sold 1.6 million units, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has sold 2 million, both of which have been on the market for a significantly longer amount of time. Considering the sorry state of affairs that Mortal Kombat was left in as little as two years ago, we can't help but be a little surprised by the modern-day, gore-soaked Cinderella story this saga has become.
Watch EVO 2011 Championship Series live on Joystiq, see dudes get punched hundreds of times
Tonight truly is the final fight, as warriors from around the globe prepare to punch-or-be-punched in the EVO 2011 Championship Series finals! Mortal Kombat, Marvel VS. Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition finals comprise tonight's action, with special exhibition matches adding flavor to this already delicious knuckle-sandwich. Check out the schedule after the break, and let us know how you feel about competitive-gaming coverage on Joystiq, either in the poll or the comments!
NetherRealm considered Michael Myers, Jason as Mortal Kombat DLC
Mortal Kombat's newest kombatant certainly came as a surprise to the seasoned MK vets here at Joystiq; we were expecting Tanya, or maybe even Meat, but Krueger? Dude wasn't even on our radar, let alone our fantasy character selection screens. As out-of-left-field as his inclusion seems to us, series co-founder Ed Boon says that slasher villains have always been on the table as potential new characters. "Over the years, we've certainly had a number of conversations about guest characters," said Boon during an interview with PlayStation Blog. "A number of names were run by us: Jason, Michael Meyers [sic] and all those guys. Freddy Kreuger, we felt, was the most instantly recognizable and he fits in with Mortal Kombat with his claws." We think they made the right choice; why would anyone put the guy from So I Married An Axe Murderer in a Mortal Kombat game?
100 percent chance of Rain with new Mortal Kombat DLC on July 19
Rain, former denizen of Edenia and walking Prince reference, will be joining the twenty-first century on July 19 as Mortal Kombat's third DLC character. Half god, half severe weather alert, Rain originally debuted in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. It looks like he's retained all of his old tricks, including his lightning bolt, water levitate, and magical-compulsory-teleportation feet. Rain will be available for 400 MS Points ($5), or as part of the Season Pass.
Mortal Kombat Skarlet DLC problems reported in North America and Europe [update]
It looks like Skarlet's bloody journey into Mortal Kombat has been a tough one. Downloading the new fighter has been tricky for European PS3 users, specifically because Skarlet was never actually added to the PlayStation Store. Rather than Skarlet, the latest update featured a new costume pack -- which was listed at nearly twice the price of the same pack in the US. Warner Bros. has responded to the issue on Twitter, stating that "some technical issues" caused the problem and that Skarlet will not be available until next week. Furthermore, the price of the costume pack will be corrected to £3.19 in the UK and €3.99 for the rest of Europe. Meanwhile, in North America, users have been reporting that the Kombat Pass isn't functioning properly on Xbox Live. Once redeemed, Skarlet appears on Xbox Live for 1200 MS Points ($15) -- three times the standalone price -- instead of being free. We've contacted Warner Bros. about the issue. In the meantime, Netherrealm Studios community manager Rigo Cortes has posted a workaround on Twitter, stating, "If Skarlet DLC is incorrectly showing up as 1200MS points in the game store, exit the game [and] go to the XBL store [through] the console." Update: Warner Bros. has responded to Joystiq, noting that the problems reported by North American Xbox Live users have been "rectified." Those who ran into issues earlier this week should now find everything as it should be.
Mortal Kombat 'Season Pass' discounts DLC for Xbox
That LA Noire "Rockstar Pass" must be working out, because WB looked at the concept and said "get over here" for Mortal Kombat. The publisher just announced the "Kombat Pass" which allows you to pay ahead of time for all four DLC characters, including Skarlet, Kenshi, Rain, and one more unannounced character. Each character costs 400 points ($5) on their own; the pack runs 1200 points ($15) and will be available alongside the release of the Skarlet character on June 21. This is an Xbox 360-exclusive offer; if you want more virtual murderers in the PS3 version, you'll have to buy them individually.
Buy one, get half off a second select Xbox 360/PS3 game at Best Buy
Before you indulge that sudden, irresistible desire to purchase two recent PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 games, allow us to pass along some helpful information. Best Buy is offering a buy one, get one half-off deal on several PS3 and Xbox 360 games including Dirt 3, Portal 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Red Faction: Armageddon, and Crysis 2. You could even double up on Duke Nukem Forever and Homefront, if that's what you're into for some reason. Regardless of the critical response to the Duke, it's pretty impressive to get a 50% off deal on a brand new game like that ... right? [Thanks, Eric!]
Mortal Kombat retailer-exclusive DLC koming for all
NetherRealm Studios head and Mortal Kombat co-creator ko-kreator Ed Boon has revealed via his Twitter feed that all of the retailer-specific pre-order DLC released for the series' ninth installment will soon be made available as one downloadable, for-pay kollection. "The 7 Klassic outfits & 3 Klassic fatalities that were retailer exclusives will be bundled into one DLC package," Boon writes. "Trailer coming on Friday." For those who haven't been keeping tabs on said content, it includes "classic" variants of Ermac, Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Reptile, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, along with additional fatalities for Reptile, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Hopefully Friday's trailer will be accompanied by a date and price, so we can note it on our kalendars and put aside some kash.
Mortal Kombat waives 'Kombat Pass' until PlayStation Store returns
The PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat is seeing the end of an irksome TECHNICALITY: the "Kombat Pass," a token that is required for online play but cannot be redeemed while the PlayStation Store is offline, is being temporarily waived. Up until now, the pool of online combatants was limited to those who hastily activated their passes right before the PSN fell into a coma in late April. Writing on Mortal Kombat's official Facebook page, NetherRealm Studios confirmed that the game's online component should now be unlocked for all players, though it'll be cordoned off as soon as Sony re-opens the PlayStation Store (possibly by next week). The Kombat Pass code is included with all new copies of Mortal Kombat, and can be purchased separately for $9.99 once a free trial period expires. If you own a used copy of NetherRealm's well-received revamp, you now have an entire weekend to gauge the value of pulverizing pelvises over the internet.
Amazon price matches Portal 2 discounts on 360 and PC, drops Mortal Kombat to $40
You there, in the check-out line of Walmart, with the debit card in your swipin' hand! Put that away, man. Amazon's price matched Kmart, knocking that 360 version of Portal 2 you've got your eye on down to $34.99 (or $29.99 on PC), as well as both versions of Mortal Kombat down to $39.99.
It's 'Portal Kombat' atop the UK charts
Portal 2 nabbed the top spot on the UK software sales chart last week, followed by Warner Bros. Interactive's Mortal Kombat reboot in second place. According to Chart-Track, Portal 2 was actually Valve's first ever all-formats chart topper -- the closest the company ever got to the crown was with The Orange Box, which reached third place. Call of Duty: Black Ops "price promotions" in the region caused Activision's behemoth to jump back into the the top three, followed by last week's chart topper, Zumba Fitness, which still increased sales by 10 percent last week. The top five was rounded out by the blockheads of Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars. Operation Flashpoint: Red River also had a solid debut, entering the charts in sixth place. Check out the full top ten after the break. [Image: The Game Station's Portal Kombat]