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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.
PSP2 apparently in Mortal Kombat developers' hands, said to be a 'pretty powerful machine'
We just heard last month that Sony might already be showing off some prototype PSP2 hardware (said to be roughly similar in size to the PSP-3000), and it now looks like the next-gen handheld may have found its way into some developers' hands as well. That's according to Shaun Himmerick of Netherrealm Studios, at least, who responded to a question about a new Mortal Kombat possibly heading to the PSP or 3DS by saying that while they won't be launching day one on those devices, they actually "have a PSP2 in house." He further went on to say that the PSP2 looks "like it's a pretty powerful machine," and added that they don't yet have a 3DS system but are looking to get one. No confirmation from Sony on this, as you might expect, but it certainly seems like the hardware is pretty far along -- possibly even ahead or on the same track as the 3DS? [Thanks, Aaron]
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.
Toasty! Midway announces Mortal Kombat: Kollection for PS2
Midway plans to eviscerate PlayStation 2 owners this September, bundling together the previous three Mortal Kombat titles as a single $30 box set. The compilation, dubbed the Mortal Kombat: Kollection, will include 3D fighters Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, as well as the under appreciated action game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. According to Midway, the set is designed to let players "refine their skills" prior to getting to clobber the Man of Steel this holiday. However, considering that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe plays more like Mortal Kombat 3 than any of the more recent 3D fighters, we're not exactly sure how many of those skills will actually make the transfer.
Mortal Kombat heading to iPhone/iPod Touch?
Update: yeah, it was a joke. Bummer!OK, confession time, without a shadow of a doubt, Mortal Kombat/Mortal Kombat II is one of my favorite video games of all time. I don't really want to admit how much of 6th grade was wasted playing the SNES version of MK II.TRMK.org is reporting that a port of Mortal Kombat is being developed by Midway for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Apparently Ed Boon (Mortal Kombat co-creator) posted coded message on his site, spelling out TOUCH. TRMK says that a source revealed to them that a Touch version IS in the works and was also able to provide a very, very convincing video demo.The demo shows what looks to be motion controlled movements for the characters and the animations and actions looked pretty realistic to simply be pre-recorded (though I'm not ruling that out). From the characters in the Demo, it appears that this port is either of Mortal Kombat Trilogy or perhaps a new edition altogether.Keep in mind that today is April 1 and that this could all be a hoax/joke. Mortal Kombat was one of (if not the first) fighting games to feature hidden characters and other Easter eggs ("Toasty!" and Noob Saibot anyone?), so this could all just be a really good prank. Still, the potential to see Mortal Kombat on an iPod Touch or iPhone is pretty exciting -- at least to a old skool gamer geek like myself. What about you? Would you play a 2-D platform fighting game on your iPhone or iPod Touch?Thanks Luke!
Director of next Mortal Kombat movie talks 're-envisioning'
We'd be surprised if anyone saw "Mortal Kombat movie" in the headline and decided to keep reading, regardless, we will continue on, if only for our own amusement. Entertainment news site Moviehole recently had the ... opportunity, we guess, to sit down with the director of the third chapter in the esteemed "Mortal Kombat" film franchise, a grown man who goes by the name of 'mink'. Yes, if there were anyone we could trust to revitalize this already sterling series of movies, a man with a penchant for weasels and poor capitalization skills would be first on our list.mink mentioned that the film (which is still in pre-production) will not actually be a sequel, but instead, a "re-envisioning of the Mortal Kombat franchise from top to bottom." He also promises that the film will be an "A plus plus" title to try and "capture the magic of the first film." We're not convinced -- between Christopher Lambert's oddly effeminate portrayal of Raiden and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's frequent, impassioned delivery of "YOUR SOUL ... IS MINE," we don't think that kind of lightning is capable of striking twice.
Today's most political video and game: Kung-Fu Election
Atom Films hosts Kung-Fu Election, a Mortal Kombat knock-off fighting game starring Republican and Democratic primary front-runners. While the game is fairly deep -- boasting three attack buttons plus special moves -- the intro video snared us. Who knew Obama could shred like that?See the non-embeddable video, play the game, then tell us how far you fared in the democratic primary tournament. [Via AdRants]
Best of 2007: Worst attempt at a cash-in
During 2007, lots of companies realized that the Wii was doing good. Perhaps, too good. So, they scrambled to make games that they could port or "enhance" for the Wii, or other games that were made to take advantage of the console's adopters who were new to gaming and thus susceptible to spending money on crap games the unique capabilities of the Wii's controls scheme, causing a slew of cash-ins on the console that didn't necessarily bring anything new to the Wii other than another game sitting on the shelf. So, let's look at those games and you tell us what the most shameless and useless game of the lot is.
GuitarioKart shows us what real guitar heroes are made of
If you've ever hung out with us at Game Night, you probably know that Mario Kart DS is a popular choice among our readers. While we love a round of Mario Kart here and there, we'd probably love it even more if we were able to play it with guitars. And no, we're not talking about Guitar Hero controllers, but real guitars, as seen in the video above. Somehow, these guys have created a mod that let's them control video games (in this case, the original Mario Kart for SNES) by the pitch of their musical instrument. Aside from the fact that the video turns really trippy halfway through with no explanation, it's a pretty cool thing to watch.Check after the break to see the Mortal Kombat guitar battle, which is slightly more entertaining even if it doesn't involve any fatalities.
Today's most epic music video: Cal marching band's gaming medley
Facing off against Washington State, the University of California, Berkeley's Golden Bears needed to show their might, their strength, and their willingness to perform a fatality if given a chance. During their half-time show, Cal's marching band performed a medley of video game songs, complete with gaming-themed drills (i.e. the band forms a giant Triforce and Master Sword while playing music The Legend of Zelda). Keep an ear out for Zelda, Mortal Kombat, and various Mario tunes, among others. The Golden Bears went on to defeat Washington State 20-17, thus ending their three-game losing streak. Video is embedded after the break.
Wildfires prompt Midway to evacuate San Diego office
As firefighters battle to control ongoing wildfires in Southern California, almost 1 million people have been forced from their homes in what Bloomberg deems the largest evacuation in California's history. The blazes have also affected businesses, with GameDaily BIZ reporting that Midway employees have been asked to leave the publisher's San Diego offices (one of many spread across the world). In response to less sensitive gamers asking, "But what about mah gamez?!" Midway has provided assurances that its development schedules remain unaffected and that the company's Mortal Kombat, Strangleholds and so forth remain in the hands of employees dutifully tinkering at home.
Midway also confirms a new Blitz game
Though much of last night's hubbub was about the will they/won't they delay of Unreal Tournament 3, Midway also let a few other game releases slip in their financial report. One was an upcoming Mortal Kombat, which we already heard about, but Midway also confirmed that they were working on a new entry in the X-TrEmE football series, Blitz. You no doubt remember Blitz for its steroid juicing and the ability to send hookers to the opposing team more than for, say, the football part.Though we're happy for any series that helps make EA want to put an effort into Madden, we can't help but be bothered by something. In a world where Chad Johnson celebrates touchdowns by finding Jimmy Hoffa and shooting fireworks from his fingertips, O.J. Simpson is on a nationwide crime spree and Michael Vick eats dogs whole, how much more extreme does football need to be?
Don't look directly at Ultimate Mortal Kombat
We're starting to get annoyed with these "moving DS" game trailers. First seen in an early Insecticide ad, the technique places all game footage either on a DS screen or in a little window that is rapidly rotating and flying across the screen. For something designed to show you a game, they accomplish the exact opposite. In our eyes, such trailers convey a lack of confidence in the product.We're only running this trailer, which is the second Ultimate Mortal Kombat trailer in this format, because, from what we can tell, Ultimate Mortal Kombat looks like a pretty faithful translation of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and we are happy any time a reasonable version of a fighting game is done on a handheld. Of course, we're also pleased about the added Puzzle Kombat.[Via Game|Life]
Rumor: Next Mortal Kombat game versus DC
We don't know how much stock you should put in this one, but it is a lot of fun to think about. TRMK.org is reporting a rumor they're working to confirm that the next Mortal Kombat game will include characters from the DC Universe. TRMK says that they've confirmed the VS. angle with their sources, but haven't been able to nail down the DC angle. What do we think? Well, how kind of you to ask.Pretty much the only info we have to go on about the next MK comes from this interview with series chief Ed Boon. He has gone on record as saying the next in the series would be more "serious", which wouldn't seem to fit the men-in-tights vibe. But he's also said that will be a very different sort of MK. So we guess that makes it a wash on the probability scale. For our part, we can't stop wondering if we'll finally get to see Noob Saibot fighting Mister Mxyzptlk in the reverse linguistics battle of the century. ... Anybody?
Ultimate Mortal Kombat trailer rips our heart out, lovingly caresses it
When we were all given the news that Ultimate Mortal Kombat would be gracing the DS, we found ourselves thoroughly excited at the prospect of playing online with the lot of you. Now that there's a trailer (conveniently embedded past the post break), we find our excitement to be almost immeasurable. November can't get here soon enough!%Gallery-4363%
Ultimate Mortal Kombat bloodies up Nintendo DS this November
There are probably quite a few things that can prepare you for this. Midway has announced a pint-sized punch-a-thon in Ultimate Mortal Kombat, slated to hit, kick and likely do something completely uncalled for to the Nintendo DS in November. The game will offer the traditional fighting and fatalities of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (currently available on Xbox Live Arcade) along with the block-dropping Puzzle Kombat mode, as seen in Mortal Kombat: Deception.Nintendo Wi-Fi multiplayer is also supported by the title -- just remember to exchange friend codes before exchanging blows.%Gallery-4354%
Test your might online this November
We haven't been this excited about Mortal Kombat since the first time Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 came out, and we've never had any reason to be excited about a portable Kombat. But this is just too cool. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon told IGN that a version of the classic fighting game will be coming to the DS-- with online play. Attention, developers: this is how you do a port on the DS.It'll also include Puzzle Kombat, the Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo clone found in Mortal Kombat Deception, which will also be playable online. The game will be out in November, and we look forward to eviscerating all of you at Game Night.In the game, we mean. We aren't planning to come to your houses and eviscerate any of you. We wouldn't even know how.
X3F Achievements 101: Bots, Bosses and Babalities
X3F Achievements 101 is back, and on its regularly scheduled time slot of Sundays. Initial response to our first edition was rather positive, so we're glad you like the concept and hope you enjoy reading, and even participating in the column. Emails with Achievement tips also came in at a good pace, and I look forward to playing and trading with you. One particular email stood out, which came from Casey over at brains-N-brawn.com, and the steps he took to get Achievements in one of the most time consuming Arcade games, Bejeweled 2.
European PSN releases for June 8th
Those of you who enjoy your beat-em-ups will no doubt be pleased with the recent European PSN update. As well as a couple of trailers for upcoming PS3 games, Sony gave us Mortal Kombat 2. The full release list is as follows. Mortal Kombat 2 (£1.99) Colin McRae: DiRT trailer (free) Ninja Gaiden Sigma trailer (free) Isn't it is nice to finally get some playable content with a name that doesn't start with "Go!"? MK2 is a worthwhile purchase, especially considering the low price. We reviewed it in May (back when the Americans got it), giving it a score of nothing-to-write-home-about out of ten. Things can only get better for the PSN though, with upcoming releases of Calling All Cars and Super Stardust HD. Will removing the spines of our friends over the internet keep us occupied until then? We hope so.
Totally visceral presentation of Mortal Kombat fatalities
What's more brutal than seeing gruesome fatalities performed before your eyes, while blood and bone spill all around and the hopeless fake cries of voice actors echo in your head? A list of moves in the PDF format. Those with weak stomachs should look away from the rawness. While this isn't as MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAAT as, say, screenshots or video would be, we admit that we were pretty curious about how the moves in Mortal Kombat Armageddon were going to be pulled off (not curious enough to buy it, but certainly curious enough to read a thing on the Internet.) We knew waggling would be involved, but it's cool to learn what the specific waggles will be.This totally reminds us of downloading Mortal Kombat FAQs from Compuserve and leaving them to print from our dot-matrix printer overnight. Sometimes we'd wake up in the morning only to find that our pet dinosaur had shredded all the pages, forcing us to start over.[Via Joystiq]
