He may be known as the tempestuous protagonist of Sony's popular God of War franchise, but when it came to including Kratos as a PlayStation exclusive in Mortal Kombat, all parties were in peaceful agreement that the match-up was a natural.

"We kind of felt it was meant to happen," says Ed Boon, in a sitdown blog for Playstation.com. Discussing the collaboration alongside God of War III director, Stig Asmussen; Boon reveals an intense attention to detail that saw scrutiny in all stages of the process from Sony Santa Monica Studios -- the studio responsible for the God of War series. The crossover was a work of mutual respect, though.

While both sides had to adapt to the unique situation Kratos presents in Mortal Kombat, the end result gets the thumbs up from both directors. Even though his character will be subject to dismemberment and brutality the likes of which has never been seen before, Asmussen gives the game the olympian stamp of approval:

“I will say that I’ve never seen his skull before this game,” “But [...] you guys really pulled through. I’m proud of that game

With regards to the working complexities of such compromises, the blog provides answers. Kratos will have an arcade ending in the game, which Boon describes as more elaborate than previous incarnations, but adds that, "From the start, we decided we wouldn’t put him into the story and have him interacting with Scorpion or things like that." Kratos also won't be taking part in Test Your Might mini-games, or [as yet unconfirmed] comedic Friendship finishers, as an apparent mark of respect for the character, "There’s just no humorous side to Kratos.”

Fans can also look forward to a stage fatality on the God of War III end-game inspired stage, which takes elements from Kratos' epic battle against Zeus in the Chamber of Flame. Kratos will also possess his trademark arsenal, bringing the Bow, Cestus, Blade of Olympus, Icarus Wings, Helios head and the Blade of Chaos to the fight, in an unprecedented array of weapon attacks. The literal translation ends there, however, as the team remains dedicated to keeping Kratos balanced. His group-fighting techniques, with penchant for long range melee, will be toned down to suit the one on one expectations of Mortal Kombat.

This isn't the first time Kratos has made the transition to traditional fighting games, of course. In 2009, the God of War guest starred in PSP weapon fighter, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.

Kratos will appear in Mortal Kombat when the game hits US shelves April 19 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with Europe just a couple of days behind.

Kratos appears exclusively on the PlayStation 3 version, which also includes stereoscopic 3D, as previewed in the recent March PlayStation Network demo [full story]. For a closer look at the God of War in action, don't miss the new Kratos Gameplay trailer!

Eurogamer has acquired some exclusive gameplay footage featuring the upcoming Mortal Kombat's new Tag Team mode. In this bout, entitled Tag Team Ninja Throwdown, iconic ninjas Scorpion and Sub-Zero team up to do battle against a pair of former ninja, cyborg assassins Cyrax and Sektor.

This fight takes place on the revamped Rooftop stage from Mortal Kombat 3. Much like in that game, this arena is connected by location to other stages such as The Bridge, which was unveiled during this year's GDC. As seen in that video, a large dragon creature is terrorizing the city. After attacking a barge on the Bridge stage, here on the Rooftop it is being pursued by a military helicopter as the combat takes place below.

The fight shows off tag team gameplay mechanics as well as individual mechanics for the four aforementioned characters. Check it out above or click here to visit Eurogamer.

Following months of speculation, God of War's famed hero Kratos was confirmed as a guest character for the Playstation 3 version of Mortal Kombat at the 2010 VGAs. A few months later, we are now treated to the first high quality footage of this anti-hero in action.

Gamespot has released a gameplay trailer showcasing many of Kratos' special moves and general gameplay style. True to rumors, Kratos possesses a large variety of weapons harkening his days from the God of War series. Unlike other characters in the game, he fights with a weapon out at all times as he holds his dual Blades of Exile during general combat. He is seen using them for some jabs into Ermac's (who seems to be in an alternate costume) ribs before hurling him across the arena floor. Kratos also makes use of the Bow of Apollo, firing several flaming arrows. He still has the decapitated Head of Helios which he uses to temporarily stun enemies to gain a free hit. He also has a fiery dash move that slides under the opponent.

Kratos also seems to have a unique gameplay mechanic borrowed from his home series, as he uses a QTE (quick time event) which calls for players to press buttons within a certain time limit to further perform maneuvers, presumably resulting in higher damage if successfully executed. His X-ray move is shown to be a combination of weapon strikes beginning with a hooking slide, continuing with a blow to the ribs with his blades before a powerful strike to the skull with his Nemean Cestus. Only a portion of his fatality was shown, as he was jabbing his blades into Sindel.

Check out the trailer embedded above or click here to visit it directly on Gamespot. Thanks to forum member for sending in the newslead on this story!

The official website for the developers behind Mortal Kombat, Netherrealm Studios has just launched!

Most noticeable however are a few new screenshots in the 'Mortal Kombat' section of the website, featuring kombatants like Jax, Baraka, Jade and Stryker.

Below are a select bunch of pictures showing off the Studio, it's 'Hall of Fame' and it's Motion Capture room amongst a couple miscellaneous pictures!

Also present are some Career oppurtunities and there are currently some vacancies to work with the developers themselves!

Head on over to Netherrealm Studios and check it all out for yourself!

Keep up to date with all things Mortal Kombat related by following us over on Twitter at @MK_Online or by liking us over on our Facebook Page.

Thanks go to forum user for word on this video. Think you've got a news story? Send your submissions to our MKO Newslead.

The first TV Spot for the upcoming Mortal Kombat has just been unveiled on prominent gaming website, Gamespot. Showing off an array of gameplay between various characters laced with character Intro's and footage from the Kratos reveal trailer released previously [full story].

Featured during this 30-second advertisement are a few never seen before tidbits. Firstly, The Tower from MK2 makes it's return on the Arena roster along with our first look at an Old Shang Tsung alternate costume! Another not yet seen Arena is Shao Kahn's Throne Room complete with his pet beast Taigore.The TV spot concludes with Jax smashing Sektor into the floor and goes to take a football kick to decapitate the former Lin Kuei Cyborg resulting in a Fatality!

You can catch this trailer embedded above or view it over on Gamespot!

Keep up to date with all things Mortal Kombat related by following us over on Twitter at @MK_Online or by liking us over on our Facebook Page.