It's been six months since an eight minute showreel called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth sent speculative shockwaves throughout the online gaming community and MK fanbase [full story].

Reinventing the successful fighting franchise without authorized association; [MK: Rebirth] was actually one of many examples of independent productions borrowing from well known intellectual properties -- a practice used commonly to demonstrate, or practice, skills and techniques within familiar creative parameters. Just in time for the silly season, a new player has entered the demo arena to offer a decidedly lighter take on the MK property, a loving parody presented as a festive mock commercial.

Frosty Kristmas was directed by Manny Nickpour for his Netherlands based company, Hadoken Productions. The scene, filmed in a single night, was inspired by behind-the-scenes peeks at sequences from the 1997 platformer, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, as well as staple techniques of 1970s genre cinema. Nickpour is no stranger to filming Mortal Kombat, either.
A longtime fan of the series, he created a stir in 2008 with the release of two fake teaser trailers designed to recapture the mystique of the series ahead of what would eventually be announced as Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe.

Some years ago I was disappointed that the whole Mortal Kombat feeling was gone. I made two fake [teaser trailers] and never talked about it... Maybe it was not so nice to do, but it pumped up the whole MK feeling that was almost lost on the internet sites. I'm sorry if I shocked people with it. I did it with good intention.

I'm glad to see that Mortal Kombat is going back to its roots. Ever since I saw the first arcade version of MK1, me, and almost everyone I knew, became a MK fan all the way. Boys or girls, [it] didn't matter you know. Friends at school telling lies about a made up special move or fatality, then all of a sudden the teacher comes in between and doesn't know what the hell the kids are talking about. Or [lending] a friend your MK game and getting it back the next year because of all stupid reasons.

The Darker, Reinvented and Look to La Luna fake trailers created a lot of excitement and confusion within an information vacuum. This time, efforts have been more forthcoming with the nature of the material, and focused on a complete concept. Lengths taken to create the finished video before Christmas reveal the dedication these fans have to the brand, as well as their aspirations for connecting with NetherRealm Studios.

The "Frosty-Commercial" was made on the 23rd of December 2010 in Amsterdam at 3 O'clock in the morning by me, one other friend and the guy who got freezed. All the motion (camera shaking/movements) in the camera was done later in post because I was paying attention [to] the camera, and playing the character Sub-Zero at the same time. Later there was the editing and visual effects that I did. The audio was done by Azad Aslani as we communicated via internet from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Leipzig (Germany). Everything was actually done in the same night because we wanted it to be on internet before Christmas.

We surely would love to do other digital shorts, with more time, budget, support and also with other characters beside the stereotypical characters Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

Many thanks go out to Manny Nickpour (aka; ) for sharing his work and talking to Mortal Kombat Online. You can learn more about Hadoken Productions at the official website. Be sure, also, to read MKO's Holiday message and have a Happy New Year as we countdown to the release of Mortal Kombat in 2011!

There is now an official Mortal Kombat desktop widget, which has been released as a GameStop exclusive. From this widget, content from the official Mortal Kombat site is available, including several images and all of the trailers that have been shown up to this date. Right now, two characters are available – Scorpion and Sub-Zero – with four more locked slots prominently displayed, presumably there will be at least four more characters to be added later. To install the widget, visit here.

As 2010 draws to a close we look back on a year that Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat Online have seen a great number of changes. It turned out to be a very eventful year for both the site and the gaming series we cover.

In April we witnessed the birth of Netherrealm Studios at Warner Bros. The Mortal Kombat team's years of dedication and hard work paid off when after being purchased by the entertainment giant they were granted their very own development studio named after the iconic Mortal Kombat series. We here at MK Online know the team will soar to new heights under this banner.

June was perhaps one of the most memorable months in the long history of the series. On June 8th, the community was rocked by the appearance of a project called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, a new live action take on the series. At first it seemed like it was a legitimate project in development, as it featured notable Hollywood stars, but it turned out to be only a movie pitch. Whether or not we will ever see more on it, the video will not soon be forgotten and has even been commented on by members of Netherrealm Studios themselves. Just two days later, perhaps to quell rumors MK: Rebirth was Mortal Kombat 9, the official website and trailer for the game that will simply be titled Mortal Kombat were revealed. A return to the 2D plane and a recreation of the events of MK1-MK3, it was a time of great excitement for fans of the series.

Since that time we have been witness to one of the most polished and deep looking Mortal Kombat games in recent memory. With incredible attention to detail and a promise to bring the series back to the forefront of the gaming world, the game due out this coming Spring has impressed nearly every major gaming site. As coverage continues on into 2011, we will continue to unveil the roster and inner workings of this sure-hit game.

2010 was just as changing for Mortal Kombat Online as well. On Halloween we revamped our Staff, including the promotion of myself to Webmaster many new faces were added. I would like to thank my fellow staff members and everyone who continues to visit this site, making it the most visited MK site on the internet for another year. As some of you know, Mortal Kombat Online launched as MK5.org back in 1998 and Christmas is more than just a holiday to us, it is also an anniversary. This Christmas makes 12 years we have been online and we would again like to thank everyone who has contributed to this community over those last years. Please check out our About Us page if you aren't familiar with our history, it's a good read. We have ambitious plans for 2011 and I hope you will remain with us as we continue to grow.

In the spirit of the season, we are offering redemption codes for the recently released UMK3 on iOS. If you are interested in winning this prize, simply follow us on Twitter and retweet the contest announcement. We have several other prizes to give away as well as these codes, including official Mortal Kombat headbands, buttons, t-shirts and even signed copies of Mortal Kombat games! In addition: Posting in this thread will award you with 5 dragon points for your first post. See you on Twitter, and a very merry holiday season to MK fans everywhere!

Netherrealm Studios has released the fourth and final part of Episode #2 of the MKast featuring development team members Paulo Garcia, Hector Sanchez, Hans Lo, John Edwards and Brian LeBaron.

The episode begins with discussion about enhanced special moves, showing off many of the enhanced versions of character specials such as Sub-Zero's ice beam, Johnny Cage's double green bolt toss and Sektor's homing missile. These enhanced specials make use of the super meter, and therefore are not the same as the "pro moves" present in MK vs. DC Universe. Also shown is a basic concept for a Tutorial Mode, designed to teach players in ins and outs of how their favorite characters play.

Also shown is the gameplay debut of Sonya, confirmed last month in Russia's Igromania, during the discussion about dashes. Sonya retains a cartwheel type kick that was present in her moveset during the last generation of games. It is also explained you can cancel out of dashes, as well as utilize wake-up special moves to escape from being cornered, two shown were Scorpion using his teleport and Johnny Cage countering with his flip kick.

Though this ends the "episode 2" series of MKasts, we fully expect more of these so continue to use Twitter and ask your questions to the MK team!

The January 2011 issue of Polish magazine PSX Extreme have published the exclusive first look of the Edenian Queen Sindel confirming her presence in the upcoming Mortal Kombat.

Sindel is shown in a revealing outfit which seems to merge both her Deception Primary and Alternate costumes and is shown performing her Star Screamer special.

Also present in the magazine is a new arena which is of a lush terrain with a waterfall in the distance. Most notable about this stage are two statues which rather resemble both General Reiko and the Demi-God Rain which bares the possibility of a new Warrior's Shrine.

Other images within the article show characters like Ermac and Jax along with a very battle-damaged Sonya.

Upon translation of the article we will update this story accordingly.

Issue 161 of the magazine which wields Sub-Zero and Kratos on it's cover is available on Poland Newstands now!