Owners of Playstation 3 systems who use the Playstation Network encountered a strange problem recently. According to reports, Mortal Kombat II has been pulled from the list of downloadable games. More, those people who had actually already bought the game found that it was no longer available. The problem appears to be limited to US players. According to a representative from Sony Computer Entertainment of America, the game was pulled due to a compatibility issue with the latest firmware update for the Playstation 3. Midway has, thus far, not responded to a request for comment.

We'll be keeping an eye on this story. As soon as we learn more we'll be sure to report it here. To read the original thread on Sony's site where the matter was first brought to light (and an email response posted by users), click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member for bringing this to our attention!

EDIT - 21 October 4:55 PM CDT - According to our sources at Midway, a Sony representative gave the following message concerning the Mortal Kombat II disappearance from PSN:

"A Mortal Kombat II specification is being upgraded in connection with the release of the latest firmware update. This is one of our top titles on PlayStation Network, we are working diligently to get this back on the PlayStation Store."

As stated before, as we learn more we'll be sure to report it.

And now, a news story that doesn't involve Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Nearly ten years ago, MK5.ORG (later to become Mortal Kombat Online) was founded by Joseph "CCShadow" Schorr and Scott Howell. Scott has left MK Online and come back since then to serve as our marketing director, which is a much more behind the scenes position. Still, he never really left, in a way, and he has continued to be an important part of this site. Thus, it is with great pride and pleasure that we announce that today was one of the most important days of his life. Today, he married his love Lindsey Bailey here in Columbus, OH. CCShadow and I were honored to represent MK Online at the event, as he considers the site such an important part of his life.

On behalf of all of us at Mortal Kombat Online, I would like to congratulate Scott and Lindsey Howell, and wish them a lifetime of wedded bliss!

Noob.com has updated with yet another cinematic screenshot from Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe! This time, seeing as the alphabetic sequence has reached the letter I, the image filename is "imquire.jpg". This is apparently the beginning of chapter 5 of the Mortal Kombat story mode campaign; Scorpion's name is in the chapter title, which indicates that he is the playable character for that chapter. The screenshot itself shows an empty lot in what is presumably Gotham City, where a blast of fire is erupting from the middle. This man-sized blast of fire is quite possibly Scorpion's arrival in Gotham.

Our thanks to forum/chat member for letting us know about this new image!

EDIT - 10:10 AM EDT - The "hidden message" at the bottom of the page (visible by highlighting the entire page) has been changed. Now it says "Looc divoe micong noso....", which is an anagram of "Cool video coming soon". Our thanks to forum/chat member for pointing out this change!

The folks over at GamesRadar have posted a new video featuring regulars Hans Lo and Hector Sanchez displaying many of the features in Midway's upcoming release, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe! The vocal point of this video is a discussion of the three new "modes" which are prominently intertwined with the standard gameplay.

The video begins with discussion about Freefall Kombat. Most of what is known about the mode is reiterated, and we are treated to the supers of characters such as Green Lantern, who uses his ring's power to saw the opponent to the ground, and Raiden, who uses his thunderous powers to shock the opponent. Next up is Klose Kombat. Hans and Hector assure everyone that this mode is unique for each character, as everyone has their own counter and power move. Numerous characters, such as Deathstroke, Scorpion and Catwoman are shown. Finally, Rage mode is touched upon. The combo breaker system introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception returns here. Instead of having 3 to use per match, you earn your breakers by filling up the rage meter. You can choose to use a breaker, which depletes the Rage meter, or hold onto it and wait for Rage mode to activate, which gives you 5-7 seconds of having your hit animations turned off. The characters do not seem to be immune to damage, however.

At the end of the video, The Joker's second fatality is revealed. In this fatality he tosses razor sharp playing cards into the opponent's upper body, landing the last one in their face as they fall over dead. The Joker then bows to the players as the announcer proclaims him the victor.

Thanks to forum member for the lead on this story!

EDIT - 17 October 8:55 AM CDT by DArqueBishop - Midway has released an unwatermarked version of the video. To view the video (or download an HD version), click below.

• Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe - Kombat Modes Demonstration

This morning, Midway made available a video showing a first glimpse into the comic book that will be included with the Kollector's Edition of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe! The video primarily features artwork from the comic, plus series co-creator and comic artist John Tobias discussing how he came back to the Mortal Kombat fold, what it was like returning to MK after nine years away, and also talked about the matchup he was looking forward to most in the new game (complete with new gameplay footage). In addition, for those worried about spoilers, the video shows the first glimpse at the merged form of Shao Kahn and Darkseid, which is the final boss of the game.

• John Tobias Comics Kombat Video from MK vs DCU

Our thanks to the folks at Midway for making this video available!