We're just hours away from the start of the E3 2007 trade show, and the folks over at Midway have sent out a press release announcing their lineup for the show! As might be expected, Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the Nintendo DS is listed as being part of the lineup. From the press release:

CHICAGO, IL -- July 9, 2007 -- Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, today announced its product portfolio to be shown at the E3 Business & Media Summit, July 11-13 in Los Angeles. This year's lineup showcases exciting new properties such as Stranglehold™, highly anticipated next generation games such as BlackSite: Area 51™, developed by Midway Studios -- Austin, proven brands such as Unreal Tournament® 3 from world renowned developer Epic Games and Ultimate Mortal Kombat , Midway's top-selling fighting franchise´s debut on Nintendo DS™; and kid´s games like Foster´s Home for Imaginary Friends, based on the top-rated Cartoon Network series.

"Our 2007 E3 lineup truly reflects our product strategy to develop top quality titles in a wide range of genres across all major platforms ," said David F. Zucker, president and CEO, Midway. "With exciting next generation games such as Stranglehold and proven brands like Mortal Kombat, along with games for the younger market and handhelds, this is Midway's most diverse and strongest line up yet."

...

Ultimate Mortal Kombat (Nintendo DS, November) -- Ultimate Mortal Kombat combines the visceral thrills of the classic Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the addictive puzzle action of the Puzzle Kombat component of Midway's best-selling Mortal Kombat: Deception® in a single DS-friendly package. With unlockable content, new record-keeping capability, and Wi-Fi-connected multiplayer, players will be able take UMK anywhere for fighting action on the go.

It should be noted that not all of the games listed will be playable; the list is merely of those Midway will be advertising and presenting at the show in one form or another. In a recent interview with GameSpot, Midway CEO David Zucker confirmed that not only would Ultimate Mortal Kombat not be playable at the show, he confirmed that Mortal Kombat 8 would be a complete no-show as well. From the interview:

GS: So what are you going be showing at the hangar itself?

DZ: We'll be having Stranglehold and BlackSite: Area 51 at the hangar.

...

GS: Outstanding. Now one thing I know people are wondering about is what you are doing with your signature franchises, such as Mortal Kombat. Now that it's out on the Wii, everybody is wondering what's next with that franchise? Are you going to reveal that at your press conference?

DZ: We won't be talking about it. It's not the end of Mortal Kombat, but we won't be talking about the next iteration at this conference. But we are working on some pretty exciting stuff.

We'll be keeping an uncharacteristic distant eye on the show; if any MK-related news breaks from the show, we'll be sure to report it here!

To read the Midway press release, click here. To read the GameSpot interview in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member for letting us know about the GameSpot interview!

We've gone ahead and acquired the box art from Midway's upcoming Ultimate Mortal Kombat, the UMK3 port for the Nintendo DS which will also include bonuses such as wireless online play and Puzzle Kombat. Longtime fans will notice that even though the colors somewhat resemble MKDA, the skull pattern in the background is a nod to the original UMK3 artwork. Check it out: Our thanks to Gambid from MK Secrets for the tip on this update!

In the recent flurry of new information regarding the upcoming Mortal Kombat title, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, IGN has released the first interview with series co-creator Ed Boon! In this interview, Boon reveals that the same studio which ported UMK3 to X-Box Live Arcade is working on this version of the game. He also puts to rest any fears of a repeat of the much maligned Mortal Kombat: Advance. Not much new information is revealed, but Boon states that they are currently exploring ways to use the Nintendo DS's technology to compliment the game while not radically changing the controls. A few images accompany the interview, but those images can be found in the Press Release story here on MKO.

IGN

: An early screenshot of the game shows that the second screen's only being used to display a logo. Is this just an early mock-up? What sort of ideas do you have planned for the extra display?

Ed Boon

: That was an early mockup. We are experimenting with different ways to use the DS's extra screen. In Puzzle Kombat we are utilizing the upper screen to display the puzzle fighters as well as the Death Traps. This lets us devote the entire lower screen to the actual puzzle play. As for the fighting we are working on a few ideas but haven't fleshed them all out and aren't quite ready to share them just yet. We don't want to radically change the control scheme for this game but would also like to introduce a new feature that takes advantage of the hardware. We will definitely keep you posted.

IGN

: Any touch screen functionality being inserted in there?

Ed Boon

: We are also working on some ideas for the touch screen. However, since the player's hands will be busy with the direction pad and the attack buttons, we probably won't do something crazy like having the player touch the screen for punches and kicks.

IGN

: What sort of multiplayer features are being planned for Mortal Kombat on the Nintendo DS?

Ed Boon

: We are planning on letting players fight against each other locally as well as finding opponents to fight against over the internet. We would also like to include game sharing, which would let someone without the game play by sharing the cartridge with someone who has the game locally. Currently, we are not sure to what extent we will be taking this feature but will certainly let you know when our decision is made.

To read the interview in its entirity, click here.

Thanks to forum member for the alert on this interview!

Following on the heels of IGN's article concerning the new Mortal Kombat game for the Nintendo DS, Midway has sent out a press release officially announcing Ultimate Mortal Kombat! Ultimate Mortal Kombat is confirmed to be a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 with online play and leaderboards, and including the Puzzle Kombat minigame originally seen in Mortal Kombat: Deception. From the press release:

CHICAGO, IL -- June 27, 2007 -- Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, today announced that five new titles are in development exclusively for Nintendo systems. Only for Wii, experience the rebirth of action racing with Cruis'n and a collection of classic skill games with Game Party. Ultimate Mortal Kombat, The Bee Game™ and a title based on Cartoon Network's top-rated, kids animated series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends are all in development exclusively for Nintendo DS. All of the titles are custom designed to take full advantage of the unique controls and interface of the Wii and Nintendo DS and are scheduled to be available in 2007. In addition to these newly announced products, Midway has recently released Mortal Kombat®: Armageddon™ for Wii and Touchmaster™ for Nintendo DS.

"The Wii and Nintendo DS require games that are innovative and take full advantage of a unique control scheme to offer a truly different type of gameplay experience," said Matt Booty, executive vice president - worldwide studios, Midway. "We are very excited to be bringing classic Midway franchises such as Mortal Kombat and Cruis'n along with powerful licensed content like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends to the massive installed base of Nintendo system owners."

"Nintendo is very excited to be working with Midway to have these great brands and new products come exclusively to Wii and Nintendo DS," said George Harrison, senior vice president, marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America Inc. "These new games paired with the unique controls of Wii and Nintendo DS will continue to expand videogames to new audiences."

...

Ultimate Mortal Kombat (Nint endo DS, November) - Ultimate Mortal Kombat combines the visceral thrills of the classic Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the addictive puzzle action of the Puzzle Kombat component of Midway's best-selling Mortal Kombat: Deception® in a single DS-friendly package. With new record-keeping capability, and Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer, players will be able take UMK anywhere for fighting action on the go.

In addition, Midway released four screenshots and a trailer for Ultimate Mortal Kombat. As can seen in the screenshots, Ultimate Mortal Kombat makes subtle but effective use of the dual screens on the Nintendo DS. Regular gameplay occurs on the lower screen, while the upper screen gives information and additional effects where appropriate. For example, when selecting your kombatant in standard kombat, the upper screen shows the bio of the kombatant that is highlighted. In Puzzle Kombat, the animations showing the "chibi" kombatants fighting is displayed on the upper screen while the main puzzle action takes place on the lower screen. (In MK: Deception, the chibi fighters fought in front of the puzzle containers.

• Ultimate Mortal Kombat for Nintendo DS Trailer

As stated before, Ultimate Mortal Kombat is slated for a November release. As we learn more, we'll be sure to report it!

To read the press release in its entirety, click here.

The folks over at IGN are reporting that Midway has revealed to them the titles for their next three games for the Nintendo DS. Back in January, we reported that Midway was in the process of making a MK title for the DS. According to IGN, this title will be entitled Ultimate Mortal Kombat, and is a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, complete with online play and leaderboards. In addition, Ultimate Mortal Kombat will include Puzzle Kombat, the MK-themed puzzle game that was first introduced as an extra in Mortal Kombat: Deception. From the article:

Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Maya the Bee are on the slate in Midway's holiday line-up for the Nintendo DS. The company made the announcement that these three games are scheduled for release this November.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat is a conversion of the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 arcade game, complete with local and online competitions with record tracking. Added to the mix is Puzzle Kombat, the Super Puzzle Fighter clone featuring super deformed Mortal Kombat characters.

We'll definitely be keeping an eye out on this title. As we learn more, we'll be sure to report it here.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum member for letting us know about this important news story!