Another exclusive video, this time from IGN, reveals even more behind-the-scenes and in-game footage about the upcoming MK action-adventure game, MK: Shaolin Monks. Check out these screenshots: The video is part of their ongoing weekly updates, starting today, titled Friday, Bloody, Friday. Check it out, you can also get their Shaolin Monks videos directly by clicking here. Thanks to MK Online forum/chat members DECEPTION and Buterbals for the word on this update!

Good news for fans of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks: If you pre-order now from EB Games, you will get a nice 2-pack edition of Kung Lao and Liu Kang action figures!


To check out the product page or place your pre-order, click here. Thanks to MK Online forum member Redsoul for the word on this update!

In a double whammie, Total Mortal Kombat has posted an exclusive interview with Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks Producer Shaun Himmerick, as well as a high-quality advertisement for the game that will be found in gaming magazines everywhere. From the interview:

TMK: What is your favorite piece of Mortal Kombat art (renders,artwork) that has been produced?

Shaun Himmerick: Wow hard one. Umm...I like the new stuff a lot. I really like the Reptile render for MKSM, I also really liked Kenshi in MKD, and I really like the living forest in MKSM.

To read the interview, click here. You may also check out the exclusive ad by clicking the thumbnail below:


Thanks go to Total-MK for filling us in directly on this update!

GameSpot has just posted Official Movie 4 in their series of videos detailing information from Midway's upcoming action-adventure game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.

In this video, Ed Boon, Shaun Himmerick, and Tony Goskie discuss the backgrounds in the game. One of the points Ed makes clear, for example, is that one of their goals was to make it where anything that was a rumor in Mortal Kombat II should be brought to life in MK:SM. For instance, the Living Forest (which Shaun identifies as his personal favorite) is shown, with a living tree eating an opponent tossed into it. Another example that is given is that the Portal, long rumored to be a gateway to other places (and actually is a gateway to Goro's Lair to fight the hidden characters), is actually the hub of the game, leading to different locations. Mention is also made of the "body puzzle" system, where opponents' bodies are used to unlock secrets; for example, a body can be used to smash through a stone barrier, or tossed onto a catapult to be used as a projectile against a faraway barrier.

The video is available for download to GameSpot Basic and GameSpot Complete members, and available to stream for non-members. The high-res version of the video is 62 MB, and the low-res version is 29 MB. To see the video in its entirety, click here, and scroll down to Official Movie 4.

Our thanks to forum/chat member DECEPTION for the heads-up on this new media!

G4's popular videogame preview and review show X-Play will be covering Midway's upcoming action/adventure game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks on their newest episode premiering tonight! From the X-Play website:

This X-Play's jam-packed with reviews! We review three new games on the PS2: Batman Begins, Gundam Seed and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Then we go portable and check out Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for the DS and Spider-Man 2 on PSP.

The episode premieres tonight at 11 PM EDT/8 PM PDT. After the episode airs, we'll have more information on what was shown, including screenshots. To see more information on the episode (plus information on other showings if you miss tonight's episode), check the episode page by clicking here.

Our thanks to forum member fraysol for the heads-up on this upcoming episode of X-Play! Here are the pictures from the episode, as promised:

UPDATE: X-Play has made a text version of their preview available on the G4 website, giving a fairly thorough impression of the game. For example, from the article:

The action reminds us of a dumbed-down version of God of War. Like Sony’s slick hack-'n'-slash, it's really easy to pull off really cool moves from the get-go. Shaolin Monk’s combat is also similar in that chaining together attacks and stringing together huge combos makes the fighting really interesting. The big difference is that it’s much, much easier to create combos in Shaolin Monks. You're given much more time between hits, making combinations comparatively undemanding. That said, the game is several months away and the fighting system will surely go though some tweaks.

Expect plenty of standard grunts attacking in the early going, allowing you to learn the various controls. While the level design seems simple so far, it's still fun pulling of the different moves, discovering which attacks are our favorites, and learning how to use them to make combos. Though Kung Lao’s hat throw is one of our favorites, we're having more fun playing as Liu Kang, mostly because of all those silly sounds he makes.

Interspersed between clearing rooms of bad guys there's some simple platform-jumping to be done--all culminating with a boss fight with Baraka. This exciting encounter mixes melee, projectile, and dirty tactics (Baraka can light captives on fire, causing them to run like maniacs and accidentally burn you). Overall the build we've played is an entertaining ride that leaves us wanting more.

To read the preview in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to chat member Three-11 for the heads-up on this update!

July 22, 2005 - UPDATE: Also, they had another MKSM trailer again on yesterday's episode of Cinematech, which was titled "Karate Chop". From the Cinematech website:

Check out the amazing gameplay in Mortal Kombat: Shoalin Monk, kill aliens in Area 51, and rock out to the Barber of Seville and everyone’s favorite Italian, Mario.

For more information on this episode, including the next airing date and time, click here. Here are some screen caps from that as well:

Note: While all the Fatalities were censored with cute little kitty cat heads for X-Play, there was no such censorship in Cinematech. Yet, both episodes had the same rating of TV14-V for violence. Also interesting to note, while on the subject of ratings, that X-Play gives the game an M rating while Cinematech has the Rating Pending logo. Our thanks go to MK Online forum/chat user DECEPTION for this segment of the update!