Team Xbox has posted a two page preview of Midway's upcoming action/adventure/fighting game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Not much new ground is tread in this preview; however, it does give a good summary of what has been seen of the game so far. From the article:

Regardless, the Mortal Kombat series has continued to thrive since its inception back in 1992, seeing a few spin-offs from the classic fighting genre. For those of you that remember Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero or Mortal Kombat Special Forces, the idea of another MK spin-off might not get you all tingly inside, don’t get too pessimistic just yet. The folks at Paradox Development are planning to wipe all the skepticism aside with their upcoming action/adventure Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Paradox has had plenty of time to perfect their combat mechanics thanks to work on the Backyard Wrestling series, but this time they have the entire Mortal Kombat mythology to work with in order to develop a solid storyline. Speaking of the storyline, Shaolin Monks is based right smack in the middle of the MKII time period, which should certainly please the longtime fans of the series.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao are the focus of Shaolin Monks as you’ll control either one (or both) in an attempt to save Earth realm from Shang Tsung’s latest invasion with his minions of Outworld. Due to the time period and the various settings, you can expect to see a host of classic Mortal Kombat II characters such as Sub-Zero, Baraka, Goro, Reptile, and Johnny Cage, not to mention Outworld locations like the Pit, the Portal, and many more. Shaolin Monks not only plans to bring forth an action-packed single-player experience, but you’ll also have a chance to team up with a bud for some co-op brawling. Actually, a lot of the gameplay revolves around the use of cooperative play as both heroes will team up for impressive combos and fatalities.

The preview also goes in-depth about the game's fighting engine. From the article:

Unlike the fighting games which used specific direction + button combos to pull off special moves, Shaolin Monks adds a modifier button that is combined with the standard attack functions. Regular attacks and combos are plentiful and upgradeable through progression of the game, plus the whole co-op experience adds another layer of combos when Liu Kang and Kung Lao team up. In our short time with the game we noticed a number of classic moves, such as Liu Kang’s flying kick or Kung Lao’s hat toss, but the team at Paradox ensures us that the scope of attacks will be mind-boggling in the final product. The co-op attacks are just plain nasty as you’ll be able to continuously juggle foes, as they bounce helplessly from player to player, before finishing them with one final blow.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member CAMK for the heads-up on this news story!

The guys over at G4 have a show called Video Game Vixens, which they are promoting as television's first digital beauty pageant. Each week, they decide on different categories (such as Dressed to Kill, Best Booty, Best Bounce, etc.). This week, they had Jade from Mortal Kombat: Deception host the show, and she also was one of the contestants in the category Sexiest Finish.

So how did Jade do in this category? Well, she won third place, with a score of 8.7:



Here are some video clips that you can download:

• Jade Introducing This Episode
• Jade Category Entry Video

To see when this episode will next air, click here. Special thanks to MK Online regular News Lead submitter and forum/chat user DECEPTION for the word on this update!

We are pleased to announce that the Evolution 2005 Fighting Game Championship pre-registration program has officially opened! Mortal Kombat Online and the rest of the community is asking you to come forward and help get Mortal Kombat: Deception in the nation's largest tournament this August in Las Vegas, Nevada during August 12-14, 2005. This is the chance for the Mortal Kombat Community to rise and give Mortal Kombat: Deception the chance to show the gaming elite what they have been missing. Only you can help prove that Mortal Kombat: Deception can deliver the same true tournament caliber play of games like the Tekken series!

In order for Mortal Kombat: Deception to become officially inducted in the Evolution 2005 tournament this August, Evolution is requesting that 100 people must pre-register for the MK: Deception tournament and commit to going. Mortal Kombat Online is asking the entire MK Community and all Mortal Kombat fan sites to spread the word, pre-register, and become a part of Mortal Kombat history. The fee for entering the Evolution tournament itself is $20 USD, with an additional $10 USD pre-registration fee for entering the Mortal Kombat: Deception tournament. So the complete entry fee totals out to $30 USD. If Mortal Kombat: Deception does not meet the required 100 minimum registrations, money will be refunded, according to the Evolution staff. From the voting/registration page:

For any of the provisional games (click here for the list) to be included in Evo2k5, it will need to receive at least 100 registered votes. The top two games receiving over 100 pre-entries will become official Evo2k5 tournaments. In the event that more than 2 games have over 100 entries, the two games with the highest number of votes will be included. For example, suppose that Capcom Fighting Evolution had 134 votes, Alpha3 had 112 votes, and Mortal Kombat: Deception received 104 votes. That means CFE and A3 would be included, and even though MK:D had over 100 votes, it would not make the cut.

yle5">If you have registered for a tournament that is not ultimately included in the final Evo2k5 lineup, you will receive a full refund for that registration. For instance, if you register to play in the Marvel vs Capcom 2, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, and Vampire Savior tournaments, but Vampire Savior is not included, you would be eligible for a refund *only* for Vampire Savior. You will receive your refund in the manner you have selected in the profile field.

Evo2k5 reserves the right to add any game to the final Evo2k5 final lineup at their sole discretion, at any time. This means you should be fully prepared to enter any tournament that you pay for, as the directors may add it even if it does not receive 100 votes (for instance, if no game receives more than 100 votes, but Virtua Fighter 4 received 92 votes, it might be included anyway). Any games that are included in the Evo2k5 final lineup will have a strict no refund policy.

To begin the registration process visit the links below.

• Evolution 2005 Pre-Register and Voting Page Information
• Evolution Registration Portal (requires Shoryuken login)

You must be a member of the Shoryuken.com Forums in order to pre-register for the Mortal Kombat: Deception tournament. We encourage everyone to pre-register to get enough votes for Mortal Kombat: Deception!

According to Toys News International as well as ToyWiz, the folks over at Jazwares will be producing a line of ten-inch Roto-Cast Mortal Kombat: Deception figures in addition to the six-inch line. They've posted pictures of Sub-Zero and his brother Noob Saibot (already been seen) and they've also confirmed another fan favorite: Goro (though, no image yet available, except for a silhouette teaser).

To read the entire article, click here. Also check out the Mortal Kombat section of Toywiz's online store here. Thanks to MK Online chat member MickXII for the heads up!

Team X-Box is reporting that the band Rise Against is challenging gamers on X-Box Live to take them on in Mortal Kombat: Deception. For two hours on June 3, gamers will be able to take them on as part of the "Game With Fame" promotion. From the article:

Chart-climbing rock group Rise Against is calling on all Xbox gamers to challenge them as part of the latest Xbox Live "Game with Fame" on June 3, 2005. Xbox Live players can look for the gamertag riseagainstgwf from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. CDT / 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. EDT to test their skills against the band in Midway’s Mortal Kombat: Deception.

The band’s debut album under the DreamWorks label, Siren Song of the Counter-Culture, has held a firm place in the Billboard Top-20 for New Artists since its arrival on store shelves in August 2004. Rise Against will do 'kombat' with gamers from their hometown of Chicago, Ill., where the band will perform at YMCA Field on June 4 as part of the Q101 Block Party powered by Xbox.

To read the article in its entirety, click here. To see the official X-Box Live Game With Fame page about Rise Against's challenge, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member CAMK for the heads up on this news story!