The guys at IGN have rounded a bunch of guys they consider to be the "badasses" of PS2 games, and grouped them all together, to let you decide which one is the baddest-ass! From the article:

We've created a list of 32 characters and grouped them into packs of four for different types. The eight different groups with an example of each are: The Stealthy Loners (Naked Snake), the Heavy Hitters Union, Local 627 (Jak), The Licensed Ringers Club (Wolverine), The Not-Quite Humans (BloodRayne), The Demon Hunters Guild (Dante), Thugs-R-Us (Carl Johnson), The Lone Gunmen (Max Payne), and the Martial Arts Masters (Heihachi).

All of the characters have been paired up and so the first session of voting will last until 6/27 and will narrow the field down to 16. After that, each category will have a winner in the next session of voting when the field gets narrowed down to eight on 7/1. After that, we'll have three more voting sessions on 7/5, 7/8, and 7/11 when the lines get really blurry and the top dog emerges from the rubble. Who's going to win? Only time will tell.

In the Martial Arts category, they've picked Quan Chi from the Mortal Kombat series. He has some tough competition, such as Heihachi Mishima, Ryu, and Goku. (Frankly, I would have picked someone besides Quan Chi for this. But perhaps Mortal Kombat has a bit more bad-asses than some of the other games, and they felt they could only pick one MK character.)


To read the entire article, click here. Thanks to MK Online forum/chat member Baraka_MK for the word on this badass update!

We here at Mortal Kombat Online have been working for the past six years to bring the latest news and information from the world of Mortal Kombat, from the news sites such as GameSpot and IGN to the halls of Midway Games itself. We're now proud to kick off a new feature here at MK Online: Developer Diaries. Developer Diaries is, in short, a look at the development of the Mortal Kombat games through the eyes and words of the very people who created it. We are happy to kick off Developer Diaries with a six-part look at the development of Midway's upcoming action-adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks!

We're starting our series with an entry from MK: Shaolin Monks producer Shaun Himmerick, as he describes the circumstances that led up to the game being given a green light for development. New installments of Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks: Developer Diaries will be appearing every two weeks. Join us as we look at the beginnings and production of this new game from the eyes of the Mortal Kombat development team!

The second entry in our Developer Diaries series is now online! In this entry, Shaun Himmerick discusses the ins and outs of the environments in MKSM, plus answers a few users' comments for a bonus quickie!

NEW - August 1st - The third entry in our Developer Diaries series is now online! In this entry, Shaun again replies to fans' comments and questions, plus goes into detail about the challenges of bringing the characters to life!

NEW - August 8th - The fourth entry in the series is now online! This time, after answering fans' concerns and questions, Shaun goes into detail about Ko-op mode... revealing the trials of making it and the rewards of playing it!

NEW - August 24th - The fifth entry in the series is now online! Shaun delves into the bloody world of the finishing moves... from the Fatalities all the way to the aptly-named Brutalities!

NEW - September 9th - The final entry in the series is now online! Shaun discusses the final days of working on MK:SM. We thank you for joining us in this look at the development of MK: Shaolin Monks through the eyes of those who created it!

To see the main Developer Diary index, click here.

Looks the card-game masters over at Score Entertainment, along with the artists from Udon Comics (who publish the latest line of Street Fighter comics) are getting ready to publish a new card battle game being called: Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat, available this September from Blockbuster Video. From the article:

Score Entertainment's Epic Battles Trading Card Game will finally allow players to play out their dream matches between characters from Midway's Mortal Kombat series and Capcom's Street Fighter series. All the artwork will be done by our talented crew at Udon. The card game will debut in September exclusively at Blockbuster video stores across the continent. Stay tuned for more info!

To read the article in its entirety, click here. Thanks to MK Online registered user The Switcher for the tip on this update!

GameDaily has posted a new preview of Midway's upcoming action/adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! This preview doesn't really cover any new ground, and appears to be based on the demo shown at E3. From the article:

Of the game licenses that are out there, it seems that Midway's Mortal Kombat has gone through the most turbulence. The series has seen its fair share of unbelievably cool titles (like the first two Mortal Kombat games and the recent Deception) and really crappy letdowns (the disappointing Mortal Kombat 3 and the recent TV Games release that feels rather cheap). But the series suffered worst whenever it strolled off the beaten path, trying for something different in terms of side-scrolling action (Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero) or pure brawling (the horrendous Mortal Kombat: Special Forces). However, the company's still got some ideas in mind for a full-fledged action game, and they could very well have the formula right this time with the forthcoming Shaolin Monks.

The game will take you a journey similar to Special Forces, but instead of falling into the trap of making a nonsense-filled game loaded with flat gameplay, Midway and Paradox are instead focusing on the Kombat essence that made the series great and are incorporating it into an action game that actually looks pretty sweet. Credit not only Paradox, but Ed Boon, one of the original creators of the Mortal Kombat series. He's lending his expertise to make sure this product doesn't suffer the same fate as the other spinoffs.

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I figured if anything needed some focus with Shaolin Monks, it would have to be the gameplay. After all, if it's got nothing really great to offer, then the game would bomb. Fortunately, from what I've played so far, it really feels like it's coming together quite nicely. The ability to use some familiar moves from Liu or Kung's arsenal, like fireballs and uppercuts, is a nice touch, and the control system doesn't really feel that difficult at all. In fact, it's also pretty well varied, coming across with different ways to dispatch enemies. I was delightfully surprised to learn I could knock an enemy into some of the dangerous surroundings, like spikes and open flames.

The game also looks pretty solid as well. It appears to have pretty basic level design, but there are nice touches that scream Kombat. For instance, you start out in the dungeon where you first brawled in the original game and eventually work your way to an outside terrace, complete with a ledge leaning over the spiked pit from the first title. The animation looks rock solid and the detail is top notch, complete with lots of blood and guts for the fans. And then you have the sound, complete with great voice work and some cool background music and noise to emulate the Kombat sound.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

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

It's been nearly a month since we've seen some fresh screens of this Fall's upcoming Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Thanks to our sources within Midway Games, below are five brand new screenshots. See Kung Lao face off against an ugly tarkatan, Liu Kang receiving quite a headache, a raging battle from the Living Forest, an apparent boss battle, and Scorpion showing Kang the true meaning of the word "Toasty!" Thanks goes out again to Midway Games for the update!