Game Chronicles Magazine has posted an interview with Shaun Himmerick, who is the producer of Midway's upcoming action/adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! In the interview, Shaun gives some tidbits about the game and its development process; for example, he tells what involvement members from the original team has in MKSM. From the interview:

The game is being developed out of the Midway LA office, formerly Paradox Development. Even though this game was originally being done as a 3rd party project, the MK team in Chicago has maintained very close contact and worked closely with the team in LA. The art directors on MKSM are Tony Goskie and Steve Beran from the MK Deception team and have been apart of the MK team for many games. As well, Ed Boon is the Creative Director of the game.

In addition, he gives details concerning the exact placement of the game in the Mortal Kombat timeline. From the interview:

The game play picks up right after the final Battle of MK1 and then travels through the MK2 realms. The player can choose to play as either Liu Kang or Kung Lao in the single player adventure or they can choose to play in 2 player co-op mode and work together to get through the game. You’ll see a ton of characters from the MK universe as you progress through the game. Some MK characters will help you out, like Raiden, and some will be huge boss battles, like Baraka. One nice thing in this game is that if you are an ally of someone in the MK universe they will probably help you in this game, and if they are an enemy, well, there is probably going to be some ass to kick.

Also, he does admit to the possibility of platform-specific unlockables.

Not really. The Xbox gives some inherent advantages with how art looks that will be obvious to players. Also we are considering some platform specific unlockables in the game, but basically we will have the same game on both platforms.

The interview's end also provides a hint to an upcoming game focusing on who is arguably Mortal Kombat's most popular character. To read the article in its entirety, click here.

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

The guys over at GameSpot have some more exclusive footage of MK: Deception for the GameCube, this time as part of their weekly online show, On The Spot. Many subjects are covered in this show each week, including D.I.C.E. Summit 2005. This week's video is 55 minutes long (commercial-free) and actually begins streaming pretty quickly. This episode aired live on February 3, 2005. You can stream it for free now, and you will also be able to download it for free as a GameSpot Basic member soon. Also, if interested – check the archives on their site, for an older episode from October 7, 2004 has other MKD-related footage. Thanks to MK Online forum member DECEPTION for the news!

Midway Games issued a press release this afternoon that fans of both the Unreal and Mortal Kombat series of games can both appreciate. Unreal Championship 2 for X-Box is now available for pre-order, complete with a bonus to whet players' appetites until the game is released. From the press release:

Through Midway's Unreal Championship 2 pre-sell program, gamers can now pre-order their copy of Unreal Championship 2 and receive a FREE LIVE ENABLED UC2 DEMO DISC INSTANTLY. Also included in the pre-sell offer are three (3) character collector trading cards (*3 of 12...collect all 12)!

In addition, Midway announced that the official UC2 website is now online with information concerning the game. From the press release:

Midway also announced the unveiling of www.unrealchampionship2.com where everything that an Unreal fan could possibly want to know about Unreal Championship 2 is now available on one site! Character biographies, new screenshots and numerous gameplay trailers await and promise to appease even the most hardcore fans until Unreal Championship 2 ships to stores on April 11, 2005.

While Raiden is a playable character version in the retail version, we have confirmed he will not be available in the demo version. Stay tuned; as we learn more about this game, especially in regards to Raiden and other possible(?) MK references, we'll be sure to report it here!

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

In an effort to get the juicy details on Raiden's recent induction into the Unreal universe, IGN spoke with publisher Midway Games on how the god of lightning and thunder bolted his way over to developer Epic Games' Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict. From the article:

"The guys at Epic are huge Mortal Kombat fans," said Steve Allison, the chief marketing officer who's also currently serving as executive producer for L.A. Rush. "So when we did the publishing deal for Unreal Championship 2 with them it started as a 'wouldn't it be cool if we could put some MK characters in the Unreal universe?' more as a joke, and then the Epic guys said, 'Let's do it!.' Raiden was chosen because he was the one guy the Epic guys all wanted unanimously. He also fits the Unreal universe well, given his orientation around lightning based projectiles."

You can read more up on this article here, where you can also check out some new videos. Thanks goes out to Baraka_MK of our chatroom for the heads up!

Midway Games announced today the pre-sell program for AREA 51 (www.area51-game.com). Gamers can pre-order their copy of AREA 51 and receive a copy of Midway Arcade Treasures 2, for free. Comprised of twenty arcade classics such as Mortal Kombat II and 3, NARC, Gauntlet II, and Pit Fighter, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 allows gamers to rediscover the retro fun of single and multiplayer arcade favorites.

yle1">**Offer available at select retailers, while supplies last. Consumer’s will receive Midway Arcade Treasures 2 when they pickup their copy of AREA 51.**

yle1">AREA 51 Game Description:

yle1">The U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility and the automated quarantine procedures have locked all scientific and military personnel inside. A small Special Forces unit led by Specialist Ethan Cole of the HAZMAT (hazardous materials) Division is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into five massive levels within the confines of Area 51, discovering a deadly mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. With a multitude of human and alien weapons, players must explore chilling conspiracies such as the extraterrestrial crash at Roswell and the faked lunar landing, in order to solve the enigma of Area 51 before the viral mutagen is released and irrevocably mutates all life on Earth.