The guys over at GameSpot have released a new trailer for Unreal Championship 2, featuring footage of the Thunder God Raiden. No word on whether this will actually happen, but it would make sense if the game made use of some of the features in of Unreal Engine 3, which Midway recently acquired as mentioned in our news update a couple days ago. Click here and check out Official Trailer 5, which is free to stream for all, and free to download a GameSpot Basic member. Thanks to MK Online forum member kingjolly for the word on this update!

The official MK: Deception website has updated with the bios for Shao Kahn and Goro!

Shao Kahn

Place of origin: Outworld
Alignment: Evil
Foes: Kitana, Raiden, Liu Kang

My defeat at the hands of the Earthrealm warriors had left me weakened, and my dominance in Outworld was waning. Kitana's forces were closing in. It was only a matter of time before they would overrun my stronghold. Using a powerful magical item retrieved long ago by my minions, I created a clone of myself to draw my enemies' attention while I escaped into the wild. When I have regained my strength, I will destroy all who have opposed my rule.

Goro

Place of origin: Outworld
Alignment: Evil
Allies: Shao Kahn
Foes: Baraka, Kitana

Kitana's army allied with my Shokan warriors in an attempt to destroy my old master, Shao Kahn. It was rumored that he has weakening and that our victory was inevitable. During the last battle against Kano's milita, however, I was attacked from behind by a shadow warrior, Noob Saibot. I do not know for how long I lay dying on the battlefield, but when I regained consciousness, I was greeted by the last person I expected to see...

Thanks to MK Online forum member Twiztid_Ninja for the word on this update!

Midway Games has just announced that the Nintendo GameCube version of the award-winning fighting game Mortal Kombat: Deception has gone gold! In the gaming industry, when a game has "gone gold", it means the game has been completed and the final gold master disc has been sent out for mass production. In addition, the game will be released ahead of schedule; the GameCube version should hit stores on February 28th!

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

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) held their 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in Las Vegas yesterday, and Mortal Kombat: Deception won the prize for the best fighting game! The awards ceremony is part of the D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain), an annual 3-day event held by the AIAS in which fellow video game developers choose amongst themselves the top games of the year.

"The Interactive Achievement Awards provide an important arena for the interactive entertainment industry to showcase the year's most outstanding video and computer games," said Joseph Olin., president of the AIAS.

This year's winners not only represent some of 2004's most popular games, but they also embody the spirit and innovation that has driven this industry since its inception."

Click here to read the full story, or here to check out the rest of the winners from the show. A big thanks to MK Online forum/chat user CAMK for the notice on this update!

UPDATE: Midway has just issued a press release concerning Mortal Kombat: Deception's win of this award. To read the press release, click here.

Midway Games and Epic Games have announced a multi-year licensing agreement that will allow Midway to use the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 in many of their upcoming games. This will allow Midway to focus more on creating great content for the games, as opposed to developing multiple engines from scratch for multiple genres. Spokesmen from both companies commented in today's announcement:

"Great next generation games will be defined by how far they push the envelope in terms of graphical prowess, evolved artificial intelligence and revolutionary online functionality beyond what gamers are currently experiencing," said David F. Zucker, president and chief executive officer of Midway. "Our obtaining the use of Unreal Engine 3 empowers us to begin today to produce great next generation content. Our internal studios are already in the process of creating incredible products with the Unreal Engine 3 technology in multiple genres."

Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games agrees, "We are especially gratified that Midway, a major publisher committed to developing high quality games for both next generation console and PC platforms, in numerous styles and genres, came to us seeking the right to use Unreal Engine 3 as a basis technology for its enterprise."

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