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.

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.