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Thanks to MK Online members crazyred and darthtsung for the good news!
Thanks go to yojimbo24 and overkill_78 for this exciting news!
The GameCube version of Deception will be a perfect port of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, which are scheduled to release this October. However, it will not feature online play, as the other builds will. A Midway spokesperson revealed to IGN that the company will add two new, exclusive features to the GCN incarnation in place of online play.
IGN contacted chief marketing officer, Steve Allison to get his input on why this turn of events has been decided on. From their interview:
Midway has a lot of GameCube fans and as you pointed out in your first question, it's upwards of 300,000 plus on GameCube worldwide. Again the decision to hold or delay Deception from the GameCube platform was really driven from a need to turn the team's focus towards getting online gameplay solved on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox…in the end, the team's theory of getting Deception working flawlessly online for both proved absolutely true.
The announcement on IGN is available here, while you can continuing reading the interview with Allison by clicking here. We received an overabundance of news leads on this story, but we would like to thank the guys over at GameDaily for the initial heads up. They reported the rumor to us last night that such an announcement would be made, however when after contacting Midway we were told that their claims were "unconfirmed and unjustified". Well, justification certainly came today.
Hotaru - A hero from the realm of Seido, Hotaru fights to preserve law and order. Although his initial sojourn to Outworld was to kombat the Emperor Shao Kahn, he has since allied with a ruler he believes will bring stability to the realms.The video features John Vogel, Jay Biondo, Jennifer Hedrick, Tony Goskie, Nick Shin, and Mike Boon all discussing the character; he is an agent of Order and will uphold it at all costs, while Havik (who is glimpsed briefly) is an agent of Chaos. To this end, Hotaru has sided with the Dragon King. Also, the video gives the first confirmed gameplay footage of Liu Kang, though he does little more than stand around and take a beating.
Shujinko - Long before Liu Kang won the Mortal Kombat tournament in Earthrealm, Shujinko began his quest to retrieve the Kamidogu for the Elder Gods. He journeyed to many realm where he met many experienced warriors along the way.
Game Stars Live is shaping up to be THE consumer show for gamers. We're very excited to showcase our titles in front of such a keen audience, especially Mortal Kombat Deception – on-site and available to play a full two months before release. Coupled with 10/10-scoring Psi-Ops, we're sure these titles will draw crowds to the Over-18 zone.Get the full Team Xbox article here, and visit the official Game Stars Live site here.
Our thanks to forum/chat members Cyber_Axe, CAMK, and White_Pointer for the heads up!