We have a couple of quick updates concerning Midway's GBA fighter, Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition!

• Unlock two locked characters w/o koins: While it's already been confirmed that Hsu Hao can be unlocked by beating the game in one-player Arcade mode at Normal or higher difficulty, a source within Midway has informed us that if you beat it with all characters at Normal or higher difficulty, Reptile is then unlocked!
• Shades from the Past: Total-MK of Total Mortal Kombat was the first to tell us that one of the hidden stages is a 3D rendition of the Armory stage from Mortal Kombat II. Its koffin location is IL. As of right now it appears that it may be the only stage from the past to return, but we won't know for certain until all the koffins are unlocked...

As always, MK: Tournament Edition is available either from a retailer near you, or from the MK5.ORG Online Store!

Midway Games has shipped the Game Boy Advance-exclusive MK fighting game Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition! From Midway's press release:

THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS. Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition exclusive for the Game Boy ® Advance is now available at a retailer near you.

The deadly alliance between Shang Tsung and Quan Chi remains intact. Can they be defeated? A new set of warriors seeks a deadly revenge against the evil warlords.

NEW Multi-link capabilities allow up to four players to battle in new tournament play and tag team action!

More NEW features include:

Linked Multiplayer Capabilities/Dynamic modes:
4-Player Tournaments – Battle to win the tournament trophy
Tag Team Mode – Two characters can be selected to fight until both have lost in single or multiplayer
“Race To Raidenâ€? – Arcade style with a twist that enables gamers to change fighters after each battle to become the first to win as Raiden
Arcade Play – Make in-game wagers on connected battles
Co-op Mode – Players can use multiplayer, which is two vs. two
Reverse Compatibility – Link with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance favorites to fight head-to-head as Scorpion, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi to earn and wager gold “koins.â€? Combine with red “koinsâ€? to open even greater secrets and riches.
Practice Mode – Wail on fighters while mastering fighting styles and special moves.
Gambling – Players will be able to bet in-game on the outcome of linked battles, mini-games and other secret fighting challenges.
Red “Koinsâ€? – Earn new red “koinsâ€? in order to unlock or purchase hidden characters, backgrounds and other features in the “krypt.â€? Red “koinsâ€? can only be earned by playing Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition.
Battlegrounds – Fight in new dynamic environments such as the Lost Tomb, Wu Shi Academy, Sarna Ruins, Molochs Lair, as well as most popular backgrounds from the original Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
Warriors – Test fighting skills as Cyrax, Drahmin, Hsu Hao, Johnny Cage, Mavado, Raiden and Reptile or newcomers Bo Rai Cho and Nitra.
Exclusive Characters for the Game Boy Advance – Sareena plus two secret fighters
Improved Extended Player Statistics – Extended player statistics can be viewed for individual characters and player profile information can be saved in the game pack.

Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition will be arriving at retailers starting tomorrow. Or, if you would like to order it online, it is also available from the MK5.ORG Online Store.

We at MK5.ORG would like to send our congratulations to Midway's GBA development team on the release of what we anticipate to be a very worthy successor to the original MK: Deadly Alliance on GBA.

In the October 2003 (171) issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, there is a special feature entitled "Monday, Bloody Monday", which celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Mortal Kombat series, providing a look back at the game's phenomenal success. Included is an interview with both co-creators of the game, Ed Boon and John Tobias. Definitely worth a read for any Mortal Kombat fan. When asked what the creators were working on now, Ed replied:

I'm working on a follow-up to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Our big thing that we're researching now is online. A lot of the magic of Mortal Kombat was the whole arcade social scenario, where you're playing strangers, and how many wins in a row can you get, king of the hill, and all that stuff. That was a really huge part of the game's success. So we really feel that online is the potential next way to re-create that whole phenomenon. We don't have a ship date yet, but we're shooting for 2004.

This is nothing new if you've been keeping up with our coverage since post E3. However, for those who need more reassurance that Mortal Kombat 6 will be online, you have it now. Thanks goes to users scorpio and MickXII for help on getting this update.

Pocket IGN has come through with a hands-on preview of Midway's upcoming GBA-exclusive fighter, Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition! This preview is short on new details, but it does summarize what is known so far. From the article:

Tournament Edition has been handled by the same internal team at Midway that brought Deadly Alliance to life on the Game Boy Advance. Tournament Edition features the same 3D graphic and fighting engine as Deadly Alliance, which is definitely not a bad thing considering how successful a fighting game Deadly Alliance turned out on the handheld. The game looks, plays and feels just like last year's game, so if you enjoyed what Midway offered up with Deadly Alliance, then Tournament Edition could be a no-brainer.

The article also promises a review once the game is actually released. To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum members nthdimension and CAMK for the heads-up on this story!

It turns out that actor Trevor Goddard, who played Kano in the Mortal Kombat movies, did not die of a suicide as many have speculated. Though he did die of a drug overdose (heroin, cocaine, valium, vicodin were all found in his body), the coroner has ruled that his death was an accident.

Also interesting to note, Goddard was an Englishman posing as an Australian. He worked hard at changing his accent, and came up with a story about how he was born in Perth and later moved to the U.S. to become a professional boxer.

Read the full article here. Thanks to Shaz for letting us know.