The guys over at 1UP.COM have their MK: Deception preview as well, in addition to having their exclusive screenshots of the game. From the preview:

For the first time since Mortal Kombat sequels stopped having numbers attached to them, Deception on GameCube includes four-armed beast Goro and notorious boss Shao Kahn as playable characters. Even better, both characters are selectable right from the beginning, so players won't have to spend long amounts of time with the game before they get to try out the new additions.

Tech-wise, the game's graphics are more or less comparable to the other versions, and everything runs smoothly, so it doesn't look like GC players will have much of a negative tradeoff for the extra characters beyond the lack of online play, which will be no surprise to GC players.

Be sure to check out their exclusive screenshots, including some that depict Shao Kahn INSIDE one of the Dark Prison cells while Goro is on the outside: To read the preview in its entirety, click here.

The folks over at GameSpot have done it again – this time with a whopping 21 new images of Goro and Kahn from the GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception! In addition to the GameCube select screen, we also have confirmation that the bosses will have Fatalities! Click here to check them all out, or you can click the thumbnails above to see the corresponding image. Thanks to MK Online forum/chat user danas for the tip on this update!

Looks like the guys at IGN have had a chance to sit down and play the new Mortal Kombat TV Games Unit from Jakks Pacific. From their review:

Mortal Kombat literally shoves the graphics, sound, gameplay, and violent nature of the original title into a self-contained controller that cleverly mimics the classic Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet. The device utilizes thumb-pad and button layout that's in line with the arcade unit's panel, right down to the button colors and text directions labeling the controls. The side panels lack the cheesy "Johnny Cage" dragon artwork, quite possibly a legal issue Jakks may have wanted to avoid. It still would have been cool to have them on there, if only to liven up the bland red sides just begging for a sticker.

Go here for the rest of the review, along with some screenshots of this cool little handheld version of the original Mortal Kombat! Also be sure to check out the media page, complete with 23 new images and 3 new movies here.

Special thanks to forum/chatroom user DECEPTION for the heads up!

In addition to the GameSpot videos (our update within the last hour), the guys at IGN are not to be forgotten. Six videos (two of which feature Goro and Shao Kahn) and five images (four of which have the two new bosses) have been added to their site. The pictures are crisp and give us a better portrayal of the two GameCube-exclusive characters, and the videos give us a better look at Shao Kahn's Forcefield Uppercut move, as well as some really cool grab moves for both players.
The low quality .WMV (Windows Media) Videos are free to download, while you must be suscribed to IGN Insider to get the higher quality QuickTime videos. Thanks once again to MK Online reader Jab316 for the news!

The folks over at GameSpot have updated their site with new exclusive videos of Goro and Shao Kahn fighting it out in the GameCube version of MK: Deception.

Shao Kahn's fighting styles are Tai Tzu and Lui He, and his weapon is the Wrath Hammer from MK3. You can actually make out the Mortal Kombat dragon logo on it! He has his classic moves such as the soulder ram, rising knee, and green fireball from MK3. Also back are his taunts, "I rule this world", and "Bow to me", using the same MKII and MK3 voice samples by Steve Ritchie. There are some new moves for the Emperor as well, like this wacky green forcefield uppercut.

Goro's fighting styles are Shokan and Kuatan, and his weapons are Dragon Fangs –€“ four curved gauntlets that extend from his wristguards. The classic moves like fireball and stomp return, as well as a new "Ground Pound" move involves Goro hitting the ground with a fireball! The exclusive GameCube bosses were seen activating death traps, but it is not known whether they themselves are susceptible to them (although Shao Kahn was seen slipping near some spikes in the Dragon King's Arena, so chances are good that they are). It's also not known yet whether they will have Fatalities or Hara-Kiris – but from the video, it's clear that they ARE presented with the opportunity to "Finish Him!"



Also, you can read their full preview here. The videos are free to stream, or even download as GameSpot Basic member. Our thanks go to MK Online Forum/Chat member Jab316 for the tip on this update!

Everyone's favorite fighting game series, Mortal Kombat, appeared on G4TechTV's program "Icons" on an episode that was all about fighting games. They did a surprisingly good job considering they had to fit the information into thirty minutes (minus commercials), covering a wide variety of topics such as: How fighting games started, how they tied into the arcade scene, how the fighters on the powerful consoles drove away arcade business, the emergence of 3D technology being used, violence in fighting games, how certain politicians reacted, the assembly of the IDSA/ESA and the rating systems, and online play. Many people from different sectors of the gaming industry gave comments on their own perspective, including four people from the Mortal Kombat team: Ed Boon, John Tobias, Steve Beran, and Tony Goskie.



For details on the show (such as the next airing), check out its own page on the G4TechTV website here. Our thanks to MK Online forum/chat member DECEPTION for the heads up on this update!

The folks over at Jakks Pacific have sent us a super high-resolution photo of their Mortal Kombat TV Games Unit, and you can make out a lot of detail not noticable before in earlier pictures.


Check out the picture here, or if you want a super high-resolution image, click here.

The best part is that we've also been given official word on the release date: Look for it in stores as of March 2005!

Thanks to our contact at Jakks Pacific for this update.

The latest issue of Game Informer (Issue 142/Feb. 2005) has within it a list of the Top 50 games of 2004, and Mortal Kombat: Deception made it to that list. The games weren't ranked, so all fifty of them have equal weight. From the article:

Not only does Deception refine and improve the fighting engine introduced in Deadly Alliance, it also adds online play and a bucket of additional features, such as an MK version of chess and a puzzle game. An improved training mode is also offered in the form of Konquest mode. With so many different ways to play, a ton of unlockables, and the rock solid combat at its core, no other fighting game around is as fully stacked as Deception.

Additionally, they're having a contest on their website where you can win all fifty of them. To register for the contest, click here.

But it doesn't end there – there were two more lists in this mag, Top 10 Developers and Top 10 Publishers. Their #10 Developer was Midway (Chicago), and the #7 Publisher was Midway as a whole. So congratulations to the folks over at Midway on even more victories! Thanks go to MK Online's own The_Purple_Bunny for the word on this update.

Our sources within Midway Games have come through for the fans again. This time, they've provided for us renders of the two exclusive characters in the upcoming GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception: Goro and Shao Kahn! While garbed in their traditional costumes, the renders also reveal some subtle attention to detail, including (for example) irises in the glowing red eyes of both characters. Click on the thumbnails to get larger sized images for download: Mortal Kombat: Deception for GameCube in still on track for a March release. Our thanks to our sources within Midway for providing these renders!

IGN has just posted a story in which they give a preview of one of Jakks Pacific's upcoming additions to its TV Games lineup. This particular TV Games unit has only one game on it, but it is a heftier game than most other TV Games: the original Mortal Kombat! From the article:

Mortal Kombat TV Games will be a self-contained unit based on the original arcade game's upright control panel in a control-pad form. This battery-powered device simply plugs into any TV or VCR with video/audio inputs, offering an accurate version of the original 1990 arcade hit Mortal Kombat without the need for a gaming console.

Two of these units can be linked together for one-on-one fights, and the internal memory chip will record high score standings, just like the original arcade unit. Jakks Pacific promises that the version of Mortal Kombat in this controller will be completely unedited, featuring the same blood and fatalities the series is known for

The article also has an image of the controller; the color scheme of the controller matches the red, yellow, and orange look of the original Mortal Kombat arcade machine. A release date has not been set yet, but the article does state that the currently planned price is $19.99. As we learn more about this controller, we'll be sure to post it here!

To read the story in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum member darthtsung for the heads-up on this news story!

New Shaolin Monks Interview over at Team Xbox! From the article:

The Mortal Kombat series is one that certainly needs no introduction. Visions of gruesome, bloody combat and over-the-top fatalities immediately come to mind as soon as the MK dragon seal is seen. Ever since debuting in arcades back in 1992, gamers have held a special place in their hearts for Mortal Kombat, and while not every title has been a success (cough, Mortal Kombat Advance, cough), there is no doubting the influence that the series has had on the industry. So what’s next for Mortal Kombat? How about a an action/adventure game that digs deep into the MK mythology while providing a multi-directional combat system, a cooperative mode, and of course, lots of fatalities. In this exclusive interview, Producer Shaun Himmerick outlines the direction that Paradox Development is taking the Mortal Kombat series with their creation, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.

Go HERE for the full interview where they touch on multiple playable characters as well as an explanation on the multi-directional "kombat" system in game, the multiplayer aspects of gameplay, and of course, the Fatalities and even new "Multalities"!


Special thanks go out to forum user UltimateRyu for the heads up!

A few months back, MTV had Mortal Kombat: Deception characters Baraka, Scorpion, and Raiden guest star on a show of theirs called Video Mods. Now, they have made that video freely available on their website as a streaming video. The name of the song that the video game characters are dancing to is called "Stand And Choose" and was about the Presidential election. Thanks to MK Online forum/chat member DECEPTION for the news!

Mortal Kombat: Deception's own emerald assassin, Jade, will be making an appearance on a new show on G4TechTV's lineup in May called "Girls Gone Wired". It's looks as though they will use a CG model as opposed to a live actress, but either way, this is something the MK fans won't want to miss! The new TV show is described as "a digital beauty pageant featuring the hottest 2D and 3D women on the planet, which is set to premiere in May."


Check out the entire press release here.

It looks like the gaming site FileFront had the opportunity to have an interview with John Podlasek, the producer for Mortal Kombat: Deception. They talk about some of the goals behind MKD's creation, some of what went into Deadly Alliance that they have now continued, some of the things to expect for the GameCube version of Deception, and a variety of other subjects. From the interview:

One of the things we're most proud of is also having an online mode not just for the fighting mode, but also the puzzle and board game modes. The ability to find gamers 24/7 all over the country to compete against with in these different modes is awesome. And unlike our competition, the fact that the majority of players are having a good experience online in terms of performance and latency will keep the game growing as more people get broadband (we're really close to 2 million online matches played since launch on just the PS2, which is amazing).

Check out the full interview here.