The Chicago Sun-Times is running an Associated Press story about Midway Games, discussing the company's financial turnaround in the past year, especially under the leadership of CEO David Zucker. The article also discusses the influence Mortal Kombat has had in making this comeback. From the article:

[Zucker] returned Midway's focus to over-the-top sports games where slam dunks are punctuated by explosions, and mature-rated action games such as the wildly popular ''Mortal Kombat,'' which has turned the Internet into a blood-soaked battlezone.

The ''Mortal Kombat'' series has generated $1 billion since its initial release in 1992, and the latest, ''Mortal Kombat: Deception,'' hit U.S. stores Oct. 4. Midway announced on Oct. 12 it had already shipped 1 million copies, and more than 130,000 matches were played over the Internet in the first week after the game was released.

With the holiday season approaching, Midway hopes ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' will help it record its first profit since 1999. The company has added developers, streamlined the product line, and revamped its marketing strategy in the last year.

...

''The video-game business is a lot like the movie business,'' Zucker said. ''You have to make great games, of course. But then you also have to create pre-launch awareness so that when (the games) hit the store shelves, there's a lot of demand pent up behind them.''

The article also touches on other projects the company is involved with, including the upcoming Area 51 remake and Spy Hunter movie, and the support of Viacom and its CEO, Sumner Redstone.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member DECEPTION for the heads-up on this news story!

Midway Games released a press release today, officially and formally announcing the development of their upcoming action/adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! While the press release doesn't entirely touch on ground that hasn't already been announced, it does give some insight into the game, as quoted by series co-creator and project lead Ed Boon. From the press release:

Mortal Kombat : Shaolin Monks is an Action/Adventure title driven by both intense single and multi-player action. Similar to the recently released Mortal Kombat: Deception, background interactions (i.e., acid pits, living trees, spiked ceilings, etc.), multiple new fatalities, and action-based puzzles will also play an important role in the player's quest for an "outstanding" victory. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks will feature an impressive line-up of Mortal Kombat characters, as well, that make frequent appearances as enemies, in boss battles and during several additional in-game interactions.

"For the first time ever, Mortal Kombat fanatics will get to explore all the mythos and rumors of the Mortal Kombat universe from an entirely new perspective. Action/Adventure fans will be blown away by the intuitive kombat system, puzzle solving and epic storyline that can be experienced in either the single player mode or through co-op play," said Mortal Kombat creator, Ed Boon.

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

Stay tuned; as always, as we learn more about this game, we'll be sure to report it here.

Mortal Kombat Online's Fight Night chat has always been about bringing Mortal Kombat fans into contact with the creative minds behind a franchise that we all know and love. Once again, we have been privileged with the presence of Midway Games' very own Mortal Kombat: Deception development team. Joining us in the Mortal Kombat Online IRC Network tonight were Ed Boon, John Vogel, Steve Beran, Mike Taran, Tony Goskie, John Podlasek, Paulo Garcia, Brian LeBaron, Jon Greenberg, Tony Zeffiro, and Tim DaRosa. These Mortal Kombat gurus spent an hour answering your questions, tackling difficult topics that you wanted to know about. The chat went extremely well, and we would like to extend our thanks to the over 1200 users who joined us for this very succesful Fight Night chat! It was a great opportunity for the MK world to rally together and spend time with the Mortal Kombat team ...

However, Midway did not stop at simply joining us in our chat room for an hour. As an incredible honor to Mortal Kombat Online, staff members CCShadow, Scott-Howell, ]{0MBAT, and Mobster4Christ were all invited to join the team personally in their Chicago development studio! Not only were we able to hang out with the guys all night while we conducted the Fight Night chat, but we were given a full tour of the game studio and even joined several of the team members for lunch. It was a fantastic experience for the four of us to see the birthplace of the Mortal Kombat universe, holding actual Mortal Kombat game props, and picking the brains of the talent behind the giant Mortal Kombat series. The team was very generous with their time and resources (even challenging us to good old fashioned 4-player fun in The Grid!), and we look forward to bringing you an exclusive video tour of Midway Games within the next few days! Stay tuned here to Mortal Kombat Online for our video feature, and in the meantime check out the transcript of tonight's Fight Night chat!

Once again, we'd like to extend our extreme thanks to Midway Games for taking time out of their busy schedules. Their generosity is what helps keep Mortal Kombat Online alive, and we are extremely grateful.

GameSpot has posted two screenshots from Midway's upcoming action/adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! The first screenshot features Liu Kang and Sub-Zero firing off their projectiles at each other,. while the distinct shadow of Santa Claus can be seen flying across the moon. The second image is of Raiden as seen from behind in the foreground, as he speaks to Liu Kang and Kung Lao as they stand in front of a portcullis. Raiden's costume very definitely looks to be based off of his outfit in Mortal Kombat 4, while Sub-Zero's looks like his MK4 or Mortal Kombat II costume.

To see the image of Liu Kang and Sub-Zero, click here. To see the image of Raiden, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao, click here. Stay tuned here; as we learn more about MK: Shaolin Monks, we'll be sure to report it.

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

GameSpot has posted a preview of Midway's upcoming action/adventure game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! According to the article, the game will be released for the Playstation 2 and X-Box platforms in late 2005. The preview also gives some information about what to expect from the game. From the preview:

Few hard details have been revealed so far about Shaolin Monks' gameplay or setting--the game looks to be a brawler-style action game, and it's a pretty safe bet that we'll be seeing plenty of places and faces from previous MK fighting games in this new action adventure. Mortal Kombat fans will notice Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Mileena, and the recently returned Baraka in the new screenshots, not to mention backgrounds like the portal and the tower from Mortal Kombat II. Interestingly enough, some screens show several Baraka-like characters fighting at one time. Perhaps we'll finally get some more background on Baraka's often-discussed race of Outworld mutants as Shaolin Monks' storyline unfolds.

The game will have both single-player and cooperative modes, and though the number of simultaneous players hasn't been revealed, it's worth noting that the screenshots don't seem to contain more than two classic characters onscreen at any one time. Like the recently released Mortal Kombat: Deception, Shaolin Monks will contain many backgrounds with interactive features like spiked ceilings, acid pits, and living trees (we appreciate the many nods to MKII that are apparently being included in the game). And of course, no Mortal Kombat game would be complete without a host of gory new fatalities.

The article also contains eight screenshots of in-game action. To see the preview in its entirety, click here.

In addition, GameSpot has posted a news article acting as an announcement of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Of particular note is a statement by Midway CEO David Zucker concerning the release schedule of future MK games. From the article:

The other big change to the Mortal Kombat series is its frequency. In a statement, Midway president David F. Zucker said a new game in the franchise would arrive each year. “Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is also our first step toward delivering something that Mortal Kombat fans have been calling for: a new game set in the Mortal Kombat universe every year," he said. "We are planning our Mortal Kombat release schedule with the expectation that we will deliver a new Mortal Kombat title annually.�

To read the news article in its entirety, click here. Keep checking back with us; as we learn more about Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, we'll be sure to report it.

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

The guys over at BradyGames have updated their Deception section, or as I call it, their "Desection". From their site:

Mortal Kombat Fans!

Here is the first of several updates. Download this PDF which contains information for all the unlockable items in the Krypt. Coming soon are the Fatalities and the Konquest walk through.

Thank you for your patience.

- The BradyGames Team

Visit their MKD section here, or download their update as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file directly here.

UPDATE -- October 22: Looks like there's 2 more PDF's. The Konquest Walkthrough is 11 MB, and the Fatality Guide is not nearly so big, at a mere 2 MB. Thanks to MK Online forum/chat user Bloodline666 for the notice!

A site called Figures.com has announced that there will be a new line of action figures based on Mortal Kombat: Deception. These figures, first mentioned on WAM Entertainment (the site for the MK: Deception comics) will be out by Jazwares, Inc. (already responsible for a superb line of Street Fighter and Megaman action figures). According to the article, the first line of toys will include Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion, will include 30+ points of articulation and will feature highly detailed sculpting.


Click here to read the article in its entirety. Thanks to MK Online reader BigCen for the word!

A transcript is now available here. Thank you all for coming, more news about our trip to Midway Game's Studio will be released in the coming days!

--

It's that time once again! Have you ever wanted to interview the Mortal Kombat: Deception development team? Do you have a question you'd just love to have Ed Boon answer? Now's your chance!

Mortal Kombat Online proudly announces the return of its celebrity chat feature, FIGHT NIGHT! Our guests will be the development team for Midway's blockbuster fighting game, Mortal Kombat: Deception, including project lead Ed Boon! The chat will take place on Monday, October 25th at 8 PM Eastern Daylight Time. The event will last for about an hour, and it will take place at the #MortalKombat Online IRC Network!

Because of the anticipated extremely high attendance we will be handling question submission differently this time around. From now until Saturday October 23rd at 5:59 PM EDT, we will be pre-accepting questions for the chat at fightnight@mortalkombatonline.com. We will be accepting approximately ten to fifteen questions from the pre-submitted queue, time permitting. Then, attendees will be able to submit questions at the actual event itself. The remainder of the questions for the evening will be picked from the questions asked at the event.

Again, the event will be taking place Monday, October 25th at 8 PM EDT. We look forward to seeing you all at FIGHT NIGHT!

The website for the upcoming Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, now has its own website at: www.mkshaolinmonks.com also available at www.mortalkombatshaolinmonks.com

Nothing much on the site yet, except for a Coming Soon message and the classic MK dragon symbol - but this is a good indication that things are progressing on the next MK game.

Thanks go to out to MK Online forum/chat user DECEPTION for the tip!

The official MK: Deception comics (mentioned in the BradyGames strategy guide) now have their own website: www.wamentertainment.com. Soon, you will be able to pre-order the comics (which are supposed to be released on March 2005) and it looks like they'll be selling a line of Deception action figures, as well! Check out their previews:

Pencil 1 | Pencil 2 | Pencil 3 | Pencil 4 | Pencil 5 | Pinup 1 | Pinup 2

Further indicating the place of video games in modern entertainment history, Metreon, a Sony Entertainment Destination, is starting a new annual award for electronic entertainment titled the Walk of Game. The Walk of Game is similar to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, in that it honors games with a walkway plaque, to be installed in the San Fransisco Metreon. This new award is surely an honor to any game inducted into it's hallowed halls.

On that note, Mortal Kombat is one of twenty-five games nominated for a place in the Hall of Game. Currently ranked 19th, Mortal Kombat and Midway need your votes!

To show the Midway guys how much their games mean to us, head on over to WalkOfGame.com to cast your ballot.

One short week after releasing Mortal Kombat: Deception, the folks at Midway Games have issued a press release stating that the latest title in the Mortal Kombat series has shipped 1,000,000 units! From the press release:

Slashing its way to an amazing start at retail, Mortal Kombat: Deception is the fastest selling game in the history of Midway outselling even its highly-successful predecessor, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, by more than 35% in its first week of release.

These exceptional sales are highlighted further by the fact that Mortal Kombat: Deception has only been released on the Playstation 2 and X-Box, when compared to Deadly Alliance's additional release on the GameCube.

Congratulations to all of the folks at Midway Games, especially those involved with the production of Mortal Kombat: Deception!

To read the full press release, click here.

Midway Games announced today the shipment of Midway Arcade Classics 2. Of interest to fans, this compilation features two bloody arcade classics, including Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3. From the press release:

With Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Midway provides gamers with the option of enjoying their favorite games in one-to-four-player game formats, depending on the title, along with the ultimate gaming �flashback� experience with a collection of classic titles that represent a fresh, new era in the history of the game industry. The bonus DVD content also features several video montages and launch trailers along with �making of the game� videos for several of the titles included on the disk.

To read the press release in its entirety click here. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is available for Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube and retails for a bargain price of $19.99 USD. You can get caught up on all of the classic MK moves and finishing moves by visiting our cousin site, Mortal Kombat Bible.

Midway Games has sent us the cover art for the November0 issue of Game Informer Magazine, featuring the shocking world exclusive of the next game in the series: Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks! This issue of Game Informer will be released today, and contains the exciting new look at the next Mortal Kombat incarnation. We are honestly still in shock from this update coming in. At this time we can not confirm whether this is either the next round of the fighting genre format, like Mortal Kombat: Deception released this week, or0 if this is the second spin off from the traditional beat 'em up system, to a new Adventure format like Mortal Kombat: Mythologies. However, the rumor has it that this game is the latter and indeed not your ordinary fighting brawl.

Special thanks to Midway for sending us word, and they have said more is headed our way in the future!

Welcome to the Mortal Kombat Online Version 7 Preview Release! With the release this week of Mortal Kombat: Deception, we found it important that with the addition of online play in this new title, that we offer fans a true online experience. A foundation has been set and the goal to become the internet’s most trusted name of the Mortal Kombat Community has clearly been made. With Mortal Kombat: Deception out the door we are continuing to go the extra mile and build upon this site. A community has been established, however laid out below are some of the new Version 7 features that raise the bar in Mortal Kombat fan sites:

• Mortal Kombat Online Flawless Account (Yearly premium membership/$19.99 per year)
• Mortal Kombat Online Instant Messaging via integrated Jabber Protocol0 (With Warrior rank or Above or Flawless Account)
• Mortal Kombat Online Media Page (Coming Soon!)
• Mortal Kombat Online Member Photos
• Mortal Kombat Online Fan Fiction Page (Coming Soon!)
• New Mortal Kombat Online News Format
• RSS Support for Mozllia FireFox
• New Mortal Kombat Profiles and Settings
• Mortal Kombat Online Featured Profile Showcase

In the coming weeks we will be introducing the rest of our themes, as well as content that we have had to postpone. In addition we would like to send a warm welcome to our newest staff members ~Crow~, ThePurpleBunny, and Murdoink! Version 7 is just the start of great things to come as we prepare the first version release of the Mortal Kombat Bible website. Understand that you may run into bugs, and we will work to fix things throughout the coming weeks. Enjoy the new site, and thanks for making Mortal Kombat Online the leader in Mortal Kombat News!

After long months of waiting, the day is finally here. Midway Games released a press release today announcing that Mortal Kombat: Deception, the long-awaited new game in the Mortal Kombat series, has finally been released! From the press release:

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that Mortal Kombat®: Deception08482;, the latest entry in the company's best-selling Mortal Kombat franchise, has shipped for the PlayStation ®2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox ® video game system from Microsoft. The game will be backed by the most extensive marketing campaign in Midway's history. The multi-million dollar marketing support for Mortal Kombat: Deception includes television, cinema, print and online advertising, innovative point-of-purchase materials and specialized events.

"Midway, along with the millions of MK fans around the globe, is extremely excited about the release of Mortal Kombat: Deception," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "The Deception team has worked diligently over the past two years to ensure that this MK title will be the best yet. Not only will it be the first ever 3D fighter to be playable online via both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox Live 08482;, but the team has also succeeded in meeting a goal that some thought wasn't going to be possible... they made a fighting game that plays as responsive online as it does offline. To support these ambitious efforts and hefty accomplishments, we are backing Mortal Kombat: Deception with the most extensive marketing campaign in Midway's company history."

The press release also mentions the critical acclaim the game has received, including the 8.8 score it received from IGN and the 9.5 score it received from Game Informer. In addition, some of the details concerning advertising and other programs are mentioned in the press release.

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

On behalf of Mortal Kombat Online, we'd like to extend our congratulations to Midway and the MK development team in particular for getting the game out to such high marks, and we look forward to seeing all of you in kombat online.

MK Deception is out in stores - shouldn't you be playing right now instead of reading this? In shopping malls and game stores all over North America, there are promotional MK Deception posters and cardboard standees everywhere. Haven't seen them yet? No problem, take a look at what the stores have:

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Thanks to EB Games, FYE, and GameStop for their cooperation in this update!

Well, the guys at GameSpot have gotten their hands on the latest in the Mortal Kombat franchise: Mortal Kombat: Deception. Their review of the game is pretty intense and covers all 4 modes of play:

The latest in Midway's influential and long-running fighting game series, Mortal Kombat: Deception, picks up where 2002's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance left off by featuring lots of new and returning fighters, a variety of surprising new modes of play, and, perhaps best of all, the ability to play online. The strangest part about Deception is how it includes several completely off-the-wall modes, the likes of which you'd never expect from a fighting game. These include the single-player konquest mode, which is a story-driven adventure; puzzle kombat, a competitive Tetris-style puzzle game that's an unabashed homage to Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo; and chess kombat, which is inspired by the classic computer game Archon.

Their general impression:

All told, MK: Deception is an outstanding, fully featured game. And it's one that's naturally best suited to series' fans--especially those who liked 2002's similar Deadly Alliance. It's these players who'll be most likely to appreciate the game's peculiar emphasis on story and unlockable extras. But make no mistake: The best, most fully developed part of Deception is its fighting system. Like any great fighting game, this one carefully strikes the balance of delivering fast-paced, visceral thrills and rewarding lots of practice and complex tactics. As such, any fighting game fan should be rightfully attracted by the prospect of Deception's online play, which works as advertised and truly does make a big difference, because it provides access to live competition all the time. Not all of Deception's modes and features are flat-out great, but the game's absolutely got it where it counts.

Overall, the game got an 8.5 out of 10 (not as high as the 9.5 awarded by Game Informer recently). Click here to read the full article.

IGN has posted their final review of MK: Deception, and they have many good words to say about the game. Their closing comments sum it up quite nicely:

The Mortal Kombat series has always been a phenomenon. There are legions of dedicated fans out there that absolutely love it, and even more that can't stand it. But more often than not, it seems to boil down to the one simple argument: Are you a Street Fighter guy or a Mortal Kombat guy? Yet despite the fact that I, myself, have always been a Ryu and Ken supporter, the last couple of fighters from Midway have really gotten my attention. Especially this one: which is so huge and intimidating, that it will take even the most dedicated franchise fans out there quite some time to vanquish it.

However, they also bear this warning:

Don't be misled by the overly positive score below, though. Because despite the fact that I enjoyed the game thoroughly, was impressed by its replayablity and depth, and felt that it has the best online fighting model of any other game on the market until Dead or Alive Ultimate comes out, it's still not recommended for everyone. Japanese 2D fighting elitists or hardcore Tekken addicts may not be able to accept it -- and that's fine, personal tastes are personal tastes.

Overall, they give the game an 8.8 out of 10 (IMHO, they marked the sound and graphics a bit too low, which probably brought down the final score.) Check out the full article here, and thanks to MK Online forum member Sub-Scorpion for the news this time around!

Ever faithful to the Mortal Kombat fanatics out there, IGN has updated with their ongoing Fatality Friday series!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

This time around, we are treated to a particularly painful acupuncture lesson from the ever mysterious Noob-Smoke! After defeating Baraka, Noob-Smoke does a few style changes, finalizing his form as Noob. He then proceeds to whip a series of throwing stars at his defeated opponent, for a serious lesson in murder.

To see the gore for yourself, click here.

While we can assume this is the final Fatality Friday from IGN, be sure to keep checking back here at Mortal Kombat Online for the latest news and information regarding Mortal Kombat: Deception!

Thanks to forum member Kabal2006 for being the first to notify us of this Fatality Friday!

After a relatively long wait, pictures of the limited edition Mortal Kombat: Deception controllers are now available at GameStop! Although it remains doubtful that this will be the final release date, the PS2 controllers have a supposed release date of November 1, while X-Box users only have to wait until October 29. Thanks to long time MK Online forum/chat member EmperorNash for the news!

As with many past Mortal Kombat titles, it appears that Mortal Kombat: Deception will have its own Mini-Guide in addition to the regularly sized strategy guide. By pre-ordering MK Deception or the MK Deception Kollector's Edition/Premium Pack through Toys 'R' Us you can get the Mini-Guide free.

The product page for MKD with Mini-Guide can be found here. Thanks to MK Online reader candyman1014 for the news!

GameSpot has released the fourth installment in their Official Movie series, which gives information about different features in Midway's soon-to-be-released fighting game, Mortal Kombat: Deception! The first half of Official Movie 4 is dedicated to Chess Kombat, where MK team members Dan Forden and Jay Biondo give an overview of Chess Kombat, how the gameplay works, and shows the mode in action. The second half of the movie profiles Puzzle Kombat, in which Nick Shin joins Dan and Jay in giving a description of Puzzle Kombat's gameplay, along with a few gory fatalities at the end.

The video is available for download to GameSpot Complete members, and available to stream for free for non-members. To view Official Movie 4, click here and scroll down the page to Official Movie 4.

Our thanks to forum member killerzombie87 for the heads-up on this news story!