The guys over at GamePro have had their GamePro's Editor's Choice awards, and the winner was: Mortal Kombat: Deception! From the article:

The arcade game your parents warned you about resurfaced on next-gen consoles two years ago as Deadly Alliance, which featured a brand-new 3D play and graphics engine. Deception builds on the success of that game but adds a host of new, diverse play modes, including puzzle and chess games, along with an RPGish Konquest mode that follows a teenager contestant through adulthood in the MK tournament. The fighting is more intense this time as each character now has two fatalities and a suicide move, and the mulitiered combat arenas are filled with ring-out hazards, such as spikes and hydraulic presses.

Our congratulations to the guys at Midway for another well-deserved win, and the guys over at GamePro for having good taste!

There's another voting for the best fighting game of 2004, this time it's the Reader's Vote over at IGN. So please take a minute and vote for Mortal Kombat: Deception, in both categories:

• Best Fighting Game for X-Box
• Best Fighting Game for PS2

Thanks for the find, Murdoink!

Today marks not only Christmas, but the staff of Mortal Kombat Online is also quietly celebrating its sixth anniversary! With special thanks to our friends at Midway Games, we are happy to provide an extra Christmas present for our readers! Below are another two new exclusive screenshots from the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks action/adventure title, which is slated for a release in Fall 2005. In the first picture, we see Liu Kang getting a bloody cut off from a Tarkatan with his sword. In the last shot, we see Kung Lao using his hat to attack multiple opponents at the same time. Click on the screenshots below for a larger view: At this time, all of us at Mortal Kombat Online would like to wish you a safe and joyous holiday!

Midway has released a plethora of new high-res screenshots and drawings for the upcoming game, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Some of them are brand new, while others were previously only available through certain pay sites. You can now see pictures of an unscarred Kabal, Goro, Raiden, Reptile, Sub-Zero, Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Baraka and some random Tarkata, a mysterious Red Dragon member, some zombies, and more! One of the coolest things is a detailed explanation on how the Bone Chandelier Puzzle below. Check it all out below:


Enjoy!

Midway Games has come through with a small pre-Christmas gift for those fans awaiting the GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception in the form of the final box art for the game!



The GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception is due out in March of 2005. Keep checking back here; as we learn more about the GameCube version of Deception, we'll be sure to report it.

A much improved strategy guide, BradyGames has released the what they're calling "Issue 2" of their Mortal Kombat: Deception strategy guide. The Mortal Kombat: Deception Kode Book features a more complete Konquest guide, Koffin list for the Krypt, all the Fatalities and Hara Kiris in one dedicated section, and even an arena guide, complete with a listing of all the death traps and stage weapons (with their combos) available to that particular stage. If you haven't gotten a strategy guide yet, this is the one to get - available in supermarkets and video game stores across the U.S.A. now!

Nintendo Power is covering the GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception in their February 2005 issue, and in this issue, they interview Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon. In the interview, the identity of the extra characters in the GameCube are revealed; the extra characters are none other than the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn and the Shokan prince Goro! From the interview:

NP: What led to the inclusion of Goro and Shao Kahn as exclusive characters?
EB: Since the Nintendo GameCube version is coming out after the other versions, we wanted to add something exclusive and special to set it apart. People have always wanted to control the boss characters in MK, and now we are giving them the chance to control two of the biggest, baddest bosses from any MK game!

NP: What do Goro and Shao Kahn bring to the Mortal Kombat universe?
EB: They are going to bring big, massive power moves. With their size, players are going to expect them to be power characters, and that's exactly what they will be. They will also have some brutal fatality moves.

The article also has a render of Shao Kahn, complete with glowing red eyes, battle armor, and brown cape. As always, we are unable to provide scans of the article due to copyright reasons. However, the issue should be on newsstands soon, or available via subscription. We'll be keeping an eye on this story, so keep checking back with us!

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

GameSpot has named their picks for the top games of 2004 in a feature called GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2004. Among their picks, GameSpot has chosen Midway's Mortal Kombat: Deception as the Best Fighting Game for 2004! From the article:

The game's online component is easy to jump right into, and with the additional Archon-like chess mode, you can drop the game's fighting engine into something a little bit deeper. The game's characters use a wide variety of fighting styles, and have special moves that need to be feared and respected, especially because many of them open you up to the game's combo system, which can be very damaging. But the game balances these combos out pretty nicely with an intuitive combo-breaker system that gives you three "get out of jail free cards" per match, letting you get out of a combo or juggle before things get too serious.

The quality of the characters is always a big part of a fighting game's appeal, and Mortal Kombat: Deception does a really great job here. From returning favorites like Raiden, Nightwolf, and Ermac, to newer inclusions like Kobra, Ashrah, and Kira, MK: Deception's roster is another one of its high points. Did we mention that Liu Kang is a crazy zombie with chains on his wrists and fireballs at the ready? Great character design is a large part of what makes Deception such a memorable fighting game.

We at Mortal Kombat Online would like to congratulate the Mortal Kombat design team for another well-deserved win. To read the entry in its entirety, click here.

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

A recent issue of RedEye Chicago featured a story concerning the Illinois Retail Merchants Association criticizing a decision by the governor of Illinois concerning the sale of M-rated video games to minors. Included in this story was an image from Mortal Kombat: Deception that had not been seen before and has since caused some controversy. It showed Mileena facing off against none other than Shao Kahn himself, in the nighttime portion of the Yin-Yang Arena. After some checking, we have learned that this image is NOT fake; it is a legitimate screenshot. In the image, Kahn looks about the same as he always does, save the addition of a brown cape similar to that worn in the MK3 concept sketches drawn by John Tobias.

The exact origin of the image is as yet unknown, however, we believe that it could very well be from the GameCube version of the game, possibly meaning that Shao Kahn could be one of the extra characters included to make up for the lack of online play. However, we have yet to get confirmation either way.

We are not posting the scans for copyright reasons, as always. Stay tuned to MK Online, as we'll be keeping a close eye on this story as it develops!

Our thanks to the several people who wrote in to let us know about this important news story!

Miami, Florida is where the latest OtakuCon convention was held. Though mostly an anime/manga convention, there was a pretty good gaming element to this year's show. There were tournaments for several games, including but not limited to Mortal Kombat: Deception. (Other games included Super Smash Bros Melee, Tekken 4, Capcom vs. SNK, Guilty Gear: Isuka, Soul Calibur II, and Halo 2.) Though scheduling conflicts didn't allow direct participation in the MK:D tournament held there, it was alright as the only prizes given out were bags full of anime books/DVD's/figurines. Anyhow, enjoy these pics of the show floor and be amazed as Mortal Kombat infiltrates the whole "Otaku" subculture. Also of interest are the crazy costumed characters (note the alliteration) and the adult-only Street Fighter comics for sale there. Special thanks to ]{0MBAT's Girlfriend for notifying MKO about the convention, as well attending the show with us!

Tonight Snoop Dogg hosted the Spike TV Video Game Awards in Los Angeles, where Mortal Kombat: Deception beat out the competition and took home the award for best fighting game! Beating out such games like Dead or Alive: Ultimate and Def Jam: Fight for NY, this is a very prestigious accomplishment for Ed Boon, John Podlasek, and the rest of the Mortal Kombat development team. After following the development of this title since May, none of us had any doubt MK: Deception would come through victorious! Unlike other genres, SpikeTV did not formally present the award for best fighting game. Instead, on air was a short clip announcing Mortal Kombat: Deception as the winner for the best fighting game category. Shown below are a few clips from the segment: All of us at Mortal Kombat Online would like to send Midway Games our congratulations for a well deserved win in this category!

December 15, 2004: Midway issued today a press release acknowledging their victory. Read it here.

1UP.COM has updated with a 2-page preview of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, as well as 11 new images - some of which are exclusive! They talked to Paradox, the Shaolin Monks developer recently acquired by Midway Entertainment, about the acquisition and of course, the game itself. Says Producer Shaun Himmerick:

"We have smoothly integrated all the elements people love about the Mortal Kombat fighting games: string and juggle combos, special moves, fighting stances, weapons, background fatalities, and fatalities. The first thing you will notice is how well the controls have transitioned to an adventure game. We scaled back the moves and combo systems from a traditional MK fighter to be more friendly to an adventure game. The combat is not limited to attacking one opponent in one direction; it flows freely from the ground to the air and in all directions around the player...even with this however, we still have easily the deepest and most diverse fighting engine of any adventure game out there... easily"

Check out the full article here, and the new screenshots here.