MKast #4 has been released on the official MK vs DC Universe site today. This podcast appears to have been recorded prior to Comic-Con and reveals no previously unknown information.

Hector and Hans do hint at the possibility of downloadable content, more specifically an alternate costume for The Joker based on his appearance in The Dark Knight. As always however, DC would have to approve this alternate costume.

Another piece of news is further confirmation that John Tobias is indeed returning to create a comic book for MK vs DCU that will be a part of the Kollector's Edition of the game. It is also suggested that Tobias and Boon will be joining Hector and Hans in an upcoming MKast. To listen to the newest MKast click here.

We've now made this podcast downloadable from MKO. You'll find it below.

• MKast #4

Our thanks to forum member for submitting the lead on this story.

Though E3 has long been over, IGN has released a new interview conducted with Ed Boon during the time the event was taking place. Though nothing new is shown gameplay wise, as this is an older build of the game that we have now seen thanks to Comic-Con, Boon does touch on a few points that hadn't been clarified:

• Catwoman will possess a fatality maneuver
• Online support including lobbies and announcements
• 20 characters plus 1 'big boss', and maybe a secret here and there
• Multiple fatalities/brutalities
• Definite possibility of downloadable characters, environments and alternate costumes

To watch the video in full (it's a little over nine minutes), click here.

Thanks to forum member for the word on this story!

San Diego Comic-Con may be over, but the news keeps on coming. During the Comic-Con event, Midway showed a video showing various gameplay footage from Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. The video first shows Superman and Scorpion fighting on the streets of Metropolis, where the mid-battle Test Your Might sequence was shown. Then it cut to Batman taking on Sub-Zero in the Graveyard, where Klose Kombat was demonstrated. The next match was between the Flash and Sonya in Hell, where they took turns beating each other in Freefall Kombat. The video finally cuts to Shang Tsung and Catwoman fighting in Metropolis again, before the video shows quick cuts of the previous fighters. This morning, Midway released the video online, in both standard and 720p high definiton formats. We are providing the videos here, with the standard quality one available via YouTube embedded streaming video.

In addition, Midway released the render of the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker, which had originally been posted on IGN's website. This version, of course, lacks the watermark the other one possessed.

Our thanks to the people at Midway for releasing these videos and render to the MK fans!

As promised earlier, the interview with Ed Boon at this year's San-Diego Comic-Con is now available for a free download to all MK Online registered members, and is also viewable on the free video hosting site, YouTube.

• ]{0MBAT Interviews Ed Boon at San-Diego Comic-Con

To link to the YouTube version, click see below. The transcript of the interview is already available in a previous update. Enjoy!

Update: For those would prefer to view the videos on YouTube, we had to split the interview into to two smaller files to comply with their TOS. Check out:

• MKO Interviews Ed Boon About MK vs DCU - San Diego Comic-Con - Part 1
• MKO Interviews Ed Boon About MK vs DCU - San Diego Comic-Con - Part 2

After playing a bit of the new Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, I thought I'd post some impressions of the game as well as pictures of Comic-Con as well as the private function held by Midway at a nearby bar.

First, let's discuss the controls. It's important to note that, unlike any previous MK installment, both the analog stick and D-Pad are used, but have slightly different functions. Left and right always moves the character left or right. However, press up or down on the analog stick will move your character up and down in 3D, while using the D-Pad to go up and down will cause your character to duck or jump. This feels very organic and takes almost no time at all to adjust to. As far as the attack buttons go, you've got your standard attacks 1-5, a throw button on the right trigger, and also a "Klose Kombat" button on the right trigger closer to you. The left triggers aren't used at all. We have taken screenshots of the Xbox 360 and PS3 controls, shown below.

Now, let's talk about the engine. The best way I can think to describe it as, a little more on the "tight" side like MKII's engine, also with a lot more speed to it. The special moves require a bit more skill to pull off than in days past; for instance Batman's Batarang (Down, Forward, 3) is simple, but the Double Batarang (Forward, Down, Back, 2) must be pressed immediately afterwards; not all players will have the skill and finesse of ]{0MBAT to be able to pull it off on their first try.

Speaking of special moves, they are amazing looking and flashier than ever. Sub-Zero's got one where he shoots some ice into the air and then causes a block of ice to fall on his opponent. He's got a new teleport move made of ice, some might say it's reminiscent of Killer Instinct's Glacius from years back. His Kori Sword also appears in his throw. Batman's got one where he uses a smoke bomb to confuse his opponent and end up on the other side of them. The Flash can be a very tricky opponent as he uses his superspeed to end up either on the other side of the opponent -- or maybe he'll end up back on the same side again. Superman has his super breath which can be used to inhale the opponent bringing them closer to him, or to freeze the opponent where they are. What's nice about this, is it's not just a lazy cop-out where the freeze looks identical to Sub-Zero's, it looks quite different. Catwoman lassos her whip around her opponent, and then propels herself into the opponent with a cannon-drill type attack.

So, there are some new game modes that are well known by now -- Klose Kombat, Freefall, and Test Your Might. Klose Kombat, as mentioned earlier, starts when two Kombatants are close to one another and someone presses the appropriate trigger button. During this mode, all the attack buttons can be used, and while I don't fully understand all the ins and outs of this mode right now, this a good opportunity to get a lot of damage done to the other player, and there are Kounters, so the initiator of Klose Kombat can see the tides quickly turn on him. Freefall Mode, which occurs when certain items in the background such as a wall gets smashed into. This has been seen in previous videos, but in the playable demo there was a Super Meter. Every hit on your opponent brought your Super Meter up a little bit. There are also reversals here as well, and the Super Meter can go the other way. Once the Meter is completely filled up, you can do an exclusive Special Move available only to this mode. Scorpion uses his spear to launch the character back up into the air and then slams them down extra hard. Test Your Might, which has been known to be what happens when two characters go running through each other, both players have to mash all four attack buttons as fast possible to maximize or minimize the damage being dealt to the victim.
So, overall this game in my opinion is truly shaping up to be another great installment of Mortal Kombat. I just wanted to add a side-note about a couple of names shown on the Tombstones in the Graveyard Arena, while they probably aren't signifcant in anyway, they weren't all the names of developers. Maybe at some point we'll have some light shed on the names Rian, Kovacic, and Pindara, who all apparently died before MK vs DC Universe was released.

Something else unexpected was the appearance of Raiden and Ashrah! Keep it tuned here to Mortal Kombat Online, as the video version of our interview is coming shortly!

In the tidal wave of Comic Con news that has been revealed today, Midway released the third MKast on the official Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe website! The main attraction this time was comic writer Jimmy Palmiotti, who appeared on the podcast as a guest speaker. Unlike the first two podcasts, they did not release any information early that was promised to another source. However, here are a few notes that were mentioned.

• Palmiotti mentions Wonder Woman by name
• Characters will have different voices and personalities
• There is a villain who is a "mash-up"

You can listen to the MKast on the official site, but as always we have made it available on MKO as well.

• MKast #3

Thanks to forum member for the original lead on this story!

Another item that was released at Comic Con today was the third official trailer for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. This trailer is a bit different from the first two, in that it is much more of a "walk through" the moves for the first eight characters revealed. Ed Boon narrates off screen as the gameplay on screen follows just about what he says.

The Playstation 3 console is the platform the gameplay in the trailer is shown on, and it is subtitled "Power of the Hero", basically another way of saying a special moves and modes tutorial. We see fights between the characters that were announced together in pairs. Superman and Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Batman, Sonya and Flash, and finally Shang Tsung and Catwoman. Many moves have been previously seen, but even more pro moves were shown. such as Superman linking together his ground smash and heat vision. Many more previously unseen specials can also be found within the trailer.

To watch the video, click here. It can be downloaded in both high res and lower res. It has a 4:16 run time.

Thanks to forum member for the lead on this story.

In addition to their Mortal Kombat 9 tidbit reported on earlier, Kotaku has managed to procure several revelations made at the Comic-Con panel for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe! The first of these are the four playable characters promised to the fans back before E3 took place. From the Mortal Kombat side of things the Edenian princess Kitana and Special Forces agent Jax will make their presence felt. From the DC Universe, Batman's most revered enemy the Joker and another of DC's most iconic heroes, Green Lantern will enter the battle. Ed Boon also made an interesting comment about writer Jimmy Palmiotti being an unlockable character:

Boon also announced that Mr. Palmiotti himself would be squirreled away in the game as an unlockable character. He'd be very well hidden, Boon said, with a Johnny Cage-like model shown on screen.

In addition to this, another of Superman's most memorable environments, the Fortress of Solitude, has been confirmed to be in the game. Captain Marvel also appears to be in the playable version of the game at Comic Con.

Finally, we didn't have to wait long to see what the name John Tobias truly means to MKvsDCU. In the limited edition of the game will come a comic book, and that comic will be illustrated by none other than the co-creator of Mortal Kombat, John Tobias himself.

Click here to visit the page announcing all this on Kotaku's website.

Thanks to Kotaku for releases all these interesting news items and for letting us know about it!

Nearly two weeks ago, we posted a news story about the existence of a game called Mortal Kombat Kollection. Almost nothing was known about the game other than it was only listed on GameStop as coming out for the Playstation 2. Today, Midway let the cat out of the bag by issuing a press release officially announcing Mortal Kombat Kollection as a Playstation 2 exclusive. The game is in fact a box set that contains Mortal Kombat: Deception, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Noticably absent from the list of games is Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, which was the first of the last generation of MK games. From the press release:

Exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Mortal Kombat: Kollection features Mortal Kombat: Deception®, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon®, and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks®. Packing more punch, fatalities and characters into one box than e ver before, Mortal Kombat: Kollection is expected to be available this September for a U.S. MSRP of $29.99, just in time for players to refine their skills before the scheduled release of the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe this holiday season.

"Mortal Kombat has been a pinnacle fighting franchise for well over a decade now and this is an ideal package for fans and collectors in terms of content and price point," said Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, Midway Home Entertainment. "With the PlayStation®2 still holding the highest market share of any home console, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to offer an incredible value to our consumers as we ramp up for the highly anticipated launch of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe."

We'll keep an eye on this game as it nears release. As we learn more (and plan to find out why MK:DA was not included), we'll be sure to report it here.

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

Weeks ago, Ed Boon promised the announcement of four new playable characters for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, two from each side, at the annual Comic-Con event. Those four characters have indeed been revealed, but only one currently possesses his own render. IGN was given this image as an exclusive earlier today:

The clown prince of crime from Batman's universe can be safely added to the list of confirmed characters! The Joker sports his traditional attire and appears to be standing in front of the Gotham City Police Department, plotting some sort of fiendish crime no doubt.

If a higher res image becomes available from the official site, this thread will be updated with it. Until then, thanks to IGN and for the lead on this!

Gaming gossip and news site Kotaku posted a snip from their interview with Mortal Kombat lead and co-creator, Ed Boon, which confirms the project originally intended to be Mortal Kombat 8 was not completely scrapped. Though Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe has taken the forefront, the game originally thought to be in development before that announcement will follow after the release of MKvsDCU this fall.

While that grittier, darker version of MK didn't make it far beyond the technology development stages — Boon told us there was little in the way of concept art for the grimier spin on the series — the next next Mortal Kombat may strive for more blood, more violence, more of everything that warrants an M-rating.

Click here to read the remainder of the short article. While nothing new is revealed, it does confirm at least that the development team has not totally forgotten about what was to be Mortal Kombat 8.

Thanks to for the lead on this story.

Reporting to you live from San Diego Comic Con, we interviewed Ed Boon regarding the latest game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

To read the interview transcript in its entirety, click here.

Stay tuned as throughout this weekend, we will update with pictures from the show as well as a video of the interview!

IGN has posted a brand new article detailing the combat styles of Gotham City's own anti-hero Catwoman and MK's favorite sorcerer, Shang Tsung. The article gives a preview of the fighting styles of each character in the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe including special attacks and information on Free Fall Kombat.

The Midway representative playing along side me said that Catwoman's a character that's all about combos. One of her moves is a kicking cartwheel that juggles her opponents into the air so that Catwoman has time to get on her feet and unleash more combo-linking attacks.

Both Catwoman and Shang Tsung will be in the playable build of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe at Comic-Con and we'll update you with video footage as soon as it becomes available. You can read the article by clicking here.

Our thanks go out to the folks at IGN for publishing the article and to forum member for the lead on this exciting story.

Following yesterday's release of Liu Kang's render from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Midway follows it up by releasing the first glimpse of the only other currently confirmed character to appear in the game, Captain Marvel!

As expected, Captain Marvel is cloaked in his traditional attire as painted by Alex Ross. From the render pose, he seems to be "powering up", so to speak. Interestingly, the render on the official site is referred to as "Shazam render", which was the name of the wizard Billy Bastion utters to transform into Captain Marvel. This likely doesn't mean anything special, however. The stage depicted here is unknown as the render mostly focuses in and around the character himself, but if this render shares any similarities to Liu Kang, who has his own stage, then this could possibly be the Rock of Eternity, the lair of Shazam.

Thanks to forum member for the lead on this story.

In the MKasts released by the folks over at Midway, it's been stated that clues about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe would not only appear on the official website, but also on Ed Boon's personal website, Noob.com. For the past couple of months, the Noob.com page has been blank other than the site logo, a poster for the movie There Will Be Blood, and a hidden message at the bottom that said, "... in case you were wondering." Now, while the hidden message remains, the movie poster is gone. In its place is one word: "Tobias?"

While "Tobias" is an obvious reference to series co-creator John Tobias (who left Midway in 2000), what's much less obvious is what the message actually means. Theories that have been brought up amongst the staff range from the possibility of Noob Saibot appearing in the game, to the possibility that John Tobias (who has a background in drawing comic books) has been rehired by Midway. This is all purely conjecture, of course, but we'll be keeping an eye on this to see what develops.

To see the message on Ed's site, click here.

Our thanks to forum member for the heads-up about this interesting site update!

Back in 2006 as Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was in development, the franchise characters of Sub-Zero and Scorpion were given their very own My space accounts. Though not been used to release material in quite some time, today Midway has used these accounts to reveal to us the render of the fifth confirmed Mortal Kombat character in the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Liu Kang!

The long-time champion of Mortal Kombat appears in a brand new stage, the Wu Shi Academy that first appeared in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and was the place of his death at the hands of the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. Liu Kang sports most of his trademark attire as well as a large MK dragon buckle on his waist.

We will keep an eye out for the high res version of this render and add it to this lead once it is revealed.

To visit Sub-Zero's myspace, click here. The image appears in the concept art folder with all the other MKvsDCU renders.

Thanks to forum members and for the leads on this story.

EDIT: Midway has posted the high res version on the official website.

The official site for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe has undergone some notable changes this evening. While the background image remains the same, much of the site's content has been reorganized into neater, more accessible categories. Perhaps most notable is the paragraph added under the "Story" section of the site:

When a cataclysmic force merges conquerors from two universes, conflict is inevitable. Kombat forces friends to fight, worlds to collide, and unlikely alliances to be forged. In order to save all they know, the heroes and villains of Mortal Kombat must wage war against the combined might of the DC Universe (DCU). How can either side prevail when rage blinds them to the dark threat poised to destroy them all?

Perhaps this hints at who the main antagonist might be? This could very well be a lead into the upcoming Comic Con event where it is said that "key characters" will be revealed. Either way, we won't have to wait that long to find out.

Other updates include separate character sections for MK and DC. Though, there seem to be only 8 places under each tab. The revealed characters (that possess a render) are filled in. Liu Kang and Captain Marvel of course do not have renders released at this time. There are also sections for Environments, Features and Screenshots, among others.

The Eye section, previously mentioned, has been changed somewhat as well. There is currently a dead link to a Scorpion render. If anything changes regarding this, the story will be updated and it will be noted.

Thanks to forum member for the news!

During this third day of E3, GameTrailers has posted up a high quality, four minute plus interview with Ed Boon! Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is played in the near background during the entire time Ed is speaking, and he takes us through several modes and aspects of the game as the gameplay follows his voice along.

Firstly, Ed discusses the new combo system in place within the game. As mentioned previously, dial-up combos have been removed in favor of user created combos. During his speech, the Flash performs a combo of 12 hits. Boon also reveals that the fighting is a lot more 2D orientated while having full 3D motion, yet the basic controls are more centered towards 2D such as ducking or jumping over projectiles rather than simply sidestepping them.

Klose Kombat is touched upon more, and Boon compares it to an "interactive throw", which would make sense since apparently the mode is activated by a button that was once the throw button in the previous engine. As the offensive player attempts to rack up the damage, the defensive player attempts to end the mode by beating the other player to the correct button. Test Your Might will be another test of offensive player versus defensive player in that the former attempts to increase the damage, and the latter attempts to decrease it.

Freefall Kombat is glimpsed briefly as well. Flash is able to perform his super move in the air, which seems character specific, as he hastily swings Scorpion around in an airplane throw and slams him hard into the ground of the tier of the arena below, which shows impact damage on hit.

During the Sub-Zero and Superman fight, Sub-Zero uses a special where he creates an ice block in the air and attempts to drop it down onto the opponent. Superman wins the round however, and we are treated to his brutality where he pounds the victim into the ground, though it does not kill them it still looks the same as a traditional Mortal Kombat fatality.

Finally, pro moves are mentioned in more detail. Not all characters will simply do a double of the same special in their pro move. For example, Boon states that Superman is able to splice his throw move into his wind inhale.

The game is set to be released this November.

Thanks to for bringing this video to our attention.

After the second official day of E3, Mortal Kombat fansite Mortal Kombat Informer has posted impressions in the form of three new videos! The first two of these videos feature several attendees playing the upcoming MK release, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Among the characters being controlled were Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Superman, Flash and Batman. Several special moves were demonstrated as well as an interesting new kick Sub-Zero possesses. In addition, we get to see what the (early) version of the select screen looks like.

In the third video uploaded, MKI speaks with Ed Boon about various topics and prods him for new information. We also learn that Boon knows how famous one of his facial features is in the MK community.

-----

ShoeUnited: What new things do you expect the fans to get into in this game?

Ed Boon: Really getting into the nuances of the game. They're really gonna realize just how much different it plays and how many cool new depth features they put into that.

-----

Ed: The entire story mode is kinda starting to announcing things related to that and then really going into how detailed the story mode is. How you fight two different versions, one is from the Mortal Kombat side. You know playing two different characters; and one is from the Mortal Kombat side one on the DC side you play DC characters. It's very exciting to know in a different way of retaining story mode.

SU: Now is that going to be; Alternating? Like you play one guy and then you play another guy the next round or is it going to be you play one guy all the way through on one character?

Ed: No. What is for instance: You play Batman for a while. Like four or five fights in a row as Batman. Then when the chapter is over you may move to The Flash. Then you play as the Flash for a chapter. And that's how story mode is told. It's kinda like, through the eyes of the individual character. And as you're playing a character and controlling his points you learn to master the character.

-----

SU: Is there anything you want to spoil? Just tease us?

Ed: I think we have some really info coming. Introducing 4 more characters at Comic-con. Which is exciting. A more finalized version of the game, with more characters. And we're going to have Catwoman and Shang Tsung. And I'm contemplating trying to get one more character Demo Ready for Comic-con.

-----

You can check out the videos and watch them in full by visiting the site's front page and clicking the appropriate links. Thanks to Mortal Kombat Informer for this content!

Though MK Online is unable to provide you all with our own E3 coverage this year, we are still dedicated to bringing you the latest MK news to come out of the convention. That being said, onward to said news.

After the second official day of E3, the first for Midway, IGN has revealed their hands-on preview of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe! Though no new gameplay footage or images were revealed as of yet, there were some new details released involving several aspects of the game including fatalities, select screen and more on pro moves.

Today was my first chance to actually play this game, and I have to say it actually feels pretty good. Trailers and screens had made the gameplay look a little stiff in my opinion, but once I got the controller and started darting around the screen and pulling off combos with the D-pad, everything flowed nicely. The character select screen had 20 slots -- ten red, ten blue -- and had three characters available for each franchise. Representing Mortal Kombat was Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Sonya; while Superman, Batman, and Flash made up the DC side.

It seems that every special move may have a "pro" version of itself, rather than just projectiles. Only time will tell, but IGN did see another pro move from Sonya in action:

Now, every move you have has a variation of itself called a Pro-Move. What happens is you'll pull off Sonya's handstand where she grabs a dude with her legs and slams him to the ground. If you pull this move off and hit a specific button at a specific time, Sonya will slam the opponent to the ground and his body'll pop back up so that she can link together some more shots. It might not sound like much, but these moves -- which in typical MK fashion will need to be spread by word of mouth -- give you that extra second to dish out more pain, and that's what makes pros, right?

Fatalities, finishers that all the MK characters and DC villains will possess, do not seem all that different from the "brutalities" that the DC heroes seem to have been given. Superman's finisher seemed exceptionally brutal for something that was designed "not to kill":

I got to see the difference between the moves today. After dropping all of his matches to Scorpion, Flash was left in a wobbly haze. Scorpion removed his mask, lit his skull on fire and spewed the flames onto the Flash, who screamed, burnt to a charred husk, and collapsed. On the flipside, Superman beat the tar out of Batman, and when it was time to finish him off, Superman's eyes began to glow, he raised his fists, and the Last Son of Krypton proceeded to pound Batman's body into the ground like a railroad spike. In real life it would've killed Batman, but I guess there's an outside chance that he'd just have every bone is his body broken.

Freefall combat was the one aspect that IGN still referred to as stiff in nature, the reviewer having abandoned his thought that the entire game was stiff. There are several other notes about the mode as well as a few others within the preview, so check it out in full.

Thanks to forum member for the lead on this story.

While everyone is ramping up for coverage of E3 this week (including ourselves, by proxy), a separate Mortal Kombat game from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe seems to be slipping in under the radar. As seen on the online stores of GameStop and EB Games (the latter owned by the former), a game called Mortal Kombat Kollection is set for release around October 1st.

What is Mortal Kombat Kollection? There is very little information available. About all that is known is that the only platform it is listed for is Playstation 2, and that the title implies that it will be a compilation game. However, what it is a compilation game of is a mystery at this time, as is whether it will be appearing on other platforms. We've already contacted our sources within Midway, but with E3 a couple of days away we don't anticipate a quick answer. We'll be keeping an eye out and reporting as we learn more.

To see the GameStop product page for this game, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat members and for the heads-up about this upcoming game!

EDIT - 11:40 PM CDT - After doing a bit of discussion and thinking, it's occurred to us that there is one bit of evidence that points to Mortal Kombat Kollection being a compilation of classic MK arcade games. Recently Midway opened Midway Arcade, which is a site where one can play many classic arcade games for free on the web. Conspicuously absent from the list of games are the MK games. Arguments that the MK games are too advanced or too mature to be on the site are invalidated by the fact that Primal Rage is amongst the listed games; Primal Rage was as bloody and violent as MK, and was released around the same time as Mortal Kombat 3. Why would MK be excluded, unless Midway expected to release a new compilation that would be for sale and didn't want to risk losing sales? This is only a guess, but it's one that makes sense to us. We look forward to seeing your theories on the forums, and we'll keep an ear out to see if we can learn more.

IGN has posted several high resolution screenshots of the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. The screens depict the thus far confirmed characters fighting to the death against the backdrops of Metropolis and Hell. While nothing new has been revealed, these in-game stills allow us an up close look at the detail of the game.

To view the screenshots on IGN simply click here!

Our thanks to for the lead on the official release of these images.

As promised yesterday by MK_Nat on the Midway Boards, GameSpot did indeed reveal new information regarding Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe today. It was however, in the form of the second official trailer and the preview for the fast-approaching E3 2008 event.

First a summary of the second trailer. This 1:18 showcase features a bit of everything gameplay wise that will be found within the game. Klose Kombat is featured very prominently and a few shots of Freefall Kombat as well many special moves from the characters fill in the gaps. At around 48 seconds into the video, Sonya can be seen performing a "pro move" (more on that below). The trailer ends with Scorpion removing his mask to reveal his flaming skull head and performing his Toasty fatality on Flash, but the screen goes black to hide whatever details lay beyond that.

The preview for E3 is in the form of a two page write up GameSpot created after playing a hands on demo, the one to be featured at E3 itself. The demo contains six characters: Sonya, Scorpion and Sub-Zero from the MK side of things and Batman, the Flash and Superman from the DC side. The stages featured will be the three we have seen in the gameplay videos released thus far. The Metropolis, Hell and the Graveyard. They start off mentioning the removal of dial-up combos from the gameplay:

... You won't find MKIII-st

yle chain combos that will clock up hit counts in the double digits; instead you'll find combos in the 3-5 hit range. This is still being tweaked so it may change but we have to say we kind of like how it's working.

The classic Test Your Might minigame also returns, if only in name form and perhaps similar mechanics:

As far as the new "test your might" minigame goes, we have to say we're very pleased by how it fits in to the action. We stumbled on it in the Metropolis stage when we'd backed an opponent into a wall. After knocking them through the wall our character, Superman, grabbed them and started running to the right, slamming through wall after wall. The sequence required us to mash face buttons which upped the damage. Much like the sequences we just mentioned, it's a quick break in the fight. While the timing is being tweaked we're liking how they work. You're not pulled out of the fight for too long and they all keep you on your toes, adding a welcome unpredictability to battle.

As mentioned above, something currently referred to as "pro moves" has been implemented within the gameplay to award those with superior skill. A brief description of this was given during the preview:

While the special moves are all straightforward, Boon and the team are adding timing-based variations on them which are tentatively being called "pro moves". For example, if you perform Sonya's energy ring move, and you can get a controller and button motion in during a specific window of time, she'll fire off a second shot in rapid succession. The goal is to have every special move have a "pro" variant. While not every character's move had a variant in what we played, we were very much liking how it all worked. Besides adding some depth to the combo system, the moves definitely added a new facet to combat we liked and should present a meaty challenge for veteran players to master for incorporation into their combos.

Among the many other notes in this writeup are complete lists of all six of the aforementioned characters' special moves, notes on both Freefall and Klose kombat and the current button mapping situation.

To watch the new trailer, click here.

To read the E3 2008 preview in full, click here.

Thanks to forum members and for the leads on these stories!

As mentioned in a previous story, the folks over at Midway have released MKast #2, the second in their series of podcasts about the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe! Once again hosted by Hans Lo and Hector Sanchez, the podcast covers topics such as upcoming character releases, what can be expected out of the E3 and Comic-Con builds, and a couple more gameplay tidbits. Among the things revealed are:

• Like in MKast #1, the gun was jumped on characters due to be released by another site. In this case, it was revealed that the characters due to be announced on GameSpot are Captain Marvel and Liu Kang.
• Despite what had been announced earlier, the E3 build will have SIX characters (at least), and the lineup includes Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Superman, Batman, the Flash, and one other mystery character.
• The four characters that would be announced at Comic-Con would have a huge impact for fans on both the MK side and the DC side.
• Characters will have character specific moves in freefall kombat, and have their own fighting styles in close kombat (ie, Catwoman will scratch while Scorpion delivers brutal punches, etc.).

As before, we are making the MKast available to download via the following link.

• MKast #2 from MKvDCU

Our thanks to forum member for the heads-up about this new MKast release!

Official XBOX Magazine has just posted a brand new podcast containing an interview with Mortal Kombat creator, Ed Boon. Through out the twenty minute interview, Ed Boon discusses a few details including the initial fan reactions to Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, as well as the new damage feature. Boon goes on to discuss other crossover ideas and even divulges a bit of information regarding a new MK movie.

While no hints towards the remaining roster are revealed in the podcast, Boon informs listeners that a steady stream of characters will be revealed through the summer and into the fall, with all characters being revealed prior to the game's November release.

We will continue to offer more news as it becomes available. Our thanks to Dan Amrich for conducting the interview and to forum member for mailing in the news lead. To listen to the new OXM podcast interview with Ed Boon click here.

MK_Nat from the Midway forums has just released the render of the original MK bad guy, Shang Tsung! Shang stands ominously against a beautiful backdrop with a twisted soul in his clutches. He seems to have a detailed combination of his MK2 and MK3 outfits. It also is an interesting note that he appears to be aging. With the release of the Shang Tsung render we have now seen of all of the renders from the thus far confirmed characters appearing in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe.

Our thanks for the lead on the official Midway posting. Once a hi-res version of the render is made available we will add it into this story.

EDIT: The hi-res version of this render has been made available on the official site within the art section.

Over on the Midway Boards, MK_Nat has made a couple of announcements of note. First off, surprisingly soon after the release of the first MKast, Midway will be releasing the second in their MKast series this weekend. MKast is, of course, their series of podcasts discussing the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. The content of this MKast is as yet unknown, but as soon as it's released we'll be posting about it.

The second item of note is that tomorrow GameSpot will be releasing a brand new gameplay trailer, as well as unveiling two new characters. With this release, half of the lineup of the game will be known. As with the MKast, once it's released we'll be sure to post about it here.

To read the Midway Boards thread about the MKast, click here. To read the thread about the GameSpot exclusive, click here.

Our thanks to forum members and for letting us know about these announcements!

For the third straight day, Midway has officially released a character render art from the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe! This time, we see one of the most recently confirmed characters in Batman's rival and often love interest, Catwoman! Perched high atop a roof in Gotham City, the bat signal looms in the background as she looks out over the city below. The design is a combination of many of her previous appearances in other media forums.

With this most recent release, the only confirmed character without a render is Shang Tsung, who was officially confirmed along with Catwoman a few days ago. We will keep an eye out for the shape shifting sorcerer in the coming days.

As with all the other character renders, this can also be found in the art section of the official site.

Thanks to forum member for the lead on this story!

Hot on the heels of the release of the Flash render, the folks over at Midway have released another character render from the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe! This time, the render is of the character that was revealed at the same time as the Flash: the original MK femme fatale, Sonya Blade! As with other renders, the Midway folks (represented by MK_Nat) have made the render available with white and black backgrounds, along with one showing her at a military base. As seen before, Sonya's outfit appears to be a cross between her last-gen appearances and her Mortal Kombat 4 appearance.

To read the Midway Boards thread in which these images were originally posted, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member for the heads-up about this new render!

EDIT - 2:30 PM CDT - The high resolution version has been posted on the official website. Our thanks to forum/chat member for the heads-up about the additional render!

Several weeks after the official announcement the character was in the game, today Midway has revealed the Flash's high resolution render on the official site for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe!

The image shows the legendary speedster making his way through the ruined Metropolis stage previous shown, donning his trademark outfit. The black/white cut out versions of this render are available as well, though in a much smaller resolution.

Should the render of Sonya be released later today, it will be edited into this story.

Thanks to forum member for the word on this!

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was the prominent feature of the early morning July 5th edition of GameTrailers TV, airing on Spike TV. Amongst the interviewees were Ed Boon, Steve Beran and Jimmy Palmiotti. Below is a short recap of the show, noting the major details revealed during its airing:

• Shang Tsung and Catwoman officially announced.
• Several new special moves revealed for nearly every character.
• Endings will be "madness" with more than two characters fighting on the screen at once.
• Scorpion will have his Toasty fatality from MK1-MK2.
• Two new characters will be revealed at E3.
• Four new characters will be revealed at Comic-Con.

Due to the somewhat large number of special moves revealed during the show, I will not document them all in the news lead as to avoid clutter. However, it does seem that most all characters have a teleport and projectile of some type. Several classic and trademark moves were present as well. The story was briefly discussed, however as mentioned above, the endings are said to involve "everyone" all at the same time. The main antagonists were said to be from both sides and possibly conspiring together.

As always, when more is revealed on this game we will update the site accordingly. Until then, we look forward to E3, Comic-Con and beyond.

One month to the day after Midway first announced their new series of podcasts, they have finally released the first MKast recording! The podcast, recorded by senior producer Hans Lo and associate producer Hector Sanchez, discusses fan reaction to the game, answers questions concerning the game, and makes a few new revealations about the game. The podcast was presumably originally meant to be released after the GameTrailers show, as at least one bit of information was released that was mentioned as being revealed on that show. Among the tidbits discussed were...

• New characters are set to be announced every couple of weeks via different distribution channels.
• Close-combat will be almost like a "boxing match", where blows will be handled in a "rock/paper/scissors" manner.
• There are clues about the game not discovered yet, not only on the official website, but also on Ed Boon's website.
• The MK characters are "true to MK", but the game itself is not part of current canon including Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. If anything, it could be considered an "alternate universe".
• The two characters set to make their first official appearances in the GameTrailers show are Catwoman and Shang Tsung.

While the podcast is available on the official game website, we are also making it available for download here via the following link.

• MKast 1 from MK vs DCU

To read the Midway Forums thread in which the podcast was first announced, click here.

Our thanks to forum/chat member for the heads-up about this podcast release!

SpikeTV, in conjunction with GameTrailers, have announced that they plan to debut two "never before seen" villains that will make playable appearances in the upcoming crossover Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe!

SpikeTV and GameTrailers have announced that GameTrailers TV will debut all-new gameplay video for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. GameTrailers will also reveal two never before seen villains that will be playable characters in the game. The show is set to air Friday at 1AM ET/PT.

Further details are not known at this time, but once the program has concluded we will report on it here with character names and gameplay tidbits, should anything new be learned.

Thanks to forum member for sending in this news lead!