If it isn't already: Chicago's Galloping Ghost Arcade is on the fast track to becoming a mecca to Mortal Kombat fans!
Its proximity to the traditional base of operations for today's NetherRealm Studios makes it a natural home away from home for the klassic fighting series. GGA boasts a comprehensive working collection of now klassic Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets. Go there on the right day, and you might even come across some of the klassic faces who made them happen!
Last weekend (June 28), the arcade hosted Shang Tsung's Fight Night IV -- a live event that brought together a rogues gallery reunion of actors who appeared in the original digitized games!
The event was open to the public for a marathon 11AM to 2AM session at only the standard admission charge! It was a historic gathering for the cast -- some of whom didn't even appear together in the same game(s)! Continuity wouldn't get in the way of fans taking the opportunity to get autographs, photographs and a rare opportunity to mingle with the fighting game icons!
It's been a rough ride for Mortal Kombat fans dedicated to Nintendo home consoles. From game 1, Nintendo fans have more often than not had the short end of the kombat stick. In 2012, Gameinformer ran a comparison of 16-bit era games, highlighting the steep superiority of the bloody Sega versions of MK. If for some reason you've still wanted to revisit those bloodless days -- don't hold your breath!
Series co-creator Ed Boon knocked out hopes for a Wii U Virtual Console rerelease, describing the odds as a definitive: "0.0%". [That, or 0.0% was his expression when anyone showed any interest in Nintendo ports.]
Back in March, Mortal Kombat Online took an overview of the winding Saga of Mortal Kombat HD. The ill fated project began life as a contemporary remake of the classic games, using new actors to recreate the original sprites in an HD digitized format. As revealed by an unnamed source who worked on the project: the game was shelved by Warner Brothers for internal reasons [full story].
Little has been made known or available from the aborted Mortal Kombat HD project, but thanks to make-up artist Tanea Brooks -- we've now got our most intimate look at some of the work that took place!
Yesterday, we turned the spotlight on Sean Cantrell and his magnificent Mortal Kombat Lego. His blocky, toy inspired renders showed what might be if the world of Mortal Kombat were mere bricks and blocks. It was a wonderful proof of concept -- but what if you want to actually play with your toys?
Del Cottonwood is another industrious fan who has adapted the brutal world of Mortal Kombat into a simpler, blockier realm. Like Cantrell, he's adapted vast swaths of the Kombat cast, but in this case, they're downloadable skins for free-to-play sandbox sensation: Minecraft!
You would've had to have been lost in a pixelated underground cavern for the past few years to not know what Minecraft is. Launched in 2011; the stylized pixelated sandbox gives you a world of sky, water and earth to do with as you please. Its success has taken it to home consoles and driven an empire of paid alternatives, but the principle remains the same. Check out some of our favourites Minecraft Kombatants below:
Extreme flooding in Chicago's Midwestern suburbs has had an impact on NetherRealm Studios figurehead and Injustice: Gods Among Us Creative Director, Ed Boon. As he tweeted recently, natural disaster was turned to archival gold as the Chicago native uncovered undamaged, classic memorabilia from the early days of Mortal Kombat!
According to the traditions of the Chinese calendar, 2012 is determined the current Year of the Dragon. If impressions are anything to go by, it was purely serendipity that made this the perfect date for the twentieth anniversary of a series so widely identified by its iconic Dragon Logo.
The origin of the Dragon Logo symbol was just one of the topics covered when Mortal Kombat Online entered in to a conversation with a man whose legacy now far exceeds his time with the Mortal Kombat franchise.
It has become tradition for Mortal Kombat Online interviews to begin with the simple question of, in their own words, who the subject is. In the case of John Tobias, introductions are hardly needed. Together with Ed Boon, Tobias is credited as being the co-creator of Mortal Kombat -- a video game dynasty that dominated arcades until their eventual demise at the turn of the millenium, and continues to rule on home consoles.
As the man responsible for creating the original characters (and premise) that have populated Mortal Kombat in its every iteration, the influence of John Tobias is felt throughout the series -- even in the latest game, which set out to reboot the franchise by rewriting its history.
Join us in returning to the original source as John Tobias discusses Mortal Kombat's origins. In Part 1, we review how the series got its start, the names and faces that nearly led it down a different path, and the impact and legacy the original games have had.
Mortal Kombat may be brand new to the PlayStation Vita this month [full story], but the reboot title officially celebrated its first anniversary at the end of April!
Adding to the continuing retrospective; Atomhawk Design have released a follow-up wave of concept resources, expanding the gallery of their contributions to the hugely successful title with images of Kintaro, The Armory, Goro's Lair, Evil Monestary and the apocalyptic vista from Sonya Blade's ending!
In kinder, gentler times, children would gather each and every Easter Sunday, enjoying the simple pleasures of an annual hunt for chocolate eggs. These days, you probably more readily identify the tradition of "Easter Eggs" by pop culture's appropriation of hidden extras, and nestled nuggets of reference.
Mortal Kombat has made legendary use of easter eggs, milking a rich canon for hints and allusions, sometimes going so far as to hide kombatants themselves, deep within the game. At the beginning of the week, we talked about the impossible characters who existed in rumor and foolery [full story], but this Easter, the Mortal Kombat Online staff have crammed The Nexus to pick our Top 10 Secret Kharacters!
