During last week's Game Developers Conference, various press members were granted a hands-on preview with Mortal Kombat X and the first chapter of its exciting new Story Mode! Early word revealed Kenshi & Johnny Cage's playable involvement but with embargoes lifted, new details are flooding in from all sides!

Character speculation will be one of the last topics to die, especially with downloadable content beyond the horizon! Polygon has one of the best previews, revealing the ambitious scope of the game that awaits: "There are battles with hundreds of non-player characters and Mortal Kombat cameos, Urbano said, on a scale that NetherRealm just couldn't pull off before."

Among the "hundreds" of cameos are some expected returns. Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Kenshi, Raiden & Fujin reportedly lead the fight for the home team, while undead revenants of Jax, Sindel, Stryker, Kabal & Smoke battle under the control of Quan Chi. This continues the plot initiated during the last game, where the defeated warriors' souls were seized in the Netherrealm. IGN notes an appearance by Nightwolf, who was also among the dead fighters, as well.

It's the Netherrealm's invasion that is the subject of story mode's opening chapter. This refers to the expected continuation of the new timeline, revisiting the original plot of MK4. We saw glimpses of invading villain Shinnok and his struggle with the heroes in the Story Mode Trailer and again in the Cage Family Trailer. According to IGN, Shinnok is the final battle of Chapter 1.

No one has been able to distinguish the playable roster from the story mode cameos. Shinnok and Jax both appeared in one-on-one fights - each with 3 variations, according to Hardcore Gamers. IGN notes, "We have no idea yet, but there are a bunch more slots on the character select screen that need to be filled..." Polygon adds, "... we did see a couple of unannounced playable fighters, including Erron Black, in the game's attract mode."

Migrating from challenge modes in Mortal Kombat (2011) and Injustice: Gods Among Us into the story are "quick time events". Simple inputs determine the outcome of conflict that doesn't fit into traditional side-to-side kombat. GameInformer have a particularly evocative description of their experience, which explains the continuing sequence involving Johnny Cage and a notably heroic Kenshi:

"They’re en route to Raiden’s Sky Temple, where the lightning god is making a last stand against Shinnok’s forces. Whirring over the on-the-ground action sounds like a pretty great plan until the windshield is pierced by another familiar sight: Scorpion’s chain-blade. The soldiers in the back of the helicopter look around frantically, when Scorpion surprises the crew by appearing in the rear of the aircraft. There’s a battle, of course, and I’m paying such close attention to it all that I miss an unexpected quick-time event. It doesn’t kick me out to a game-over screen, but the action immediately shifts to show Johnny Cage blowing a series of blocks and taking damage. I do a better job of keeping up over the next few sequences, and Johnny reverses the course of the fight. He more than holds his own until Sub-Zero joins the party, freezing a couple of attackers’ heads and shattering them against each other."

It's official! Jonny Cage & Sonya Blade are back! Check out the whole brood as the Mortal Kombat X: Cage Family trailer shows off father, mother and daughter in devastating gameplay action!

Before the announcement of Mortal Kombat X, minds were understandably narrowed on the events of Mortal Kombat 4. The plot of the first three games was retold by Mortal Kombat (2011) -- heavily implying the next in sequence with a story mode cliff-hanger schemed by MK4 antagonists: Quan Chi and Shinnok.

Much remains a mystery about the plot of the 2015 sequel, or how the new history of MK2011 will play-out across MKX's 25 year timeline. The grim predicament left by a slaughter of heroic mainstays could force some surprising twists, but this isn't exactly unchartered territory. The worst outcome has always been a presented option for MK - as forewarned by a tradition of hypothetical arcade endings.

From sequel to sequel, it's typically been the heroes whose possible outcome is made canon. Over the course of Deadly Alliance and the sequels that followed, we learned it was mostly the MK4 heroes' endings that had a role to play in shaping the on-going saga. Liu Kang was victorious for a fourth consecutive event - defeating fallen Elder God Shinnok; Raiden was briefly appointed Elder God; Lt. Sonya Blade survived Jarek's aggressions, and Scorpion discovered the truth behind his spectre's curse - plunging Quan Chi into a dogged pursuit through the Netherrealm.

As Mortal Kombat Online continues to shift some of its extensive video archive to YouTube, we revisit the past of MK4 to ponder what would've happened if it all went horribly wrong. At a glance, MK4 proposes two realities -- the one we've experienced, and a darker alternative where heroes perished and evil won. Could this alternate ending influence the course of MKX? We'll find out April 14, 2015.

You know what they say about a fighter's shoe... It's a clue as to who they are! These boots are made for fighting and they're the latest Twitter tease from Mortal Kombat X Creative Director @noobde [aka; Ed Boon]. Note: Scroll to the bottom for new developments in the case!

The color-obscured fan bait came just in time, as a modest showing at PAX Prime stoked the fires of desire in a hungry audience. More footage of recent additions Raiden & Kano continued to promote the 2015 fighter, which featured the latest instalment in its reveal cycle earlier in the month at Gamescom.

More than just a popular 1996 action blockbuster: Independence Day is the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A surprising number of global nations celebrate equivalent days in the month of July, but since Mortal Kombat is an American institution: we're firing up the barbecue, lighting some roman candles, and saluting the US Special Forces' All-American hero: Major. Jackson Briggs!

Jax has been a steadfast presence since his introduction in Mortal Kombat II -- fighting twenty years (as of last month) for truth, justice & the American way! John Parrish was the man with the massive muscles who first brought the character to life. He was one of the guests of honor attending a reunion of digitized sprites at Galloping Ghost Arcade (last weekend) [full story].

Jax has inspired some outstanding artwork housed in the Mortal Kombat Online Fan Submission Archive! Join us as we cast a spotlight on just some of the standouts this Fourth of July! Be a part of future Art of Kombat instalments by registering to submit your work for future consideration!

From the Palace Gates of Shang Tsung's Island, to the invaded streets of metropolitan Earthrealm: The more things have changed, the more they've stayed the same! The tournament called Mortal Kombat has raged for over 20 years -- and for the first time since that momentous anniversary -- the game is about to change!

June 2nd will reveal the long awaited next instalment of Mortal Kombat! As the month of May winds to a close, we have been asked a simple question in promotional anticipation: Who's Next?

We asked a very similar question this time last year! In 2013, it was Smoke who emerged from the months of debate and thousands of votes as a controversial victor! Like the warrior himself - the conclusion was enshrouded in a fog of doubt and uncertainty. With the new game mere days from launch - and new measures in place - nothing can be taken as fact! True champions must defend their title, and we must ask the question eternal: Who is the Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion?

The ultimate fan voting tournament has become an annual tradition on Mortal Kombat Online - summoning the entire fanbase to agree on a single champion from sixty-four fighters! In 2014: the event will reflect the promotional cycle of a brand new game - introducing newly revealed elements as the tournament unfolds! Read on to learn more about what it all means and how you can join in!

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:

When you consider the importance of comic books to the history of Mortal Kombat -- it's a wonder there haven't been more of them!

Beginning in 1994; now defunct publisher Malibu Comics served a catalogue of interconnecting mini-series inspired by the hit games. Since then, the pickings have been slim. There have been official comic book tie-ins related to key game releases, but even a crossover with DC Comics -- and subsequent acquisition by DC parent company: Warner Brothers -- has failed to turn up any significant progress.

The success of Injustice: Gods Among Us and its comic book tie-in has led to a flood of requests for Kombat comics. News of an impending new Mortal Kombat game [full story] may be the catalyst fans have been waiting for -- but in the mean time, those hungry for four-colour Kombat may find refuge in an obscurity published back in 1998.

Our substantial South American readership may already know the material well, but for a vast majority of fans, the mere existence of a 4-issue mini-series based on Mortal Kombat 4 has gone completely unknown!

The subject was raised by MKOmmunity User GusLan back in 2009 -- and since that time, Mortal Kombat Online affiliate and former staffer ]{0MBAT has been on a grail quest to uncover the mysteries of the little known series. At the end of last year, he completed the series, and with the help of User Zentile, has translated it into MK's native language of English [read more]. Published in Brazil in 1998 by Trama Editorial; the series is primarily written by Rogério Saladino [of Panini's localized Marvel Comics] and drawn by Eduardo Francisco.

This time last year, Mortal Kombat Online put the call out to the entire fanbase. The purpose: to celebrate twenty years of Mortal Kombat by determining once and for all who could be called the true champion of the tournament!

After months of debate and thousands of votes it was Sub-Zero who emerged victorious! The MKII ice warrior was a worthy winner, but as any champion knows, there comes a time when the title must be defended! With 2013 marking the twentieth anniversary of Sub-Zero and the sequel he debuted in, it's almost inevitable that we ask the question anew: Who is the Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion?

From the top of the Pyramid of Argus, back to where it all began at the Palace Gates of Shang Tsung's Island: a lot has changed in twenty years of a tournament called Mortal Kombat! We gather sixty-four kombatants and put the call out to the entire fanbase! It is up to you to help us find the true champion! Read on for more details, including how you can win prizes!