Updates to the Mortal Kombat X: Premium Edition bundle on Xbox Marketplace have revealed artwork for the first wave of downloadable content skins - the Samurai Pack!

This year's Game Developers Conference saw the unveiling of Mortal Kombat X's all new Story Mode, and the fighting return of Johnny Cage! The Earthrealm Champion features in a slew of new screenshots coming out of the event.

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."

Taking place 25 years after the events of Mortal Kombat (2011), the new generation of characters will discover that Outworld is not the only threat they face. Fans will get a first look at the newest fighters to join Cassie Cage, including Jacqueline Briggs, daughter of Jax, Takashi Takeda, son of Kenshi, and Kung Jin, descendant of Kung Lao.

Digital readers of the Mortal Kombat X comic book will have been within their rights to have many questions regarding details glanced since Chapter One. Designed to tell the story between Mortal Kombat (2011) to the April 14 release - many key points have remained unelaborated upon, left to vague references.

MK Online Kommunity User Shadaloo has shared a recap page found in print versions of Mortal Kombat X #2, which details some of the missing the pieces. The following transcript contains SPOILERS. Read on at your own risk.

Even after defeating the evil Shao Kahn, humanity was not safe.

A fallen Elder God named Shinnok rose to lead the undead armies of Netherrealm against us in a war that nearly destroyed Earthrealm. Nearly.

Against all odds, Raiden and his champions prevailed. Shinnok was imprisoned and his undead army was driven back to Netherrealm - except for a fortunate few, miraculously restored to life, and granted the opportunity to set things right...

Previously in Mortal Kombat X:

Given a second chance at life, Hanzo Hasashi aka "Scorpion" reformed the Shirai Ryu clan and took in Takeda, son of the swordsman Kenshi, as his latest apprentice. But after a demon posessed one of Hanzo's students via an ancient dagger and massacred the rest of his clan, Scorpion vowed to finish the being who had originally given him the dagger - Raiden!

Meanwhile...

After Emperor Shao Kahn's death, his sole heir Mileena claimed the throne of Outworld. As the war between Earthrealm and Netherrealm threatened to spread to Outworld, Empress Mileena refused to coordinate a defense effort, ignoring the pleas of her War Chief, Kotal. Finally, after a great battle, Mileena was overthrown. Those who sided with the would-be Empress became enemies of the new Emperor, now calling himself Kotal Kahn.

And thus the Outworld Civil War began...

Cast list:

Hanzo Hasashi AKA Scorpion: Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu. Former Netherrealm agent.
Kenshi: Special Forces agent. Absentee father.
Raiden: God of Thunder. Protector of Earthrealm.
Sonya Blade: Commander of Earthrealm Strategic Defense.
Jacqui Briggs; Daughter of Jackson "Jax" Briggs.
Cassie Cage: Daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade.
Erron Black: A mysterious mercenary living in Outworld.
D'Vorah: First minister to Kotal Kahn.
Kotal Kahn: Emperor of Outworld. Osh-Tekk warrior.

NetherRealm Studios are back in the 'rasslin business! The developer released the free fighting app WWE Immortals earlier this month - just in time for the annual Royal Rumble! We think it's such a swell game, we're celebrating with our own take on the WWE classic - and we need you to make it work!

We'll be asking "Who's Next?" when 30 Kombatants are drawn randomly at regular intervals to enter the first ever Mortal Kombat: Royal Rumble!

It will all go down tomorrow (Sunday) - with the Fan Koliseum deciding characters' fates by voting for eliminations on the forum, and boosting their chances via Twitter! Better still, every participating fan will go into the draw to win themselves a limited edition Mortal Kombat kollectible pin! Here's what you need to know:

Mortal Kombat - Royal Rumble Rules:
• 30 Kombatants will be drawn randomly to enter at regular intervals.
• The MK Royal Rumble will begin when #1 & #2 are announced.
• Each entrant will be announced via @MK_Online & the forum.
• Kombatants begin with 12 elimination points.
• For every 5 Retweets & 10 Favorites a Twitter entrance receives - the corresponding character will gain +1 elimination points. [Tallied during each subsequent entrance.]
• Fans will vote to eliminate active characters by posting to the forum.
• An elimination occurs when the voting tally exceeds a characters points total.
• Fans can vote for an elimination once per entrance: Points will remain subtracted, but a new entrance will grant users the right to vote again for any character they decide.
• Eliminations will give points to randomly assigned eliminators.
• There must always be at least 1 kombatant active.
• Kombatants remaining after the 30th entrant will be systematically eliminated based on their points and the total Retweet & Favorites received.
• In the tradition of the Royal Rumble - expect surprises! The 30 entrants will be drawn randomly from a total field of 85 characters!
• Prize winners will be notified within 48 hours.

Mortal Kombat X is less than 7 months away! Even as the April release date and pre-order bonus draw nearer - there remains much to be discovered about the reboot sequel's fundamental elements! The playable cast continues to be a source of new speculation, but one of the overarching mysteries introduced during June's E3 unveiling is the identity of the final boss!

Every fighting game needs a memorable final challenge. Mortal Kombat has enjoyed some of the genre's best bosses - MKII & MK3's Shao Kahn still looming large since his introduction more than 20 years ago!

Series co-creator Ed Boon says MKX's boss is: "a fun surprise returning character" and "[not] a lot of people will see it coming". He's eliminated a few contenders along the way, blatantly ruling out Goro, and supressing suspicions about Kotal Kahn. With this information - Mortal Kombat Online has had its finest minds on staff debating the lead suspects. After a few months of fisticuffs and consideration - the following is our Top 10 Final Bosses for Mortal Kombat X!

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.

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: