Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 12 plus years, you pretty much know that EGM has hated every MK game after MK2. Since MK3, EGM has consistently been at least a point below the average of most other game review online or print publications.

You may have also noticed that EGM tends to bash Mortal Kombat whenever they actually manage to get news (bear in mind that the news usually comes several months AFTER most other publications). I've read in EGM such enlightening comments as "porno quality storyline" and "horribly outdated" for games that scored alot better in everywhere from IGN to Gamespot to Game Informer to Game Pro than EGM.

Well, now we know why. According to Dan Hsu, the Editor and Chief of EGM, in his latest Editor's column (The newest one with Smash Bros on the cover... If it's not out on store shelves yet, it will be soon), Hsu bemoans the state of crooked practices in the gaming industry when it comes to reviews. He basically implied that some companies will grant exclusives (by that I mean the first reviews out of the gate) to magazines or sites that will be giving the game high scores.

He also stated that EGM is on the "banned" list for certain companies or developers. Now this could come from the developers simply not liking the way their game was reviewed (personally, I find many of the EGM reviewers to be very snide, stuck up, type A power geeks, but they are accurate some of the time). Or the banning could come from the higher ups at the game company who simply don't want to grant access to a media publication that hates their product.

This was the case with Ubisoft and Assassins Creed. EGM gave Assassins Creed the "award" for "Game we're most worried about" in an E3 article in their magazine. Ubisoft decided to bring EGM in and have them look at the game again in a more finished fashion to change their minds. But EGM looked at it, thought it was repetetive and gave, arguably, the lowest scores out of any publication I've seen (I believe they were 7.0, 6.0 and 4.5).

Ubisoft knew that EGM didn't like the game, so they placed a press embargo on Assassins Creed (no reviews until a specified point in time), EGM was very late in getting the embargo lifted because Ubisoft didn't want their bad reviews to be some of the first out of the gate when the game was released. After the reviews came out, Ubisoft was none too pleased.

This, coupled with a 1UP.com blogger posting a message on IGN basically stating that if EGM had been bribed with either an exclusive first review or something of the like, EGM might have been more favorable in their review. Ubisoft took this blogger to be an EGM employee and immediatly banned EGM from access to all of their games. Hsu maintains that the "misunderstanding" was traced to a blog by a person who was not working for EGM, and the name of the person (not known to be the bloggers real name) is not the name of any employee at EGM.

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So.... You might be wondering.... What the heck does this have to do with MK or MK8? Well, if you haven't guessed it already, yes.... MK has a ban on EGM as well. Hsu didn't go into details, but the reason why this is becoming a big deal is the fact that Hsu actaully named names of companies that have banned EGM for unfavorable coverage.

Hsu is making EGM out to look like a martyr in this whole mess. But you know what? I don't feel sorry for him or EGM. Not one bit. Ever since MK3, EGM has been vicious to the MK series, mocking it whenever they choose to actually cover it. Guess what SHOE? Developers don't like it when you say that their storyline is "porno quality."

Developers don't like it when their game is ragged on, mocked, and joked about. People work hard to make video games and EGM sees that and sees fit to have a whole section devoted to mocking games, hosted by that dispicable poser Seanbaby. No Sean, you're not funny, your geek expressions are lame, and you take up pages in a magazine for absolutely no reason. Take that garbage to the internet.

If a company doesn't like the way a magazine is treating them, then they have every right to pull support, be it ads or access. EGM is taking the stance that companies are trying to buy good reviews by holding their content at ransom. Personally, I think it's more a matter of companies getting tired of EGM crapping on anything not named Mario, Metal Gear, or a few other games that get automatic passes in their reviews.

Okay, that might be going too far, but to get back on point... EGM has to accept the fact that there are consequences to their snobbery. They seem to think that a 7 is a good score, when every other publication working on a 10 point scale sees a 7 as average. Until EGM gets rid of this archaic reveiw system, they're going to keep pissing people off.

Believe me, I'm not just saying this as an MK fan. EGM, you are not the victim of some moustache twirling villain in a black hat. You're not the little guy. EGM was once an awesome magazine. Ed Semrad did a great job, but the past four or five years have seen that magazine fall into decay.

Less content, less up to the minute news, less stories, smaller previews (whatever happened to 10 page blowouts on a game or even two games a single issue?) The content has become more aggressive in that they make fun of almost every letter sent to them with clever little jabs at the person who took the time to send them a response to whatever topic they were talking about, and the reviews rarely seem to take the "fun" part of the game into account. Instead, they sound more like the Simpson's Comic Book Guy in disecting little details that no one but the "game geek" would care about.

Overall, the magazine has become a very jaded and cynical version of its former self. Which is a shame, since I was collecting EGM since I was about 15. I stopped subscribing a long time ago, but I used to buy the magazine every now and then.

Now I see a big cover for Street Fighter 4 on their most recent issue (the one before Smash Bros) and then I hear Hsu talking about Midway banning EGM from contact with the MK team and I just can't put up with them anymore. Hearing Hsu in the EGM podcast (1/7/08) talking about Street Fighter like it was Gods gift to the gaming industry made me sick.

Street Fighter was a good game that started a trend, Mortal Kombat was a good game that caught the attention of the mainstream media and has sold millions upon millions over the years. SF was a good game in its time, MK was a phenomenon. That might sound cheesy but it's true. To me, it almost seems like Hsu hates MK because of that fact. Because in his mind, SF is the superior product, but MK got the sales and the mainstream attention.

So yeah, don't expect to get any real info on MK8 from EGM. If you didn't know it already, you know now. EGM has been banned from the MK team's offices (not all of MIdway mind you, just the MK team). Even if EGM wasn't banned, they'd still probably rag on the game because they're cheap and petty individuals. Whether it's their long standing hatred of the series because of a love for Street Fighter, or their snarky little quips, jibes and straight up insults about MK because that's what this magazine has become over the years, it is what it is.

So don't bother with EGM, they'll be the last to get any news and when they do get news, it'll most likely be tinged with sarcasm and BS. You might as well also discount any reviews by them since Deadly Alliance, since (as rumor has it) the MK team pulled out of an exclusive preview of MK:DA when EGM supposedly hated the game and instead awarded the preview to PSM. EGM hasn't had a good MK review since, then, but I'd also say since MK3. Either way, you get the picture.

Don't pity EGM, and don't look to them for anything MK. They won't have until everyone else has had it..