Joystiq

See tons of MK vs. DC Universe gameplay

Justin McElroy — 2008-07-28T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

We don't know how you feel about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe but we've gone from absolute bewilderment to an almost embarrassing desire for the full version. If you're still on the doubters' side of the fence, we'd like to humbly suggest only that you watch the above video, a boatload of gameplay narrated by your friend and ours, Ed Boon.

It all looks sort of cool, but we have a hard time getting past the part where Superman runs Scorpion through seven walls without picking up the phone to pre-order the game. We can't even watch it anymore because after call number 9, the guy at Gamestop was starting to get downright rude. What say you on it?

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New Mortal Kombat vs. DC screenshots are fairly brutal

Griffin McElroy — 2008-07-05T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

Let's face it -- one of the main things that has set Mortal Kombat apart from its contemporaries throughout the years has been its inclusion of flagrant acts of grisly violence. When Ed Boon explained that the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe would explore the softer side of the series with Teen-rated acts of pugilistic carnage, many fans were upset, as it seemed their thirst for evisceration would go unslaked. The latest salvo of screenshots for the brawler from Midway might confirm or ease your fears of a censored MK title -- no, there's no evidence of any impromptu spine-removal procedures, but there's pummeling and arm-breaking aplenty. Does the latest entry in the toasty franchise look gruesome enough for your sinister bloodlust?

Gallery: Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe

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Ed Boon clarifies Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fatalities

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-06-24T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

In a brief interview with Gamespot, Midway's Ed Boon has (once again) discussed the return of fatalities in upcoming cross-brand brawler, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The infamous finishing moves will be performed by all Mortal Kombatants and DC Comics villains, but not by any of DC's untarnished heroes. You know, the ones "who don't kill that often." Instead, nicer folks like The Flash will have "brutalities," moves which inflict pain upon the recipients without totally murdering them.

Of course, don't expect the levels of violence and depravity to be quite up there (down there?) with previous Mortal Kombat games, as Ed Boon mentions that this Unreal-powered showdown is still pushing a slightly Tamer boundary. "Certain animations, blood effects, and sound effects that we have in the game are really pushing the T-rating envelope," he said. We're sure gore hounds will find this worthy of debate, but we're more concerned about everything that happens before the fatality.

Let's hope E3 grants us the opportunity to beat the snot out of that smug Superman.

Gallery: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

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Midway 'modifying fatalities' for MK vs. DC

Ross Miller — 2008-05-08T15:28:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

When Midway announced that DC characters were splicing worlds with Mortal Kombat for a T-rated fighting game, we prepared our eulogy for the fatality, a staple of the MK universe that seemed to run against the DC philosophy. Not so fast, says MK series creator Ed Boon, who hints that the violent sendoffs will still be there, albeit in a tamer fashion.

In an interview with GameTap, Boon notes that the developer never explicitly stated fatalities were going away. "We did acknowledge that we won't be able to do the same kinds of outrageous moves, like tearing someone's head off and the spine being attached to it," he says, adding, "My response is that, no, we're modifying fatalities. But I have every intention to keep finishers."

What's left is to define, then, the nature of the fatality. Are they inherently ultra-violent? So far that answer's been yes, with the extreme alternatives being Friendships and Babalities. For now, we'll just have to wait for the screenshots to show us some kind of finisher that satiates our blood-thirsty desires.

After the break, a collection of fatalities from the series.

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Noob.com's big reveal happens tomorrow

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-04-17T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Business

The big countdown on Mortal Kombat chief Ed Boon's personal site, Noob.com, revealed the above blurry picture and anagram. Cutting to the chase, it translates: Embargo lifts tomorrow. People are speculating the fuzzy image is MK's Scorpion, but it could be from the house party scene in Eyes Wide Shut for all we know.

If we really wanted to pinpoint a time Boon is going to make his big reveal, we'd shoot for something like 4PM Pacific. Why that time? Well, Midway is holding its media event in Las Vegas right now and the embargo on all information lifts at 4PM PST tomorrow. Maybe Boon will rebel and release his info early.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Noob.com has gotten even weirder

Justin McElroy — 2008-04-11T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Fighting

Right, so you may remember on April 1 when we stumbled upon Noob.com (Mortal Kombat chief Ed Boon's personal site) and tried to made some sense out of the coded images there. At the time, we thought (thanks to reader Batzarro) that the site was hinting at a new game in the series called "Ice Rage," as it steadily counted down to 3 p.m. on April 17.

But things have gotten weirder now, with all those symbols replaced by a long series of numbers. We're hoping that they're a code of some sort and we're hoping that you smart, attractive readers can solve it. Feel free to use our comments section to work together and crack it Robert Langdon style.

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