Proce, who contributed to Midway's final fighting game (Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe) before being snapped up by Warner Bros, wrote that the re-imagining of the MK franchise proposed "mixing modern muti-player and dismemberment game design with the original fighting mechanic." The artist's take on four Mortal Kombat mainstays—Raiden, Kano, Scorpion and Sonya Blade—are dramatic, gritty and, for the most part, a welcome change.

Proce describes his Scorpion as "a wraith wearing the yellow blood of the demon" that resurrected him, his Kano as "half Japanese half US military bad ass." His Sonya, which will likely draw the most criticism, was redesigned as "the daughter of a Texas Ranger who's sex appeal weakens her opponents while her Special Forces training kicks their asses." Finally, his Raiden pitch portrays "a god [whose] feet rarely touch the ground."

We're not sure what direction the Mortal Kombat team is taking the series at its new home, but I'm personally hoping it's more along these lines—a darker, more dramatic, less comic book-like treatment with a pared down cast—than what we got with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. I enjoyed that game as much as the next guy, but I like my MK with a little less Wonder Woman.

Here are the never before seen Mortal Kombat characters... [Vincent Proce Art Blog via GameSetWatch/SRK Forums]

But they could have! Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has today revealed some artwork for a proposed crossover between the two franchises, which would have seen a Mortal Kombat-infused court made available in NBA Jam. With spinal columns, dismembered heads, the works.

Sadly, despite allowing gamers the chance to play as Bill Clinton as Prince Charles, playing on a Mortal Kombat court was a bridge too far for the NBA, who said nothankyou to the whole thing.

[noobde @ Twitter, via 1UP]

Boon had hinted at appearances from characters like Kung Lao and Doomsday in interviews, showing designs for one MK Vs. DC character that was planned for release, Quan Chi, first introduced in Mortal Kombat 4. The MK team lead released a render of the Mortal Kombat character via his Twitter today.

Will we ever see characters like Lobo, Quan Chi and [insert your favorite MK/DC character] added to the crossover fighter? According to Boon, "right now I don't see it happening," despite the fact that he writes those additional downloadable characters were "just about done."

With work progressing on Mortal Kombat 9 and Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe now eight months old, we'd guess that Midway and new owners Warner Bros. won't see the value in dedicating more resources to such a thing. Shame.

Boon has been dropping small tidbits about the bloody fighting game sequel via his Twitter account, writing "Motion capturing special moves & fatalities today....they are kind of sick!!" Boon also backs up what he told us last year during an interview at Comic-Con, that Mortal Kombat 9 will be a Mature rated game—and it "isn't going to have Superheroes in it"—unlike the T-rated, toned down Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.

"People want an M-rated MK....dammit we will give them an M-rated MK," Boon writes. He previously ponders "I hope we aren't taking these too far."

We've talked to a couple MK team members over the past year who have told us similar things, that MK9 would be "disgusting" in its violence, a return to form that we expect will be cathartic to longtime Mortal Kombat fans turned off by the less gory MK vs. DC... and maybe even a few of the game's developers.

Tonight from 10PM Eastern to midnight, Ed Boon and a crack team of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe developers and testers will be hosting a special MK room in game, where players will be able to challenge and be challenged by the people that created the game. Producer Hector Sanchez will be on hand as well, and sends his greetings.

The Mortal Kombat development team is proud to announce a first time opportunity for members of our Kommunity to come online and face us in Mortal Kombat! We’ve never done anything like this before, and we’re looking forward to facing some of the top Kombatants on PSN. Maybe we’ll learn a thing or two! ;)

Or maybe they will hand you your ass so hard they'll get the voice over artist Hernan Sanchez to make jokes at your expense.

Finish Them! Mortal Kombat Devs Challenge You Tonight! [PlayStation Blog]

In an interview, Moral Kombat vs. DC Universe senior producer at developer Midway Hans Lo dishes, "Ed has always wanted to do a mash-up — that was one of his dreams. His dream is MK versus Street Fighter, that's obviously the game he wants to make more than anything else in the world. For various reasons that's obviously not going to happen anytime soon!"

MK vs. DCU came about thanks to someone senior in the Midway marketing department knew someone senior in business development at DC, and they "concocted" the game and viola, here we are today. Now, if only Ed Boon and his eyebrows could get Midway and Capcom together, his dream would be totally real.

Mortal Kombat VS DC: Midway Interview [Kikizo]

Anyway, it's been changed up a bit, toned down to just slightly less than awesome to secure that highly coveted T-rating that Midway and Warner Bros. are so adamant about. In the latest build, Joker still whips out his prank gun, a "BANG!" flag unfurling. Unfortunately, you won't see the follow up of Joker shooting someone in the face; that actually happens off screen now, the headshot safely out of sight.

It's a minor change, but a noticeable one.

We asked Midway's Ed Boon about the difficulty in getting that T-rating, something he said the team has been working closely with the ESRB on. They've sent "at least three" submissions to the ESRB, going in with something that's full of M-rated content, getting feedback and "scaling it back."

Another Fatality that's seen some revision was Kitana's, one that involved her opponent being impaled by her trademark blade-fans. Initially, the first fan went into the torso, the other into the forehead. That second was a T-rating no-no. Double fans delivered to the chest, however, that's a T-rated way to end someone's life.

Sure, it's disappointing — Joker's original finishing move was one of the best we've ever seen — but the game would simply not exist with an M-rating. We'll just have to take solace in the archived video-only version, occasionally rewatch it misty-eyed and forlorn, and realize we're going to get the game regardless.

That doesn't mean it was a wasted visit, however, as Boon and Garcia showed us aspects of the game we'd never seen before. Not only did we get to see every character in action, like Raiden, Lex Luthor and Kano — and many of their Fatalities — we got a peek at the spectacular single-player story mode, a look at the new Combo Challenge feature and serious eyes-on with Sonya Blade's in-game model, thanks to the included model viewer.

Boon and Garcia first showed us two of the newer characters, Mortal Kombat II's Baraka and DC's Deathstroke, in action. Both deviate from the rest of the line-up by having weapons, with Baraka's familiar arm-blades matching Deathstroke's beefy sword. These are the only two characters that we know of that have weapon and stance options, not unlike what was introduced with Mortal Kombat 4, then later explored in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

Boon seemed particularly excited to show us Deathstroke's fatality, one that starts with a nasty sword slice to the torso, then a quick neck-breaking twist of the head. Expect lots of shattered spines in MK vs. DCU, as you won't see decapitations and dismemberment.

Yes, those Fatalities — and the "Heroic Brutalities" performed by DC's good guys — are more tame than what we've come to expect from the past seven games. Catwoman will break necks with her whip and Jax will finish you off with his sub-machine gun, both of which are noticeably bloodless.

The T-rated finishing moves may turn off the more superficial Mortal Kombat fan, but it's likely the engaging story mode will rope them back in.

It's surprising how well integrated the storyline is into the head to head fighting. Garcia kicked off the DC version of the single-player mode — each side is expected to take 2 to 3 hours to burn through — which starts with players controlling The Flash. He goes head to head with Deathstroke after a cut scene, which is then immediately followed by a fight with Kano, after the two are introduced by another cut scene.

These cinematic portions are certainly of higher quality than expected — no offense, MK team. They flow nicely into the action, with not a moments pause between someone issuing a challenge and the two kombatants squaring off. The voice over work and visual direction aren't too shabby either.

The story mode also helps explain exactly why the Mortal Kombat and DC universes are crossing over. That "Rage" mode, the reason why Captain Marvel and Green Lantern would ever fight each other, and just how Scorpion winds up in the Batcave are all explained rather elegantly through these scenes.

After playing as the Flash, who has a dust up with Batman, we transitioned to playing as Batman. The whole thing is wonderfully seamless and we genuinely look forward to seeing how it all works out. What's potentially more interesting is that, as the world's crossover, we'll get to see how it plays out in both universes at the same time.

The entirety of the plot should be considered off-canon. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a standalone entry, similar to DC's own Elseworlds line of comic books.

And speaking of Elseworlds, Boon brought up, when we asked about alternate costumes, that they're trying to secure some of those alternate reality outfits for the DC side. We should just expect palette swaps for now, Boon said. Trying to get Superman's Soviet costume from Superman: Red Son, for example, was a bit of a challenge. Perhaps as DLC? Boon says they're having internal discussions now to figure that out exactly which alteranate looks and costumes they want to go after.

After the story mode, we got a look at the Combo Challenge, a series combo completion tasks that's not just excellent practice, it's its own mini-game. The concept isn't new, by any means, just a bit more streamlined. You'll see the combo string for your character as a supertitle that you'll need to perform. Any failed attempt to pull it off can be quickly restarted with the Select or Back button. Mostly painless. Captain Marvel looked to have about a dozen combos of increasing complexity. Fortunately, the player can just bounce around the list — they don't have to be completed sequentially.

Another nice bonus is the model viewer, located under the Extras option in the main menu. It's extremely straightforward fan service. You simply have a flexible camera with which you can pan, zoom or rotate around each character's 3D model, sans HUD, to see all their details. Again, not groundbreaking, but a nice feature that we wish every game would include.

We've said many times before that we're eagerly anticipating Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, even as lapsed fans. Our most recent hands-on time made us want it that much more. We'll let you know how the final release, due November 16, ultimately pans out.

Jaffe writes that he met with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon way back in the mid-nineties to discuss such a venture, but that "nothing - clearly - ever came of it."

Of course, this was when arcades were still viable and Twisted Metal was but a fledgling series. They were also the heady days of Cruis'n World and War Gods, two indicators that it was probably best for all involved that Twisted Metal Arcade never saw the light of day.

Still, we'd love to have a peek into the alternate universe where it did. If only for the laughs!

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2008 [DavidJaffe.biz]

Having already discussed the previous take on Mortal Kombat 8 at length — with Boon telling me that it had been scrapped in favor of MK vs. DCU and that the ninth proper entry in the series may take it back to its ultra-violent roots — I wondered how much sleep Boon and crew had lost over the decision to junk that, instead adding a bunch of out of place superheroes.

Given that MK vs. DCU has no plans to introduce any new Mortal Kombat characters to the mythos — Boon called the MK side a "greatest hits" line up — how did the team feel fans would react to the inclusion of DC's finest? (The other "Vs." option Boon told us about chilled us to the bone, by the way.)

"If you're asking me to put a number on it, from one to ten, I'd have thought [the reaction to MK vs. DCU's announcement] would have been a four," Boon said at Midway's reception last week. "Turns out it was more like a nine."

Even if you're still turned off by the notion of superheroes and supervillians crashing the Mortal Kombat party, take comfort in this. Some unnamed Midway employees had actually suggested Mortal Kombat vs. Blitz as a viable option for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 entry. Boon said this with a straight face, after I asked him about the possibility of another High Impact Football game in his future, so be thankful you're getting what you're getting.

Boon didn't have to do much convincing to spark our interest in the game. We'd already been enjoying our hands on time with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for the better part of an hour when he sat down.

Updated impressions? Catwoman's got a fantastic ass.

We also got a look at some new environments, including the Fortress of Solitude, and a look at Captain Marvel's in-game model.

Boon also announced that an MK vs. DC comic book would included in the limited edition of the game, illustrated by John Tobias, co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series. The game's final boss and a the remaining line-up of fighters was promised to be announced over the next few months.

While that grittier, darker version of MK didn't make it far beyond the technology development stages — Boon told us there was little in the way of concept art for the grimier spin on the series — the next next Mortal Kombat may strive for more blood, more violence, more of everything that warrants an M-rating.

The artistic vision of a less saturated, less Superman filled fighter is still swimming around Boon's head, a title that may rest on the success of MK vs. DC. We spent more time with the crossover fighter tonight and talked with Boon about plenty of other MK-related topics. Tune in tomorrow for the rest of our conversation.

Obviously, that didn't quite happen; Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe did. Boon said that the down and dirty MK8 was scrapped when the DC Comics deal solidified.

While MK Vs. DCU was met with mixed results, it wasn't an unexpected by the MK team. Frankly, we were pleasantly surprised by the game — despite our very much looking forward to the team's previous vision — and think that will show when we post our impressions of the Midway fighter later today.

They're also giving away posters! Hopefully, said posters feature Wonder Woman and Sonya Blade for extra poster-kissability. For those who aren't able to make the trek to Comic-Con, perhaps these day old MK vs. DC in-game screenshots will soothe the pain.

We only know the rest of the line-up through vague descriptions from a separate source, such as Prototypical Super Hero, Mystical Super Hero, Amazon Queen, Sexy Villainness, Crazy Villain, and Military Superhero. Many of those aren't hard to figure out, but series creator Ed Boon says the full line-up has yet to be correctly guessed by fans.

Boon clears up a slew of misconceptions in a new Q&A with GameSpot, noting that DC villains will come equipped with the series trademark Fatalities, but that the good guys will just beat each other into a pulp. The PG-13-ing of Mortal Kombat somehow manages to break a little bit of my heart. Which will go on, by the way.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Q&A [GameSpot]

Just don't assume that fatalities are a thing of the past. Boon says they're simply "modifying" fatalities for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. "The names of these moves, and the level of violence we use, are to be determined," the MK co-creator said. "But it's certainly not a feature we plan on eliminating from the series." Just please, please make good use of Plastic Man, Ed. Maybe Elongated Man, too. They're begging for some fleshy Wile E. Coyote-style murderous contraption. Begging.

Mortal Kombat's Creator Talks [GameTap]

I did a couple of write-ups and whatnot on it, and sometimes we'd get really close to it but issues like our representative for the other company left the company for some reason, and that reset the whole thing back to beginning.

Ed Boon Interview [CVG via N4G]

In addition to those two sequels, David F. Zucker, president and CEO, hinted at two "new ambitious open world games" but provided no further details.

Not only does it contain the last decent Mortal Kombat arcade game in a teeny lil' DS card, it also finds a way to squeeze in local and internet wi-fi head-to-head play. UMK3 for the Nintendo DS also contains the not so bad Puzzle Kombat game on top of that, one-upping the Xbox Live Arcade release.

Anyone else shocked that UMK3 DS is now on their must buy lists? Michael McWhertor

Ed Boon on Ultimate Mortal Kombat [IGN]