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]

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.

And the people who have purchased the game for the Playstation 3 (no number there) have played more than 3.6 million matches online, according to GameSpy tech, which hosts the games.

"Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was the result of countless hours of hard work by many people, and seeing the game surpass the million-seller plateau makes it worth all the effort," said Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-founder and creative director, Midway. "We're already hard at work on our next version of Mortal Kombat, and look forward to being able to reveal more details in the future."

By January of 2007, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon had shipped just 1 million copies. Of course, shipped isn't sold, but apples to apples, that's not bad.

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]

By far the best clue is for the 2PM game, "Johny Cage vs. Ironman". Iron Man is of course a Marvel character, so unless they released Mortal Kombat Vs. Marvel Universe when we weren't looking, someone messed up. At least Johnny Cage is indeed in Mortal Kombat - just not this one.

Amazon Gold Box Deals [Amazon.com - Thanks David!]

T. Atilla Ceranoglu, M.D. weighs in with his (or her) opinion on the latest Mortal Kombat, talking up the game's decreased gore and parental control options. That and "the easy learning curve and easy to use controls make it quite manageable for those unfamiliar with video gaming." Is Midway swimming in the seas of the Blue Ocean?!

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [AACAP]

Only one way to know for sure. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe versus the game critics. Round one, fight!

G4 X-Play
The story concerns an interdimensional accident in which Mortal Kombat bigwig Shao Khan and DC tyrant Darkseid get fused into one bundle of bad attitude creatively named Dark Kahn. He’s also notable for having one of the most uninspired designs in fighting game boss history. You’ve got Shao Khan and Darkseid to work with and you come up with a big flamey skullfaced dude? C’mon, guys.

IGN
When things were 2D on your SEGA Genesis and Super Nintendo, Mortal Kombat was simple: up was jump, down was crouch, and left/right moved you left/right. Being an awesome fighter came down to timing your blocks and moves while dodging ranged attacks the best that you could with your limited movement options. However, when MK made the move to the 3D realm, things got sticky. Suddenly, characters could just walk deeper into the plane and watch Liu Kang's fireballs float past them harmlessly. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe blends both of these styles with a varied amount of success.

Gamervision
Fans of old-school Mortal Kombat action will delighted with the fighting engine in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Gone are the weapons and multiple fighting styles from the last few iterations, as are the super-long chain combos, replaced with shorter chains that can be linked together with other attacks to form long juggle combos. The quick, twitchy combat action found in MK3 is back, and for the first time in years, Mortal Kombat feels like Mortal Kombat again.

PSX Extreme
As far as the DC characters, they've all been given the Mortal Kombat treatment, as each and every one of them boast the infamous MK uppercut, on top of a fatality. Yes, fatalities are still very much a part of the game, they cannot be done in the story mode for obvious reasons, but all bets are off when you're playing the game's arcade mode. In addition to uppercuts and fatalities, all of the DC fighters also boast their unique signature attacks straight out of the comic books, and while their fighting styles are more Mortal Kombat than anything else, it helps to seamlessly blend them with the MK fighters. Lastly, all fighters gain the ability to trigger "Rage Mode", a temporary state of invulnerability that can be activated when your Rage bars fill up.

Giant Bomb
Personally, I didn't find the lack of M-rated violence to be that big of a deal. Even when fatalities are present, they're only really meaningful for the first month or so, when they're fresh and new. After that, everyone's seen them all, and they only serve to make the downtime between fights longer. But it all comes back to why you're personally interested in Mortal Kombat. For some people, the action is the juice. For others, it's all about the gory displays at the end of the fight. For what it's worth, the game does have blood during fights, so hits to the face will result in a bit of splatter. Also, clothing gets ripped up as you get beaten, resulting in some great-looking scuffs and scrapes at the end of the fight.

Kotaku
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe may have been knocked around for some of its design decisions, most notably the inclusion of DC characters and the toned down violence, but it's still an enjoyable ride. The game looks damn good... from a distance, as things can get a little uglier up close. The most disappointing thing about MK vs. DCU, though, is its lasting value. The head-to-head fighting may offer near infinite replayability to the more dedicated MK fan, but the depth of content left us wanting more.

Not quite the best of both worlds, but a little good from each.

It's been a rough transition at times, from arcades to consoles, from generation to generation, with the latest (and eighth!) iteration pulling half of its roster from the DC Comics mythos, dropping gameplay mechanics established in previous games and plugging in new ones. As odd as it may seem on paper, seeing Batman battle Sub-Zero in the streets of Metropolis doesn't look that unusual on-screen.

But how does it play? We've spent kountless hours... sorry, countless hours with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to see how well these two worlds collide.

Loved
Killer Kast Of Kharacters: Midway pares down the roster to a lean 22 combatants, of which there is very little filler — especially compared to the over-stuffed 60 character line up from Mortal Kombat Armageddon. There are a few notable absences — Kung Lao, Reptile, Lobo, Despero — but outside of personal preferences, the "greatest hits" selection of fighters is more than adequate. The Flash and Joker are tons of fun to play and MK mainstays like Sub-Zero and Scorpion feel fresh despite their age.

A Flashy Fun Alternative: It may not have the deep fighting mechanics of its competitors — Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Virtua Fighter 5 snobs will likely turn their nose up at such fluff in between counting frames — but it's still a hell of a lot of fun to play. Having given up any semblance of competing with the hardcore, it's still enjoyable, personally, to play MK games against my more casual circle of friends. The Klose Kombat and Freefall Kombat modes add a welcome, if occasionally imbalanced, diversion from straight up fighting.

Campy Story Mode: Both sides of the core story line are a blast to play through, giving you about six hours of single-player gameplay when you don't feel like getting your hat handed to you online. The cinematic sequences blend in surprisingly well with the action, all of which is held together by the barest of storytelling. It's occasionally (unintentionally?) hilarious to see the Mortal Kombat and DC universes intertwine. There's solid fan service with respectable production quality helping to put some extra shine on the campy package.

It's The Best DC Fighting Game Since Blizzard's Justice League Task Force: I may have grown up a Marvel man, but it's still amusing to see Batman, Green Lantern and Superman go at it. With the exception of Wonder Woman's bizarre moveset, the DC side translates to the fighting genre beautifully. We're hoping there's a sequel or spin-off, so we can see how, say, Martian Manhunter or Plastic Man fight.

Hated
Short On Features: When you're done with the story mode and you've completed the Kombo Challenge — the latter, no small feat — there's not much else to do beyond one-on-one fighting. That may be enough for fans desperate for more Mortal Kombat, but given the depth of features seen in previous games in the series, not to mention the feature set of the current-gen competition, the whole package feels lacking. Character specific endings in Arcade mode consist of nothing more than a piece of character artwork with narration. With no create-a-fighter mode and very little to unlock — there are no alternate costumes — we've braced ourselves for a flood of downloadable content.

Aggravating, Inconsistent AI: The MK series has always struggled to provide a computer controlled opponent that feels believable in its skill level. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's artificial intelligence is all over the place, pulling off some combinations that will have your eyes rolling wildly. The next round, they may simply take a boot to the face after boot to the face without ever blocking. It's nowhere near as bad as the offenses from Mortal Kombats II and 3, but it's no replacement for a human opponent.

Lame Fatalities: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a T-rated game in an M-rated series. While a few seconds of gore and sadism should never be the deciding factor in whether you're dropping sixty bucks on a fighting game, it's still deflating to see how tepid the finishing moves have become.

Online Works, But Where's The Chat Server? The one-on-one fighting is functional, even if the lag can be painfully noticeable and we've been endlessly ground-pounded by Jax more often that we'd like (once was quite enough). Unfortunately, the reliability of the chat server has made getting into a room, where more than one-on-one fighting can be done, spotty. The PlayStation 3 version wasn't suffering the same performance issues as the Xbox 360 version, possibly due to recent Xbox Live downtime, but it soured the initial experience.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe may have been knocked around for some of its design decisions, most notably the inclusion of DC characters and the toned down violence, but it's still an enjoyable ride. The game looks damn good... from a distance, as things can get a little uglier up close. The most disappointing thing about MK vs. DCU, though, is its lasting value. The head-to-head fighting may offer near infinite replayability to the more dedicated MK fan, but the depth of content left us wanting more.

MK vs. DCU is a capable fighter, full of camp and silliness, that does a good job of rebooting the franchise — even if this is just a one-off — and giving lapsed fans something to latch onto. It can't compete with the robust offerings from other established fighting game franchises, but its a raucous and fun alternative.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was developed and published by Midway, released in North America on Nov. 16 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99 USD. Completed single-player story modes on Xbox 360, played through arcade mode, and tested online multiplayer modes on both platforms.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

National Console Support announced yesterday it was accepting pre-orders for the European version, rated 16+ by PEGI. It's every so slightly gorier. Price for Americans is just $66.90 plus shipping, which should occur on or around November 21. Not a high price to pay for fatality integrity.

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe EUROPE [NCSX]

The majority of Midway's earnings came from the Xbox 360, on which it released Unreal Tournament III and TNA iMPACT! (emphasis Midway's). The quarter's second biggest earner, Nintendo's Wii, has given Midway the most money for the full year, with almost $30 million YTD in revenue.

Unsurprisingly, Midway is pinning its hopes on the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to help pull it out of its financial funk next quarter. Midway CEO Matt Booty said something about "align" and "brand" and Mortal Kombat but we can't recall it all because we started thinking how Booty is a funny name.

MIDWAY REPORTS 2008 Q3 RESULTS (PDF) [Midway]

"That's partly true [that the fatality has been edited]... You know, for North America we have a Teen rating, and teen really means 13 and above. Thirteen is pretty young, you have to admit. For Europe we have a 15, 16+ rating - so it's a bit different."

Now I've not imported a game from Europe since Tales of Eternia for the PSP, but I am seriously considering it now. I know it's just a slight change, but after watching the original fatality clip over 100 times, I kind of got used to it.

The Joker fatality uncensored for Europe [Videogamer.com]

Here are three more Fatality moves from Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe for your viewing pleasure - none of which are as good as the now-excised Joker finishing move but all of which involve Kombat and Mortality, so job done.

Of the three, Catwoman's is the most straightforward (although somewhat out of character - she is one of the less murderiffic DC villains) and Sonya Blade's is one of those that would require the victim to stand still while she gets in the right position. Sub-Zero's is cool. Ho ho.

Please feel free to write in explaining that Catwoman's recent demeanour is due to Zatanna editing her memory and blah blah Worst. Trailer. Blurb. Ever. etc.

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.

“The resolution of these licensing arrangements on good terms for the company is a very positive step as we continue to review Midway’s involvement with underperforming projects and focus on our core properties,” said Matt Booty, interim CEO and president. “Our fall lineup and strong pipeline of games that tie in to market-leading licenses like DC Comics and TNA Wrestling underscore our strategy of aligning with consumer and entertainment properties that can drive a solid gaming experience.”

Let this be a lesson to up and coming video game publishers. Only create games that make you money.

Midway Focuses Development on Core Game Properties, Optimizes Licensing Line-up
Termination of non-core licenses and other non-cash charges result in revised earnings guidance for third quarter

CHICAGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) today announced it has come to mutually beneficial terms with licensing partners resulting in the cancellation of future versions of related game properties and associated development expenditures. The resolution of these licenses accelerates non-cash charges into the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, and, combined with other non-cash charges, results in a revision of Midway’s estimates for the third quarter.

Midway now expects a third quarter net loss of $0.70 per basic and diluted share, compared to its previously adjusted estimate of a net loss of approximately $0.49 per basic and diluted share. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes approximately $0.10 of non-cash convertible debt interest expense, stock option expense, and deferred income tax expense related to goodwill, the Company now expects a loss of approximately $0.60 per basic and diluted share, compared to its prior estimate of $0.39 per basic and diluted share.

“The resolution of these licensing arrangements on good terms for the company is a very positive step as we continue to review Midway’s involvement with underperforming projects and focus on our core properties,” said Matt Booty, interim CEO and president. “Our fall lineup and strong pipeline of games that tie in to market-leading licenses like DC Comics and TNA Wrestling underscore our strategy of aligning with consumer and entertainment properties that can drive a solid gaming experience.”

On the off chance you are unaware of what to expect, MK vs DC pits the goody-two-shoes DC heroes (Superman, Batman, et al - plus a couple of villains) against the altogether more violent Mortal Kombatants in a slightly less bloody than usual Kombat tournament.

By the looks of things, the Alex Ross illustrated Kollectors Edition will be out at the same time as the vanilla flavor, which will hopefully reduce the amount of time I will be required to spell C-words with a K - at least until the next installment.

Midway press release after the jump

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MIDWAY ANNOUNCES MORTAL KOMBAT® vs. DC UNIVERSE SCHEDULED TO HIT U.S. STORE SHELVES NOV. 16th

Kollector's Edition Revealed Including Packaging Art Hand Painted by Alex Ross, In-Pack Comic Book With Art By MK Co-Creator John Tobias

CHICAGO - October 14, 2008 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) is expecting Mortal Kombat® vs. DC Universe to be on store shelves and available for purchase throughout North America on November 16th, 2008, and Europe on November 21st, 2008. On those days, gamers and comic book fans can enter their favorite retail outlet and purchase the highly-anticipated pairing of some of the iconic characters from the DC Universe, like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Joker, battling against video game icons Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya and more.

Last week Midway released the final box art along with details of the North American Kollector's Edition, which will come in special packaging and feature an exclusive removable print designed by Alex Ross, one of the world's most pre-eminent and respected comic book artists, as well as bonus video content. In addition, John Tobias, co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise, returns to sketch a 16-page comic book to be published by DC Comics that chronicles the shocking, universe-shattering events that lead up to the in-game story mode.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and will be available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For more information please visit www.worldscollide.com.