Midway says Mortal Kombat: Kollection is due out this September for $30.

"Mortal Kombat has been a pinnacle fighting franchise for well over a decade now and this is an ideal package for fans and collectors in terms of content and price point," said Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, Midway Home Entertainment. "With the PlayStation 2 still holding the highest market share of any home console, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to offer an incredible value to our consumers as we ramp up for the highly anticipated launch of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe."

Don't know your Mortal Kombat: Deception from your Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks? You will in a second.

Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Deception takes martial arts-style fighting and the Mortal Kombat franchise to new heights with an innovative fighting system, unparalleled depth and brutally intense action that will appeal to long-time Mortal Kombat fans as well as current-generation gamers. The game features lightning-fast, hand-to-hand and special weapons combat; secret and returning characters; new moves and combinations with death-dealing battles, and all-new life-threatening environments.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an Action/Adventure title driven by intense single- and multi-player gameplay that is set in the period between the franchise's original title, Mortal Kombat, and Mortal Kombat II. As in Mortal Kombat: Deception, background interactions e.g. acid pits, spiked ceilings, etc., multiple new fatalities, and action-based puzzles play an important role in the player's quest for an "outstanding" victory as they maneuver through remodeled, classic Mortal Kombat environments. In franchise tradition, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks also features an impressive line-up of well-known characters that make frequent appearances as enemies, in boss battles and during several additional in-game interactions.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is the latest chapter in the award-winning and Midway's best-selling video game fighting franchise. With the most complete character roster ever, including every character from the Mortal Kombat fighting universe, revolutionary create-a-fighter and create-a-fatality modes, plus a brand-new Konquest mode, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is the most complete, intensely lethal, fighting experience ever!

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.

Like Radiohead and KISS before them, the team decided that there wasn't much further they could take the Mortal Kombat franchise without doing something radical, hoping that after the shock wore off, that the core fans would come along for the ride.

I suspect that they will, with DC devotees also hopping on board. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe is currently resting at the top of my personal list of biggest surprises at E3 08. Not only is it disarmingly fun, it reminds me of my favorite entry in the series, Mortal Kombat II.

That game may represent the fondest of memories for fans of Midway's Mortal Kombat series. It was bright, but somehow managed to remain moody; dark, but somehow still full of vibrancy.

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe brings the series back to its roots, managing to have Krypton's only son almost fit. Superman may stand out like a sore thumb visually — the Flash and Batman less so — but his move set and his Brutality are totally MK. Seeing Batman pull off a Kung Lao-like teleport via smoke bomb or Flash run 'round the world akin to Scorpion's classic teleport just works.

There's a good weight to all of the new characters, and returning fighters — I played Sub Zero, Scorpion and Sonya — feel solid and familiar. They've been updated with some new moves, with Sub Zero getting some of the most spectacular. Seeing the frosty ninja slip through the floor and rematerialize as an icy clone, well, it literally might induce some chills.

Possibly the most enjoyable member of those selectable at E3 08 was the Flash. His flurries of punches look and sound rather painful.

Other cool additions are the "pro moves", essentially double attacks that require precise timing. These moves will not only keep your enemy on their toes, but you'll be able to further mix up your high level gameplay tactics. Obviously, these moves add a bit of risk, as your kombatant will be locked in his or her animation for twice as long.

Fortunately, MK vs. DCU is very friendly to new players. I'm a lapsed Mortal Kombat fan, personally, having most recently dabbled with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and having little interest in the recent additions to the MK roster. Frankly, with so much lore and a cast of characters that once spanned 60-plus fighters, I welcome a whittled down roster of just twenty or so.

There's a lot of variety in here, despite the smaller character count and the removal of weapons and stances. With "Klose Kombat", the paper-rock-scissors style fighting also featured in the new "Air Kombat" sequences, and the "Test Your Might" in-fight button mashing fun, it might be a mediumcore fighting game hit. I was pretty much converted on the spot and think that a good number of the "haters" might be too, once they get their mitts on the thing.

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.

If you're only watching to see what new DCU characters are in this, I'll save you the trouble: nobody you haven't seen yet. Supes, Bats, Flash and Catwoman vs. MK's all-stars. But it's a fine edit and some nice eye candy to start the weekend.

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe E3 2008 Trailer [Gametrailers]

Roberts' trial has not yet been set, but Trujillo will testify against him as part of her plea agreement.

Teen avoids prison time in sister's 'Mortal Kombat' death [9 News]

That leaves Prototypical Super Hero, Mystical Super Hero, Amazon Queen, Crazy Villain, and Military Superhero among the unidentified generic descriptors of DC Universe kombatants. Catwoman apparently takes the "Sexy Villainness" title. Not that big of a surprise. Big version of the pic is on the jump.

TMK Exclusive MK vs DCU Catwoman Render [Total Mortal Kombat, via GamerCenterOnline]

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]

Larger, full body shot of Bruce Wayne's alter ego and a fresh render of Sub-Zero after the jump.

MK vs DC Artwork [Worlds Collide via Megatonik]

(Man, the guy who plays Liu Kang gets dizzy by the end of the clip.)

Mortal Kombat Gets A Happy Ending [Topless Robot]

MK vs. DC Universe Official Site

Mortal Kombat Killing [The Denver Channel Thanks, Michael!]

So someone already did Dress Like Niko, can anyone tell me how much this business-caz ensemble goes for? I think I could pull off that look.

And remember children, bone masks are OK. Skull bongs are not.

Image of the Day: Scorpion Gets a Spiffy New Look [Game With a Brain]

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]

The sluggish performance can be credited to the fact Midway had only one U.S. release during the quarter - an expansion pack for Stranglehold. On the other hand, its European launches included Unreal Tournament 3 and BlackSite: Area 51 for the PS3, Game Party and Cruis'n for the Wii, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for the DS, and Hour of Victory for the PC.

Looking ahead to next quarter, Midway expects the release of NBA Ballers: Chosen One for Xbox 360 worldwide and for PS3 in North America to support $18 million in sales.

Also on the road ahead for Midway, the company hopes to reap the benefits of a recent executive reorganization as it fired CEO David Zucker and replaced him with interim president and CEO Matthew Booty. The company also promoted Miguel Iribarren to senior VP of Publishing and Martin Spiess to the role of executive VP of its Midway Games Ltd. subsidiary.

The company's investor call marked Booty's first outing speaking to the investor community. Booty said he's been with Midway his entire career, most recently as VP of Worldwide Studios, and that his two goals now are to deliver a solid 2008 lineup and to put the company back on the path to profitability. "My intent is to improve execution on a number of fronts to deliver on the commitments we've made to quality," he said.

At its recent press event in Las Vegas, Midway announced Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and the troubled publisher is clearly hoping it, along with This is Vegas, TNA Impact!, The Wheelman Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360, and Blitz: The League II. The company seems to be hopeful that the new lineup and the fresh executive leadership will help put the troubled publisher on track for brighter days.

In fact, Booty said that the initial revelation of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe garnered enough attention when it was announced to knock GTA IV off of the top position on Gamespot, and the trailer took the number one spot on GameTrailers. He promised further information on the game leading up to an anticipated launch in the fourth-quarter of 2008.

When asked why Stranglehold and Blacksite suffered critically and commercially, Booty said that the success of a game depends not only on its quality, but on the timing and manner of its launch, including surrounding marketing efforts. Essentially, Booty said the releases suffered from poor timing, but expressed confidence that they've resolved their timing issues for the 2008 lineup.

Finally, will Midway consider bringing more titles to the Wii as a way of capitalizing on its broad install base? "In terms of bringing some of those PS3 and 360 games out for the Wii, I think the games that are successful on the Wii are made specifically for the Wii in terms of audience and technology," Booty said. "Where appropriate - for example, we've brought some of our Mortal Kombat titles over to the Wii - we'll take a look at it."

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]

Later in the evening however, an ugly story started to circulate. According to several sources, Ed Boon stated that the game would have no fatalities. No fatalities? Seriously? Fatalities are what the franchise is best known for but apparently DC will not have their beloved characters torn limb from limb in fountains of blood. Can't say I blame them, but I'm curious to see how such a move will affect sales of the game. Will Mortal Kombat fans be willing to accept the trade off? Superman vs Fatalities: who is going to win out?

MM Animation [BBTV]

Both Henry and Southern said Trujillo was never violent toward their children, and they never saw her use any Mortal Kombat moves. Southern said she thinks Roberts made up the Mortal Kombat story to look tough. "Lamar changed her. He was a thief and not a very good person," Southern said.

Is Brutal "Mortal Kombat Murder" Lacking the Mortal Kombat Part? [Game Politics]

Todays audience is a savvy, involved group so the film must be A plus plus in every area in order to capture the magic of the first film...The original Mortal Kombat game was born a child of many visual loves by the creators at midway so this latest version borrows heavily from that pioneering spirit and must be thought out and executed at the highest level in order for it succeed in today's market place.

Zucker points to games like Vin Diesel vehicle Wheelman and the next-gen debut of Mortal Kombat as some of the "bigger" titles, the latter of which is planned for the end of 2008. There's also mention of more John Woo games, now that Stranglehold is somewhat of a success. Yay? Maybe Zucker and crew should focus less on publishing shovelware crap and try to make the Midway name less of a punchline in the coming years. It might just be crazy enough to work.

Midway resets for 2008 [Chicago Tribune via Game|Life]

A 7-year-old's sister and her boyfriend were charged Tuesday with child abuse resulting in death after the two beat and kicked the Colorado girl to death as they were acting out fights from Mortal Kombat, according to arrest affidavits.

Heather Trujillo, 16, and her boyfriend, Lamar Roberts, 17, of Westminster, are being held on $100,000 bond.

Zoe died on Dec. 6 from blunt force trauma to her brain and central nervous system. According to the Weld County Coroner her right wrist was broken, her body had more than 20 bruises, her neck muscles were bleeding and skin near her tongue had been torn.

According to the arrest affidavits, Trujillo told investigators she and Roberts were babysitting Zoe (Garcia) and her twin, 3-year-old sisters, while their mother worked at the Corral Bar about five blocks away.

Trujillo said they were acting out the video game "Mortal Combat" by savagely hitting and kicking Zoe, even dropping her on her side, which broke her wrist. Roberts, who claimed to be a martial-arts expert with his hands registered as "lethal weapons, said Zoe had asked him to stop hitting her but that he didn't because "...I was drunk."

Roberts said he had performed a back kick on her, then kicked her again as she ran toward him. She fell back and didn't get up. She had stopped breathing, and Trujillo and Roberts waited 15 minutes before calling for help.

They said they put her in a bath, which temporarily revived her, but that she stopped breathing again. Roberts said he cracked an egg in her mouth "to see if she was messing around with them."

The egg went down her throat, the affidavit stated.

Finally, the mother and paramedics were called. Zoe was taken to the Northern Colorado Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

A witness told investigators that she asked Roberts whether Zoe had asked them to stop. "Yeah, she told me to stop," he said. Asked why he didn't stop, he said, "I don't know; I was drunk."

I can't even begin to express both my sincere sorrow for the loss this family must be going through now and my disgust at these teens who decided to get drunk and beat a child to death.

Sister charged in "Mortal Kombat" death of 7-year-old [Denver Post]
Teens charged in death of girl, 7 [Rocky Mountain News]

By John Gaudiosi

Paul W.S. Anderson is one of a number of Hollywood and gaming creatives that can be seen on Starz Entertainment's new videogame documentary, "Hollywood Goes Gaming," which is in heavy rotation across the movie network. This exclusive interview is from outtakes not seen on the show. Anderson, the man behind the original Mortal Kombat movie and all three Resident Evil films, talks about his process of bringing games to the big screen.

"What I've tried to do in all the adaptations that I've done is really immerse myself in the world, so I'm well aware of all of the different story lines and all of the back stories that exist," said Anderson. "Then I try and carve out an original story told within that universe. I think that's an important approach, because it allows you to tell a story that is a little unfamiliar to the gamers. There is nothing more boring than seeing a movie that is a straight adaptation of a videogame. A lot of hardcore gamers complain that videogame movies don't stick exactly to the games, but frankly that would not be an enjoyable experience because if you've already played the game you know exactly what's going to happen."

Anderson said that although he's usually played the games before he chooses them as an adaptation. That process can be slow.

"I'd spent a long time playing the Resident Evil games because I'm a slow game player," said Anderson. "I don't have magic fingers. I'm put to shame by a lot of young kids, but I'm diligent. I put in the hours. So I get to the end of all of the games but it can take a long time...it might take me a week to get through a game."

When it comes to choosing which games to bring to the big screen, Anderson, who has the option for a Driver movie and also produced the recent box office bomb, DOA, said he's looking for a good milieu.

"The thing about Mortal Kombat, for example is that it was heavily influenced by certain movies like Enter the Dragon, and therefore it was kind of an easy adaptation to turn the game back into a movie," explained Anderson. "Resident Evil was heavily influenced by the Romero zombie movies that I loved as a teenager. There was a whole six or seven years where there was just a new zombie movie every week it seemed. And no one had made one of those movies for 15 years. So when we came to adapting and making Resident Evil, we weren't just tapping into the audience for a particular videogame, I felt we were reinventing an entire genre of movies that just hadn't been done for a long time."

Anderson, who's been a gamer all of his life, said he believes games, as an art form, are still in their infancy.

"When I was playing Pong or Asteroids, that was the equivalent of the very first short silent movies like The Great Train Robbery," said Anderson. "They were primitive, but boy they were captivating. Games are now at the stage that movies were when Talkies were introduced. They have much more sophisticated stories because in that hour and a half you had a lot more dialogue. When you look at some of my favorite games from a while ago, the acting was bad and the dialogue was terrible. Games now are more sophisticated and quite often they use well-known actors to voice character. The dialogue is better the actual narrative is better, as well."

While the focus on "Hollywood Goes Gaming" is on that buzzword—convergence, Anderson believes games and movies will remain separate, but equal forms of entertainment.

"I love movies and I love videogames, but I don't think there is some kind of a hybrid art form between the two," said Anderson. "I think you go see a movie because you want to be told a great story. If you see a scary movie, you want to be scared, you want twists and turns, you don't want to know what's coming, you don't want to make decisions. Sometimes the joy of going to see a scary movie is a character does something that you just wouldn't do. And the same goes for gaming. I play a lot of World of Warcraft and although there are thousands of other people playing with me in this virtual world, I don't want to see them. I don't want to know there's a guy behind that dwarf. It throws off the illusion."

Anderson said that while on the surface there are many similarities between movies and games, they are kind of deceptive.

"There are animated sequences in games that look like movies, so there's a tendency for people who really aren't into games to think they are the same kind of thing," said Anderson. "But I think just the process of playing and interacting with a game make it necessarily different from the movies. I wouldn't know why you would want to combine the two."

The best part about opting for a video game themed halftime show is that it's going to be performed by band nerds. These kids probably know "Yoshi's Theme" better than any other cross section on campus. The above performance, from the recent UC Berkeley versus Washington State football contest features tunes and bitmap band formations from Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Mortal Kombat and more. They seem to get a little winded at parts, understandably, but it's a solid performance nonetheless.

Thanks to Christopher at the official Capcom blog for the link.

Maybe not exactly the collection you were hoping for—as an old, old man, I'd have preferred a more historical look at the company's arcade games, titles like Spy Hunter, the original Mortal Kombat, and of course, the classic War Gods—but it's still an interesting venture. I'd certainly like to see more publishers and developers publishing volumes of their artwork for fans, so kudos to Midway for giving their artists a chance to shine.

The Art of Midway [Design Studio Press]

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.

These guys totally need to wander around looking for other events that need video game soundtracks.

Altogether, we're getting more than a half-dozen games (!!!) in Game Party, which will quantitatively make it the best mini-game collection released for the Wii by a third party in November. Maybe.

Did I mention it also features a virtual beer pong game? I mean root beer pong, of course. Where's my martini?

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]

Mortal Kombat Armageddon Wii hit store shelves this week and to celebrate Midway sent out a full list of all of the fatalities you can pull off in the game using a Wii remote.

The list, found in the gallery of screens below, is four pages long and includes such classics as the Spine Rip Finisher (Remote: Poke, Twist Clockwise) and the rip off both arms and then hit the person with them finisher (Remote & Nunchuck: Both Poke, Remote Toward and Nunchuck Away and then Remote & Nunchuck: Toward, Away).

Much to my disappointment, the moves seem relatively intuitive and pretty simple to perform. I was hoping at least one was going to require drawing archaic symbols in the air with the remote in one hand while flapping the nunchuck wildly in the air with the other. I hope they at least made drawing a big heart in the air a friendship move. Brian Crecente

As I depart the Big Apple (where I've been reporting from all weekend) I leave you with this list of games coming out this week. Mario Party looks like it might be some fun with the addition of the Wii remote mechanic and I'd like to see how the 2d to 3d Crush is for the PSP. Other than that, I can satisfy myself with finishing up Silent Hill 2 which for some reason I decided to haul out of the mothballs. Anyone going to round out a holiday weekend by picking one or two of these up? Flynn De Marco

• Mario Party 8 (WII) It's the video game that's a board game with mini-games.
• Halo 2 (PC)
  Now with less ass.
• Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
  The Xbox 360 gets it's dose of Forza racing.
• Shadowrun (X360, PC)
  Magic and guns, 360s and PCs join together for a new multiplayer experience
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (WII)
  Nintendo brings Mortal Kombat to their console marking the beginning of the Wii bloodletting game parade.
• Crush (PSP)
  It's like Super Paper Mario on the PSP just without the paper or the Mario. The super remains to be seen.
• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)
  A little 2D old school PRG action. I really, really hope this has that silver ball that puts spikes in your brain.
• Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia (X360, PC)
  Fight for control of the suburbs against monster hordes. No, not soccer moms, actual monsters.

MK Armageddon 'Fighter of the Wiik' 5 [Game Videos]