Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe Impressions Of Crow Eating

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe is the musical equivalent of the MK team's Kid A, says associate producer Hector Sanchez. For those unfamiliar with that Radiohead reference, maybe MK vs. DCU being the video game equivalent of a post-make up KISS will make more sense. Regardless of the rock allusion, Sanchez essentially told me at E3 that after seven slogs through the MK universe, expanding and retreading, rinsing and repeating, it was time for a change — a big change.

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.

Ed Boon: We Scrapped Mortal Kombat 8

At last year's Midway Gamers Day, Mortal Kombat co-creator and series overlord Ed Boon talked up the then-unnamed eighth entry in the franchise. Boon described Mortal Kombat 8 at the time as "very dark, serious" and "gritty" take on the series, a back to basics reboot that was free of "vibrant, saturated colors." It was said to be heavily inspired by the look of Gears of War.

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.

OK, so my big question after watching this — Flash pummeling Scorpion as they both plummet into hell, is that a fatality/quicktime event, or something I can get in on? Because of all the fighting, that looked the best. Also how exactly do I get Catwoman to do that thing where she wraps her legs around me, but then stops without tearing my face off?

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]

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom Gets US Location Test (!)

Could it be? Could Capcom actually be looking seriously (we knew they were looking casually) at doing the undoable, and releasing Tatsunoko Vs Capcom in the US? Perhaps! It's been announced that at the EVO world finals in Vegas in early August, Capcom will be running a location test for the splendid-looking fighter. You know, the one nobody thought would ever leave Japan, the one Western licensing departments must be having kittens over. And not just that, but they're also "working on more ways for US players to try it out as well", so expect further hands-on details to come in the coming months. Like, at a guess, PAX.

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: On Tour in the USA! [Capcom]

Upcoming fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom looks pretty nuts. It also looks like it'll rarely be seen outside of Japan. So this is probably as close as most of you are going to get to seeing the game in action. Make sure you enjoy it, then!

Morrigan, Onimusha's Soki Joining New Capcom Brawler

More characters join the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fray! Previously, it was announced that the Capcom side was getting Street Fighter III's Alex and the Tatsunoko side was getting Gan-chan from anime Yatterman. The latest brawlers in this gaming characters versus anime character fight: Darkstalkers' Morrigan Aensland, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams' Soki, Hurricane Polymar and Golden Warrior Gold Lightan. As game site Arcade Renaissance points out, the game's button layout seems similar to the Sengoku Basara X one. Something to keep in mind as Japanese arcade location tests kick off this weekend! That, and the possibility of even more new characters.

Capcom VS Tatsunoko features Gold Lightan [ToyboxDX Thanks, Matt!]

We're excited about Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. The game seems like a fun arcade cross-over. Sure, there will be Western arcades that import the game, but will it get an official release outside Japan? Capcom USA is looking into it. No doubt the American licensing issues for the Tatsunoko Productions characters is sticky. Capcom USA's Christian Svensson points out:

We haven't discussed any home console plans for the title yet, so platform discussions are a bit premature. All that's been anounced is arcade... There are a lot of licensing issues around the title given that those properties are held by different companies across the West and they vary by territory greatly. It was created as a Japan-only project but we're investigating.

That's sure nice of Capcom.

Quick Question on Capcom vs. Tatsunoko [Capcom via Siliconera]

Two New Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Characters Revealed!

The recent location test announcement for Capcom arcade game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom hinted at new fighters. Well, impatient people, today we bring you new Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fighters! Pictured is Street Fighter III main character Alex, complete with droopy overalls and everything. Joining wrestler Alex is genius mechanic Gan-chan from Tatsunoko Production anime Yatterman. Check out the screens below.

『タツノコVS. CAPCOM』に「ヤッターマン」が参戦だ、ヤッター！ [Dengeki]

Age Of Conan - A Million Shipped, 700K Registered

We often talk about the differences between 'sold' and 'shipped' announcements, generally coming to the conclusion that the numbers would be relatively close, but sometimes the gap can be a bit bigger. Early this month, Funcom announced that Age of Conan was about to pass the one million copies shipped mark, which is a lovely milestone to reach and all, but in their latest pat on the back press release they place the number of accounts at "more than 700,000". This means that somewhere between 25-30% of those shipped copies either a) haven't been purchased or b) have been purchased and haven't been activated.

While 700K is nothing to sneeze at, it's still a great deal less than a million. Just something to ponder the next time you see one of those snazzy shipping number press releases. Speaking of press releases, hit the jump for Funcom and Eidos loving on some sales charts.

We sure hope that upcoming Capcom arcade fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is good. So far, it looks good! But we won't know until we give it a whirl at one of the location tests for the game. The game will be playable next month (soon) in locations in both Tokyo and Osaka — Taito Hey! in Akihabara and Ikebukuro GIGO from July 10th to the 13th and Osaka's SEGA Avion from July 25th to the 27th. Announced fighters for both the Capcom side and the Tatsunoko side include Batsu Ichimonji from Capcom 2-on-2 fighter Rival Schools, Chun-li, Ryu, space knight Tekkaman, Gatchaman and Casshern. In the flier for the arcade location test, it says there will be a new character announced. So there's that to look forward to, too.

カプコン、ロケテストを東京と大阪で7月10日より [Game Watch Impress]

"Sexy Villainness" in MK v DCU is Apparently Catwoman

Total Mortal Kombat says it got its hands on a Catwoman render for the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe title. I did some scrounging for Catwoman pics to see if there was anything obvious out there that could serve as a fake for this sort of thing. Couldn't find any, so, props to TMK (whose water mark is all over this, as the render leak was exclusive to them).

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]

If you're going to next month's San Diego Comic-Con and think that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a fantastic idea, we have good news. Well, Midway has good news, as it has announced a Comic-Con panel dedicated to the fighting game series reboot. "Worlds Collide: The Making of Midway's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" will go down Friday, July 25th and features MK creator Ed Boon and DC Comics collaborator Jimmy Palmiotti rappin' about the crossover, showing off "never-before-seen gameplay" and unveiling "key characters."

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.

Capcom has announced two new characters for upcoming fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. The game will feature Batsu Ichimonji from Capcom 2-on-2 fighter Rival Schools. (Interesting side note: Batsu was slated to appear in canceled 3D arcade fighter Capcom Fighting All-Stars!) On the Tatsunoko side, space knight Tekkaman will be slicing and dicing. Looks hot!

New Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Fighters [Dengeki]

One Of These "Special Incentive" DoA 4 Contracts Is Fake

Yesterday, Itagaki vs. Tecmo commenced with Itagaki's lawyer submitting into evidence the contract he had supporting his completion bonus for Xbox 360 title Dead or ALive 4. Tecmo's lawyers submitted a somewhat identical-looking contract, differing in that it did not support Itagaki's claims that he was entitled to a completion bonus. Hrm. Someone it seems is lying, and other evidence seems to indicate that Tecmo isn't exactly being truthful about overtime — which is a totally separate case altogether.

Something else to keep in mind: Earlier we reported that Tecmo slapped Itagaki with a gag-order, meaning that one had been filed — as of course there are no Japanese laws to prevent Tecmo from filing for that! However, a judge has yet to sign off on this gag-order for it to actually be in effect. Since this hasn't yet happened, the gag-order is, well, not in effect. What's more, that gag-order motion may very well be tossed out of court.

Itagaki vs Tecmo [IT Media]

If there was one word that made grade-school Leigh suddenly fake appendicitis on the floor in gym class, it was Dodgeball. So it was with great apprehension and a little resistance that I decided to have a look at Gamecock's Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, developed by Blazing Lizard for a July release over Xbox Live Arcade.

Up to four players can compete together locally or co-op, and online multiplayer is for up to eight. You can also compete against three AIs all by your lonesome, so there are a lot of options - You get the idea.

So did I get creamed on the video game the same way I used to as a little geek?

Tecmo Slaps Itagaki With 4 Point Gag-Order

And the Itagaki vs. Tecmo legal battle continues! On June 10th, Tecmo filed with the Tokyo District Court for a "gag-order" against former employee and Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki before the court case begins. The provisional disposition includes the following four points, prohibiting:

The Itagaki-Tecmo pissing match may have hit a new level of animosity. 1Up, attributing only "word on the street," reports that as many as 36 key members of Team Ninja are walking, and preparing a class-action lawsuit against Tecmo regarding unpaid bonuses they were due for completed games.

Earlier this month Tomonobu Itagaki, who leads/led Team Ninja, announced his intention to quit Tecmo, effective July 1. In his announcement he was PO'd about a company decision not to pay bonuses on a completed game, so, chances are his comrades feel the same. Tecmo, for its part, says the bonus to Itagaki that is in dispute was approved by a previous management team, not the current one.

1Up also writes:

Another problem for Tecmo is that in Japan, any lawsuit filed against a publicly-traded company must be immediately reported to its shareholders on the same business day. The fact that Itagaki had actually filed a complaint against Tecmo in Tokyo District Court on May 14, but Tecmo management withheld this information from shareholders, possibly as late as when the notorious developer released his high-profile public statement on June 2, creates even bigger problems for the game publisher.

Of course Tecmo still owns Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, and can hire developers to make all the games it wishes off of those franchises. But if this is true, it's absolutely a fair to wonder what they'll be like without, and how faithful they'd be to the gaming experience so many have come to expect to this point.

Rumor: Three Dozen Team Ninja Members Leaving With Itagaki [1Up]