Proce, who contributed to Midway’s final fighting game before being snapped up by Warner Bros, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, 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 Sony Blade—are more dramatic, grittier and certainly a welcome change.

Proce describes his Scorpion as “a wraith wearing the yellow blood of the demon” that resurrected him and his Kano as “half Japanese half US military bad arse.” 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 tone 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 and 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 favourite 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, 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 Mortal Kombat fans turned off by the less gory MK vs. DC… and maybe even a few of the game’s developers.

History lesson: despite decreasing sales and quality standards of late, Mortal Kombat is without a doubt Midway’s most important remaining asset. And Ed Boon created Mortal Kombat. So he’s important to Midway.

Which is why, despite the remainder of their business operations seemingly falling down around them, Midway have sought to secure the continued payment of Boon’s “bonus” structure throughout the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, which they say is “critical to maximizing the value of one of the Debtors’ primary assets”.

To give you an idea of what they’re talking about, Boon is picking up $900,000 for the completion and sales of Mortal Kombat vs DS. He’s also getting $105,000 in bonuses for the franchise itself, coming from sales of older titles and other things like movies.

More money will no doubt need to be freed up later in the year, as Midway’s bankruptcy paperwork also reveals that he’s working on a new entry in “the Debtors’ most successful video game series” (ie Mortal Kombat), and that a new game in the series will be out in Q4 2009.

That’s a lot of money to be throwing around when there’s not much Midway money to go around, but there’s certainly a good reason for it. Midway argue, and rightly so, that Boon is the last Ace they’ve got left up their sleeve. If he took off, investors and other assorted pundits would call it a day on Midway’s potential to crank out any decent (or half-decent games).

What’s also of note is just how much money that is. Boon and Mortal Kombat have a history, but there hasn’t been a really good game from either in a long, long time. Imagine the kind of bonus payments people like Ken Levine, Will Wright and Dude Huge are picking up…

Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon’s $1 million bonus [The Cut Scene] [Image]

Tonight from 10PM Eastern to midnight (just a couple of hours away, AU readers!), 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 arse 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 realise we’re going to get the game regardless.

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]