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Maxim spent some time with legendary Mortal Kombat announcer Hernan Sanchez, during which time they did exactly what I would do in that situation - make him say silly things in a menacing voice.
Some of our more jaded readers may poo-poo Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's softer, more broad reaching one-on-one violence, but there's one organisation who has no qualms with the T-rated brawler. That would be the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry which has reviewed the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game, finding that it "will likely facilitate an adult joining a teenager in video game play." Not a sexy box quote by any means, but maybe better than we were expecting.
While I generally don't pay too much attention to Maxim's video game coverage, mainly because I don't feel like I fit into their core demographic (Maxim readers), every once in a while the magazine that gave Sudeki for the Xbox 5 stars has something interesting to offer. Like a list of the 7 Greatest Faceless Announcers in Video Games, a celebration of those announcers we never see but will never forget. You may know them as "The Finish Him Guy", or "the guy from Soul Calibur who sounds like he's just making shit up as he goes along", but you love them just the same.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a massive change in direction for the fifteen year old series. 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.
Oftentimes an idea that begins as something completely ridiculous can morph into something that's pretty damn compelling. Take this back page ad from ToyFare magazine, Wizard's guide to all things tiny, plastic, and on my fireplace mantle. First you take mortal Kombat VS Street Fighter. That's one splendid idea, isn't it? Then you add in Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Predator, Aliens, Rocky, Sectaurs, etc., and things start to get pretty silly...but damn if I wouldn't shell out good money for this game. ToyFare Editor Justin Aclin agrees.
Midway's Ed Boon and Paulo Garcia, game designers on Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, stopped by the Kotaku "offices" yesterday to give us a near-final look at the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 fighting game. Having already played the game at E3, Comic-Con and the Leipzig Games Convention, we were pretty familiar with how the game plays.
Midway isn't the only company feeling the pinch in these troubled economic times, but yesterday they were hit especially hard, according to Forbes. The company's stock hit a 52-week low today, losing 12% of its market value, with owner Sumner Redstone facing the possibility of selling more assets to help keep it afloat.
That Gaming Site is reporting that Mortal Kombat II is, quite inexplicably, gone from the PlayStation Network in North America, and has disappeared from the download list of those who purchased it. There's six pages of comments on the official PlayStation forums. Some have contacted Sony customer service to point it out, and It seems this was a glitch caused by the last update. I seriously doubt Mortal Kombat II was deliberately removed, because it sat atop the most downloaded list for several straight weeks and is roundly considered the best of the old arcade versions. But there's no word from Sony or Midway on what the hell's going on.
Anyone else seeing this? When the latest installment of the franchise is a month away, this really isn't a good time to see one of its classic titles disappear.
Mortal Kombat II Removed from the PSN? [That Gaming Site]
Midway has unvieled the official box art for their upcoming crossover fighter Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, and while previews of the game and footage I've seen seem to indicate it will be a solid fighter, I still can't help but laugh when I see Scorpion facing off against Batman holding a kunai. Along with the box art comes a few new screenshots that aren't nearly as laughable, giving us a look at Baraka, Raiden, and Captain Marvel himself, SHAZAM! *gets hit by lightning bolt, dies*
Midway sure aren't what they used to be. The same company that once laughed their way to the bank off the back of games like Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam is now a broken, broke-arse company, reduced to - get this - borrowing $40 million from their owner's other assets just to cover the manufacturing costs for their holiday 08 games lineup. Needless to say, if those games - MK v DC, TNA Impact and Blitz II - fail, the future prospects for the company won't exactly be looking rosy.
Midway borrows more money from the Redstones to stay alive [Variety]
