October 2006

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

UMK3 finally officially arrives on XBLA
Posted by White_Pointer at 22:42:12 CST
After about a week of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 having problems on Xbox Live Arcade, not the least of which is that it at least seemed to have been prematurely released, and subsequently pulled, and put back up, Midway have finally announced the game has officially been released.

We've also learned that the game contains a new "Challenger Versus" mode, which allows up to 4 players to compete in a "winner–stays–on" style challenge system.

UMK3 is now available to download, so if you are an MK fan dying for some old school action on your Xbox 360, go and grab it.
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EA Chicago working on new fighter
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:12:41 CST
EA Chicago, the studio behind the recently announced Def Jam: Icon, is apparently working on yet another fighting game title. In a press announcement EA confirmed that their Chicago studio is working on "a licensed title and a new intellectual property in the fighting videogame genre."

What exactly it is, or what license it is based on, remains a mystery at this point.
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Jack Thompson attacks MK: Armageddon
Posted by White_Pointer at 15:51:22 CST
It seems outspoken Florida attorney and anti video activist Jack Thompson doesn't know when to quit.

If you've been following developments regarding him lately, you'll know that he's recently lost a legal battle where he was campaigning to stop Rockstar releasing their new title Bully.

He's now turned his attention to Midway and specifically to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. His gripe however isn't about the violence in the game, as you might expect. Thompson has seemingly come across a screenshot of the game which shows one of the fighters baring a likeness to him and using his name.

"It has today come to my attention that the newly recently Mortal Kombat: Armageddon contains an unauthorized commercial exploitation of my name, photograph, image, and likeness within the game. You are commanded to cease and desist immediately from the distribution of this game because of this unauthorized, illegal content."

DOA: XBV2 trailer emerges, with lots of bounce
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:12:33 CST
Well, we've always known that Tecmo and Team Ninja have had a thing for polygonal girls with abnormally large measurements, but it seems this has been taken to an all-new level with the release of the new trailer for Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2. Seems like the game is less about a bouncing ball and more about bouncing...ummm...well, use your imagination.

Check the trailer out here, but be aware it's quite long and doesn't really show that much gameplay, instead focusing on something else that'll attract teenage boys to the game.
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Midway developer chat approaching at MK Online
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:42:38 CST
Usually after the release of any specific MK game, Midway and fansite Mortal Kombat Online hold a "Fight Night" IRC chat, where fans of the games get to ask the developers questions. Ed Boon himself is normally a regular participant, and this year will be no different.

The chat will take place on November 6th at 9pm EST (American EST). Due to the expected high attendance, MK Online are taking question submissions now and will be asking the developers the questions on the night. You only have until the 29th of October to get your questions in so you better hurry.

For all of the details click here.
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1UP interviews Tomonobu Itagaki
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:43:37 CST
Tomonobu Itagaki, the brains behind Team Ninja, has been interviewed by 1UP. In a rather lengthy interview, lots of ground is covered, from the developer's focus on the 360 to DOA: XBV 2 and the upcoming additions to the Ninja Gaiden series. Also of interest is the possibility of bringing some of their titles like Dead or Alive 4 to another console.

Check it out.
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UMK3 on XBLA
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:37:13 CST
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, the newest addition to the Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360 has gone online...well...kind of. The first load of people that downloaded the game noticed that it seemed like an unfinished build, and indeed shortly thereafter the title was pulled. It has now apparently gone back up, and if you can't see it yet, Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb has assured you that you will, eventually.

"If you don't see it yet, give it time as the team is actively working on this... meaning it may appear/dissapear/re-appear. Both titles will be available as soon as they can address the issue."

DarkTemplarz create more combo videos
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:02:02 CST
The guys over at Dark Templarz have been hard at work recently on creating some new combo videos for us to enjoy, and over the past couple of months, they have gone online. Four new videos have gone online since April: UMK3: Shattered, Stupid Noob, Last Flame and MKT Broken...all of them being for UMK3/MKT on the various systems.

These are definitely worth checking out if you are in any way interested in combo videos, particularly for those old school MK games. Click here to download them.
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New Def Jam coming to next-gen
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:37:31 CST
Without a doubt one of the more unique series of fighting games is the Def Jam series. EA has announced that the series will finally be getting a new instalment on the PS3 and 360 titled Def Jam: Icon. In the upcoming game, the music will play a bigger role than ever as it apparently can influence the battle and environment around you. Only three characters, Ludacris, T.I. and Big Boi have been announced so far, though it's a pretty safe bet EA will be releasing more information as the game draws towards its expected release in March next year.
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PS3 VF5 high-res movies unleashed
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:17:12 CST
As the launch of the Playstation 3 draws ever closer, one of the more anticipated titles for the new console is Sega's Virtua Fighter 5. Yesterday IGN recently added six brand new high-res gameplay movies, and the game looks absolutely amazing...there is no other way to describe it.

To check them out, click here.
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MK: Armageddon compatible with 360
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:10:19 CST
Over at the official Midway forums, it's been confirmed by a Midway representative (known as "Cinder" on the forums) that the Xbox version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon will indeed be compatible with the Xbox 360.

Was this planned all along, or was it Midway listening to the MK fans out there that wanted this? Regardless, it's nice to know the game will also work on the 360.

Note this probably does not apply to the PAL Xbox 360 as there will be no PAL Xbox version of the game.
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DBZ: BT2 debuts at number 1
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:24:44 CST
The newest fighting title to use the Dragon Ball Z license, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 released in Japan for the PS2 over the last week, and so far at least, the Japanese audience has been fighting each other for it. In the first week alone, the game sold 263,897 copies, which was enough to land it the number 1 selling game spot, knocking off the recently released Poke`mon Diamond and Pearl from the top positions...which is not easy.
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New Poll
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:48:47 CST
We asked this question quite some time ago in our poll (in fact, the Wii was still codenamed the Revolution), but now that the US release of both the PS3 and the Wii are just around the corner, now would be a good time to re-ask the question.

Simple question...which next gen console will you get? Will you select just one of them, buy all three, or buy some combination of two of them? Of course, there's also the option there if you aren't planning on getting one at all.

Vote now!
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Poll Results
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:43:27 CST
Time to close down the poll and start a new one, so here are the results from the last one:

No PAL Xbox MK: Armageddon...good or bad decision?

48.7% - Bad decision, PAL gamers are getting shafted
36.2% - I don't care
8.1% - Good decision, the Xbox is dead anyway
6.8% - What?! No PAL Xbox MK: Armageddon?!?!

It seems the vast majority of site visitors...almost half, in fact, agree that Midway's decision to not release a PAL version of MK: Armageddon was in fact a bad decision. Then again, is that result really all that surprising?
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IGN goes hands-on with DBZ for Wii
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:11:08 CST
IGN has recently had the chance to sit down with a work in progress version of the first DBZ offering on the Wii, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2.

Some of the points that they picked up on are:

- Over 70 selectable characters, spanning across Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT
- Every major character from each series playable, including their different forms
- Story mode lasts over 60 hours
- 5-man tag team battles
- Destructable environments
- Ability to combine fighters
- Your choice of Wii specific controls or classic controls

To read the whole thing and to access some videos, click here.
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MK: Armageddon ships for PS2
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:16:17 CST
The PS2 version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon shipped out on Monday, and as you are reading this post, it is likely it will be on store shelves right now.

As we reported last week, the Xbox version has been delayed by about a week.

No word yet on a PAL release date for the PS2 version (remember the Xbox won't be getting a PAL version) but we'll keep you posted.
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UMK3 hitting XBLA
Posted by White_Pointer at 23:10:44 CST
A few months ago, Midway announced that Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was coming to Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Now, finally, a tentative release date of "November" has been set for the title. No exact date or a price has been given, but it's fair to say that the title will likely follow closely behind the releases of MK: Armageddon and MK: Unchained.

Hopefully we'll have some more solid information on this release soon.
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SSBB director reveals game details
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:51:08 CST
Masahiro Sakurai, the director behind the eagerly anticipated Super Smash Bros Brawl was interviewed by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently to discuss how the game is coming along.

First things first, development is proceeding smoothly and the game is still on track to see a Japanese release sometime in 2007. Nothing more specific was given other than that, including when we might see it released to other regions.

Secondly. unlike many of the other Wii-exclusive titles, it appears as if SSBB will not be using the special features of the controller, at least during normal play. This probably isn't a huge disappointment as it'll likely mean we'll see similar control mechanics to SSBM...if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

We'll provide more information on SSBB when it becomes available.
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IGN posts Ed Boon video interview
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:56:12 CST
It seems Ed Boon is participating in interviews whenever he gets a spare moment as he's done yet another one, this time with IGN on the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. This one is different though as it's in the form of a video interview. In the roughly 9 minute video, lots of gameplay footage is shown as Boon talks about the various features the game will have, including the new Konquest mode, Kreate-a-Fighter and Motor Kombat.

Check it out here.
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Complete Character roster for MK: Armageddon revealed
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:19:45 CST
Over at the official MK: Armageddon website, the full list of characters to be featuring in the upcoming title has finally been officially announced. In total there are 62:

Ashrah, Baraka, Blaze, Bo' Rai Cho, Chameleon, Cyrax, Daegon, Dairou, Darrius, Drahmin, Ermac, Frost, Fujin, Goro, Havik, Hotaru, Hsu Hao, Jade, Jarek, Jax, Johnny Cage, Kabal, Kai, Kano, Kenshi, Kintaro, Kira, Kitana, Kobra, Kung Lao, Li Mei, Liu Kang, Mavado, Meat, Mileena, Mokap, Moloch, Motaro, Nightwolf, Nitara, Noob, Onaga, Quan Chi, Raiden, Rain, Reiko, Reptile, Sareena, Scorpion, Sektor, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Sheeva, Shinnok, Shujinko, Sindel, Smoke, Sonya, Stryker, Sub-zero, Tanya and Taven. Whew!

Not all of the demonstration videos for the characters have been enabled yet, but you can see renders of all of them in the character section of the site (Click "The Game", then click "Characters").
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Group drawing for DOA4 at WCG announced
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:19:28 CST
The group drawings for each of the game featured at this year's World Cyber Games have been announced. Dead or Alive 4, the only fighting game featured this year, will be structured in the following way:

- There will be four groups of seven players, playing a round robin competition.
- At the end of the group stage, the top two players progress to the tournament stage. Players are eliminated until there is only two left who play the final, and the winner of the final is the champion.

Full details can be found here.

The WCG finals kick off in two weeks on the 18th of October in Monza, Italy.
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MK: Armageddon delayed on Xbox
Posted by White_Pointer at 23:40:55 CST
'Twas a public holiday here in Australia yesterday, hence the lack of a news post. Back into it...

We already know that Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is not going to see a release outside of the US on the Xbox, but yet another bit of bad news for Xbox owners waiting for the game has arisen. It's been confirmed over on the Midway forums, as well as online sites like Gamestop, EB Games and Wal-Mart that MK: Armageddon's release on the Xbox in the US has hit a snag and will be delayed by a week.

A week isn't really that long in the overall scheme of things, but if you are an Xbox owner in the US and were looking forward to new Kombat at the same time as PS2 owners...sorry but it doesn't seem to be the case.
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