March 11, 2004

Mortal Kombat: Deception makes its debut!
In a fashion similar to the many MK games of the past, Midway has once again revealed loads of information and multimedia about its 6th official installment to the MK series, Mortal Kombat: Deception.  I personally feel that all of this has come out way too early to give the game any last chance of surprising us , but I guess you have to quench people's taste for information.  Anyway, a large recap of what has happened since MK: Deception's first appearance in mid-January is described below... enjoy:

- Midway officially announces its next MK title on February 27th in a press release.  The game will be called Mortal Kombat: Deception (legally trademarked on January 7th).  From the press release:
    "Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, today announced that the official title for the new version of the world-renowned fighting game franchise will be Mortal Kombat: Deception. Mortal Kombat: Deception is currently in development and scheduled to ship fall 2004 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft."
    "Shocking and evil, Mortal Kombat: Deception pushes 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 next-generation gamers. The game features lightning-fast hand-to-hand and special weapons combat, secret and returning characters, moves and combinations with new death-dealing battles and fatalities."
    "Mortal Kombat: Deception promises to take this revolutionary fighting franchise to an new level", said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "With a host of new features including multiple fatalities per character, multi-tiered interactive backgrounds and extensive new game modes, Mortal Kombat: Deception will set a precedent for all other fighting games to follow."

- Prospective release date is Fall, 2004 for the XBox and Playstation 2 game consoles.  These dates always change, however.
- Midway launches the official MK: Deception web site, which contains a flash intro and the exclusive GameSpot uncensored video trailer of Deception's story and some gameplay footage of a stage fatality.
- The first render from MK: Deception was of Baraka, first revealed at the Mortal Kombat Online site.
- Though still surrounded by much debate, the game looks as if it will not be released for the GameCube system due to no online capabilities and lower sales of MK: DA on the Nintendo platform.  The game will also not be released for the Game Boy Advance.
- New features include a storyline that picks up where MK :DA left off, multiple fatalities per character, new game modes, multi-tiered interactive backgrounds, realistic damage, multiple stage fatalities, better weapons and unarmed combat styles, background weapons that are usable and very powerful, and more.
- MK: Deception is capable of online play!
- Konquest mode is much more detailed.  You start as a customizable monk, going through as many as 6 villages and completing tasks and lessons to build up your skills and powers to create your own customized warrior, with the help of characters like Bo Rai Cho.  You can then use this warrior to fight in the game or online.  There are many secrets hidden in this mode as well.
- Each character also has a Hari-Kiri move - a suicide fatality!
- The April, 2004 issue of PSM magazine has a ten-page spread revealing the first big updates for MK: Deception, which also graces the magazine's cover.
- IGN.com has posted many articles and pictures pertaining to the game.
- GameSpot also has in-depth previews of the game, along with the MK: Deception trailer video available for download
- The new mini games appear to be a chess-like strategy game, and a game that resembles Tetris/Puzzle Fighter... MK style.
- Confirmed returning characters: Baraka, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Mileena, Ermac, Noob Saibot, Nightwolf, Sindel, and Kenshi.
- New characters: Hotaru and Ashrah (female Raiden look-alike).
- Confirmed backgrounds: Beetle Lair, Slaughterhouse (with the meat grinder stage fatality), The Netherbelly (inside of the Nethership in MK: DA with hanging corpses that can hit you and people that can grab at you), and Sky Temple.
- Areas in stages that can be used to your advantage are marked in green; danger zones, or "death traps", are marked in red, which can lead to in-round stage fatalities.
- The boss is rumored to be the Dragon King.
- Midway recently held a Gamers Day conference, where it showed off its 2004 lineup of new video games and media.  MK: Deception obviously took a front seat at the event, illustrating the new and better direction Midway is taking in the industry.  Check all this out at Gamespy.
- Updated news about the new Konquest mode is available at Playstation.com.
- ** Videos **:
1.)    Mortal Kombat: Deception Trailer Censored
2.)    Mortal Kombat: Deception Trailer Uncensored

This is all the MK: Deception news for now "in a nutshell".  Due to time constraints, however, the MK Empire WILL NOT UPDATE FREQUENTLY WITH MK: DECEPTION NEWS UNLESS IT IS SOMETHING REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT! As a result, I urge people who want daily updates to go to sites like TRMK.org, DavesMK.com, or Mortal Kombat Online (who seem to get news and information before Midway can even speak of it).  These sites also have many previews, screenshots, and magazine scans of MK: Deception already available for viewing.  Thanks for your cooperation.

Vol. II of Midway Arcade Treasures to have MK classics
Just to let everyone know, Midway will be putting MK1, MK2, and MK3 onto its Midway Arcade Treasures, Vol. II disc to be released onto next generation consoles during the 2004 holiday season.  Along with other classics such as NARC, SpyHunter 2, and Total Carnage, we can now buy direct arcade versions of these older games to play on a compilation disc in our own homes... sweet.

Site of the Month winner for March
After a long drought, we have a Site of the Month winner.  Congrats to Richard Walker of Mortal Kombat Champions for making such a clean, informative, and in-depth site for MK fans to browse through.  A full description of his site is available here, and if you would like your site to be reviewed for the Site of the Month honors, just fill out the form and see if you can win.  Once again, congrats to Richard on a  job well done.