News Archive

Mortal Kombat Name Change?
The rumors are ablaze, but are they true?

According to several European websites, Midway is considering changing the name of Mortal Kombat: Deception to Mortal Kombat: Mystification in the PAL markets. Intrigued by this rather bizarre-sounding development, we gave representatives at Midway a call in hopes that they could clear it up.

"That's just a rumor," replied the spokesperson we talked with. "It's true that there are some name issues in Europe regarding the title, but we're aiming to have it called Mortal Kombat: Deception is all territories. We haven't said anything at all about calling it Mystification.

And so there you have it folks, the situation as it stands right out of Midway's own doors. We'll keep you updated with further developments.

Playing these games is like a brief history lesson, giving younger gamers a chance to look back and experience the games that inspired some of the top releases of today. Older gamers will be hard pressed not to get instantly hooked to these games that ate our quarters like there was no tomorrow in our youth. Topping it all off, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 will also include interviews and facts from the classic days of gaming for even more insight into the era of arcade gaming. The Xbox version of the collection will support online score keeping thanks to Xbox Live, but there won’t be any actually head-to-head gameplay support. While we won’t be able to play against friends online, we will be able to check out who has the high score for any of the included games in the package. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 will hit the stores this coming October so mark your calendars now.

BonusStage: Is there anything special that can be done online in Mortal Kombat: Deception that can’t be done offline (or vice versa)?
John Podlasek: The great thing about online will be the ability to kick butt against total strangers...or distant friends. We think the online modes will be huge since you should be able to find some 24/7 to play against. The one thing you won’t be able to do online is the Konquest mode. It’s meant as a single player experience about getting taught fighting styles, learning the storyline to the game, and finding a few secrets….

BS: Do you have any plans to have a band (ie. Adema) promote MK: D?
Podlasek: Not at all. BS: Will there be any features added to the Xbox version that the PS2 version doesn’t include (or vice versa)? Podlasek: They’ll be identical in terms of feature and content, and look pretty similar graphic-wise also.

BS: Mortal Kombat is about 15 years old and still going strong. Is there anything you’ve wanted to do with the series but haven’t just yet?
Podlasek: One of the things that impresses me about the franchise is the rich storyline between characters, clans, good vs. evil, etc. We also have some amazing character artists who really know how to bring these elements out in the characters they create. A game that brings all this great storyline and character design together could be pretty damn cool.

BS: Are you working or intend on working on any other game(s) (besides the MK series) in the near future, and if so, which?
Podlasek: We’re buried in work finishing MK: D right now. The near future will be finish(ing) the game, then everyone catches up on sleep and decompresses from crunch. After that we’ll get together, see what the players have to say about the game, and start throwing around ideas and documents. One of our senior graphics programmers has a little section on his whiteboard titled, "Next MK?" with technology ideas. We’ll be sure to pay him a visit too ;)

There has been some question as to whether Midway's upcoming fighting game Mortal Kombat: Deception will support system link play in addition to X-Box Live for X-Box and GameSpy for Playstation 2. (For those who don't know, system link refers to having two consoles on the same local network, like Halo's network capability.) Therefore, I contacted Midway recently and asked them about the possibility of a system link capability for MK: Deception. Their answer was that no, there will not be a system link capability for MK: Deception.