Teen-Friendly Mortal Kombat Feels Wrong Somehow

I could be wrong on this, but wasn't toning down the violence a tad to achieve the "T" instead of the "M" at the behest of DC Comics and not necessarily the developers? I would say that DC had more to say with, "You cannot behead Bat-Man" rather than some marketing type demanding that violence be lowered in order to potentially get more sales. And really, if Superman snapped off someone's arm and beat him with it, it would be funny rather than a serious attempt to stay true to the MK style.

@Sarkazein: You're right, it was a DC Comics request -- in order to get the game in the hands of as much of their target audience as possible.

Garcia, from the article: "It was a marketing decision on top of negotiating with DC. DC really wants it to get a Teen rating, just to get as much of their audience as possible."

While I'm sure not wanting to see Superman's spine ripped out by Sub-Zero (would that even work? This game makes no sense!) was a big motivation, DC's audience consists of a lot of young folk; an M rating would (theoretically) bar them from playing it.

Regardless of the rating, the game looks good. I'm gonna consider getting it, well, after the reviews.

What's wrong with the world. I'm ever so slightly older than you Nate. I've been an enthusiast gamer since I was four. How did you land a Wired blog position?

i have to admit im not sure that this Mortal Kombat will be that good..i would of loved to throw the DC universe people into a grinder or preform some awesome killing move where batman gets a beating with one of own legs..i mean come on!!! this is MORTAL KOMBAT..not a freaking Capcom Vs. Marvel fighting series..its like the Max Payne Move getting a PG13 Rating...the whole thing just sucks...

Realistic? Mortal Kombat has always been ten shades of goofy about the blood and gore. That's been their way of deflecting criticism about the content in the game.

I always thought the people behind Mortal Kombat would go the Twisted Metal: Black route and make all the characters serial killers. A T rated game was something that caught me by surprise.

I'm also surprised to see the DC characters slumming it with the MK crowd. Marvel fights Capcom and DC gets Mortal Kombat? Dumb idea.

I think they missed a big opprotunity. They should've allowed for deaths and all the traditional violence of mortal combat. I think they could of even did a more violent version of batman (he breaks bones, gouges eyes etc), but there could be three classes of fighters, good guys that kill, good guys that don't kill and bad guys. Playing with a moral compass makes the game harder, and trickier, but none the less more interesting. It would've made for a nice contrast and added a new level. Batman's stakes are much higher if he can have his head cut off, but the most he can hope for is to break a few ribs, or maybe a spine.

I just wanted to say that I would totally play Lego Gears of War. That would be possibly the best game ever.

OK, I've been hands-on with this game more recently than the press from a visit at Midway. http://blog.dawdle.com/2008/09/dawdle-at-midwa.html I'm going to quote myself:

"I saw the Green Lantern's brutality, which I don't believe has been revealed publicly yet. I didn't see it coming, but I probably should have in retrospect. Needless to say, I thought it was just perfect. One of the other people there was like "I thought they didn't kill," and Carlos had to point out to him that, no, the victim was still alive. It was pretty cool. (Better than Superman smashing someone into the pavement.)"

Seriously, people, this game is going to be lots of fun, and it's coming out this holiday. SF IV is in Spring, which may be better, but it's not wildly so. (I played the arcade version of that at Chinatown Fair in NYC.) Now, maybe you'll say I'm shilling for Midway because I know a guy who knows a guy, but seriously, Midway has no real idea who I am, even though I run a gaming company in Chicago (and there's like only six of us left).

I think the legitimate issue is not so much if kids who consume violent media will grow up to be psychopaths but whether or not they'll ever go beyond this type of entertainment. Violent media is visceral and thrilling, and many gorehounds are quick to dismiss anything that skews more intellectual. But when important issues are raised and need be discussed, will they be too busy wondering where the exploding heads are to care?

I don't know... There's even worse than mediocrity, suck-ass-age... Suck donkey-d-ck-age...

Look at Scorpion's stinger... It looks like a lame SNES effect forced kicking and screaming into 3d. And with the latest gen consoles, they should be able to make a halfway realistic rope physic for his grapple dart. And Batman, he looks like one of those really horrid rated PS2 games where "he walks like there's a broom shoved up his ass" except he bends his knees.

> I would say that DC had more to say
> with, "You cannot behead Bat-Man"

Oh sure, you can't. The Joker can, but not YOU.

Some people get to have all the fun.

I'm sorry to see MK and DC fail so badly at a release. I don't think any MK rendition will be the same without fatalities and the other elusive final moves which give you something to aim for--it becomes an entirely different game. Being a game designer, I would like to think that the proverbial 'media' had moved beyond this basic censorship. In an age where avant-garde companies shun would-be regulators and include controversial content, it sets us back a step to have such a major market release bow to the collective will of the cash-toting masses rather than maintain a traditional quality.

Well Nic A. Nate is an excellent writer and that is how he landed this position. :)

Well Nic A. Nate is an excellent writer and that is how he landed this position. :)

The latest in a long line of "Who still cares" releases from the Mortal Kombat universe. This franchise should either have been put to bed YEARS ago, or returned to it's roots. Next-gen 3d graphics with all the violence and brutality that the people who made MK famous love.

I normally don't care for over the top gore, but taking it out of the Mortal Kombat universe just seems...wrong somehow. Lack of violence, no character customization and a "Who cares" factor that's off the charts make this a game that I will be avoiding. Even when I was at PAX, I saw this booth and just kept walkin.

I mean, has anyone EVER sat down and said "Okay, but who would win between Superman and Raiden?" uh...that would be superman. "Okay, but what about Superman, and SUBZERO"

Yeah, Superman again.

"Okayokayokayokayokay....I got it....Superman versus..."

ITS SUPERMAN, OKAY?!?!

And the same goes for Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman... Shoot, Probably even Aquaman.

I just don't see this one being very envigorating.

The latest in a long line of "Who still cares" releases from the Mortal Kombat universe. This franchise should either have been put to bed YEARS ago, or returned to it's roots. Next-gen 3d graphics with all the violence and brutality that the people who made MK famous love.

I normally don't care for over the top gore, but taking it out of the Mortal Kombat universe just seems...wrong somehow. Lack of violence, no character customization and a "Who cares" factor that's off the charts make this a game that I will be avoiding. Even when I was at PAX, I saw this booth and just kept walkin.

I mean, has anyone EVER sat down and said "Okay, but who would win between Superman and Raiden?" uh...that would be superman. "Okay, but what about Superman, and SUBZERO"

Yeah, Superman again.

"Okayokayokayokayokay....I got it....Superman versus..."

ITS SUPERMAN, OKAY?!?!

And the same goes for Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman... Shoot, Probably even Aquaman.

I just don't see this one being very envigorating.

The latest in a long line of "Who still cares" releases from the Mortal Kombat universe. This franchise should either have been put to bed YEARS ago, or returned to it's roots. Next-gen 3d graphics with all the violence and brutality that the people who made MK famous love.

I normally don't care for over the top gore, but taking it out of the Mortal Kombat universe just seems...wrong somehow. Lack of violence, no character customization and a "Who cares" factor that's off the charts make this a game that I will be avoiding. Even when I was at PAX, I saw this booth and just kept walkin.

I mean, has anyone EVER sat down and said "Okay, but who would win between Superman and Raiden?" uh...that would be superman. "Okay, but what about Superman, and SUBZERO"

Yeah, Superman again.

"Okayokayokayokayokay....I got it....Superman versus..."

ITS SUPERMAN, OKAY?!?!

And the same goes for Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman... Shoot, Probably even Aquaman.

I just don't see this one being very envigorating.

The latest in a long line of "Who still cares" releases from the Mortal Kombat universe. This franchise should either have been put to bed YEARS ago, or returned to it's roots. Next-gen 3d graphics with all the violence and brutality that the people who made MK famous love.

I normally don't care for over the top gore, but taking it out of the Mortal Kombat universe just seems...wrong somehow. Lack of violence, no character customization and a "Who cares" factor that's off the charts make this a game that I will be avoiding. Even when I was at PAX, I saw this booth and just kept walkin.

I mean, has anyone EVER sat down and said "Okay, but who would win between Superman and Raiden?" uh...that would be superman. "Okay, but what about Superman, and SUBZERO"

Yeah, Superman again.

"Okayokayokayokayokay....I got it....Superman versus..."

ITS SUPERMAN, OKAY?!?!

And the same goes for Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman... Shoot, Probably even Aquaman.

I just don't see this one being very envigorating.

Really? You had to get an older friend to buy the games for you? My parents bought it for me...for Christmas...and I don't remember even asking them for it! I was only 9, but they had no problem with me playing the game. They had a problem with me watching "The Simpsons," but were comfortable with me ripping off people's heads.

The Shia-Sunni divide: How real and how deep? Can we move towards genuine unity?

Many Muslims throughout the world, both Sunni and Shia, are working towards dialogue and reconciliation between the two sects. They argue that it is just not possible to fully comprehend and much less to judge the historical figures of Islam and their motivations today, 13 or 14 centuries after the event, which led to the schism in Islam. Indeed, it is not possible to judge people even when events take place now in full view of the world media… India’s Shia and Sunni communities can serve as a beacon of hope in this process. Let us follow up on recent initiatives by Mohtarma Syeda Hamid and Maulana Kalb-e-Sadiq and keep moving in the direction of genuine, frank dialogue leading to real unity, says Sultan Shahin, editor, NewAgeIslam.com.
4 Comments More...

http://newageislam.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=857

Saudi Islam, misuse of Seerat-e-Nabwi allowed: No protection to young girls, some awful news stories

Saudi Arabians claim to be Wahhabis, followers of what they claim is the purest version of Islam. One of the main blessings of the advent of Islam, we are told is liberation of women. But from time to time we keep getting evidence of the extreme oppression women have to face in this society, as they had to in the Afghanistan run by the Taliban who were products of the Saudi educational system. We in India too have a large number of madrasas run with Saudi largesse and presumably following the same system of education. We know that these madrasas are creating obscurantists with contempt for not only religions other than Islam but also Islamic sects other than their own. Indeed they consider the vast majority of Muslims who belong to other sects or schools of thought as Kafir, and not only that but also as people who should be eliminated from the face of the earth. NewAgeIslam.com would love to be contradicted on this point.

Concepts like forgiveness, tolerance, pluralism, multi-culturalism are alien to the Saudi version of Islam being propagated in India at great expense to the sponsors. If this radical Islamism also spawns terrorism, which may not have been intended to begin with, there should be no surprise. After all Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are the hottest products of Saudi Isalm.

Fifty-Something Saudi Refuses to Annul Marriage to his Eight-Year-Old Wife

Father was 'swapping' her for a 13-year-old bride

Dr. Ahmad Al-Mub'i, a Saudi Marriage Officiant: It Is Allowed to Marry a Girl at the Age of One, If Sex Is Postponed. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Whose Model We Follow, Married 'Aisha When She Was Six and Had Sex with Her When She Was Nine
2 Comments More..
http://newageislam.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=815

1cdkey.com /company of heroes demo

Want Cheapest Company of Heroes CD Key?

Only
$34.90 Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Cd Key
http://www.cdkey-game.com/company-heroes-opposing-fronts-p-338.html
$24.90 Company of heros cd key
http://www.cdkey-game.com/company-heros-p-327.html

my email:kobe@cdkey-game.com
We focus our energy into PC game cd key area.
Main game:cnc3,War 3,Starcraft,Diablo 2,Doom 3,Call of duty 2, Battle field 2142, Need of Speed.
----------------------
Janet

Mortal Kombat and DC Heroes just don't go together. Period. The idea was bad from the start.

And honestly, excessive violence in games is bad. Not because it turns impressionable kids into mindless, axe-wielding zombies, but simply because it turns them mindless. Games like GTA use violence and extremism as their defining qualities, while the truly good games simply use violence as a component of the storyline (IE Bioshock).

It makes me sad to think of the Mortal Kombat franchise and what it's become.

How MK is still relevant is beyond me but I guess it makes enough to keep the company up. Never saw the novelty of it, I was more of a KI and SF man myself..

i remember being a 9 year old at a pizza restaurant with my family and watching two older kids playing the first MK. seeing subzero rip off kano's head (and attached spine) for the first time is something i will never forget and hold close to my heart for as long as i live.

i actually dont have a problem with this.

the mortal kombat series has most certainly decayed into crap.

making the game appeal to a younger audience gives the awesome MK characters (scorpion!) a chance to touch the lives of a new generation, as they did mine.

No blood/fatalities = Wont buy it.

I remember playing MK2 when I was 12, and I promise I've never ripped anyone's head off.

http://www.krontzilla.com

@Jon:

While I agree that violence for the sake of violence creates boring video games that bank on controversy to sell titles and damage the image of industry in the eyes of potential consumers, including the GTA series in this list seems to imply that you never really spent enough time with the game to look beyond the spectacle.

The criminal underworld is not the sort of game material where blood can be replaced with sprites of sweat a la Nintendo's Mortal Kombat. Sure, you can mindlessly blow away random people for hours on end, but it was the story and presentation of the game that kept me coming back.

Being a New Yorker, I appreciated the fact that a designer took the time to get the wooden slats on the Coney Island boardwalk just right, how the neighborhoods in Manhattan flow together in a way that makes me feel like I'm back home biking from the village to East Harlem, the U.N., Midtown, ect.

In fact, I found that the overall sense of realism in the game made over-the-top acts (I.E. a fender bender turning into a police siege in a busy car dealership) all the more compelling. The world of GTA is no longer a comic book, the realistic presentation makes criminal acts seem that much more brutal. I actually found myself feeling a bit guilty when a stray shot dropped some yuppie on their cell phone.

I feel like the small details that helped imerse players in this game created a subconscious morality code among players.

Sure there's fire, death and destruction, but once you got passed the shock value of midtown shoot outs and helicopter crashes, you find that deep in GTA's pixelated bosom beats the heart of a game that found a Shakespearian balance between id and superego that is going to keep the industry expanding.

P.S. sorry for the wierd Freud references at the end there. A few minutes ago I put together the connection between the makes of Doom (Id) and the reptilian part of our brain that wants to kill, eat, or screw whatever we meet (Freud's id) while operating a copy machine.

Food for thought.

i DO care, i was actually thinking about buying a playstation 3 just to be able to play mortal kombat again, but if this is correct, and the game is subject to the sign of our times : pussification of the global nation, i quit ... not for me thank you no sir bob-ee euh ... never mind, tell me how can you justify toning down violence in a game that is all about two people beating eachother up, what is it with you americans and your moral majority, even in europe people are starting to think like you retards. How do you EVER expect to achieve ANY level of intellectual integrity as long as you give in to sh*t like this... (did i s

For the love of all that is good and cuddley, like baby deer made of cookie dough, why is the average American blamed for everything that happens in this country?

We've pretty much established that DC was the driving force behind the T rating. This game is a cross over of two series...when has that gone well? Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein? These projects are all about pandering to fans of both series in order to line some wallets.

We are Americans. There are many of us. We have differing opinions, there's no secret newsletter we all recieve telling us what to think. Complain about the two companies, not the pool of consumers being subjected to this.

Want to blame a government for infringing on game creativity? I'll give you one more guess because you were close: It's a country that starts with an "A" and ends in "ustralia." That government has had the names of healing items in fallout 3 changed for fear of encouraging drug use and have outright banned games based on what they deem to be illicit content. Chill.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the U.S. isn't always the source of your problems. It happens a lot, but not always. And the idea that the average U.S. gamer is the root of your problems warms the cockles of my heart: Maybe we aren't the only idiots on the planet.

*should read in the first lines: why is the average American blamed for everything that happens on the face of this planet?

AAARGH! SMACK! POW! Wired, why are you guys always over-thinking and over-analyzing everything? I also remember the legendary brutality of first MK's (with boyish proud)... But why should a francise stay the same from sequel to sequel? PWN.

I would totally play lego gears of war...

I like this page

This is foul. This is "crystal skull" style rape.

I wonder what Yahtzee will say....

When MK was created, it was made with an idea that above anything else, characters should be tough enough to kick ass and take names but also get every part of their body dismembered in every possible fashion. Yet, here you introduce characters that can't have any of that happen. So Batman can kick ass but not die? This is a game that promotes death and gorey violence. Kids see this kind of stuff everyday in movies, I don't see why it matters anymore that they play it in a videogame.

Old franchise = complaints if something new is brought to the series

New franchise = it might be innovative but not mature

Old+New = Innovation = New combination of things

They can still make a new version with original touch + new graphics. But that is hardly NEW stuff.

Right, because holding up that cape is going to stop that projectile. This game looks good on paper, but if the characters can't be taken out "MK" style, then it really is pointless to include the MK characters, beyond aesthetics.
This game shouldn't have been made, period.

'teen Friendly Mortal Combat"? Wow that even sounds lame!

JIff
http://www.privacy.de.tc

I don't really see what the big deal is here. Characters are still going to have fatalities, except for the good superheroes. They might be toned down a bit, but the Joker's fatality looked funny as hell. Go check out Gametrailers.com and look for that one.

I have been a fan of Mortal Kombat since the first one came out, and I will most likely still be one when MK 5,000 comes out.

I don't really see what the big deal is here. Characters are still going to have fatalities, except for the good superheroes. They might be toned down a bit, but the Joker's fatality looked funny as hell. Go check out Gametrailers.com and look for that one.

I have been a fan of Mortal Kombat since the first one came out, and I will most likely still be one when MK 5,000 comes out.

I think it is a bad cross over. If they wanted better ratings add better areans & people. It is really dumb crossover. Dc Charchters will not do good mortal combat carchters

They need to seriously come out with Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter even if they are two different companies. Work something out, anything will be better than this BS Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics

Mature = Violent Content?

Does this reflect, or create, a spirit in the culture? - I say it does both, they're interdependent. I understand that the intent of this equation is to "protect" children. In my judgement, there's nothing protecting children from "adults" who "play" violent "games". I say it's immature to play with a violent spirit and call it a game.

There's just too much affirmation and celebration of domination, "PWN-ing", and misunderstanding of what power is for my taste. When a game is life-giving, I'll be content to call it a game.

signed-respectfully dissenting geek artist

For all the people saying "no blood, no fatalities, no violence, oh my god!!!"

Watch a video or two, seriously, don't rely on all your information from obscure gaming blogs or the comment two slots above yours.

News from Earth - there are fatalities in MK vs DC.

This is why Midway is going under. They just can't grab the ring. come up with a great idea on one point and remove the reason Mortal Kombat was great with the other.

Oh well, the big suits and their focus groups can't pull their heads out of their asses. It's their jobs and all the midway employees that will be looking for work.

All could be resolved with some fatalities and a gore code to protect kids, but they know better than the people that buy their product.

I dont see how Joker shooting someone in the face at point blank range is 'toning it down'

While I can sympathize with the author's opinion, I'm going to GUESS that he hasn't played the 3D Mortal Kombat games much.

When MK: Deadly Alliance came out, it was clear the gory nature of the series, which made it so controversial, was no longer a selling point. I spent dozens of hours playing MK: DA and Deception when each came out, and was never shocked at any of the fatalities or blood depicted in the games as I was of others. In fact, I wouldn't really care if blood were removed, as it was the fighting and cool RPGish adventure mode that made the games so interesting for such a long time.

However, I can imagine sharing the author's feelings if, say, the last MK game I committed myself to was MK3.

Just curious, but who would even have a shot at defeating Superman. Is Sub-Zero going to pull out some kryptonite? Mortal Kombat was never my favorite game, and this just makes me want more Street Fighter Vs. Marvel action.

All and all , I can forgive the kiddier game play but what about those super heroes? Looks pretty promising :)

caitlin

CostumeStudio.com this halloween! buy a costume! save a life! :)"

Having been involved in the Mortal Kombat franchise since 2002, I've seen many MK games through the ages. I have to say, I'm looking forward to this one the most. It looks that good. The gameplay is also cooler than it's ever been. I'm very excited about this game and not only because I'm personally in it, but because the MK team have really outdone themselves this time.

For a good writeup of the latest impressions go here: http://blog.dawdle.com/2008/09/dawdle-at-midwa.html. For some behind the scenes photos of my motion capture work, check out: http://flickr.com/photos/gleentea/sets/72157605844577560/

"All could be resolved with some fatalities and a gore code to protect kids, but they know better than the people that buy their product."

This. Game. Has. Fatalities. And. Blood.

The Joker shoots people point blank range in the face with a revolver. It is violent.

Just wanted to make sure it was clear for the people who are assuming it doesn't.

Shinnok and Quan Chi should be here. I think that they made just as much an impact in the story of MK as Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn.I am looking forward to this game, even though people haven't cared about this series since probably 1998!

before i start i just want to say that mortal kombat is so much better than dc because they dont fu*k around they will realy kill you i just think its sad that all because dc heros are in the game they cant use there most grossest moves and there's no blood and its also sad that most of the coolest and important people from mortal kombat is not in the game like sindel shinnok tanya reptile goreo and quan chi i mean those are like realy important people they should just stick to the basics unstead of making this game what next tekken vs mortal kombat

The violence in MK has much more symbolic and historical significance than impact on the gameplay. True, MK was one of the bad boys and did reveal Nintendo's Fisher-Price attitutde and did get the attention of Congress. But the context of that is over and done with. Blood is passe for videogames. MK's attempt at pushing 'mature' content via ultra-violence has been surpassed by images of hooker sex in GTA, the disturbing themes found in Manhunt and Silent Hill, and the appropriateness of videogame war. On its own, the violence in MK has gotten to Itchy-and-Scratchy ridiculousness, and as fun as it might be, the fatality aspect alone doesn't want to make me put MK up there on the same level with Teen-rated Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur or Street Fighter.

The core fighting engine has to succeed and this is where I hope MK vs. DC does. As for the Teen thing, for me, its neither here nor there. Given Midway's precarious position, its only smart business to aim for the widest net possible. I hope they do well. I say leave the obvious attempts to score sales via the M-rating to duds like The Guy Game or BMX XXX. In those cases I say ESRB should come up with a J-rating for Juvenile.

I was six or seven when I saw the first MK on a fairy boat to P.E.I. I saw Kano rip out someones (gray) heart and that was it for me. I fell in love right there.
For this game to be rated "T" is the most upsetting thing since buying a Sega-CD without a Genesis. I truly wish Marvel hadn't already been done because they would have let the blood flow!
I'm so pissed I don't know what to write anymore, but I know this ain't right.

This is just stupid. Mortal Kombat without fatalities/blood? That's like pizza with just crust.

all of u sorry bitches need to stop the bull shit. there is no way in hell! mortal could get there asses kicked by DC bitches. Catwoman NO! trash ass bitch.The flash is a prick superman is a dead ass bitch.U lieing ass bitch six to seven u was crying cuz u got ur ball taken away by a big bitch.a fairy boat u gay ass bitch ass mother fucker. u lil pixie ass bitch.