mortal-kombat posts

While 2011 already has a full slate of PC games schedule for release in the next year there are also a number of console exclusive titles that we think PC gamers would embrace as well. In fact some console exclusive titles for 2011 were originally announced as coming for the PC as well but apparently the publishers have changed their minds.

So which games for consoles would be worthy of showing up for the PC this year? We've picked 10 of them, ranging from first person shooter to third person action games to a couple of fighting titles. We also give our opinions on whether or not these games might actually show up on the PC one day.

PC gamers have experiences a small uptick in fighting game releases recently. 2009's release of Capcom's Street Fighter IV proved to be popular with critics. This past week Europe got a PC port of the 2D fighting game BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger that hopefully will be released in the US in the near future. Now there are rumblings that the next game in the Mortal Kombat series could find its way to PC hard drives.

Kotaku reports that when Mortal Kombat's co-creator Ed Boon was asked if the 2011 release of the game could come to the PC he answered, "We're definitely considering it." He added, " Apparently there seems to be a market for that in Europe. Since we're on the Unreal Engine, I guess it's not that much of a change from the console versions." The series made its last appearance on the PC with the release of Mortal Kombat IV by publisher Midway way back in 1998. In 2009 Midway was shut down and the franchise and the game's development studio was bought by Warner Bros. Interactive.

Several days ago Midway announced that it had gotten a bid of $33 million from Warner Bros. to sell off parts of their publishing company, including two development studios and the rights to the Mortal Kombat game license. Today Midway announced the schedule for the bidding process for all of their dev studios and IP rights.

Basically Midway will be taking bids until June 24 to acquire some or all of its remaining assets. That includes four development studios (Chicago, San Diego, Seattle and one in the UK) and the rights to Midway's considerable game library and the license to make games based on the TNA wrestling franchise. An auction will be held on June 29 to determine the final winner or winners and a court hearing to approve the sales will be made on July 1. If we had the money we would totally want to get the Psi-Ops franchise but that's just us.

After losing its shirt, pants and nearly its underpants for years (financially speaking of course) Midway's is now selling off at least part of their company. Today the company announced that Warner Bros. Entertainment has entered a "asset purchase agreement" with Midway to the tune of $33 million.

That price will nab Warner Bros. quite a few of Midway's US assets. That includes the company's Chicago and Seattle based development studios and the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise. However it does not include Midway's San Diego studio nor its UK based studio (where the recently released Wheelman game was made). The price is basically a "starting bid" for Warner Bros. Other companies now have 30 days to offer up any competing bids.

Midway's current financial problems (it's currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection) has taken the game publisher through the court system. Now Variety reports that the government-appointed trustee that is going over the bankruptcy proceedings is not happy with some previously reported bonuses that are being given to key Midway executives and employees.

Those bonuses included the selling of their just released Wheelman game to Ubisoft. More bonus money is available if the team can sell off the Mortal Kombat franchise or submit plans to reorganize. Bonus money is paid even if Midway is liquidated. The trustee and the group of unsecured creditors trying to get their money back from Midway slammed the company for these actions.

The report goes after the bonus plan for giving out money for a deal that was made before the bonus deal was written up (the Wheelman sale). In addition they stated, "Selling 'Mortal Kombat' or submitting/completing a reorganization plan are the main jobs of Midway employees now, not something special for which they should be incentivized." They also called the amount of the bonuses, which is worth a total of $3,755,000, 'outrageous' Variety reports that a new 'key employee incentive plan' will be filed by Midway on Tuesday.

Midway's financial problems are causing the once might game publisher to think about selling off its biggest IP; the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise. In court documents found by NetDockets, the company is offering " 29 eligible employees" bonuses if certain milestones are met

One of those milestones has been met by selling the publishing and distribution for Wheelman to Ubisoft. But Midway is also offering bonuses if they can sell off the Mortal Kombat franchise or submit plans to reorganize or even liquidate Midway. If all the milestones are met, Midway's lucky 29 employees will share in a total bonus package of $3,755,000. We wonder how the rest of Midway's employees and the company's creditors feel about that. Oh, and Variety reports that an unnamed game designer for Midway (who is almost certainly Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon) is getting slightly over $1 milliion in bonuses for the past six months.

[Via Joystiq]

How many times have we read a story about a murder or other crime out there that is blamed on the alledged criminal playing video games? From Doom to Mortal Kombat to the Grand Theft Auto titles, people and attorneys love that kind of blame game. In the real world we know crimes are committed for a ton of other real reasons but a attorney (not Jack Thompson) says that the 'blame games" defense can actually work in court.

In a story for the Palm Beach Post web site, llinois attorney James H. Waller states, "While I don't believe that violent video games tend to have any negative effects on otherwise healthy people, my job is to present ANY theory to a jury that would explain why my client did the things he did." He says placing blame on outside forces, including the playing of violent games, "humanizes the client and shifts the culpability." The defense works, he claims, mainly on "an unsophisticated, typically older, somewhat more rural jury pool or judge."

However, game publishers have to take a little responsiblity, according to Waller. "The manufacturers do everything they can to make sure that they are a household name, if not cartridge. Restricting supply to create buzz, sensationalizing their own violence to the media, doing idiotic things like leaving the "Hot Coffee" code in the game...the jury knows that a lot of kids today are playing this Grand Theft Auto game and that it's very violent or adult before we even walk into the courtroom."