Mortal Kombat: Legacy returns from a lengthy hiatus for its cybernetically-gruesome conclusion. Taking the spotlight in the finale, are "assimilated" ninjas, Cyrax and Sektor.

Selected by the Lin Kuei Grand Master (Colin Foo) for a program to create the perfect assassins, Cyrax (Shane Warren Jones) and Sektor (Peter Shinkoda) prove their worth, only to knowingly give up their lives as human beings. What follows, is a gruesome process as their bodies are maimed and replaced with cybernetic parts, along with some A Clockwork Orange-esque image-centric brainwashing.

Watch out, the Mortal Kombat tournament just got a couple of ringers.

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy wraps the Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero origin story with an inevitable tragedy, but coupled with a bit of a swerve.

We were last left with a tease as the two legendary rivals began their fateful duel. And now, the trash talk is in full swing and the fighting finally gets down and dirty. Spears and freeze balls are flying, as nothing but the quintessence of Mortal Kombat is on display in this episode.

...And nobody calls Scorpion's Shirai Ryu "inferior!"

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy finally gets down to some hardcore Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero action. Putting one of the most necessary signature stamps on this web series, there probably isn't a rivalry that defines Mortal Kombat more than this one.

Ian Anthony Dale, fresh from last night's airing of what would be the final episode of NBC's ambitious Lost-wannabe, The Event, (which was just starting to get good,) takes center-stage as the undead skull-faced spear thrower. Of course, the "undead" part hasn't quite happened yet, as Scorpion is depicted here as Hanzo Hasashi, a fearsome warrior, leader of an ancient Japanese clan, with an idyllic family life and a son who he plans to keep away from the wars. However, the scheming of one deadly hater of his, Sub-Zero (Kevan Ohtsji) may put a damper on that, as he sets up Hasashi in a scheme that will change everything.

This is without a doubt the most of Scorpion's backstory we've seen. Check it out.

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy leaves behind the animation from the last few episodes for what would have to be considered a completely new take on the story of Thunder God, Raiden. (Or "Rayden" if you never stopped playing your Super NES.)

Right from the get-go, we are treated to a disclaimer from creator, Kevin Tancheroen, which explains that this would contain a "perfect amount gritty realism mixed with a hint of mysticism." While it may be an attempt to preemptively silence potential haters before unveiling a pretty bold interpretation, it's also an important reminder about the overall objective of the series.

You'll find many things about this episode that are oddly similar to a current box-office hit, which also depicts the arrival of a Thunder God on our planet. Yet, within the confines of this web series, it becomes another important piece of the narrative puzzle as we explore the event which will bring all the characters that have been profiled together.

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy progresses its grand plot set-up with the second part of the Kitana/Mileena origin story.

Recapping the events from the last episode, which saw Shao Kahn's ravaging, supplanting, and (literal) cuckolding of Edenia, we see Princess Kitana's upbringing with her cloned evil "twin" Mileena. It was a childhood which had them trained pretty much from the cradle as hardcore, blood-thristy assassins. (No Barbies for these girls!) Daddy-dearest, Kahn sent them to dispose of any potential threats to his rule in stealthy, yet gruesomely appendage-chopping ways befitting of the Mortal Kombat label.

However, Kitana actually has a conscience and the merged soul of her Queen Mother. So, you knew that this "Usurper-Father/Daughter" relationship would be doomed from the start, and with Kahn's ultimate plans to merge with Earth revealed, the time for Kitana to make her moves (many of which are cheap as hell in the games,) and sabotage the inter-dimensional hostile takeover.

Read More »

The reboot of the Tomb Raider movie franchise has just procured its writers. The scribe duo behind the first Iron Man and this summer's Cowboys & Aliens, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are now on board in this cinematic effort to revive iconic video game heroine, Lara Croft.

It was announced a few months back that producers Graham King and Tim Headington of GK Films would be producing this film, which will likely be accompanied with the earlier-announced reboot of the Tomb Raider videogame franchise. Just as the game announcement made a huge impact with some amazing character art of a younger, but more tormented version of Lara Croft, the folks behind the film may have proven that they're serious with the acquisition of some serious writing talent.

Will it be enough to restore the franchise to its glory?

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy continues to expand its creative boundaries with its fourth episode, highlighting the origin of "twins," Kitana and Mileena.

As if the last episode's dramatic focus on the life of washed-up actor, Johnny Cage wasn't enough of a change from the bruises and blood from the first few episodes, this one brings the series into a completely different realm -- literally. With this chapter, all of the head-splitting hokum about mystical realms about Outworld and Edenia that's laden throughout the mythology of the Mortal Kombat video game series makes its debut.

We are now quite deep into the fatality-dealing freaky mythology from this point forward, and there is no turning back.

Check out the action below.

Read More »

Mortal Kombat: Legacy continues with its third action-packed episode, spotlighting the one and only shades-sporting, shadow-kicking icon, Johnny Cage (Matt Mullins.)

In somewhat of a radical turn from the grit, gore and torture of the first two episodes, we get a glimpse into the life of Cage, who, in this series is portrayed as a former big time TV star who had failed to make the transition to movies.

At this point, he's desperate in his attempt to sell some pseudo-reality show to some slimy producers where he beats up hired street thugs. However, it seems that someone far more powerful appears impressed.

Check out the action below.

Read More »

Web series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy continues with its second action-packed episode.

Coming off last week, Jax and Kano have an epic and downright gritty showdown, as the captured Sonya breaks loose and makes mincemeat out of the hapless rent-a-thugs unfortunate enough to get in her way.

Check out the action below.

Read More »

The first episode of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy has hit.

What started as a bizarre one-shot trailer with gruesome, pseudo-realistic imagery has evolved into this 10 episode action-packed web series. "Evolved" in the sense that (at least in this first entry,) it has slightly toned-down the grotesque, over-the-top aspects of that trailer from last year and comes out of the gate with more of a solid, realistic action style. As a result, while it still deviates heavily from the style of the iconic fighting game franchise, it simultaneously has more of the feel for the game's mythology.

Check out the first episode just below.

Read More »

Quickly becoming a cross-media pop-culture phenom, we learned last month that The Walking Dead would be making the inevitable jump to video games. Now, Robert Kirkman, creator of the original comic book and the highly-popular TV series has dropped some details on the upcoming shambling-shooter of a game. Set for a release this Fall to coincide with the return of the TV series for its second season, Telltale Games, best known for adventure games like Sam & Max and the recent Back to the Future, will soon release The Walking Dead as an episodic game, running multi-platform. In an interesting twist, the game will actually adhere to the canon of the comic series, rather than the acclaimed TV series on which it's tentpolled. While no substantive details have been released about the game, Kirkman does make some promises about where it's heading. Hint: It will involve a lot of gory messes.

Read More »

With the release of Portal 2 inching ever close on April 18, Valve have announced that the game will feature an original song by indie rock group The National. This means that those of you who still go about your day-to-day activities hopelessly compelled to hum "Still Alive" may be in for yet another earworm when all's said and done with your next encounter with the cerebral, puzzle-filled FPS hybrid. This time, music enthusiasts and hipsters alike can rejoice as the post-punk, country-twanged group will be providing the irresistible tune which will likely define the game. Check out what the folks at Valve have to say about the acquisition just below.

Read More »

It seems that upcoming id Software first person shooter RAGE will be hitting another platform besides the consoles, PC, and Mac; this time on a comic book. Whetting the appetites of the PAX East atmosphere, Publisher Bethesda Softworks made the announcement of a partnership with Dark Horse Comics to adapt the post-apocalyptic frag-fest that will serve as the spiritual successor of classics like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. The three issue comic series will be a prequel to game's storyline in which an asteroid-devastated Earth in the near future has become a horrid wasteland under the tyrannical control of a global military dictatorship called The Authority. The game's creative director Tim Willits is on board the comic, with writer Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi) and penciller Andrea Mutti (DMZ) in a storyline promising "a new twist" on the typical futuristic survival drama. Check out the full promotional image below.

Read More »

According to a new rumor, a reboot film of Id Software's seminal first person shooter Doom may soon be clawing at our faces -- In 3D. The original report from What's Playing didn't have much details, but allegedly, Universal Pictures is interested in resurrecting the film property. Apparently now in early stages of development, the film is said to completely abandon the events depicted in the notoriously-panned 2005 Doom movie, which starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Karl Urban. Of course, not that it matters all that much, since Doom was never exactly a property with a fertile and delicate storyline canon around which a writer needed to tip-toe. With the ultra-groundbreaking, never-before-attempted in history medium of 3D [/sarcasm], the question lingers as to whether we should expect a film that attempts to get a bit deeper than its much-maligned predecessor, or will it be another disposable experience?

Read More »

The debut trailer for X-Men: First Class has arrived! After Fox tormented fans all day by coming through quite late with the promise of posting the heavily-anticipated trailer on the film's Facebook page, the clip has finally made its debut. What we've heard so far about the film depicting the beginnings of the X-Men team, set in 1962 has been puzzling considering its cast of characters. The folks behind the film have been quite clear that, despite some pretty gaping anachronistic character appearances, this would still be a direct prequel to the X-Men films of Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner, which were also branched-off in Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. So, how will this prequel helmed by Kick-Ass director Mathew Vaughn stack-up in a field of comic book movies that's heating-up in 2011 and will only explode in 2012? Let's get a look!

Read More »