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From Gamespot (news):


For a franchise as long-lived as Mortal Kombat, the series has rarely branched outside the one-on-one fighting action that made it popular in the first place. That single-minded focus will soon change, however, when Midway releases Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, the first nonfighting action game to bear the infamous dragon since MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces, released in 1997 and 2000, respectively. We're pleased to bring you the first screenshots from and information about Shaolin Monks, which is scheduled to be released late next year on the PS2 and Xbox.



Mortal Kombat fans will notice familiar characters and locales from the series in these first screenshots.
Few hard details have been revealed so far about Shaolin Monks' gameplay or setting--the game seems to be a brawler-style action game, and it's a pretty safe bet that we'll be seeing plenty of places and faces from previous MK fighting games in this new action adventure. Mortal Kombat fans will notice Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Mileena, and the recently returned Baraka in the new screenshots, not to mention backgrounds like the portal and the tower from Mortal Kombat II. Interestingly enough, some screens show several Baraka-like characters fighting at one time. Perhaps we'll finally get some more background on Baraka's often-discussed race of Outworld mutants as Shaolin Monks' storyline unfolds.

The game will have both single-player and cooperative modes, and though the number of simultaneous players hasn't been revealed, it's worth noting that the screenshots don't seem to contain more than two classic characters onscreen at any one time. Like the recently released Mortal Kombat: Deception, Shaolin Monks will contain many backgrounds with interactive features like spiked ceilings, acid pits, and living trees (we appreciate the many nods to MKII that are apparently being included in the game). And of course no Mortal Kombat game would be complete without a host of gory new fatalities.

The Mortal Kombat franchise seems to be coming back in a big way, and Shaolin Monks looks like it will help to flesh out the universe even further while providing a new gameplay experience for hardcore fans. Check out our news story for the full details of the announcement, and stay tuned for more in the coming months.


more News From Gamespot:


Today, Midway announced some major changes to the Mortal Kombat franchise. The first was the unveiling of the next game in the series, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Unlike regular Mortal Kombat games, Shaolin Monks will be an action adventure title that allows players to explore a world beyond the arena of death. The game is currently in development for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 and is slated for a fall 2005 release.






The other big change to the Mortal Kombat series is its frequency. In a statement, Midway president David F. Zucker said a new game in the franchise would arrive each year. “Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is also our first step toward delivering something that Mortal Kombat fans have been calling for: a new game set in the Mortal Kombat universe every year," he said. "We are planning our Mortal Kombat release schedule with the expectation that we will deliver a new Mortal Kombat title annually.”

For more on Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, check out GameSpot's exclusive first look.



Screenshots from Gamespot:
























A TVG Article:


Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

18/10/2004
By: Jon Wilcox

MK: Shaolin Monks Announced

Midway don’t waste much time as they announce the next chapter in the Mortal Kombat franchise…

Even though Mortal Kombat: Deception is a month away from being released, it seems that Midway can’t enough of the MK series because they have already announced that the next game will be called Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. In article earlier this month, we reported on how the company had registered the title at the US Patents Office.

The game isn’t going to be a beat-em-up though; instead, it will be an action/adventure title. Aware that the previous game to go off on a tangent (Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero) was a failure, it seems a brave move to try and carve a new area for the MK franchise to flourish.

A web domain name has already been set up for the game at www.mortalkombatshaolinmonks.com, but only the infamous MK logo can be seen.

Midway have entrusted the development of the title to Paradox Entertainment, and isn’t expected to hit American shores until September 2005 for Xbox and PlayStation2.

We’ll have more on Shaolin Monks soon…




Please submit any more important info for this game.

This message was edited by Xerepolis on Oct 27 2004.

I'm a bit nervous of the outcome, I still remember mythologies. But...the screenshots are looking good. I do look foward to anything MK.

is it gonna be a RPg style game

The fighting games were good though. Especially the older ones, like MK 1, 2 and Trilogy.

This game will be awesome, provided it's nothing like Mythologies or Special Forces. God, what were they thinking?
Anyway, it looks amazing.

9-21-05 !!

I thought it would come out sooner than that. I can't wait that long for another slice of Kombat!

its not that long away. its like a year after deception was released. i think the longer they take on this game, but i dont know when they started making it. i can only hope that its not less than a years work in the making.

Why does everyone hate MK mythologeys:Sub-Zero so much. I for one liked that game...Unfortunatly I never got very far because I rented it for two days but that's beside the point. I never knew about special forces until recently though.

Who is the dude with the white head? sorry for double post

which picture are you talking about?

If you count down he is in pictures 4&6.

I think I've seen him before or someone like him somewhere. Oh well I forget his name, but he looks pretty cool. Those look like spikes on his head.