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Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid has detailed the extent of the brutality in the R-rated reboot of the film series, which is set to debut in theaters and on HBO Max in April.

Speaking to SFX Magazine via GamesRadar, McQuoid discussed how his upcoming Mortal Kombat movie lives up to its ultraviolent roots in order to deliver a faithful adaptation that brings the blood and gore strongly associated with the series to the big screen in a way that pushes the limits of the MPAA’s R rating without completely overstepping the boundaries.

“We wanted to push the [blood, gore, and fatalities] right to the limit,” McQuoid explained, speaking about the fatality-filled flick. “Obviously, there’s a point where the film becomes unreleasable if you push it too far, and that would be a very unwise return on investment for the studio but from day one it’s been, ‘Okay, we’re doing this and we’re going to do it properly.'”

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According to the MPAA, Mortal Kombat has been rated R for “strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references.” Producer Todd Garner said that the movie’s R rating had been one of their top priorities from the very beginning. In fact, he revealed that he addressed it in his first meeting with studio executives, though they quickly assured him that there would be “no other way.”

McQuoid previously spoke to IGN about the execution of the fight scenes, saying, “We didn’t have to hold back on the fights. If there was a fight going on, someone got stamped through the head, blood probably would burst out the back, and we could do that. New Line deserves a lot of credit because they always wanted to do it justice as well.”

Warner Bros. will release the new James Wan-produced live-action adaptation of Mortal Kombat to theaters and HBO Max simultaneously on April 16, 2021. The movie’s distribution plan was reconsidered due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has impacted several studios and their release calendars over the past year.

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For more Mortal Kombat action, check out our deep-dive into the history of its bizarre movie and TV adaptations and read more about how the upcoming movie will be grounded in realism.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Fan favorite ex-Bethesda Director Ikumi Nakamura has announced that she is opening her own indie studio, and is developing a new game.

A short documentary from GameSpark and Archipel (which is available on YouTube) follows Nakamura as she tours abandoned buildings in Japan. Nakamura revealed that she left Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks due to health troubles. “I started wondering whether there wasn’t a way for me to make games while feeling better,” she says. “I took the decision to quit before it was too late.” After leaving, Nakamura received over 2000 messages on LinkedIn offering studio visits and support. She used these opportunities to understand “what made a good working environment.”

“I decided to use that experience to open my own small studio and build my IP,” Nakamura says. Later in the documentary, Nakamura adds that she wants to build a diverse team, noting that after her E3 presentation, 80% of the messages she received were from women “happy to see a female game creator getting on stage and showing her game.” Nakamura rounds off the documentary by adding that she wants to make a game “full of dark jokes,” and compares herself to Deadpool.

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Ikumi Nakamura left Tango Gameworks in September of 2019 after nine years as a creative director, her last project being Ghostwire: Tokyo. This came shortly after Nakamura stole Bethesda’s E3 show with an on-stage presentation of the upcoming game at E3 2019. Nakamura says that she initially thought that her talk had gone badly, but a colleague later showed her how the presentation was blowing up on Twitter and in the media. “I realised how important it was, to be honest to oneself,” Nakamura says.

Nakamura also talks about the games that motivated her to pursue a career in the games industry such as Devil May Cry and provides an overview of her career so far. Describing Ghostwire: Tokyo, Nakamura says “I really like urban legends and everything that touches the occult. Fringe science as well, using science to solve ghost mystery series. There was the ‘Fringe’ series as well, which I liked a lot. I was thinking that we could make a game that was mixing all of these.”

Ghostwire: Tokyo is aiming to arrive for PS5 and PC in October, and will remain a timed console exclusive, despite Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda and, by association, Tango Gameworks. In June 2020, Nakamura told IGN Japan that she has plans to pitch a new Okami game to Capcom, after teasing a potential collaboration with PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya in October of 2019.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Between Tetris‘s iconic grid layout and its splashes of bright color, it was only a matter of time before someone turned it into a makeup palette. The opporunity has now been snatched up by cosmetics company NYX Professional Makeup, which will be producing an eyeliner kit, a huge eyeshadow palette, and two lip kits, all themed around Tetris.

While the color scheme of the original Tetris is a little limited, NYX has used it as a jumping-off point for the whole collection. You’ll find more traditional makeup shades among the bright neons pulled directly from the original Tetris blocks, while the packaging is inspired by retro arcade machines. The set includes a range of shades from metallic to matte, as well as classic whites and blacks.

The eyeshadow palette also uses the iconic Tetriminos (the official name for Tetris’ block shapes) to create a series of defined looks, with each set of four shades outlined in the palette by one of the game’s seven block shapes. The trusty I-block, for example, contains a monochrome combo named Ghost Piece, while the T-block is a fun retro color combo called T-Spin.

Tetris x NYX product list and prices

• Tetris Epic Liner Kit — $30
• Tetris Jumbo Shadow Palette — $45
• Tetris Lip Kit 1 — $8
• Tetris Lip Kit 2 — $8

The Tetris x NYX collection will launch on Nyx’s website on March 28, and will be available on Ulta shortly after on April 4.

Tetris isn’t the first game to get a tie-in makeup collection–ColorPop’s Animal Crossing-themed collection launched earlier this year on January 28, featuring palettes themed after many of the game’s fan-favorite characters and items.

M2H and Blackmill Games have announced Isonzo, the follow-up to the World War I first-person shooter Verdun. It is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PS4, and Xbox One. Take a look at the announcement trailer in the video below.

Isonzo will take place on the Italian front of the first Great War and will feature “Alpine warfare.” The developers describe the FPS’s setting as such: “The fighting takes place among the scenic peaks, rugged valleys and idyllic towns of northern Italy. The brand new Offensive game mode puts players right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front, from high-altitude combat in the Alps through to the ferocious battles for the Isonzo river.” Take a look at the first screenshots in the gallery below.

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Isonzo, like Verdun and Tannenberg before it in the WW1 series, aims to be as accurate in its details as possible. Weapons, uniforms, and specific settings have been accurately recreated, say the developers, who describe all three games as being “built on a base of thorough research.” While Verdun focused on trench warfare, Isonzo will take things well above the trenches into the Alpine mountains.

“The Italian Front was the perfect opportunity for us to elevate the WW1 Game Series, both figuratively and literally,” said M2H co-founder Matt Hergaarden. “Alpine warfare in Isonzo brings lots of fresh game mechanics to the series, along with the all new Italian army, facing off against Austria-Hungary.”

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For more on Isonzo, stay tuned to IGN as development on the game progresses.

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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

A crossover between Rainbow Six Siege and Resident Evil is now live in Ubisoft’s ongoing shooter, with an elite Jill Valentine-themed skin now available for operator Zofia. The skin features Jill’s S.T.A.R.S uniform from Resident Evil 1, RE-themed skins for Zofia’s gadget and weapons, as well as an R.E Elite Zofia chibi charm.

The crossover is similar to a Tomb Raider event from last year, which released an elite Lara Croft skin for operator Ash. Where that skin included Lara Croft’s dual pistols as Ash’s victory animation (allowing for Rainbow Six Siege’s lack of dual wielding), Zofia’s Jill Valentine skin also includes a unique animation showing Resident Evil’s iconic First Aid Spray in use.

The next Resident Evil game due to release is Resident Evil Village, which is due out on May 7. Jill Valentine doesn’t seem to be in the upcoming game, but with the return of series regular Chris Redfield, some fans are holding out hope for a cameo. Jill will be playable in the upcoming Resident Evil: Re:Verse, a multiplayer take on the series which will release for free on the same day as Village.

Rainbow Six Siege has just launched its latest season, Crimson Heist. Despite being into its sixth year, Siege is doing better than ever, with a recent free weekend and the new season bolstering player numbers to record highs for the game. Ubisoft has recently revealed its Year Six roadmap, which includes a number of map reworks, at least three new operators, and quality-of-life changes to a number of the game’s core features.

Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren has joined the cast of Shazam! Fury of the Gods as the villain Hespera.

The Hollywood Reporter says Mirren will join Rachel Zegler in the Shazam sequel as sisters who “both my or may not be of ill intent.” Zachary Levi will reprise his role as the adult version of Billy Batson who gains superpowers after inciting an ancient incantation.

Mirren is no stranger to comic book movies or playing villains in big studio franchises having starred in RED as Victoria Winslow and appearing in the Fast and Furious franchise as Magdalene “Queenie” Shaw.

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Not much is known about Hespera as there’s no DC Comics character counterpart. In the synopsis, Mirren’s character is called the daughter of Atlas, who is a character in the DC universe created by Jack Kirby. Atlas re-appeared in Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman and is closer to his roots in mythology given that Greek Gods are very much a thing in the DC world.

With that in mind, Mirren’s character could be based on The Hesperides, who are nymph daughters of Atlas, depending on the telling of the myths.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods was announced at last year’s DC FanDome and will follow the adventures of Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman, and the Marvel Family. The post-credits for the first Shazam saw the villain Doctor Sivana meet an alien named Mister Mind, but it’s unclear how this storyline will interact with Mirren’s casting as Hespera.

Funny enough the Shazam sequel won’t intersect with 2021’s Black Adam starring Dwayne Johnson. And there’s still a bunch of DC movies coming out before Shazam 2, including The Suicide Squad, The Flash, and Aquaman 2. Also, check out IGN’s review of Zack Snyder’s Justice League here.

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Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)