Mortal Kombat publisher Warner Bros. Games has announced that vampire warrior Nitara, who debuted in 2002’s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and was rarely seen again, will return to the series in forthcoming reboot Mortal Kombat 1. If you’ve tragically lost Nitara in the 21 years of cobwebs that crowd your gaming memory, then Warner Bros. has a way to cut through: this time, Nitara will be voiced by, and modeled after, Jennifer’s Body actor Megan Fox.

“She comes from this weird realm,” Fox said about Nitara in her reveal trailer. “She is a type of vampire creature, she’s evil, but she’s also good; she’s trying to save her people. I really like her. She’s a vampire, which obviously resonates for whatever reason.”

Read More: Your Diablo IV Death Could Get Eulogized By Megan Fox
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For Valentine’s Day in 2021, Fox’s toothpick boyfriend, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, showed Instagram the drop of Fox’s blood he wears encased in a translucent necklace. In a 2022 interview, Fox told Glamour UK that she and MGK also consume each other’s blood “on occasion”—“Just a few drops,” she said, and “for ritual purposes only.” So I think she’s got this method acting thing down.

“I’m not really just voicing it, […] she’s kind of me,” Fox continued in the trailer. “[The Nitara acting sessions] force me to tap into areas of myself that I’m not comfortable [with]. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it, and it’s caused me to be more free with myself.”

Nitara never shied from discomfort—in Deadly Alliance, the Feast of Blood fatality had Nitara howling before pouncing on a victim and tearing out slabs of flesh with her teeth.

Cute, but MK1 tries something new. The trailer appears to demonstrate a never-before-seen fatality, in which Nitara delivers her five-inch-long fingernails into her opponent’s stomach, pulls out his entrails, then holds onto them like rope as her bat wings pump high into the air.

She yanks him up by the intestines, then kicks him back down with so much force that the skin and meat falls off his body. His clean skeleton shatters on the ground.

It’s subtle, it’s tasteful, I like it. And you can see even more Nitara when MK1 releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 19, though its premium and collector’s edition grant early access on September 14.

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Following a paid “early access” launch, WB and NetherRealm Studios’ newest Mortal Kombat game, confusingly named Mortal Kombat 1, is out now on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. And it’s that Switch version of the fighting game that is being heavily criticized online by players for its visual bugs and poor performance.

At this point in time, it’s not surprising that most multi-platform video games that end up on the Switch don’t look as good as their Xbox or PlayStation counterparts. Let’s remember that Nintendo’s portable home console hybrid is over six years old, and even back at launch Switch was “weaker” technologically compared to the already-released PS4 and Xbox One consoles. But even with that in mind, it’s still wild to see just how rough and ugly Mortal Kombat 1 is on Nintendo’s aging machine, with long loading times, visual jank, and super low-res textures. Even worse, this uglier, less stable version of the game still costs a full $70.

Look at screenshots or video of Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch and you can tell right away that this is a downgrade from the far nicer-looking versions on the more powerful machines. Textures are extremely low resolution, leading to genuinely ugly and hard-to-comprehend scenes. Is that texture meant to be a rock? Dirt? Mud? A stone wall? Sometimes it’s hard to say. Character models look a bit better, but feature their own quirks including bulging eyes, plastic-like hair, jagged edges on clothing, and skin that looks like Play-Doh.

The thing is, I’d be able to ignore a lot of these visual downgrades—this is the Switch after all—if the game’s performance was solid. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. While the game targets 60 frames per second during fights, it rarely hits that goal and often lingers in the high 40s and mid 50s, leading to a choppy, sloppy presentation.

Loading times are also a problem in MK1’s Switch port, with it taking up to a full minute to fire up matches. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, load up a one-minute timer on your phone and wait. Now imagine that between most matches and cutscenes.

Then there are the micro loads. On Xbox and PlayStation, fights and cutscenes seamlessly blend into each other. It’s a neat trick that the modern Mortal Kombat games have been doing for years now, but it still looks cool and helps keep the story moving. On Switch, cutscenes and fights are often split by short, but very obtrusive loading screens. Some of these splits even happen in the middle of dialogue, which is extremely distracting. Add in all sorts of random visual bugs during fights and this is just not a great way to play the new game.

Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch includes everything, even its $70 price tag

To the Switch port’s credit, it tries to offer the full Mortal Kombat 1 experience. All the game modes, cutscenes, dialogue, characters, fatalities, and outfits are here. This is nice if not maybe a bit ambitious.

Still, I applaud developers Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive—the teams behind this port—for cramming all of Mortal Kombat 1 onto a Switch cart and getting it to run at all on the weak console. But I don’t think WB Games should have charged $70 for this version of the game, the same price point of its far better PlayStation and Xbox versions.

I also find it weird that the Switch got a version of this game, but not PS4 or Xbox One. Those consoles also come up short when compared to the next-gen machines, but I’d bet all my teeth (hell, and some ribs) that they could play a better-looking version of Mortal Kombat 1 than the Switch is here.

I know some Switch owners are happy that this is an actual native port of the game and not a streaming cloud version. And I do agree that cloud versions—which only last as long as the streaming servers remain up—aren’t the answer to getting AAA games like MK1 to run on Switch.

Instead, it seems we have reached the point where it’s time to admit the Switch can’t handle some of the bigger games coming out these days, and to probably stop porting them. And if you must port challenging games to Switch, at least charge less for these inferior, often uglier versions. Well, until the Switch 2 finally hits shelves. Hopefully, that long-awaited console can make major strides in technological parity and not just be the place cast-offs from the fancier consoles go to die.

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Mortal Kombat 1 has only been out for a few days. Diablo IV is barely a few months old. And Pikmin 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are Nintendo games, so they rarely go on sale. But right now on QVC—yes, that old shopping network—you can get any of these games for $40 thanks to a deal for new customers.

I won’t bore you with my stories of watching QVC—a home shopping channel launched in 1986—whenever I need something in the background while playing mobile games or building Lego sets. But I don’t need to explain that most people reading this site likely don’t think of QVC when they think of “Places to buy video games.” Yet QVC does sell video games! And right now you can get a bunch of new and old games for either $20 or $30 off, depending on the price of the game.

Before we begin, you’ll need to create a QVC account. (And you’ll need to be a new member and this will need to be your first order for this deal to work.) Then pick out a video game and toss it in your cart. Then apply one of these two discount codes:

NEWQVC30: $30 off your first order of $60 or more.

NEWQVC20: $20 off your first order of $40 or more.

You can’t combine these deals, but with the $30 off coupon, you can grab any $60 or $70 game and knock a large chunk off its price. And while QVC doesn’t have a huge selection of games compared to Amazon or Gamestop, the shopping network does offer some new, AAA hits, like Diablo IV, Mortal Kombat 1, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Ride 5, Pikmin 4, Madden NFL 24, Immortals of Aveum, Street Fighter 6, God of War Ragnarok, and Watch Dogs Legion.

Any of these games (or other games) will work with either discount code. In fact, any item on QVC can be purchased with either discount. The key is that your cart needs to have $60 or more in it so you can save $30. Or $40 or more in it to use the $20 promo code. QVC says these codes will only last for a limited time, so don’t wait around if you want to grab any of these games for less than their full price.

Now, before I leave you, let’s check out that time an air mattress failed after the hosts stood on it with heels. Or what about that time a caller got very angry on air when someone interrupted their phone call? Or when a guest got too excited about consumerism and fell off the stage, hurting his “booty” in the process. What a network!

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Pro Mortal Kombat player Jarrad Gooden, or NinjaKilla212, demonstrated how absurd Mortal Kombat 1 combos can get by throwing demon warrior Baraka for nearly a full minute. Though the game was only just globally released on September 19, Gooden represents a committed number of players already trying to find the most extreme ways to play. In this case, Gooden was successful, and the clip he posted to Twitter on September 27 freaked everyone else out.

“Your opponent hits you with this in a tournament,” he wrote, “what you doing?”

“Dude 89 hits,” says one popular reply, “I’m def quitting and smacking him with the controller.”

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“This is actually busted,” says another. “Not because of damage. But because of how long the combo is. The round is gonna be over by the time I touch the ground.”

Fighting games like MK have always allowed for torturously long, or even infinite combos, but Gooden’s post is a stunningly spooky reminder of what you can actually do in them.

Gooden uses wicked sorcerer Shang Tsung, who alternates between his older and younger selves, to his fullest capacity, pulling blazing Ground Skulls up from stone and launching them at Baraka’s folded body. Repeatedly, Baraka flops into the air, groaning at the juggling loop he’s stuck in. To keep it going, Gooden uses Scorpion as a Kameo assistant (extra fighters you can choose in character select) a few times, letting the assassin breathe flames onto Baraka. This move launches the warrior higher and higher into the air, extending the time Gooden is able to keep knocking him back with the same upward-movement attack.

Read More: Mortal Kombat 1: The Kotaku Review

It looks impressive, and it’s a little embarrassing for Baraka. But if you find yourself on the receiving end of such a combo, try not to despair. As evidenced in the clip, MK1’s damage scaling prevents Gooden from delivering match-ending pain—when he finally gives up on his Ground Skulls, Baraka is down only 45 percent health—and, if Baraka had used MK1’s Combo Breaker ability, he could have prevented the bulk of the damage anyway. That’s the important part of a clip like Gooden’s, it shows you what’s possible.

MK1 won’t “reinvent the blood-soaked wheel,” Kotaku staffer Zack Zweizen writes in his review, but fans and series newcomers both agree that it reliably provides gore and an at least passable storyline. You can currently play it on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm’s newest entry in its three-decades-old fighting game series, continues its predecessors’ tradition of pulling gut-yanking, brain-pounding final moves, or Fatalities, to the delight of its gore connoisseur fans. But some of those fans are frustrated. MK1’s recent patch introduces seasonal Fatalities—cool, but you have to pay for them.

Is no body horror sacred? October 23 patch notes indicate NetherRealm issued a ton of gameplay and performance changes to its $70 game, like improved AI and more balanced combat, but it hid the less desirable details about the premium Halloween Finisher among them. It won’t actually make it to the game’s Premium Store until later this week, publisher Warner Bros. Games said on Twitter, but it seems likely that it’s the same themed Fatality Mortal Kombat leakers revealed in September.

Leaked footage shows that, during the Fatality move, you slam a grimacing jack-o’-lantern over your opponent’s face and wait for bugs to slink out. Your enemy then doubles over and you pop their head off with a powerful kick, observing as it flies through space and slams into a front porch decorated for Halloween. The doorbell rings like you’re trick-or-treating, and blood waterfalls around the cracked pumpkin skull. “FATALITY,” the screen announces in vampire red.

Update 10/27/2023 8:24 p.m. ET: The “Happy Halloween” fatality is now up for sale in Mortal Kombat 1‘s Premium Store. It’s price? A whopping $12 USD. Original story continues after the tweet.

It looks like a fun move, and it’s October-ready, but fans stopped feeling as excited about it when they realized they’d have to pay extra for it.

“Pretty bad new precedent set by the devs charging for Fatalities now, and if people pay for it then it will only get worse,” one Reddit user said. “Next they might start charging $0.10 every time we call out our [support fighter] Kameo.”

“Why the hell did I pay for a [$110] Premium Edition […] yet NR has the cheek to try to force more paid content already?” a Twitter user responded to WB Games. “Greedy business practices before quality.”

NetherRealm apparently hasn’t learned from its 2019 game MK11, which gained notoriety among fans for what Kotaku writer Mike Fahey called its “oppressive” grind, which encouraged players to spend thousands of dollars on in-game currency to avoid suffering through tedious amounts of gameplay to unlock rewards. MK1 is also offering a free Halloween Variant, a purplish, cobwebbed middle school dance, to the Cage Mansion Arena, but it doesn’t take the sting out of giving more money to a game you thought you already paid for.