Mortal Kombat gets kompiled this summer

Last month's launch of Mortal Kombat for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 returned the violent fighting franchise to the limelight, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is looking to capitalize on that rekindled interest. The publisher today announced Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for release late this summer on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

The downloadable Arcade Kollection will include "arcade-perfect" ports of the original Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. While the Xbox 360 has previously received a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the PS3 launched with Mortal Kombat II available digitally, this will be first time the original Mortal Kombat has been released for either console.

Each game included in the compilation will receive a handful of enhancements, including online multiplayer support, trophies/achievements, and leaderboards. The package is priced at $10 (800 Microsoft points), which might come as a relief to those who remember last year's retail listings for a Mortal Kombat compilation at $40.

Other Ocean will be handling development duties on the game with an assist from Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios. While the studio has produced plenty of family friendly titles--its latest iPhone game, Scout's ABC Garden, was published by Leap Frog Entertainment--Other Ocean does have some previous experience with WBIE's notorious fighting franchise. The studio was responsible for the well-received 2007 DS port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, which earned kudos specifically for its online play.

In conjunction with the downloadable debut of the Arcade Kollection, peripheral maker PDP will produce a limited run of the Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Fight Stick that was bundled in the high-end collector's edition of last month's Mortal Kombat. The new run of sticks will be available exclusively at GameStop for $130 a pop in Xbox 360 and PS3 editions. Each stick will also include a code to download the Arcade Kollection.