Mortal Kombat: 10 Craziest Features We STILL Can't Believe
1. Friendships & Babalities
It's hard to believe, but the relatively tame original iteration of Mortal Kombat set of a media firestorm. The liberal usage of blood, violence, and the provocative concept of the Fatality mechanic had parents and politicians alike questioning the decency of an entire industry. It could be argued that Mortal Kombat's most enduring legacy was that of being the catalyst for the formation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, better known as the ESRB.
Rather than bow to potential Congressional oversight, the video game industry formed the organization in an effort to self-regulate their titles.
Similar to the Motion Picture Association of America, ratings were now attached to games based on guidelines that reviewed sexual content, violence, and crude language, among others. Like an R rating, it was assumed that a higher rating would mean a decrease on sales.
Thankfully, this didn't seem to be the case, as Mortal Kombat 2 earned over $400 million in sales. And within the game, the developers chose to put the absolute best response to the controversy.
Going in the completely opposite direction of their hyper-violent Fatalities, Mortal Kombat 2 introduced Friendships and Babalities. The former would see your character perfrom an act of benevolence, such as Kung Lao pulling a fluffy bunny out of his hat. The latter is pretty self-explanitory, turning the loser of the battle into an adorable, crying baby version of themselves.
The send-up was a mighty middle finger aimed directly at the attempt at censorship, and kept the franchise's trademark edge intact.