Mortal Kombat: Deception

After several years of meandering sequels, Mortal Kombat is finally going back to its roots. Just as Street Fighter IV reinvigorated Capcom’s flagging franchise, this year’s new Mortal Kombat hopes to kick-start a brand new chapter for the spine-tearing series. To ensure a successful reboot, developer NetherRealm has wisely chosen to focus on the three original games for inspiration; those three titles gripped arcades, sold millions on consoles and spawned TV shows, movies and comics, so it’s no surprise to see devs mimicking the glory days of the initial trilogy.

But before it erupted into a gaming powerhouse, Mortal Kombat was just one of countless Street Fighter II knockoffs itching for a chance in the spotlight. We’ll spend the most time on this title, then touch on how 2 and 3 set the stage for this year’s edition. Let’s begin in 1992 with…

Death happens a lot in videogames, but for some reason it never seems to stick. From heroes who get infinite do-overs to supporting characters who “die” only to resurface at the nick of time down the road, videogames might be the only medium in which the audience feels surprised, and perhaps even cheated, if a dead character isn’t magically brought back to life.

Nothing looks like it or plays like it. Love it, hate it or simply fear it like Nintendo execs did in the early '90s, there's no denying that Mortal Kombat changed the world of videogames forever. Here are ten Mortal Moments you won't see anywhere else. Shang Tsung's Kintaro fatality The hardest of all MK2 fatalities. The technique involves holding the Low Punch button for the entire duration of the last round, then releasing it in the unlikely event of a victory. If somebody managed to do