While the Sega Genesis version of the fighting game contained the blood and fatalities (unlocked with a not-so-secret code) featured in the arcade version released one year earlier, the characters in the SNES version of Mortal Kombat oozed sweat instead of blood whenever they were hit.
In 1993, Nintendo and Sega both released what was considered the most violent and corruptible video game at the time, Mortal Kombat, but with one major difference.
The violence in both versions (more so on the Genesis) were met with shock and disdain from media outlets and several key United States Senators who led a campaign to have the video game industry introduce self-regulation, according to the BBC.