This game is special because it substitutes the letter 'C' for a 'K' and that's your first clue that you're dealing with quality right there. When Midway released Mortal Kombat in 1992, they kickstarted an amazing franchise that so far has spanned the arcade world, home video games, film and TV--both animated and live-action. The brutal, gory fighting in Mortal Kombat nurtured an entire generation of kids who were encouraged to "Finish him!"

The game featured a sinister dark look and seven competitors, each skilled in their own martial arts way. Johnny Cage was the cocky Hollywood star, Kano was a mercenary with a metal face, ninja Sub-Zero controlled ice, U.S. special forces soldier Sonya Blade could kick any guy's butt, ninja Scorpion was a literal hellspawn, Raiden was a thunder god, and Liu Kang hailed from the White Lotus Society of warriors.

This select group had been brought together to fight in the Shaolin tournament of the evil Shang Tsung. Each combatant had to win three bouts out of three to advance to the next round, all the while anticipating the match-up with Goro, the game's four-armed champion. In between rounds, players had to muster more of their skill and stamina for mini-fights like "Test Your Might," "Mirror Matches" where they fought another version of themselves and "Endurance Rounds" where they fought two opponents back to back.

The gigantic Goro wasn't even the top of the heap; if by some lucky chance and countless quarters you defeated the four-armed monster, Shang Tsung awaited your weary, battered character and the old Shaolin master was crafty.

The digitized graphics were sensational for the time and each of the characters was based on a real-life person, making their movements even more realistic. The violence though transcended reality and entered the world of horror movies. An opponent that had been beaten twice was dead meat; a recording of a deep voice urged the player to "Finish him!" and nobody passed up the chance. You could kick the guy's head off, rip out his intestines or reach in and take out his spine.

Watchdog groups were up in arms over the gory nature of Mortal Kombat which of course ensured that the game became wildly popular among arcade crowds. When the game was released for home play, Nintendo took out some of the more objectionable components but Sega kept all the violence in tact and eventually won the favor of home players.

Mortal Kombat spawned many sequels that featured new moves and characters, as well as ever-increasing and more imaginative ways to die. It will be around for a long, long time.