Fatalities are easily one of the best parts of anyMortal Kombat game. Ever since the original game introduced the brutal finishing moves to the fighting game genre, fans have loved humiliating their opponents with ridiculously violent and over-the-top Fatalities - after all, there's no better way to end a match than by rubbing someone's face in it!
That being said, there's a reason that Fatalities work - at their core, Fatalities are funny. Yes, they're all extremely violent and definitely aren't for younger audiences, but they're presented in such an over-the-top way that it's hard not to laugh. If the violence was presented in any other way, it'd be extremely off-putting - but Mortal Kombat revels in its own ridiculousness, and that's what makes Fatalities to much fun to watch.
If you need any further proof of this, just look at Cassie Cage's second Fatality from the upcoming Mortal Kombat X:
At first, the Fatality doesn't look like much: Cassie just sort of knocks her opponent's lower jaw off. Sure, it's violent, but comparatively speaking, the Fatality isn't anything special - until Cassie takes out her phone, that is.
Sure, it's not the most subtle nod to our selfie-obsessed culture, but it fits in perfectly with both Cassie's character and the series' comedy as a whole. It's a goofy, entirely out-of-place joke that it renders the whole thing hilarious - and the idea of someone posting a kill to social media isn't so strange when you think about how many fans will be doing the same thing once the game launches.
However, the violence isn't what's most impressive about Cassie's Fatality. What is impressive is the attention to detail: the kill itself might not be that complicated, but the 'Friendship' social media page that Cassie posts her selfie to is covered in references to previous franchise entries. Watching names like 'QuanCheezy' and 'ItsNotAirmac' pop up as part of the comments feed is great, and even the name 'Friendship' is a reference to the peaceful finishing moves that debuted back in Mortal Kombat 3.
Cassie's second Fatality isn't the most gruesome fans have ever seen (that honor still belongs to Noob Saibot), but it's a perfect example of why Mortal Kombat's violence can't be taken all that seriously. It's stupid, and that's what makes it fun!
Fans don't have long to wait before they can get their hands on everyone's Fatalities - Mortal Kombat X launches on April 14.
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