But even from MK1 the development process didn't focus so much on the fatalities. I mean, do you remember the fatalities from MK1? The most complicated one was Sub-Zero's spine rip. The rest were either decapitations, burnings or just graphical bits where the art doesn't even change like Liu's cartwheel uppercut thingy or the heart rip. I mean, 7 characters, each with only one fatality, and even then, the developers have said plenty that it was an afterthought. Point being, fatalities aren't the meal, they're just garnish. People have been calling them 'lazy' since MK2, and I'm sorry, but I've thought they were bad ass and didn't know what everybody was complaining about back then too. But I play fighting games for the fighting. If the gameplay in MK1 sucked, nobody would have cared about the fatalities.