What did you find under the tree, RetroGaming warriors?
Do you remember the battles of past Christmases—Sonic vs. Mario, Monkey Island 2 vs. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, and so on?
But today I want to remind you of a different kind of war, one fought with fists during Christmas 1993.

The legendary Mortal Kombat II, with its digitized graphics and unapologetic violence, went head-to-head with Street Fighter II Turbo. That Christmas, on the infamous SNES and Mega Drive consoles, the fight was on for the title of best fighting game.

Personally, I was blown away by Mortal Kombat II. It felt like something entirely new, with a brutal impact that had already amazed me with its predecessor. This second chapter brought a darker storyline, much grimmer characters, and moves that truly felt painful—Fatalities, Animalities, and even the playful Friendships!

Entire afternoons were spent memorizing Fatality inputs and hunting for hidden secrets in the story or the characters’ endings.
Street Fighter II Turbo was a magnificent evolution of its predecessor, but in my humble opinion, it didn’t deliver the same sense of novelty as its rival. That said, we’re talking about elite-level games here—it’s hard to choose a winner. Both have left us with nothing but great memories.