By now, it’s no secret that the Mortal Kombat vs DC game is due out soon and, admittedly, it would seem like an amazing concept that these two universes collide in epic battle. Then, you have to remember how the Mortal Kombat franchise has been neutered and sapped of creativity just some time after MK3. Now, the new mash-up is looking more and more like a pathetic gimmick cooked up for a Saturday morning cartoon.

Case in point: Kotaku has reported that the Joker's fatality has been changed. For those of you who don’t know, the original fatality for the Joker was actually cool; he pulls out a gun and confetti pops out with a sign that says "Bang!", then he giggles and pulls out a real gun and blows off the opponents head. Its hilarious, and one of the first times the franchise got something right for a change (if you haven’t seen it, you can check it out below). Now, chop the fatality in half and get rid of the part where the Joker shoots the real gun. What’s left? A Joker without a punch line. I guess it’s basically the same thing … only completely different and completely lame.

Even more of a disappointment is Midway. They have this gory awesome franchise, and they want to make it kid-friendly? Why are they so wrapped up in the ratings? Don’t they know by now that kids will get their hands on the game no matter what age they are? Ratings are for parents who care, and there aren’t that many. Just make the game with the “Mature” rating it deserves.