the sega version where the blood actually worked, thanks to one glorious cheat code.
means the 1993 sega genesis port of mortal kombat, infamous for restoring the arcade game's gore via a secret code, unlike the censored nintendo version.
from acclaim published both console ports simultaneously in september 1993; nintendo's snes version replaced blood with sweat and death moves with fatalities-lite, while sega let players type a-b-a-c-a-b-b at the blood code screen to unlock the real violence, sparking a moral panic that reached the us senate.
snes version — censored, sweat instead of blood, sold fewer copies in comparison
joe lieberman hearings — senator cited the game in 1993 senate testimony on game violence
esrb creation 1994 — industry formed rating board partly because of this controversy