Yesterday, we turned the spotlight on Sean Cantrell and his magnificent Mortal Kombat Lego. His blocky, toy inspired renders showed what might be if the world of Mortal Kombat were mere bricks and blocks. It was a wonderful proof of concept -- but what if you want to actually play with your toys?

Del Cottonwood is another industrious fan who has adapted the brutal world of Mortal Kombat into a simpler, blockier realm. Like Cantrell, he's adapted vast swaths of the Kombat cast, but in this case, they're downloadable skins for free-to-play sandbox sensation: Minecraft!

You would've had to have been lost in a pixelated underground cavern for the past few years to not know what Minecraft is. Launched in 2011; the stylized pixelated sandbox gives you a world of sky, water and earth to do with as you please. Its success has taken it to home consoles and driven an empire of paid alternatives, but the principle remains the same. Check out some of our favourites Minecraft Kombatants below:

Bizarre headlines in the news? Unlikely changes in routine? Uncharacteristic announcements from trusted sources?... Why, it can only mean yesterday was April Fool's Day!

Medieval tradition has given way to acts of downright skulduggery, making April 1st the day of mischief, pranks & hoaxes. That's a topic Mortal Kombat knows well -- famed for its hidden secrets and in-game gags! As we restore normalcy to Mortal Kombat Online, we're reaching into the Fan Submission Archive to pay tribute to the hoax who made good: Ermac!

Learn more about Ermac's illegitimate origins in our hoaxes & phony characters feature story! Once inspired: Register to submit your kreations for discussion, archive & future feature consideration!

To users on Mortal Kombat Online he's known as Bleed: A long time contributor with a talent for developing characters in 3D models & 2D sprites [gallery].

To date; Gabriel "Bleed" Melendez has been noted as one of the driving forces behind a much discussed fan-made Mortal Kombat (1992) HD remake. His talents as a character artist have been exemplary, producing a professional level of content that has had fans salivating, and license owners justifiably concerned.

In the wake of Warner Brothers' intervention in "Mortal Kombat HD: Kommunity Edition" -- Melendez has become the voice of fate. A conduit through which a major corporation has made its presence known. When news of the shutdown spread, we talked to Bleed about what went down, and his general feelings about the project. You've read excerpts in the Saga of Mortal Kombat HD feature. Here is the unedited Q&A:

After 20 years as a successful franchise, its the sequel to the eponymous Mortal Kombat that many still regard with fondest memories. For fans who live and bleed Mortal Kombat, however, the tournament-centric original can never be completely forgotten. Such is the dedication of a focused group of industrious fans, who've applied themselves to independently designing and developing a playable revamp of the original dubbed: Mortal Kombat HD.

Determined by consensus; the objective of Mortal Kombat HD was to create a slavishly complete, high definition remake of the 1992 arcade classic. Built from the ground up, using popular 2D freeware engine MUGEN as a playable base and 3D models -- the project would be made of all original resources, designed to imitate the original as exactly as possible. Therein would lie the problem, however, leading to an effective shutdown of any intention to release a working product, rendered by Warner Brothers late last week.

While the enthusiasm of fans may lead them to desire otherwise, Warner Brothers' position represents an open and shut case. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's also a self-evident example of copyright and trademark infringement. Exceptions may exist at the prerogative of intellectual property owners who choose to overlook infringements, but they are always within their rights to shut down unlicensed fan projects.

On the surface, this would appear to be an effective end to the MKHD fan game as it was intended. To release any playable version to the public would be to court personal ruin. No fan will play it. Much less clear, however, is the exact motivation for Warner Brothers' intervention. While there is broad intellectual property protection and brand management to consider -- there is an extensive history behind MKHD.

Whacking Day is still a couple of months away, but that just means there are still plenty of snakey artworks slithering around to celebrate this year's St. Patrick's Day with!

We're painting Mortal Kombat Online green with a parade of the very best Reptile artwork housed in our world famous Fan Submission Archive! If you'd like a little luck of the Irish for yourself, register to submit your work for discussion, archive & future feature consideration!

The day of romance has come to Earthrealm, and we want to propagate that lovin' throughout Mortal Kombat Online! What better way to celebrate St. Valentine's Day than with artistic tributes to two of Mortal Kombat's most forbidden lovers?

They came from two walks of life -- blade crossed lovers locked in passionate embrace! Impaled by cupid's arrow, theirs is a love that's downright ugly: it's Baraka & Mileena!

Throughout the month of August you voted - now the verdict is in! Super Power Beat Down realizes the ultimate martial arts fantasy battle in live-action when Scorpion takes on the legendary White Ranger!

Debating in favour of the ninja spectre is celebrity guest and voice of Stryker (Mortal Kombat 2011): Matthew Mercer. In the white corner with a hue of green is the man who made the White Ranger famous: Jason David Frank. Both have their thoughts, we have ours. Check out the video before scrolling down if you don't want to be spoiled!

Being one of gaming's most recognized icons has painted a mighty big target on the yellow back of the ninja spectre Scorpion. Nerds have been put on notice as he takes revenge against joypad warriors. Haters be warned: He's mad as Hell and not gonna take it any more! The following video contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Everybody's favourite ninja from Hell is set to star in the next instalment of live-action web series: Super Power Beat Down! The Machinima affiliate show pits super powered pop culture icons against one another in a fan debated arena.

Hosted by Marisha Ray, the web show packs its real punch with live-action performances of the super powered battles. Scorpion will find himself going toe-to-toe with a less common fantasy fight adversary in the form of the original White Ranger! SPBD have released previews of the Mortal Kombat and Power Rangers adversaries via their production Facebook:

With a long and storied history of humor characters and discarded near-misses, April 1st seemed like an appropriate time to take stock of some of the kombatants who nearly rejoined the franchise in its most recent iteration. Afterall, April officially marks the first anniversary of the game that relaunched the franchise, in 2011!

EDIT (Apr. 2): Did we fool you? Of course not, you're far too brilliant for that! You've gotta admit, we made it easy for you, this year. Thanks to Pedro Cruz for his involvement in our annual fooly fool. Make sure you don't miss our lookback at some of the classic fake characters and April Fools in our latest feature article! See you next year!

In an exclusive reveal for Mortal Kombat Online, NetherRealm Studios have provided design sketches for four characters who nearly made it in, but were omitted in the eleventh hour. They represent all tiers of the new and old -- unused fan-favourites, a long rumored joke character, and a brand new fighter, never before seen. Don't get too discouraged, either.

WB Assistant Community Manager, Elisa Profillo, advises that while there is no official announcement to be made yet, copies of Mortal Kombat and the recent Komplete Edition [released Feb. 28], are both able to support mutually available downloadable content.