I've never been much of a fighting game fan, but I picked up Mortal Kombat 1 and 3 the other day for nostalgia's sake (I would always play Scorpion and do nothing but harpoon, then uppercut. I was such a brat ) I have to wonder, how are you really suppossed to figure out a character's moves? Before the advent of the internet, did you just have to depend on finding a good guide in a magazine, or mashing buttons at random until something happened?

EDIT: Got rid of the arrow that was messing things up. Sorry!