Killer Instinct 1/2 - Best Game Ever?

[Alixsar]

The more I think about it, the more I like Killer Instinct. Say what you want about Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong Country, and Conker etc. (all very good games I might add) but I believe Killer Instinct was Rare's shining hour. Why? Because Killer Instinct is the kind of game that I would make if I was given the chance to make a fighting game. In fact, I dare say it is the most awesome game ever. Let's look at the facts.

Robot with ponytail and eye lasers? Check.

Ice dude with icicle goatee who can turn his arms into axes/spikes/uppercut? Check.

80s rock music? Check.

TUSK! Check.

Crazy skeleton who makes weird screeching noises and teleports like crazy? Check.

Black dude with eyepatch named T.J. Combo? Check.

A boat full of skeletons? Check.

Bad mid-90s techno? Check (I'm looking at you, B.Orchid).

Three girls who look like Janet Jackson and have triangular boobs? Check.

Crazy announcer? Check (TUSK!).

Sabrewulf? Check.

See? It has everything you could ever want in any game ever. Wouldn't you agree?

[Shoeberto]

The controls sucked.

[Alixsar]

I don't think you get it. It's not that it was legitimately good, just that it was awesome. TO THE MAX.

[Monol]

Well i dont know about the second one....and i dont know if this is any consolation but i love the first game...i believe it to be an INCREDIBLE fighting game...i consider it one of the best really...in fact my friends and I still play it till this day...i practice from time to time working on the combo breakers and such...good game though

Glad to see someone else out there apprciates it :cool:

Good on you mate ;) :D

[Markus. D]

I like Killer Instinct gold cause Kim Wu was crazy in it.

[XxSephirothxX]

It does have one bitchin' name.

[Markus. D]

and Kim Wu....

[Alixsar]

Glacius is better.

[Epiphany]

Tch. Screw Glacius, Cinder and Sabrewulf are where it's at, yo.

[DMKA]

It had graphics beyond it's time, but I thought it was pretty fail aside of that.

[Rainecloud]

I loved Killer Instinct Gold for the Nintendo 64.

Shame nobody else did.

[Markus. D]

I loved Killer Instinct Gold for the Nintendo 64.

Shame nobody else did.


ugh.... read the page :P

ive complimented it :)

[Slothy]

I think from a character design and visual and style standpoint, the games were really cool, and very fun in that regard. Unfortunately the actual gameplay pretty much sucked. If they had gotten that right though, it may have earned a place as one of the better fighting games of the day.

[Mo-Nercy]

I liked Killer Instinct. But when I first/last played it, I was too young to care about anything other than thew pretty colours and the fact that there was DINOSAUR! RAWR!

[NM]

Killer Instinct was a decent beat 'em up for it's time. It looked better than anything on the market, but it's problem lies with the shallow gameplay. I used to love the game, but I can't play it for more than a few rounds before it becomes boring these days.

The problem is that the combo's are all the game is about. So all everyone tries to do is launch there best combo or a few small combo's they might have lernt to mix things up over and over again. Each person just takes it in turns to launch a combo until one of them is dead. Basic attacks arn't worth using except for a sweep every now and then.

It was a decent game when it came out but it hasn't aged well. Where as the old Street Fighter and King of Fighter game's are still playable and fun to this day, KI is a little dull.

Oh and Killer Instict 2 or Gold, whatever you want to call it is just utter rubbish. Why Rare thought it was a good idea to change how every character played and every special move is pulled off is a mystery to me. And why they thought it was also a good idea to use Diagonal Down Forward to Diagonal Down Back, to pull off most move's is an even bigger mystery.

[Dreddz]

I played Killer Instinct on my friends SNES, it was a beat em up similier to Mk right ?
It was alright, I have only played it once for about an hour. I never got into it to be honest ...

[Alixsar]

The problem is that the combo's are all the game is about. So all everyone tries to do is launch there best combo or a few small combo's they might have lernt to mix things up over and over again. Each person just takes it in turns to launch a combo until one of them is dead. Basic attacks arn't worth using except for a sweep every now and then.

It was a decent game when it came out but it hasn't aged well. Where as the old Street Fighter and King of Fighter game's are still playable and fun to this day, KI is a little dull.

Well, that's pretty much how all fighting games work. You do combos and the other person tries to do theirs and you both try to mix it up so you don't get predictable. That's every fighting game ever made. So...yeah, I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

And I disagree with the last part. SFII has not aged well at all. I still feel that SFII is one of worst games ever made. Whenever you jump, your character goes into slow motion. I understand that this was due to the hardware limitations of the time, but it doesn't excuse it. Maybe I've just been playing Guilty Gear and Mark of the Wolves too much, but I except my character to jump at a normal speed. And considering how "balanced" everyone claims it is, I find it odd that Dee Jay can do one move that takes off THREE FOURTHS of your life bar. At least Zangief has an excuse; he's slow so you can get away. But Dee Jay isn't slow, so what the hell? And really, do you need medium punches and kicks? They don't do anything that a hard or fast one couldn't do better. And lastly, and most importantly, there are no cool looking SF characters. Everyone is lame.

As for KoF, the series has slowly evolved over time. If you don't believe me, go play 94, 2002, and 2003. Three games that play completely differently. And KoF didn't really get good until about 95/96. I personally believe the first good one was 97. Shingo Kick.

[NM]

What i'm trying to say about K.I is it's all about using a special move which you can then chain into a few other move's. There's very little point in using standard kicks and punch's. Jumping at your opponent isn't worth bothering with either.

To me K.I works like you would play Tennis. You do a special move, I do a special move and we go back and forth until someone manages to connect with a move which they then turn into a combo. Once their finished you go back and forth again until someone lands a hit again. Repeat until someone wins.

Yes there's the combo breakers which without, the game would have been utter rubbish, but all they do is allow you to stop a combo once it's started. Once thats done it's back and forth again.

Compared to Street Fighter or KOF, Killer Instinct is very basic. I don't think K.I is a terrible game it's just very limited. I loved it back in '96 when I had it on the SNES but I just can't play it anymore as I get bored after a few fights.

Yes all beat 'em ups are about landing combos but, Killer Instinct relies on them totaly for it's gameplay. Street Fighter and KOF require you to mix between standard attacks, throws, attacking, counter attacking and defending while K.I requires you to chain 10+ hits together and keep repeating it untill you've won.

[Alixsar]

What i'm trying to say about K.I is it's all about using a special move which you can then chain into a few other move's. There's very little point in using standard kicks and punch's. Jumping at your opponent isn't worth bothering with either.

To me K.I works like you would play Tennis. You do a special move, I do a special move and we go back and forth until someone manages to connect with a move which they then turn into a combo. Once their finished you go back and forth again until someone lands a hit again. Repeat until someone wins.

Yes there's the combo breakers which without, the game would have been utter rubbish, but all they do is allow you to stop a combo once it's started. Once thats done it's back and forth again.

Compared to Street Fighter or KOF, Killer Instinct is very basic. I don't think K.I is a terrible game it's just very limited. I loved it back in '96 when I had it on the SNES but I just can't play it anymore as I get bored after a few fights.

Yes all beat 'em ups are about landing combos but, Killer Instinct relies on them totaly for it's gameplay. Street Fighter and KOF require you to mix between standard attacks, throws, attacking, counter attacking and defending while K.I requires you to chain 10+ hits together and keep repeating it untill you've won.

I really don't think you get it, though. Two things: 1) KI is sick. And 2) Glacius. See?

[kikimm]

I've never played it, but yes, looking at that list you posted, it does have everything I've ever wanted in a game.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

This is the second time today I'm linking to a Penny Arcade strip. I'm not proud of this, yet I feel it is relevant (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/12/02).

[Monol]

What i'm trying to say about K.I is it's all about using a special move which you can then chain into a few other move's. There's very little point in using standard kicks and punch's. Jumping at your opponent isn't worth bothering with either.

To me K.I works like you would play Tennis. You do a special move, I do a special move and we go back and forth until someone manages to connect with a move which they then turn into a combo. Once their finished you go back and forth again until someone lands a hit again. Repeat until someone wins.

Yes there's the combo breakers which without, the game would have been utter rubbish, but all they do is allow you to stop a combo once it's started. Once thats done it's back and forth again.

Compared to Street Fighter or KOF, Killer Instinct is very basic. I don't think K.I is a terrible game it's just very limited. I loved it back in '96 when I had it on the SNES but I just can't play it anymore as I get bored after a few fights.

Yes all beat 'em ups are about landing combos but, Killer Instinct relies on them totaly for it's gameplay. Street Fighter and KOF require you to mix between standard attacks, throws, attacking, counter attacking and defending while K.I requires you to chain 10+ hits together and keep repeating it untill you've won.

hmm....combos are essential...but as you become more skilled at the game you rely on more than just combos...it actually becomes more deeper than you think....jumping can be a very important tool in the game allowing for aerial jump in combos...theres retaliations used to counter attacks...you learn to take advantage of projectiles as well...you can also create things called "unbreakable" combos...the list goes on...but anyways....i see your point and will ackowledge it as a very good one in fact...i tend to agree somtimes...but the game is alot deeper than most pepole would believe....i wouldnt judge so hastily just yet until you experince these awsome innovations yourself ;) :D

thats all i got to say

[Cubster]

I hope that both KI games will be re-released one day in their full arcade glory! Both console versions were nothing compared to the aracade versions. KI had better graphics, FMV intros and endings, two ways to kill Eyedol, and Shadow Moves. KI2 had some of the same things but the N64 version got rid of one major thing - 2 or more endings per character (and all FMV scenes)! Rare should consider putting them out again on a next-gen system with high resolution graphics and maybe with a CG art collection because it was really sweet back then. KI3 doesn't sounds bad either...

[Lindy]

A game that is more fun than SERIOUS BUSINESS.

Just whacking around for a while and cooking up a 40 hit combo and then landing ALL the fireball finishers is beautiful.

[Pure Strife]

I hope that both KI games will be re-released one day in their full arcade glory! Both console versions were nothing compared to the aracade versions. KI had better graphics, FMV intros and endings, two ways to kill Eyedol, and Shadow Moves. KI2 had some of the same things but the N64 version got rid of one major thing - 2 or more endings per character (and all FMV scenes)! Rare should consider putting them out again on a next-gen system with high resolution graphics and maybe with a CG art collection because it was really sweet back then. KI3 doesn't sounds bad either...

There's a 3 now?

[Cubster]

Sorry no, there isn't a KI3. I meant that it would be nice if Rare made one.