Lets talk about...Killer Instinct!

[Zerodash]

KI and KI2/gold actually aren't that bad. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they are pretty good- not SF, KoF, or DS good, but better than MK (a series which continues to this day- whither KI?).

Some people poop on the "auto double" combo system of KI, accusing it of requiring little skill or timing. Hell, back in the day, I lambasted KI (and MK) to no end- whilst still pumping quarters into the machine (me a hypocryte? no...).

I put in some time playing KI and KI2/gold recently, and came to some realizations:

-The combo system inputs just like a Capcom chain combo, only with different (longer intervals as the auto double takes place) timing. The flow chart for 6 button chain combos is nearly identical.

-The character balance is not as bad as other, more highly regarded fighters. There are fewer imbalances in the KI crew than in some KoF and Capcom games.

-The control engine is very tight. Attributed mainly to the fact that Rare imitates SF very much in this aspect. I would even argue that the control is a bit tighter than the sometimes-clunky KoF engines.

-Impressive and once-groundbreaking graphics. The CG designed sprites look(ed) impressive in their own right, even if they aren't hand-drawn. Also, the arcade versions implemented some cool-looking FMV backgrounds (However, Cinder's backdrop was rendered real-time, I believe). The N64 KI Gold was the first fighting game (to my knowledge) that completely placed 2-D sprites over 3-D backgrounds- years before Capcom put out MVC2.

-Well-fitted and well composed soundtracks. The KI theme is heavy metal-ish. Each character's music fits their theme very well. The composition is high quality, hence why the SNES KI came with the "Killer Cuts" CD. Sabrewulf's KI 1 music is especially memorable.

-Unique character mix. True, some of the KI characters may seem generic (Jago, Wim Wu, Tusk, Chief Thunder), but they are complimented by some very memorable compatriots. Among them: The badass cyborg Fulgore; the morphing ice alien Glacius; The "Jason and the Argonauts" derived skeleton Spinal; The bionic werefolf Sabrewulf.


The KI games are quality 2-D fighters that seem to be fading into obscurity and disfavor in gamers' memories. Its a real shame...

[Cheebs]

KI Gold is one purdy fighter.

I've never put any time into either arcade version, I never could really stand the SNES version, but the N64 game is really one of the best 2D fighters out there on fun factor alone.

[Kidnemo]

Ahhhh...sweet ole KI.

I am a HUGE fan of the first game.

When it first came out in the arcade, I would drive a half hour to the arcade that had it. I would then proceed to play the game for nearly 8 hours everyday (and this went on for months).

There was always a constant stream of competitors (atleast 8-10 people waiting at any given time), and I remember getting winning streaks that broke 80 in-a-row on a regular basis.

Truly one of my favorite fighting games of all times.

K-K-K-KILLER COMBO!

[Despair]

Well, I enjoyed playing KI and KI2 back in the day. So what if its not deep as SF2 or VF4, it still a fun game, that you can enjoy playing with friends and just beat the crap out of each other

Since I dont have N64, I never played its version of KI, and the only home experience of KI for me comes from SNES version, which was pretty good at that time.

I also got the music CD "Killer Cuts" and its great. I still listen to it nowdays

I liked many of the characters as well. Jago, Fulgore, Cider, BioWulf

[Ashod]

I also liked both Killer Instinct games. The only real issue I had with the KI series was that they made the second game way too easy. Once I learned how to use one character, I seem to recall that I was able to also master every character in the game using the same basic combo strategies. But yeah, it doesn't matter, because it was still very fun to play. And the graphics and sounds in KI Gold for the N64 were some of the best at the time.

[wEEman33]

ULTRA-SUPER-SPIFFY-OUTRAGEOUS-MONDO-KILLER-COMBO!!!

[dorikyasu]

Originally posted by Zerodash
The N64 KI Gold was the first fighting game (to my knowledge) that completely placed 2-D sprites over 3-D backgrounds- years before Capcom put out MVC2.

Actually, Dragonball Z Ultimate Battle 22 did come out for PSX back in '95, so I'd say KI Gold exactly wasn't the first game to use 2D sprites over 3D BG's...

I did enjoy first KI, as it provided me with good alternative 1 player experience between heated SF2 matches at the both arcade & home. And just like Despair, I still listen to Killer Cuts once in a while.
KI2/Gold, on the other hand, I'm not too sure what to think of. I did give it a try, but for some reason it failed to grab my attention. (perhaps the fact that the sequel was missing my main character, "cheap" Chief Thunder, from the first one might had something to do with that... )

[Chojin]

Ah Killer Instinct...I never was a player since I thought the game played like crap, but I was a big time watcher. The game was amazingly fun to watch. Seeing those zillion hit combos and watching people exploit flaws and glitches to do those infinite combos, not to mention the great sound,music, and graphics made it a very fun game to view.

On the other hand, KI2 just sucked all around. Sure the graphics were better, but the game was slower paced, the characters were pretty damn lame, it was no fun to watch, and seeing a show it killed the KI series, it prob wasn't fun to play either.

[FuryFox]

My friend and I played the arcade Killer Instinct religiously, and even gave the crappy SNES port its due. However, something about KI2/KIgold just didn't sit right. The main problem, I think, was the bad revision of the character designs. All the human characters suddenly had ugly, ugly faces, and weirdly proportioned bodies that just didn't animate right. Plus, the competition was too good. If I wanted zany fighting, Capcom's versus series walked all over KI, and if I wanted serious, SFA and Tekken were both coming into their own at that time.

Still, if a new KI rev was to come out, I'd definitely check it out.

[Rumpy]

KI Gold was one of the first N64 games I bought. I loved it at the time, and I can remember having great times with it. I went back to it awhile ago, but the d-pad on the 64 controller felt terrible with this game. Totally stiff and clunky. I'd like to play it again, but I sold it awhile ago. I'd love to see a KI3.