Category Navigation:
Killer Instinct
Text Review
The original Killer Instinct was released in arcades in 1994 and was dubbed (at least by me) “the Mortal Kombat killer.” The arcade version had gorgeous graphics, a very unique combat system that relied heavily on combos, and an interesting cast of characters that rivaled the characters in the Mortal Kombat series. Killer Instinct was ported over to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996, and was essentially a stripped down version of the Arcade version, mainly due to the power of the Super Nintendo. However, that didn’t take away how fun the game was, and trust me; I’m still waiting for a Killer Instinct 3 or a version of Killer Instinct to pop up on the Wii Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, or maybe even the PlayStation Network.
The plot is simple: The evil corporation, Ultratech, is holding a tournament where only the strongest warriors will survive. All of the entrants in the tournament have some type of affiliation with Ultratech, from a man-made robot killing machine entered into the tournament to test its mettle, a convict turned into the “Human Torch” by Ultratech, and what fighting game would be without a ninja. His name is Jago, and he enters the tournament to appease the Tiger Spirit, and that said spirit plays its way into Killer Instinct 2. My favorite character in the game was Saberwulf, who is pretty much Lon Chaney’s (or even Benecio Del Toro’s) “The Wolfman.” His moves and combos were pretty easy to master, and considering I’m not very good at fighting games, that was a benefit.
The fighting style is very similar to both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with three punch buttons and three kick buttons. The blocking system is identical to Street Fighter where you hold back on the control pad to block an enemy’s attack. The highlight of the fighting system is the combo system, which was unheard of at the time of this game’s release. Combos can vary anywhere from a Triple combo all the way to a 20+ hit combo, which is called an Ultra combo. Every combo was followed by an announcer telling you what the combo was, and text popped up on the screen telling you the number of hits. The combo system can be tricky to master, but when you finally see them in action, it is quite impressive. The higher the combo the more points you accumulate, but points aren’t that important. It’s all about getting past all of the combatants in hopes of reaching the final boss - Eyedol, the two-headed, horse-hoofed, centaur from another dimension.
Along with a great combat system the character design is very good, accompanied by music in each level, ranging from techno dance numbers to gothic cathedral. What was great about purchasing this game when it first came out is that the game came with a CD that included all the music in the game called “Killer Cuts.” The game cartridge was black, which broke the mold of the classic gray SNES cartridge.
Killer Instinct was created by Rare Games, the company responsible for the Donkey Kong Country Series, Perfect Dark, Battletoads and Conker’s Day Fur Day. This was Rare’s first foray into the fighting game genre, and I have to say it was a great success. Unfortunately, it was still overshadowed by games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. While some fighting games have moved into 3-D, and the 2-D fighter seems to be a thing of the past (maybe except Street Fighter IV), Killer Instinct still has staying power, and its graphics can stand-up to even the most polished fighting games put out today.
- Matthew Stewart
Developer: Rareware
Publisher: Midway/ Rareware, Nintendo
Platform(s): Arcade, Game Boy, Super Nintendo
The plot is simple: The evil corporation, Ultratech, is holding a tournament where only the strongest warriors will survive. All of the entrants in the tournament have some type of affiliation with Ultratech, from a man-made robot killing machine entered into the tournament to test its mettle, a convict turned into the “Human Torch” by Ultratech, and what fighting game would be without a ninja. His name is Jago, and he enters the tournament to appease the Tiger Spirit, and that said spirit plays its way into Killer Instinct 2. My favorite character in the game was Saberwulf, who is pretty much Lon Chaney’s (or even Benecio Del Toro’s) “The Wolfman.” His moves and combos were pretty easy to master, and considering I’m not very good at fighting games, that was a benefit.
The fighting style is very similar to both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with three punch buttons and three kick buttons. The blocking system is identical to Street Fighter where you hold back on the control pad to block an enemy’s attack. The highlight of the fighting system is the combo system, which was unheard of at the time of this game’s release. Combos can vary anywhere from a Triple combo all the way to a 20+ hit combo, which is called an Ultra combo. Every combo was followed by an announcer telling you what the combo was, and text popped up on the screen telling you the number of hits. The combo system can be tricky to master, but when you finally see them in action, it is quite impressive. The higher the combo the more points you accumulate, but points aren’t that important. It’s all about getting past all of the combatants in hopes of reaching the final boss - Eyedol, the two-headed, horse-hoofed, centaur from another dimension.
Along with a great combat system the character design is very good, accompanied by music in each level, ranging from techno dance numbers to gothic cathedral. What was great about purchasing this game when it first came out is that the game came with a CD that included all the music in the game called “Killer Cuts.” The game cartridge was black, which broke the mold of the classic gray SNES cartridge.
Killer Instinct was created by Rare Games, the company responsible for the Donkey Kong Country Series, Perfect Dark, Battletoads and Conker’s Day Fur Day. This was Rare’s first foray into the fighting game genre, and I have to say it was a great success. Unfortunately, it was still overshadowed by games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. While some fighting games have moved into 3-D, and the 2-D fighter seems to be a thing of the past (maybe except Street Fighter IV), Killer Instinct still has staying power, and its graphics can stand-up to even the most polished fighting games put out today.
- Matthew Stewart
Developer: Rareware
Publisher: Midway/ Rareware, Nintendo
Platform(s): Arcade, Game Boy, Super Nintendo
So RAD it hurts!
Sign up now! - CGR Forums
Follow CGR on Twitter - TWITTER
Writers! - Click here
eBay links! Help support Classic Game Room by buying your classic games and hardware through eBay links on our site! Every game and accessory is linked to eBay, shop ahoy!