Developer: Rareware Publisher: Midway Release Date: Oct. 1994

ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

So. Since whispers of a new KI release have been heard over the past few months I thought it appropriate to do a Retro Review of it’s original release from 1994. Any of you that remember KI know that it was famous for its incredible graphics, lightning-fast gameplay and its monster combo system. Not to mention its great characters.

So with that in mind let’s get going shall we?

I’m gonna start with the Gorilla in the room – graphics. One of the reason for the fantastic graphics was the fact that this was the first Arcade stand up to have its own hard disk drive (HDD) in addition to the game’s ROMs. This allowed huge amounts of data to be stored. Then there was the processor, which ran at 100mhz. At the time KIs main competition and their processors ran much lower (MK 3s ran at something like 6.5mhz).

The characters and backgrounds – created by Silicon Graphics Incorporated (SGI) – were a nice take on 90s pop culture standards. Glacius (T-1000: Terminator 2), Fulgore (Predetor Movies), and TJ Combo (Mike Tyson) added a nice touch to a roster of other slightly clichéd characters like Spinal, Saberwulf, B. Orchid, Jago, Chief Thunder, Riptor and Cinder (complete with ‘edgy’ spelling errors where fit – uugh). At the end of it all you would face off with the freaky two-headed Clash of the Titans-esque boss known as Eyedol. I always thought he was a nice change from other bosses of other fighting games.

Killer Instinct was an easy game to pick up for two reasons: it had the button layout of the Street Fighter series, had Mortal Kombat fatality-like finishes, and had the balance between characters. These were things that people were instantly familiar and comfortable with. Add the blazingly-fast gameplay and the super fun (but not overly complicated) combo system and you had an instant classic.

Oh, and about that cheeky combo system.

I myself am not a combo fan. Not in the modern sense anyways. In SFII you had combos that you had to discover through time spent playing the game and finding its nuances. It wasn’t a series of memorized button presses that led to total annihilation – I believe that destroys any genuine sense of strategy in a fighting game. That being said KI had a combo system that knew exactly what it was there for: flashy bullshit. But you couldn’t hate the game for that.

Each character had enough of a varied fighting style that you would very rarely see any real similarities in their combo delivery. The whole thing was very well thought out and executed. You would start off a combo as usual. Then at a certain point, the severity of the combo would dictate several outcomes: two of which were continue the fight or daze your opponent for the finishing move. The most desired result however would be when the computer would take over in the last moments for an over-the-top movie-like sequence that would completely batter your opponent with insane amounts of hits and then land him/her/it somewhere off in the distance as you giggle maniacally.

The combos were so far fetched and awesome that even the game’s fatalities couldn’t hold a candle to them. My point is the game didn’t take itself too seriously and that’s what made the whole thing plausible as a new series.

I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen an old KI machine. I think I would squeal a little if I did – that and play it immediately. And I suggest you do the same. Don’t even think twice about it. Even with all these other fighting games flying around nowadays you’ll still find an appreciation (or full blown love) for this old bear.

Then: 9.5 out of 10 Now: 8.0 out of 10

Durka!!