Can't see what's so great about Killer Instinct (1994)

Why original KI still ranks in the lists of the best fighting games?
The game doesn't even look that good. The CGI seemed awesome in early to mid 90s but it has aged really bad. X-Men Children of the Atom that was released later the same year looks miles better. The characters are badly animated by CGI standards - animation looks more like sloppy stop-motion of action figures.
Controls are a mixed bag. Punch and kick buttons are nice but the motions feel very stiff. Like the first Mortal Kombat game. The game has silly looking finishing moves that were a staple among MK clones. The chain-combos... I am ok with them but most ppl hate them in Mortal Kombat 3 or the first Street Fighter Alpha game - why does KI get a free pass here?

I know I've made another rant thread about Garou MotW recently but Garou is great on it's own. KI is mediocre and is not worthy of the praise it gets, in my opinion.

To me, great graphics (still today) GREAT bso, and pretty fun gameplay :) (I love Spinal!) And usually I dislike Vs games.

Oh, the annuncier. He is the most awesome!!

Quote:

---

Why original KI still ranks in the lists of the best fighting games?

---

Whoever thinks that must have some pretty low standards for a fighting game.

My theory is, since KI was also released on the SNES, it automatically gained the "Classic" status, along with masterpieces from the same period, such as Donkey Kong Country.

I think the reasons lie in all the hype back when it was released, and are basically twofold:

1. because it got a lot of attention for being such a "mature", "Gritty" fighting game released on the Super Nintendo, somewhat breaking their family-friendly mold
2. because of the slightly prerendered graphic, which caused many magazines back in the day to (in my eyes erroneosly) describe the game as a "Next-Gen title on a current-gen console" (at least that's what I read in a few German mags back in the day).

So the hype machine went into full overdrive, causing many people (mostly teenagers back then who are now grown-ups today) to flock to that game, and who now fondly reminisce when they talk/write about it.

Never liked it. I know people that spent their youth playing the SNES port, but what I see is a memory game.

The chain combos are what made the game so fun. The arcade version (at least around here) was always packed and had just as much comp as sf2 or any other comparable fighter. It's not a game that plays like much else, as there is a "rhythm" to chaining together moves. It's a solid fighter and introduced a lot of neat ideas into fighting world, or at least got those ideas right (combo counter, combo breaker, level fatalities)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cabear

It's a solid fighter and introduced a lot of neat ideas into fighting world, or at least got those ideas right (combo counter, combo breaker, level fatalities)

---

Killer Instinct didn't introduce Level fatalaties into the Genre; a few other games (Mortal Kombat's "The Pit", or every single stage in "Eternal Champions") already had those before.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Phantar

Killer Instinct didn't introduce Level fatalaties into the Genre; a few other games (Mortal Kombat's "The Pit", or every single stage in "Eternal Champions") already had those before.

---

Same for the combo counter. Super Street Fighter 2 had it before.

It's just mashing random buttons and watching the game play itself.

Yeah, it was all about the hype back in the day. It was a good looking game at a time when that was still a technical feat. While I know people that still really like KI and get excited to talk about it, I don't know anyone that puts it on a list of 'greatest fighting games'...

IMO the gameplay is pretty clunky, and that's the bit that makes a game stand the test of time. Also I don't think the graphics have held up terribly well on the SNES port. I've actually considered selling my cart of it, due to how much less impressive (and fun) it is than I remember back in the day :/

It's one of the better 16-bit fighting games but it sure as hell ain't no classic.

KI was extremely impressive to behold when it first came out, the graphics were technically superb running off the HD what with the 3D effect on the stages and the motion video vs screen. The sound from the cabinet was thunderously awesome, all the screams and hit FX were unbelievable at the time (and still are, as far as I'm concerned), as well as the music, it all sounded fantastic and a step up even from MK and the MVS fighters at the arcade we hung around at.

I remember the sparks from fireballs hitting each other particularly impressed us as well. But what made the game so amazing was the Ultra Combos, we'd never seen such OTT violence in a fighting game before. I think we played this and Samurai Shodown II for a while, pretty much exclusively.

Sure, as soon as KOF '94 and Alpha came out we dropped it like a bad habit, but man, when KI first dropped it was quite a breath of fresh air for FG players like myself.

In all seriousness though the engine doesn't hold up in this day and age, maybe it was the SNES port that still makes it popular. Problem with the port was it was missing a lot of what I loved about the arcade version.

Well the sprite's are really cool in the late 90's and for its time, it has some good art. work:chewie:

Arcade version is impressive. SNES version not so much.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OverDrone

KI was extremely impressive to behold when it first came out, the graphics were technically superb running off the HD what with the 3D effect on the stages and the motion video vs screen. The sound from the cabinet was thunderously awesome, all the screams and hit FX were unbelievable at the time (and still are, as far as I'm concerned), as well as the music, it all sounded fantastic and a step up even from MK and the MVS fighters at the arcade we hung around at.

I remember the sparks from fireballs hitting each other particularly impressed us as well. But what made the game so amazing was the Ultra Combos, we'd never seen such OTT violence in a fighting game before. I think we played this and Samurai Shodown II for a while, pretty much exclusively.

Sure, as soon as KOF '94 and Alpha came out we dropped it like a bad habit, but man, when KI first dropped it was quite a breath of fresh air for FG players like myself.

In all seriousness though the engine doesn't hold up in this day and age, maybe it was the SNES port that still makes it popular. Problem with the port was it was missing a lot of what I loved about the arcade version.

---

QFT

I'd just add that, with all its flaws compared to the arcade (slowdown on combos, clunkier controls, cuts, etc), the SNES port is is a very solid product and it outclasses all the me-too digitized graphics-based fighters which were released for the consoles at the time due to the MK success.

Compare it to the 32-bit stuff like Way of the Warrior, Ultra Vortek, Street Fighter: The Movie or to the 16/32-bit "masterpiece" Rise of the Robots and you'll see it's A LOT better. I also think it's better than any console port of Primal Rage at the time.

It's not as good as the Nintendorks like to believe (mediocre gameplay + good presentation) but it was surely worth playing at the time, the narration of the fights was pretty good and it fitted well the muffled sound of the SNES.

The AI is cheap as fuck and has some glorious glitches, the combo system is retard and the slowdown on the SNES breaks the original flow of the game; but it was fun to play with a non-cheap friend at the time.