Killer Instinct Review

Killer Instinct
Developed By: Double Helix/Iron Galaxy/Rare
Published By: Microsoft
Date of Release: S1: November 22, 2013/S2:October 15, 2014
Price: $39.99 per season for Ultra Edition, $19.99 per season for Combo Breaker

"It's the way you move... to the Killer Groove..."

The year was 1994, and in arcades all over the world the fighting genre ruled with an iron fist. People lined up all over with a fistful of quarters and a burning desire to pummel their opponents into submission. There were the Mortal Kombats, the Street Fighters... and they were good. But then Rare dropped a bomb on the fighting scene, blowing away the competition with Killer Instinct. Featuring fluid CGI animation rendered on the most powerful SGI workstations, and a pulse-poundign CD-quality soundtrack, the production values alone trounced the competition, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The sheer playability that Killer Instinct had made it easy for people who had never played a fighter to pick it up and play, but on the other hand the deep combo system allowed those who practiced to rack up insanely staggering numbers of hits. And then in 1996 Killer Instinct 2 was released, and the fighting world was turned upside-down yet again.



Now here we are in 2014, two decades past the launch of the original Killer Instinct. Rare has moved on and become part of Microsoft, and just last year they worked with Double helix to make the amazing sequel to KI2, simply titled Killer Instinct: Season One. Now this year they have followed it up with Season Two, and things just keep getting better and better. Everything that makes a Killer Instinct game whole is here: Slick graphics, badass characters, flawless gameplay, a driving soundtrack, and a wicked-ass combo system to tie it all together. And with the awesome D-PAD on the Xbox One controller, you're not gonna break your thumbs pulling off combos.



If all that wasn't enough you get wicked lag-free online multiplayer, which has leaderboards and ranking to boot. Plus if you spring for the ultra editions you get the corresponding classic arcade versions, Killer Instinct for season one, and Killer Instinct 2 for season two. On top of that you get a set of retro costumes for the characters, which make them look like their original selves from the arcade versions. Good heaping piles of nostalgia there! Sure, $80 is a lot of money, but you get two seasons of the game, lots of extras, and two more insanely impressive games on top of that. The old arcade versions hold up THAT WELL. What are you waiting for? get out there and move to the killer groove!