“Beats Out the Other Fighters, Hands Down.”

Killer Instinct is one of those games that was a hit but many people just ignored it. It was a game that was well beyond its time. The graphics were over the top, as this is expected of Rare. Yes, Rare made this awesome game. This is the fighter that blows all other fighters out of the water. The controls were perfect, even though SNES fighters are usually awkward due to the L and R buttons instead of the Genesis’ 6 button spiffy pad. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Gameplay- 10
As Killer Instinct is a fighter, its main goal is to let you smash your opponents into little piles of dust and/or a pile of limbs. But it goes WAY beyond other games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Fortunately, there are six difficulties, meaning newcomers, veterans, and elitists all have a chance to enjoy this game. The beginning difficulties are easier, with slower enemy reactions and poorer AI. Pump up the difficulty and WHAM! Your opponents become lightning-fast and start dishing out combos like there’s no tomorrow. But the controls are where the game really shines like a golden plate of… gold. There are six attacks, where there are faster, less-damaging attacks, a medium attack, and a strong but slow attack. Now here’s the spiffy part. You can pull off combos by using special moves linked together, or by jumping and attacking, and, after landing, press a corresponding button to initiate the combo. Combos can be very damaging and are very important, so learn them. Master them. Pull off combos with 21 or more attacks linked together. Yeah, you can do it all. And don’t forget the fatalities. You can do all kinds of serious end moves to your enemies, including knocking them off building, which can be done with the help of combos.

Story- 8
The only reason this is an eight is not because there is no storyline, it’s just that it’s not heavily present (not at all, really) in the game. The manual has explanations for all characters, explaining their origins, why they are fighting, etc. There is also some background on the tournament in the manual, which actually is a pretty good tidbit of info.

Graphics/Sound- 10
Graphics- Wow. Just wow. Rare decided they wanted this game look heavily realistic, and they pulled it off. You can see the details of every character. You can see their movements almost down to the action of breathing. the backgrounds are also heavily detailed and will scroll along. Some have objects moving in them. Orchid’s rooftop arena show’s billboards in the back that have ads for Rare, Nintendo, and Killer Instinct itself. Good job Rare! Thanks for taking advantage of SNES’s processing power to its full capabilities.
Sound- Also wow, but not as much. I will say, however, that the sound effects are crisp and clear. You can hear the grunts, growls, metal clashing, heat flame effects, and many other awesome sounds. The music is also fairly good. The levels have music that you’ll actually enjoy listening to. The music also fits the tone of the level. If the level is Orchid’s rooftop in what looks like New York, it’s an upbeat city song. If it’s Sabrewolf’s science lab looking place, you can hear some nice creepy music that fits the werewolf theme. All in all, the sounds keep on rocking till they knock off your stocking. Or, yeah…

Replayability- 10
There are a ton of characters, all of which have special moves. In fact, most of the characters don’t even use standard moves. Some may use their tail instead of kicking, adding more strategy to the fray. Learning all the moves for each character will take a lot of time. I’ll bet that goal isn’t really attainable. Don’t forget all those difficulty modes. Have fun with them all. You can easily beat the game, but trying different characters and difficulty modes is most of the fun. The combos? Those WILL take a lot of time to master. That’s where I find the most replay. Figuring out how to damage your opponent (a friend for 2-player mode?) so badly that they won’t know what hit them.

Final- 10
Killer Instinct is the best fighter made for the SNES. It has more characters and special moves than any other game I’ve played. The graphics will blow your mind. The sounds are crisp, clear, and deserve to be commended for making me love the music. The story isn’t spectacular, but is worthy of a fighting game. Don’t forgot about those smooth controls, another great feature. Buy or rent? Renting isn’t really possible in 2004, but if it was, I’d still say buy. It’s very cheap (Got mine for $3). Buy this game. You won’t be disappointed. It’s an amazing game you can easily find at an amazingly low price. How could you not love this game?

borrowed from gamefaqs.com