Killer Instinct (1994 video game)

For the FOX television series, see Killer Instinct (TV series).

For the reference to the human behaviour, see Killer Instinct (human behaviour)

For the Acclaim Comics comic book, see Killer Instinct (comics)

Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct screenshot.
Developer(s)	Rare
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release	1994
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade system	Ultra 64, essentially a Nintendo 64

Killer Instinct is a fighting game by Rare and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and claiming to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine, Killer Instinct was released the following year on the SNES home console. The SNES version was packaged with Killer Cuts, an audio CD which had arrangements of the game's soundtrack. The CD was later sold separately via the Nintendo Power catalogue. A cassette tape version was also made available through the catalogue at this time.

Developed using high-powered SGI computers and 3D modeling software from Alias, Killer Instinct was considered a graphical leader when it was released. It featured animated backgrounds that were a pre-rendered movie which changed angles depending on your location and complex animated characters. This technique causes the backgrounds to have an unprecedented three dimensional look, yet look far better than was possible at the time in real time three dimensional rendering. Bram Stoker's Dracula for the Sega CD later used this technique. Killer Instinct was also the first arcade game with an internal hard disk.

There is a sequel named Killer Instinct 2. The Nintendo 64 version of the same game is called Killer Instinct Gold. Killer Instinct had a black case when most SNES games had a grey case.

While the original Killer Instinct was successful in arcades and on the SNES, the game and its sequel were critically panned for its somewhat artificial combo system.

Features

Killer Instinct is notable for having a complex and standardised combo system, based on three strengths of moves (Quick, Medium, and Fierce). A special move or jump-in move, followed immediately by a second move, known as an auto-double, would initiate the combo sequence. The combo can then be lengthed by the use of linkers, more auto-doubles, and finishers.

However, a player is able to 'break' out of the large, and potentially devastating combos, via a special attack (known as a "combo breaker"). The combo breaker has to be of a strength weaker to the exact move in the combo to be successful. That means that Quick moves breaks Medium combos, Medium moves breaks Fierce combos, and Fierce moves breaks Quick combos.

While the combo system within the game was lauded as being deep initially, matches between more advanced players often broke down to single hits and defensive struggles. Successful combo breakers are also very difficult to intiate, as it is near impossible to identify the type of move the opponent makes. Ultimately combo breaking was relegated to a sort of guessing game.

The game also suffers from many glitches due the complex system, players (and AI) can simply defeat an opponent by quickly tapping low punches or kicks, and when playing against AI. Also, the CPU controlled characters deal a lot more damage than the player and even can defeat the player within 4 or 5 hits, as opposed to at least 14 hits for the player. This handicap was a major drawback, along with the hard-to beat boss Eyedol. This 2 headed monster often defeats the player with a single combo and most of his moves are unstoppable. These flaws were mainly rectified in the SNES port.

As in many fighting games, the players attack each other, trying to deplete the other's life bar. Unlike most fighting games though, there is technically only one round per fight. However, both players are granted two lifebars. Once a player's initial lifebar is completely depleted, he/she will fall down. At this time his/her second lifebar will become active, and the fighting will continue immediately.

At the end of a match players are able to perform a finishing move (similar to those in Mortal Kombat), known as a Danger move. Additionally, a player could also use an Ultra finisher or Ultimate finisher when his/her opponents lifeline is extremely low. The Ultra finisher would link automatically into an Ultra combo, which could theoretically push the maximum number of combo hits to 80. Finally, the winning fighter could also make the loser dance in a generic finishing move known as an 'Humiliation'.

Combos

• 3 hits - Triple combo
• 4 hits - Super combo
• 5 hits - Hyper combo
• 6 hits - Brutal combo
• 7 hits - Master combo
• 8 hits - Awesome combo
• 9 hits - Blaster combo
• 10 hits - Monster combo
• 11 hits - King combo
• 12+ hits - Killer combo
• 20+ hits - Ultra combo (the Ultra Combo ender must be performed otherwise the game will count it as a Killer combo)
• Any Hits - Ultimate combo (The Ultimate ender must be performed. Because it immediately ends the combo, it can be as low as 4 hits and upwards of 20+ hits)

Story

Ultratech is a very powerful company which organizes a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experiments Ultratech created also fight in the tournament. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions and also release from his dimensional prison a two headed monster called Eyedol, an ancient warrior that was locked away along with his rival.

Characters

The game features ten characters, all of which are owned by Rare after the acquisition:

• Jago: A Tibetan monk following the Tiger Spirit. He considers the defeat of Ultratech as his destiny. He is considered as Killer Instinct's version of Street Fighter's Ryu.
• T.J. Combo: A former heavyweight boxing champion for 5 years. He was stripped of his title and kicked out of the circuit due to sheer brutality towards his opponents, and because he was using cybernetically enhanced arms. Ultratech promises him to return his title if he wins the tournament. He is similar to [Balrog[Balrog_(Street_Fighter)]] of the Street Fighter series and to Major Jackson Jax Briggs of the Mortal Kombat series, but this may be simply because they are both based on similar premises.
• Spinal: An Ultratech minion. He is a product of cell regeneration, a living skeleton of an ancient warrior. He seems to fight for sheer enjoyment. He carries a sword and shield, and has the ability to teleport and physically morph himself into a grayscale version of his opponents during combos. He has an odd quirk in that, in order to perform certain moves, he must gather energy (represented by tokens shaped like skull under his life bar in the snes version, and by skulls floating around his person in the arcade) by either absorbing opponents projectile energy attacks, or performing combo breakers. Despite requiring these tokens, his special moves are not particularly stronger than normal special attacks. He can "store" up to 5 skull tokens. Spinal was a homage to the film Jason and the Argonauts.
• Thunder: A Native American Chief, armed with a tomahawk, who enters the tournament to find out what happened to his missing brother Eagle in the last year's tournament. He is similar to T. Hawk of the Street Fighter series.
• Glacius: An alien who was captured by Ultratech and promised freedom if he wins the tournament. He gets his nickname from his body's icy liquid composition and ability to shape-shift. His character design is rumoured to be influenced by the T-1000 from the Hollywood film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
• Fulgore: A cyborg created by Ultratech and is a prototype for future robots. Entered in the tournament as a final test of its capabilities. He is arguably the poster child of the franchise. A common urban legend during the game's popularity was that Fulgore's voice was actually the sound of a squealing pig played in reverse with a reverb added, as was stated in Nintendo Power magazine.
• Cinder: A criminal who was promised early release by Ultratech in exchange for participating in chemical weapons research. As a result of an accident during testing his body is composed entirely of flame. He is promised a return to his original form if he is able to defeat Glacius in the tournament. In the early development stages of the game his name was Meltdown, but this changed very quickly into Cinder.
• Sabrewulf: A man stricken by lycanthropy who is promised a cure by Ultratech if he wins the tournament. This is a cameo appearance of Sabre Man, known from their 1984 game Sabre Wulf.
• Black Orchid: Hired by Ultratech as a secretary, she is really a spy working for an unknown party and apparently is the heroine of the game franchise. She is (in)famous for a finishing move wherein she flashes her opponent, causing the male opponents' eyes to zoom out of their head cartoonishly before they pass out, or, if fighting another orchid, simply causing the opponent to fold her arms defiantly.
• Riptor: A genetically engineered raptor-human hybrid created as a prototype by Ultratech. The tournament serves to test his abilities as a killing machine.
• Eyedol: A two-headed, ancient mystical warlord who was trapped in a dimensional prison in the distant past. Ultratech released him to be the final combatant in the tournament.

Character similarities

Many of the character's exhibit strong similarities to characters from other fighting games.

• Jago (as mentioned above) is a Tibetan monk whose goal in life is to achieve spiritual purity. In this sense he is very similar to Ryu from Street Fighter. His projectiles and flying uppercuts are also very similar to Ryu's special moves.
• T.J. Combo has similarities to many black fighting game characters. The character's outlook and past are somewhat similar to those of Balrog from Street Fighter and he has bionic enhancements in his arms similarly to Jax from Mortal Kombat. Unlike Jax or Balrog, it is questionable whether Combo's intentions are good or malignant. Another point of interest is that both Jax and Fulgore use a machine-gun at a point during the games as either a special-move or a fatality.
• Fulgore is sometimes considered to have a very strong similarity to the Protoss from StarCraft. Fulgore also has some common features with the cyborgs of the Mortal Kombat series (such as a type of an artificial hair-style)
• Spinal shares an ability with Mortal Kombat's Shang Tsung by being able to momentarily take on the shape of another character from the game.
• Saberwulf (as mentioned above) is a nod at a similarly named character from an older Rare game.
• Eyedol's ending seems to be a parody out of Blanka's ending from Street Fighter II.

Version Differences

• In the first arcade version of the game the Fatality like moves where called No Mercy moves, this was changed into Danger moves for all later releases on the arcade and the SNES port.
• Cinder was called Meltdown in the first version of the game.
• Some of the older arcade games allowed a glitch that caused Fulgore's teleport move to make him much smaller.
• For the later versions of the game you had to select Cinder and press a certain button combination in order to play as Eyedol, whereas in the older releases you were required to select Riptor instead. (the code, incidentally, required the player to hold right, then press "L-R-X-B-Y-A", in the standard button format).
• The original planned title for the game was Brute Force.
• An earlier arcade version glitch - In Orchids frog finishing move instead of squashing them you can bring them back and perform a combo or do her flash move afterwards.

External links

• KLOV entry for Killer Instinct
• KLOV entry for Killer Instinct 2
• dmoz listing for Killer Instinct Series
• Killer Instinct Series at MobyGames
• Template:Nintendo.com
• Template:Nintendo.com
• Template:Nintendo.com - Features Sabre Wulf from the Killer Instinct games.
• Killer Instinct (Arcade) at IGN
• Killer Instinct 2 (Arcade) at IGN
• Killer Instinct Gold (N64) at IGN
• Killer Instinct (Game Boy) at IGN
• Killer Instinct (SNES) at IGN
• Killer Instinct at GameFAQs