An expanded game of Killer Instinct 2
Rare was a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, and produced the Killer Instinct series exclusively for the company as their response to Mortal Kombat. Following the success of the 1995 Killer Instinct port for the Super Nintendo home console, Rare began a sequel for the same console. They transitioned development to the Nintendo 64 upon its announcement. Gold was scheduled as a launch title for the new console but was delayed until its North American release in November 1996. It received a wider release in May 1997. It was also included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay.
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Killer Instinct Gold on the N64 is a solid port of a fantastic arcade fighter. The combo system is deep and rewarding, and the characters are over-the-top and memorable. However, the visuals have taken a hit compared to the arcade, and the lack of certain features, like multiple endings, might irk arcade purists. Still, if you're craving frantic fighting action with satisfying combos, Killer Instinct Gold delivers a killer time on the N64.
I cannot even believe I finished this game (Arcade on Normal). I suck at fighting games, but in this one, the combos come naturally. The graphics are truly impressive for the time and the soundtrack is top notch, it truly feels like a classic Rare game. And as crazy as it sounds, it works great on the N64 controller. It's a shame it's one of the very few fighting games on the platform.
What am I doing and why is the AI such a massive cheater, input reads are one thing but after the 3rd opponent on Normal the AI enters god mode and will unleash massive combos every time while for you entering combo mode is a fluke. Let me know if I played the game wrong because Rare Replay didn't really help me on that front.
Final boss being immune to death unless you hit him with a specific move is bs too. Good music though.
Final boss being immune to death unless you hit him with a specific move is bs too. Good music though.
The original/first Killer Instinct is one of my favorite fighting games of all time in its arcade form and I thought the SNES port was fantastic as well. So naturally, my first reaction was that KI Gold could only be the better game being the sequel and given the fact that the game was ported to a more powerful console.
For whatever reason, KI Gold never made an impact on me even though the game shared a lot of similarities with the previous game (such as finishing moves, elaborate combos, etc). I guess this game did not have all the bright new shine that KI had for its time and Gold ended up being more of the same but without the wow factor.
The cast of characters was not as memorable as the original cast and I was also hoping for a better port: it felt like the N64 had more power to provide a closer experience to the arcade machines but for whatever reason it fell short.
For whatever reason, KI Gold never made an impact on me even though the game shared a lot of similarities with the previous game (such as finishing moves, elaborate combos, etc). I guess this game did not have all the bright new shine that KI had for its time and Gold ended up being more of the same but without the wow factor.
The cast of characters was not as memorable as the original cast and I was also hoping for a better port: it felt like the N64 had more power to provide a closer experience to the arcade machines but for whatever reason it fell short.
As I mentioned in the Mortal Kombat Trilogy review, fighting games aren’t my kind of thing, so this will be opinions from someone who has no idea about balance or techniques. That said, Killer Instinct Gold feel much more like a home console game than the Mortal Kombat Trilogy, due to a few extra features.
The game has a nice look about it, with detailed sprites (based on really well made 3D models, like Donkey Kong Country) mixed with 3D arenas. It definitely feels like an N64 game and the sprites somehow don’t look too out of place in the maps. I found the gameplay to be fun, even though I’m absolutely useless at it, this feels slightly friendlier to newcomers.
One welcome feature is the practice mode, which lets you browse through all the special moves and select one to pin to the screen. The bottom of the screen shows all your inputs to help remind you which button “FK” is. There are also training modes to go through specific abilities, including a “focused training” mode which adds a timer. It’s something that will likely be good for people who have the capabilities of having skill with these games.
Killer Instinct Gold still have a few oddities. There’s no mode in singleplayer where you can select a specific opponent, and map selection is done via cheat codes. Still, this seems to offer a lot more than Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
The game has a nice look about it, with detailed sprites (based on really well made 3D models, like Donkey Kong Country) mixed with 3D arenas. It definitely feels like an N64 game and the sprites somehow don’t look too out of place in the maps. I found the gameplay to be fun, even though I’m absolutely useless at it, this feels slightly friendlier to newcomers.
One welcome feature is the practice mode, which lets you browse through all the special moves and select one to pin to the screen. The bottom of the screen shows all your inputs to help remind you which button “FK” is. There are also training modes to go through specific abilities, including a “focused training” mode which adds a timer. It’s something that will likely be good for people who have the capabilities of having skill with these games.
Killer Instinct Gold still have a few oddities. There’s no mode in singleplayer where you can select a specific opponent, and map selection is done via cheat codes. Still, this seems to offer a lot more than Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
A great sequel that doesn't change much compared to the first and the newcomers are kind of lame. Still a great game, I just have more nostalgia for the first.