Rumors of a new Killer Instinct game have been going around for a long time. Ever since Rare started developing games for Microsoft hardware, there were rumors of a Killer Instinct 3, and Rare themselves fueled the fire through cross-promotion teasing and by expressing interest in continuing the series. Fast-forward to the present, and Rare has once again got everyone's attention by mentioning not just their interest in continuing the series, but by mentioning Kinect with it. Fans have been waiting quite some time for a sequel, and since its release seems imminent, let's take a look and reminisce about the awesome Killer Instinct Gold before a sequel pushes it into obscurity!

Back in 1996, Killer Instinct 2 took arcades by storm. It had a deeper, more refined fighting engine with added moves, multiple counter attack systems, new finishing moves, new characters, new stage finishing moves, and multiple endings. Returning fighters were redesigned, and jaws dropped in disbelief. Through partnership with Rare and Midway, Nintendo was able to deliver one of the best fighting games ever, and that's saying a lot. The game was easy for beginners to pick up, but at the same time it offered the depth needed for high-level play. Simply put, it was a fighting masterpiece.

Nintendo took their time in bringing it home from the arcades to the consumer, and nobody could understand why. That is, until the game was unveiled. Judging by the title alone (Killer Instinct Gold), it was apparent that Nintendo wasn't just "porting" KI2, and when the game landed, it was definite. Rather than just bringing KI2 home, Nintendo went and made KIG a different experience, but with all the white-knuckle mayhem that made KI2 an instant classic. For better or for worse, they carried over certain parts of KI2 into KIG, leaving a some out and adding new stuff in. Like it or not, KIG is arguably a classic. I can still remember when we went out to get the game; we drove all around town in shit weather looking for it. Finally it turned up (miles and miles away from home), but the shithead clerk working the counter acted like it was such a chore to sell us the game. It's not our fault the lazy asshole didn't do his fucking job and put the new releases behind the glass.

Righteous And Just
A lot has come and gone in the fighting scene since Killer Instinct Gold dropped back in the day, but it has stayed relevant through a small and dedicated fan base that has patiently waited for a sequel longer than anyone should have to wait for anything. And it's easy to see why they have stayed so loyal and patient; the game was the brainchild of three powerful forces in the industry (Nintendo, Midway, and Rare), and it was designed on the powerful N64 hardware. Together, KIG and MK4 were a system-selling combination that was hard to ignore. Both had killer visuals, cool characters, moody environments, and unique finishing moves. Nintendo fans couldn't have one without the other, and they were essential in any fighting fan's library.

Critics called it a mere "combo fest" for button mashers, but GameFan published a KI2 strategy guide that proved the game was much, much more. Underneath all the combo possibilities, there was a tight fighting system that encouraged countering over all-out attacking. Anyone who had played the game at even a modestly competitive level would know that it wasn't really the combo fest it was often made-out to be. Counters, parries, and combo breakers were all put in the game to equalize the gameplay. True, much of the game is centered on combos, but in the competitive setting (or even the CPU at the higher difficulties), long combos are broken. Fast. Against beginners (or the CPU at the lower difficulties), the long combos would work because they wouldn't be broken, but they usually wouldn't work against even moderately-skilled players (unless their lifebar was completely exhausted).

The only thing that they could have added into the gameplay was a second finisher for Orchid (she sadly has only one). I don't know if it was because the "Flasher" finishing move was originally in KI2 but then taken out of the final version, but they had a second chance with KIG to show them titties! The visuals in KIG were incredible then, and still look solid now, so that makes it all even more disappointing that they didn't capitalize on the opportunity. Then, there were the long-running rumors of Cinder actually returning in KIG, but he was a jerk, anyway...

One strange thing that never really came to mind until now is how the game has no throw and/or grab-based characters. It's somewhat of an afterthought, but still a thought; I don't remember this ever being mentioned by media or players. True, the game has throws, but nothing crazy like the piledrivers and/or DDTs we see in all the wrestling titles on the same hardware. Would putting such a character in the game require too much sacrifice in areas that define the series as a whole? Without having some sort of extra abilities, it seems like a grapple fighter would have an immensely difficult time with projectile characters (since they can be thrown in such quick succession). Not having them in the game is for better or for worse, but players who hate grapple characters (or think they're cheap) feel right at home with KIG. Fireball wars can definitely be fought, too, but projectiles are pretty weak, and KIG rewards the aggressor more (like Mortal Kombat Trilogy).

"She Looks So Good In Red"
One of the areas KIG shines in the most is in character design. Hands-down, KIG features some of the best characters to come out of a non-Asian developer. Ever. They didn't just carry the designs over from the first KI, they completely redid each character. Sabrewulf and T.J. Combo reflect the game's dramatic conclusion (with their missing parts), while Jago and Fulgore look as cool as ever (with even more tattered threads and streamlined design). Temptress Orchid matured incredibly well since her defeat of Eyedol, and moves in sinful bliss as she performs a host of moves that involve spreading and spinning (the sort of thing that was expected from Sega, but a welcome rarity from Nintendo). Maybe Midway wasn't just in charge of the distribution, after all!

The other characters still animate incredibly well, though, for as fast as the game moves. Glacius, T.J. Combo, and Sabrewulf animate exceptionally smooth, but then there are a bunch of smaller animations (like parries) that show just how much work was put into each character. With the techniques they used, it must have been a laborious process. These characters weren't just drawn in 2-D and put into the game, or modeled in 3-D and manipulated accordingly; though they are CG, they are still 2-D in the game. What this did was create some of the most technologically-advanced visuals around. At the time, no developer could really match the style because it was neither real-time nor hand-drawn. Though the characters were technically 3-D models, they were flattened into 2-D, and the stages were 3-D, so the game was really in a league of its own.

KIG still carries over all of the visual greatness of KI2, but, to the dismay of some, cutscenes from KI2 were taken out of KIG and made in-game (which can be considered a necessary sacrifice). Above all, fans wanted added modes, colors, and Gargos playable. Looking at how deep some of these modes are, how Gargos needed to be fleshed-out (into an actual playable character), and how stages and effects were completely redone (with environmental hazards and physics), the necessary exchanges become clear. These things could have been left out, and the cutscenes could have been left in, but then it would have just been a straight port; and we all know what a tantrum reviewers and "fans" throw over straight ports. Some might even say that some backgrounds and effects look clearer in KIG than in KI2 (most notably, the Glacius "Mr. Freeze" finisher, and Maya's jungle stage). The collision effects on fireballs are especially cool (bright sparks rain and bounce on the ground), and the screen-filling explosions (on Orchid's stage) are enough to make faces melt from skulls.

The stages in KIG have a depth to them that wasn't in KI2; the camera hits all different angles during the fight, and it makes the game all the more surreal. With the way they made it, no two fights are really the same; the camera isn't really set, and there's even stuff like trash cans and barrels that roll, spin, and get hit about during battle. Magazine reviewers also cried about the camera angles in KIG, but a little obstruction now and then makes the fights even more exciting by changing things up! It really adds an element to the gameplay that wasn't in KI2. Adding to this are multiple endings for each character that are determined by stage destruction and rival battles. Breaking the wing on the spacecraft in the ice stage leaves Glacius stranded, while sparing Sabrewulf changes Orchid's ending drastically. To date, I don't think I've seen any recent titles in the genre with such an interesting system for determining your fighter's outcome at the end of the game. It truly is innovative, yet reviewers failed to give it the proper credit it deserved.

The important thing here is that the blistering gameplay from KI2 was intact, and that's really all that mattered. Because at the end of the day, even with gameplay tweaks, pretty much everything that made KI2 matches so crazy fun is in KIG; the depth of Super Linkers and all. KI2 was one of those games at the arcade where it was so fast and furious that you spent more time waiting in line than actually playing the game. By the time you get up again to play, it's already time to go home! That shit sucked. Bad. So, when KIG came home, it was amazing to be able to play it without waiting in line forever just to play a few seconds. Just like the first game, the change-up was probably quicker than any other fighter at the time. But the most important thing is that like the first KI, the game came home and reached a wider audience (while allowing fans to hone their skills outside of the arcade). Except KIG came home with a bulk of added modes tailored for competition; setting up a tournament or party battle is easy and convenient.

Kicking Holes In Speakers And Pulling Plugs
KIG absolutely destroys beyond comprehension in audio. All of the audio was virtually unchanged from KI2, and it's a good thing, because it enhances the experience greatly. The character select screen is one of the most memorable things in the game. There's really nothing like it. The track is short and sweet, but still manages to get you hyped for the battle in that short amount of time. Enticing, epic, tough, catchy. It's all these things. Then you got T.J. Combo's stage, which was so good that it put all the radio crap of the time (in the genre) to shame. No, really, it did (except Too Short). And the sound effects pound through in scattershot clarity like nothing you've ever heard. Trust me. Speakers have been, and will be blown for years to come. Blades spill blood, claws rip flesh, lasers track, machines malfunction, "numbchucks" flail, and fireballs explode into a searing fizzles on impact. They did a great job with the sound, overall, and really deserve to be commended for it. Even in the age of HD, few titles have manage such intense, riveting audio. It compliments the epic fighting perfectly.

"Guns, Razors, Knives..."
Both KI2 and KIG have their own, unique features that make them worth playing on their own. It wasn't like most upgrades (where the newer version basically makes older versions look obsolete); there are reasons to play KI2, and there are reasons to play KIG. And it all really just depends on player preference. KIG definitely caters more to competitive play, (with robust Team, Team Elimination, Tournament, and Practice modes), while working for the nice cutscenes and endings could make KI2 the better single-player experience. Either way, though, there are few better ways to battle; both KI2 and KIG feature all the guns (T.J. Combo, Fulgore), razors (Glacius), and knives (Maya) needed to make for visceral fighting. Against heavy hitters from the same hardware (Mortal Kombat 4, Mace) and from other hardware (Street Fighter Alpha 2, Tekken 2, Virtua Fighter 3), KIG holds up well with rock-solid fighting and stellar design.