Killer Instinct

"It could be a "killer" instinct from within, but something tells me that this game rocks."

Ten, twenty and thirty-hit combos, a good amount of the original game's Fatalities and Humiliations, eight playable characters (Sabrewulf, Orchid, Glacius, Fulgore, Combo, Jago, Thunder and Spinal) and the option to link up with a friend and kick some KI butt on the go make this (and you can quote me on it) the BEST portable fighting game ever created.

Never before have I found so much to do in such a small fighter. Primal Rage, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Figter? Oh please. They can't compare to the high-quality, always entertaining battles in Killer Instinct.

Believe it or not, I've actually enjoyed KI for GB more than I have Killer Instinct Gold for Nintendo 64. I guess it's because when porting KI2 to the N64, I expected it to be arcade perfect, whereas KI for GB, while I had hoped it'd be great, I never really thought it would turn out to be as great as the arcade original.

Cinder was a great fighter and I missed him a lot at first, but once I began to play with Sabrewulf more, he became my favorite character. Almost every single move that he and all of the characters had in the original are in this version of the game. Incredible.

Gameplay: 9
The button smashing fun of the 1993/94 arcade classic from Rare comes to the GameBoy portable gaming console in the best possible way -- chock full 'O features, combos, fatals, humiliations, moves and a different ending for each character. Did I mention the combos...?

Just tap the buttons, move the D-pad back and fourth (or doing rolling motions, depending on the character you're playing with) and watch as your fighter easily performes one of several different combos, juggles and other cool things. But you gotta be fast! Once you've hit your opponent nine or ten times, it gets harder and there can be a break in the combo, but if you're quick you can keep it going and continue to pound away at your helpless foe.

Sound/Music: 9
Every little jingle, every single song and any other interesting sounds (except for the "Combo Breaker!" voice-overs) from the original are all in tact with this portable game, giving the game a very arcade-sounding experience.

Sure, no portable system back then could produce arcade-perfect sound, but the GB pulled off some amazing things with this game. I sometimes turn on KI or Zelda DX just to listen to the music... it's that good!

Rare needs to bring the series back or turn it into an RPG or something -- it may not have the story needed to make a great RPG, but it definitely has the music, and that's a good start.

Graphics: 9
The CG-looking sprites in Killer Instinct move with the same realism as the arcade counterpart. Although Orchid's tiger-effect when she performes her moves isn't nearly as spectacular, the animation is still very fluid and not choppy in the least bit (a rarity for GB fighting games).

All of the backgrounds in the game are very detailed as well. It's almost as if they took the arcade machine of Killer Instinct and shrunk it X100. It's been several years since the game came out and it still amazes me.

Want even more dazzling effects with bigger-looking fighters, a little color and no blurriness? Just pop it in your GameBoy Color for a real surprise! It's almost as if it were a Killer Instinct DX.

Replayability: 9
If KI's replay value is of any concern to you, maybe you're afraid it'll get old fast like Killer Instinct Gold did, or maybe you're just not sure how many times you'll enjoy beating it, then fear not; because Killer Instinct for GameBoy packs plenty of level difficulty (Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard and Very Hard) and a semi-tough boss that will nock you in the air and stomp his feet until he's recovered some of his life, is sure to keep any fighting fan busy.

And if that's not enough, then just try and master each and every character. It will take you quite a while, trust me. Add a link cable to all that and go at it against a friend, which extends the replayability even further.

Should I buy KI?: Yes.
Are you a person on the go a lot, who is looking for a new fighting game for GB or just doesn't happen to own an SNES or Nintendo 64...? Or maybe you'd just like to hone your KI skills and prepare for the next installment of the game (if Rare ever releases KI3...)? Then KI is the perfect GB game for you. It may be old, but who cares about age when it's still a fun and innovative game to play? You can't find a better fighting game on GB than this, so don't even try it. This is the best there is... period.

Most people just glance at the actual words written in a review and pay attention only to the final score. If you're one of those people, then just read the score and go buy this game right now.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99