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Killer Instinct Gold

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Killer Instinct Gold
Two stoic characters face each other, interlocking, as if about to engage, behind a gold logo that says "Killer Instinct Gold". A sidebar on the right shows the cube-like Nintendo 64 logo with a 3D peel-off tab that indicates that the game is exclusive to the console. A symbol indicates that the game is suitable for teens to play.
Developer(s)Rare
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Producer(s)
  • Chris Tilston
  • Mark Betteridge
  • Kevin Bayliss
Designer(s)
  • Chris Tilston
  • Mark Betteridge
  • Kevin Bayliss
Programmer(s)Chris Tilston
Artist(s)Kevin Bayliss
Composer(s)Robin Beanland
SeriesKiller Instinct
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA:November 25, 1996
  • AU:May 9, 1997
  • UK:July 4, 1997[1]
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Killer Instinct Goldis afighting gamedeveloped byRareand published byNintendofor theNintendo 64.It is based on thearcade gameKiller Instinct 2.Players control characters who fight on a2Dplane set against a3Dbackground. Players press buttons to punch and kick their opponent in chains of successive hits, known ascombos.Large combo successions lead to stronger attacks and brutal, stylisticfinisher movesunderscored by an announcer. Characters—including a gargoyle, a ninja, and afemme fatale—fight in settings such as a jungle and a spaceship.Killer Instinct Goldincludes the arcade release's characters, combos, and 3D,pre-renderedenvironments, but excludes itsfull-motion videosequences and somevoice-oversdue to restrictions of thecartridge media format.TheGoldrelease adds a training mode, camera views, and improved audiovisuals.

Rare was a prominentsecond-party developerfor Nintendo in the 1990s, and theirKiller Instinctseries was produced as an exclusive partnership in response to the popularity ofMortal Kombat.Following the success of the1995Killer Instinctportfor theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System,Rare began a sequel for the same platform but transitioned development to its successor, the Nintendo 64, upon its unveiling.Goldwas scheduled as alaunch titlefor the new console but was delayed until its North American release in November 1996. It was released in other regions in May 1997.Goldwas later included in Rare's 2015Xbox Oneretrospective compilation,Rare Replay.

Reviewers preferred the Nintendo 64 port over the arcade release, and appreciated its audiovisual enhancements, but felt that itsgraphicalupgrades and memorization-based combo gameplay were insufficient when compared to fighting games likeTekken 2andVirtua Fighter 2.Critics recommendedGoldprimarily for fans of the series and genre, butIGNreported that even fans were upset by changes in the combo system and the absence of several well-liked characters.Goldultimately did not replicate the success of its Super NES predecessor, and the series remained dormant through its 2002 acquisition byMicrosoftuntilits 2013 reboot.

Gameplay

[edit]
Two characters face each other from opposite sides of the screen. They are set in a dark, castle-like dungeon with cobblestone floors. Two long, green, horizontal bars at the top of the screen indicate player health. A large white number displays "89", the time limit.
Fights take place on a 2D plane set against a 3D background. The green bars and large number indicate character health and the time limit, respectively.

Killer Instinct Goldis aportof thearcadefighting gameKiller Instinct 2.Like other entries in theKiller Instinctseries, two characters controlled by humans orartificial intelligencefight in one-on-one matches to deplete their opponent'shealth meter.[2]While the characters move and attack on a 2D plane, the background is depicted inpre-rendered3D and givesthe appearance of depth.[3]Players fight with a six-button setup: three punch buttons and three kick buttons, similar to the controls inStreet Fighter II.[4]Players can chain together a series of hits into "combos"for increased damage, with some combos requiring a specific, memorized sequences of button presses. Multiple hit combos lead to stronger attacks and brutal, stylistic finisher moves, or"Fatalities".Characters on the receiving end of a combo can interrupt the sequence with a" combo breaker "move.[3]An announcer (Chris Sutherland) narrates major game moments with phrases like, "Awesome combo!"[5]

Goldfeatures arcade, team, and tournament gameplay modes.[4][6]The game's new "practice mode" lets players rehearse their skills and follow tutorials.[4]In the newknockout tournamentmode, players cycle through a preselected team of characters when their current character is eliminated.[7]Goldfeatures the same characters, combos, and environments available in the arcadeKiller Instinct 2.[4]Players canunlocknew character appearances, gameplaydifficulty levels,[4]and an additional playable character.[6]GoldandKiller Instinct 2'sshared roster contains eleven characters in total: four new additions and seven returning fromthe previous title.[8][a]Characters include a gargoyle, a ninja, and afemme fatale.[5]Fights are set in spaceship, jungle, and castle settings, among others,[6]and some backgrounds are interactive.[3]Goldfeatures new camera functions that automatically zoom to better frame the fight.[4]The release also includes enhancements to the 3D backgrounds and an upgraded soundtrack,[9]but excludes thefull-motion videosequences[4]and somevoice-oversfrom the arcade release[3]due to the Nintendo 64'scartridge mediadata storagerestrictions. WhileGold'sbackgrounds are fluidly animated in 60frames per second,its character animations have fewer frames than its arcade equivalent.[4]

Development

[edit]
On the left, a three-pronged, handheld controller with a central analog stick and multiple buttons. On the right, a black electronics unit that accepts a light gray cartridge on the top and controllers (via ports) on its front.
Killer Instinct Goldwas planned as a launch title for the Nintendo 64 console.

Killer Instinct Goldwas developed byRare[4]during a time when the British company was becoming a prominentsecond-party developerand ally forNintendo,[10]the game'spublisher.[4]Rare modeled itsKiller Instinctseries on theMortal Kombatfighting game series. As a departure from fighting game staples such asStreet Fighter,bothKiller InstinctandMortal Kombatchampioned an aggressively fast pace of gameplay and placed less emphasis on patience and mastery. TheKiller Instinctseries began as an arcade game (1994) and became known as "Nintendo's version ofMortal Kombat"upon its release on the company'sSuper Nintendo Entertainment System(1995) andGame Boy(1995).[10]Thevideo game industryexpected a sequel after the Super NES version's wide success,[4]with over three million copies sold.[11]Following market demand, Rare began development on a sequel for the arcade. They had a Super NES version in development, but transitioned to the newer Nintendo 64 after the console's announcement.[12]TheKiller Instinctdevelopment team split itself between the arcade version and the Nintendo 64 release that would becomeKiller Instinct Gold.The latter began work as soon as Rare received its Nintendo 64development kit.[12]

The seven-person development team started work on the sequel with the ideas that did not fit into the original. They also incorporated feedback fromKiller Instinctplayers.Killer Instinct 2'sart, design, and programming changed continuously throughout development up until its release. Kevin Bayliss designed the characters and Chris Tilston developed thegame enginewith feedback from Nintendo'sKen Lobb.Rare used compression technology to fit the arcade version onto the smaller Nintendo 64cartridge.[12]WhileKiller Instinctwas planned to showcase the Nintendo 64's power, the console was more limited than Rare's arcade setup, and Rare had to optimize the arcade version to run on the console. The arcade version used an animation to give the illusion of the camera panning horizontally, but the console version used static image files with less detail.[13]Both the arcade and console versions use the same game engine and character roster.[14]

The game was originally scheduled to be one of the Nintendo 64's initial twolaunch titles,but missed itsrelease window.[3]Goldreleased in North America on November 25, 1996, and in other countries on May 9, 1997.[4]Its soundtrack received acompact discrelease, which was rare for Western video games in the 1990s.[15]Rare, under contract, ultimately finished its Super NES port ofKiller Instinct 2,but Nintendo chose not to release it.[16][17]

Reception

[edit]

In 1996, reviewers comparedGoldfavorably toKiller Instinct 2,[4][8][18]but thought that itsgraphicswere not sufficiently upgraded.[20][22][23]In particular,IGNfelt that theKiller Instinct 2graphics appeared dated inGoldand gave it a "cheesy 80s feel".[4]Compared with the arcade release,IGNandCVGnoticed fewer animation frames.[4][18]IGNpreferredGold'scrisp music but would have liked more characters and distinctions from the arcade version.[4]GameSpotnamedGoldthe best entry in the series at the time,[3]but other reviewers only recommendedGoldfor fans of the series[4][18][20][23]and genre[18]and those most desperate for a Nintendo 64 fighting game.[4][23][24]AllGamedescribedKiller Instinct Goldas best for players who want "Mortal Kombaton speed "with a" hyperactiveBarry White"announcer.[5]

Within the fighting game genre,GameSpotconsideredGoldto be better than the other Nintendo 64 fighting game,Mortal Kombat Trilogy,[3]butGameProreaders ratedGoldbelowTekken 2,also released that year.[25]Next GenerationandN64 Magazineagreed thatTekken 2andVirtua Fighter 2had outclassedKiller Instinct Gold.[20][23]N64 Magazineconcluded that even in the Nintendo 64's then-meager catalog of titles,Killer Instinct Golddid not distinguish itself, and thus had a lifespan of "weeks rather than months".Killer Instinct Goldwaned from a celebrated announcement to a quiet European release.[20]

Reviewers highly praised the game's sound and environment backdrops, but noted blurriness in its character animations.[3][4][5][18][19][20][22]IGNappreciated its stereo sound, special effects, and camera work.[4]The characters appeared blurry,CVGwrote, because of "fuzzyanti-aliasing"when the camera zoomed in.[18]Apart from this blur,GameSpotconsidered the graphics "near perfect".[3]The graphics similarly impressedGame Informerbut, as one reviewer commented,Goldhad few other positive features.[7]In contrast,GamePropraised the "lively" character animations over the "mildly annoying" backgrounds.[8]

WhileGameProgave the game perfect ratings in controls and fun,[8]Next Generationconsidered the controls almost as awkward as they were on the Super NES and ultimately wrote that the game was "not much fun".[23]Many reviewers criticized howGold'scombo-based gameplay diminished the importance of skill.[4][18][19][23]This shallow emphasis on "archaic" combo sequence memorization, saidIGN,prevented creative improvisation.[4]CVGwrote thatGoldhad little "flow": every match was focused on huge combos rather than small, strategic moves. Thus players were forced to train before they could effectively produce combos long enough to win matches.[18]Multiple reviewers praised the game's training mode,[18][21][22]whichCVGalso liked in its Super NES predecessor.[18]

Killer Instinct Goldwas the fifth best-selling video game of the 1996Christmas shopping seasonaccording to TRST data.[26]

Legacy

[edit]

After the 1996Killer Instinct Golddid not sell as well as the Super NES version of the original, the series went dormant.[10]IGNreported in 2010 thatKiller Instinct Goldhad upset series fans by changing the combo move sets and omitting "fan favorite" characters from the original. The website added that Rare knew that between all its franchises,Killer Instincthad the most fan interest in a new series entry.[27]Microsoftpurchased Rare in 2002, ending the acquisition's prominent alliance with Nintendo.[28]Microsoft and Rarerevived the seriesfor theXbox Oneplatform in 2013.[10]In 2014,GamesRadarretrospectively rankedGoldthe 35th best game on the Nintendo 64 console.[29]

Killer Instinct Goldwas lateremulated[30]for the Xbox One in Rare's 2015 compilation,Rare Replay.[31]Nintendo Lifewrote thatGold'sgraphics had not aged well.[32]TheNew York Daily Newsreported thatKiller Instinct Gold,while "underrated" in its time, had withered into an outdated frustration as the anthology's biggest letdown.[33]Destructoidsingled outGoldas the collection's worst title, as a "barebones"Killer Instinct 2.[34]Twenty years after the original release,Retro Gamerwrote that whileKiller Instinctwas popular in arcades, it had been outdone byTekken 2andVirtua Fighter 2by 1996, and ultimately proved mediocre in comparison.[13]

Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^Not all characters from the original reprised their roles.[9]
  2. ^TheNintendo Powerreview's component scores were 3.9 (graphics), 3.4 (play control), 3.8 (challenge), and 3.3 (theme and fun), each out of five. Half of the magazine's reviewers selected the game as an "editor's pick".[21]

References

  1. ^"CTW Games Guide".Computer Trade Weekly.No. 644. United Kingdom. June 30, 1997. p. 21.
  2. ^Corriea, Alexa Ray (September 17, 2012)."Microsoft Studios announces 'Killer Instinct' trademark renewal".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 13,2015.
  3. ^abcdefghij"Killer Instinct Gold Review".GameSpot.December 4, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on August 20, 2015.RetrievedAugust 3,2015.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwPerry, Doug (December 4, 1999)."Killer Instinct Gold".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2015.RetrievedAugust 3,2015.
  5. ^abcdeWilliamson, Colin."Killer Instinct Gold – Review".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  6. ^abcMarriott, Scott Alan."Killer Instinct Gold – Synopsis".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  7. ^abc"Killer Instinct Gold".Game Informer.January 1997. Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 1999.RetrievedAugust 6,2015.
  8. ^abcdScary Larry (February 1997)."Nintendo 64 ProReview: Killer Instinct Gold".GamePro.No. 101. pp. 62–63.Online version.
  9. ^ab"Killer Instinct Gold Update".IGN.November 11, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  10. ^abcdRonaghan, Neal (October 9, 2014)."Rare 64 Episode 1: Killer Instinct Gold".Nintendo World Report.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  11. ^Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 13, 2011)."Ex-Rare devs talk Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark • Page 3".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  12. ^abc"Behind the Scenes at Rare – Killer Instinct Gold Interview".Rare Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on March 2, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  13. ^abMcFerran, Damien (April 2016). "How Rare Ruled the N64".Retro Gamer(153): 76–85.
  14. ^"NG Alphas: Killer Instinct Gold".Next Generation.No. 23. November 1996. p. 130.
  15. ^Elston, Brett (August 11, 2010)."Game music of the day: Killer Instinct Gold".GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  16. ^"A Rare Glimpse".Retro Gamer(84): 38–39. December 2010.
  17. ^Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 13, 2011)."Ex-Rare dev's Killer Instinct 3 vision".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  18. ^abcdefghijkLomas, Ed (February 1997)."Killer Instinct Gold".Computer and Video Games(183): 80.
  19. ^abc"Review Crew – Killer Instinct Gold".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 91. February 1997. p. 56.Listed score is a composite of four review scores: 8.5, 6.0, 7.0, 6.0.
  20. ^abcdefHawkins, Marcus (June 1997)."Killer Instinct Gold".N64 Magazine(3): 38–43.
  21. ^abc"Now Playing".Nintendo Power.No. 91. December 1996. pp. 93, 97.
  22. ^abcd"Killer Instinct Gold".Daily Radar.2000. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2000.RetrievedAugust 3,2015.
  23. ^abcdefg"Killer Instinct Gold".Next Generation(26): 118. February 1997. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 1997.RetrievedAugust 6,2015.Extended review and score only available in printed magazine.
  24. ^"All You Want for Christmas: The Ultimate Guide to the Hottest Gifts".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 101. December 1997. p. 128.Although the N64 has yet to see a stand-out fighting game... the best of the bunch remains Killer Instinct Gold...
  25. ^"Readers' Choice Awards".GamePro.No. 106. July 1997. p. 30.
  26. ^"Interview with Howard Lincoln".Next Generation.No. 29. May 1997. p. 47.
  27. ^Lambrechts, Stephen (September 26, 2010)."Gaming Reboots We'd Love to See: Part 2".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  28. ^Boulding, Aaron (September 24, 2002)."Microsoft Buys Rare".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on July 2, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2015.
  29. ^"Best N64 games of all time".GamesRadar.March 6, 2014. p. 17.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 13,2015.
  30. ^Totilo, Stephen (August 3, 2015)."Rare Replay: The Kotaku Review".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2015.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
  31. ^McWhertor, Michael (June 15, 2015)."Rare Replay for Xbox One includes 30 Rare games for $30 (update)".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on June 17, 2015.RetrievedJune 16,2015.
  32. ^McFerran, Damien (August 3, 2015)."Soapbox: It's A Tragedy That Rare Replay Isn't On A Nintendo Console".Nintendo Life.Archivedfrom the original on September 5, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 13,2015.
  33. ^Samuel, Ebenezer (August 5, 2015)."Rare Replay turns up the volume... of games: Video Game Review".New York Daily News.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2015.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
  34. ^Carter, Chris (August 3, 2015)."Review: Rare Replay".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on August 7, 2015.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.

Further reading

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