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Warning: this is a long fucking read. If you're interested at all in KI and what this one offers, it should explain a lot of things (hopefully). I haven't seen a thread on this at all (at least lately), and the old xbone thread hasn't been bumped in forever, so here's my thoughts on it (sorry for any typos/grammatical errors).
A couple of days ago I bought an Xbox One for no other reason than I had the money and was sick of buying guitars. I was also curious to see how the new Killer Instinct played. I didn’t keep track of it when it was released back in November, nor did I do any sort of research in regards to reviews or videos. I unboxed it, hooked it up, updated it, and then started to download the free game (3-something gb download).
The first thing you’re greeted with when you load the game up is a choice of which pack to purchase (you can only play Jago in the free version). “The Brawler Pack” unlocks all 6 characters and the next 2 to be released (Spinal and Fulgore, although they don’t explicitly state they are the characters, or when they’re released –I had to find that out in the Internet). “The Brawler Pack” will run you $20. Next there’s “The Gold Edition” which unlocks the same 8 characters as “The Brawler Pack,” however you also get the arcade version of the original Killer Instinct (which comes in two versions, the latest offered in the arcade, and some version that has a bunch of bugs/infinities that people love –you choose which version you want before you play). This pack will run you $40. The description on each is absolutely horrible, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t do any unnecessary cross-purchasing, so once again I had to search the Internet to get a clear picture of what each pack offered. I purchased “The Gold Edition” and called it a night.
While that sounds fun, the grind to get them is insane. Let’s say you want those cool-looking demon shin-guards for Jago. In order to get them, you have to unlock the ability to purchase them, which will require you to do anything from win 150 fights with Jago to win 200 fights with Jago online. After you fulfill that requirement, you have to spend something obnoxious like 5000 KP. KP doesn’t grow on trees, and to get them you have to keep an eye out for the trials list on the right side of the main menu to see what specific things you need to do. The first ones are easy, such as win a match/win 3 matches in a row in survival with a certain character. As you progress, it becomes increasingly more difficult/time consuming, especially when you’re awarded 10 KP – 50 KP per very specific thing they want you to do, and that there are dozens of things that cost 5000 KP to buy. It gives an artificial sense of replay value, especially when there are only 6 characters and a limited amount of modes to keep you interested.
Combo Opener: This is a specific special move for each character. A character may have 4 or 5 special moves, and maybe up to 4 of them can be considered combo openers. If you go to the moves list during combat, it will specifically tell you which specials are combo openers.
Auto Double: These come after combo openers or combo linkers. They require only one button press at the end of a combo opener or linker. It will automatically hit 2 times, and at the end of the auto-double you have the choice to go into a combo linker, or combo ender.
Combo Linker: Combo linkers are similar to openers: however, they’re special moves that are performed with only the light or medium punch/kick buttons. Combo linkers come after auto doubles, and can be followed up by another auto double, or a combo ender.
Combo Ender: A combo ender is a special move performed with either a hard punch or hard kick. It will finish the combo with a different animation, and can come after an auto double, or a combo linker.
So, a very basic combo would look like this:
Combo Opener – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Combo Ender
It can be extended further, however it leaves you open for a combo breaker:
Combo Opener – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Auto Double – Combo Ender
Combo Breaker: A combo breaker is done by pressing both HP + HK, MP + MK, or LP + LK, and must be done during an auto double equivalent (if an opponent does an MK auto double, then you press MP + MK to break it).
While longer combos leave you open for combo breakers, if your opponent chooses the wrong combo breaker, they will be locked out, which leaves an exclamation point over their head, and they can’t try another combo breaker for the next 3 seconds (which is actually a really fucking long time). That doesn’t mean your opponent can keep on going indefinitely, as there is a combo meter that will max out. If the combo meter maxes out, and you don’t perform a combo ender, you lose your potential damage (which is shown in white as you’re doing the combo). So a nice 60% - 70% combo, if not ended in time, would only do something like 15%.
Manual Linker: Doing long combos with auto doubles and combo linkers is actually really easy. Jago can literally do QCB + MK (for combo opener), MK (for auto double), QCB + MK (for combo linker), MK, QCB + MK, QCB + HK (for combo ender). However, once you start learning which auto doubles look like what, they become way easier to combo break. Since they’re auto doubles, you can read the first hit and then know which combo breaker variant to input. This is where manual linkers come into play. Instead of pressing the button auto double at the end of the special (which is very forgiving as it will cancel into the auto double), in order to manually link a normal, you have to wait for the special to completely end and then time your normal to link after it (and then you could cancel into another combo linker/combo ender). The timing for this is very strict, but it also is way harder to combo break, as you can’t read it and react like an auto double. You can still mix up auto doubles 6 different ways (as there are only 6 buttons to push), but your first hit can always be read. You have to be really really fast to react to a manual link, although it can still be seen because you’re waiting for the special animation to end in order to link.
There’s also a super meter bar, which is split in half. This allows for shadow moves which do more hits/damage (think EX moves in SF3), and also allow for Shadow Counters. Below your life bar you have an Instinct meter, which fills up when you take damage/block, and each character has a different way they react when you go in Instinct mode (Jago’s life refills and he gets extra hit stun off of his moves).
The music is pretty much staple KI stuff. The menu and character select music is awesome as hell. There’s some odd choices made in some areas, though, like Jago’s music. It sounds like a weird blend of a generic movie soundtrack mixed in with Cheech and Chong (listen around 0:35).
The voice acting is weird. It's not bad, or anything, but it doesn't sound like it fits, at all. When Orchid says she's going to flush Ultratech in her win quote (for the 300th time, since she has no other quote), it's the least menacing thing I've ever heard. She might as well be telling me she's going to the supermarket to get some fruit.
Also, the loading in this game rivals that of the original Playstation and Neo Geo CD at times. The initial boot up of the game is fast, but things such as navigating the character selection screen takes a good 4 – 5 seconds for it to bring up the character model above the icon.
If you’re playing survival mode, after you finish one opponent, it can take up to 30 seconds before you’re fighting the next one.
It boggles my mind, and it certainly can’t be the fault of the system. I’m guessing it hasn’t been optimized. They’re supposed to be dropping story/arcade mode with Spinal and Fulgore, so I really hope that it comes with an update that doesn’t have these loading problems. I mean, the game is being played directly off of the harddrive for christ’s sake.
The game is fun to play. It needs more content, and it needs to be optimized, though. I haven't taken it online enough to give it a thorough review, but it was annoying how many Jagos I fought. I probably played 10 matches and 9 of them were Jago. It's an unfinished product, but one that is fun to play. I'd rather play it like it is now (and learn it) rather than wait however much longer to get a full game of eight characters (which is kind of ridiculous-sounding in its own right). There's a lot of old KI characters to bring back as time goes on, and there's room for new characters as well. Only time will tell how they handle it (and whether or not they fucking optimize all that loading bullshit).
KILLER INSTINCT (2013) IMPRESSIONS
I’m going to start this off by saying that I loved the original game. I played it a ton in the arcade, and I ate up the SNES port when it came out. I don’t have a big connection with the second game, as I only got to play it a handful of times in the arcades. My cousin had Killer Instinct Gold for the N64 that I spent a weekend with, but I remember not really liking it, and chalking it up to not having an ideal controller to play with. So, please keep in mind that my frame of reference regarding the series is really only the first game. Any features I talk about in the 2013 game may have been in KI2/Gold, but I don’t know or don’t remember them if I ever did.A couple of days ago I bought an Xbox One for no other reason than I had the money and was sick of buying guitars. I was also curious to see how the new Killer Instinct played. I didn’t keep track of it when it was released back in November, nor did I do any sort of research in regards to reviews or videos. I unboxed it, hooked it up, updated it, and then started to download the free game (3-something gb download).
The first thing you’re greeted with when you load the game up is a choice of which pack to purchase (you can only play Jago in the free version). “The Brawler Pack” unlocks all 6 characters and the next 2 to be released (Spinal and Fulgore, although they don’t explicitly state they are the characters, or when they’re released –I had to find that out in the Internet). “The Brawler Pack” will run you $20. Next there’s “The Gold Edition” which unlocks the same 8 characters as “The Brawler Pack,” however you also get the arcade version of the original Killer Instinct (which comes in two versions, the latest offered in the arcade, and some version that has a bunch of bugs/infinities that people love –you choose which version you want before you play). This pack will run you $40. The description on each is absolutely horrible, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t do any unnecessary cross-purchasing, so once again I had to search the Internet to get a clear picture of what each pack offered. I purchased “The Gold Edition” and called it a night.
FEATURES
The first thing I noticed was there wasn’t an Arcade/Story Mode. You can play Versus (1p vs 2p, 1p vs CPU, or CPU vs CPU), Survival, Dojo, or Practice in the Local Play area. There’s a Store section, and a Customization section. The Store has an actual store where you purchase individual characters, or packs. It also has various sections where you spend “KP,” which is currency you earn while you play. You can purchase old KI soundtracks (which you can only use in Practice mode), emblems/quotes to go on your profile tag, or special outfits/accessories/colors for your character to wear.While that sounds fun, the grind to get them is insane. Let’s say you want those cool-looking demon shin-guards for Jago. In order to get them, you have to unlock the ability to purchase them, which will require you to do anything from win 150 fights with Jago to win 200 fights with Jago online. After you fulfill that requirement, you have to spend something obnoxious like 5000 KP. KP doesn’t grow on trees, and to get them you have to keep an eye out for the trials list on the right side of the main menu to see what specific things you need to do. The first ones are easy, such as win a match/win 3 matches in a row in survival with a certain character. As you progress, it becomes increasingly more difficult/time consuming, especially when you’re awarded 10 KP – 50 KP per very specific thing they want you to do, and that there are dozens of things that cost 5000 KP to buy. It gives an artificial sense of replay value, especially when there are only 6 characters and a limited amount of modes to keep you interested.
GAMEPLAY
The game play is a lot of fun in Killer Instinct 2013. There’s a lot to digest, but it’s easy enough to get you up and running in a matter of minutes. The Dojo takes you through 30+ lessons to give you the ins and outs of not only the system, but how fighting games work in general. A basic combo includes the following:Combo Opener: This is a specific special move for each character. A character may have 4 or 5 special moves, and maybe up to 4 of them can be considered combo openers. If you go to the moves list during combat, it will specifically tell you which specials are combo openers.
Auto Double: These come after combo openers or combo linkers. They require only one button press at the end of a combo opener or linker. It will automatically hit 2 times, and at the end of the auto-double you have the choice to go into a combo linker, or combo ender.
Combo Linker: Combo linkers are similar to openers: however, they’re special moves that are performed with only the light or medium punch/kick buttons. Combo linkers come after auto doubles, and can be followed up by another auto double, or a combo ender.
Combo Ender: A combo ender is a special move performed with either a hard punch or hard kick. It will finish the combo with a different animation, and can come after an auto double, or a combo linker.
So, a very basic combo would look like this:
Combo Opener – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Combo Ender
It can be extended further, however it leaves you open for a combo breaker:
Combo Opener – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Auto Double – Combo Linker – Auto Double – Combo Ender
Combo Breaker: A combo breaker is done by pressing both HP + HK, MP + MK, or LP + LK, and must be done during an auto double equivalent (if an opponent does an MK auto double, then you press MP + MK to break it).
While longer combos leave you open for combo breakers, if your opponent chooses the wrong combo breaker, they will be locked out, which leaves an exclamation point over their head, and they can’t try another combo breaker for the next 3 seconds (which is actually a really fucking long time). That doesn’t mean your opponent can keep on going indefinitely, as there is a combo meter that will max out. If the combo meter maxes out, and you don’t perform a combo ender, you lose your potential damage (which is shown in white as you’re doing the combo). So a nice 60% - 70% combo, if not ended in time, would only do something like 15%.
Manual Linker: Doing long combos with auto doubles and combo linkers is actually really easy. Jago can literally do QCB + MK (for combo opener), MK (for auto double), QCB + MK (for combo linker), MK, QCB + MK, QCB + HK (for combo ender). However, once you start learning which auto doubles look like what, they become way easier to combo break. Since they’re auto doubles, you can read the first hit and then know which combo breaker variant to input. This is where manual linkers come into play. Instead of pressing the button auto double at the end of the special (which is very forgiving as it will cancel into the auto double), in order to manually link a normal, you have to wait for the special to completely end and then time your normal to link after it (and then you could cancel into another combo linker/combo ender). The timing for this is very strict, but it also is way harder to combo break, as you can’t read it and react like an auto double. You can still mix up auto doubles 6 different ways (as there are only 6 buttons to push), but your first hit can always be read. You have to be really really fast to react to a manual link, although it can still be seen because you’re waiting for the special animation to end in order to link.
There’s also a super meter bar, which is split in half. This allows for shadow moves which do more hits/damage (think EX moves in SF3), and also allow for Shadow Counters. Below your life bar you have an Instinct meter, which fills up when you take damage/block, and each character has a different way they react when you go in Instinct mode (Jago’s life refills and he gets extra hit stun off of his moves).
GRAPHICS/SOUND
The graphics looks really good. I mean, it’s nothing that much better than the 360, but, then again, I didn’t have any crazy expectations. I really don’t like Thunder’s model (he reminds me of the wooden indian from Creepshow 2), but I’m okay with everybody else’s. Glacius looks cool (get it? cool? har har), but he didn’t wow me like I thought he would. I remember seeing him in the original KI and thinking how fucking cool his graphic was. I still have really high expectations to how Fulgore will look.The music is pretty much staple KI stuff. The menu and character select music is awesome as hell. There’s some odd choices made in some areas, though, like Jago’s music. It sounds like a weird blend of a generic movie soundtrack mixed in with Cheech and Chong (listen around 0:35).
The voice acting is weird. It's not bad, or anything, but it doesn't sound like it fits, at all. When Orchid says she's going to flush Ultratech in her win quote (for the 300th time, since she has no other quote), it's the least menacing thing I've ever heard. She might as well be telling me she's going to the supermarket to get some fruit.
PRESENTATION
There’s no way around it: this game is unfinished. I had pretty high hopes, considering the new Mortal Kombat game was fucking amazing and breathed new life into the franchise. It clearly was rushed to be an Xbox One launch title. I don’t mind it being digital-only, and I don’t mind paying for more of the game as it’s released (as long as it’s reasonable, I only have $40 invested and I have access to 8 characters (2 when they drop) + the classic KI). There needs to be more content, and fast, though.Also, the loading in this game rivals that of the original Playstation and Neo Geo CD at times. The initial boot up of the game is fast, but things such as navigating the character selection screen takes a good 4 – 5 seconds for it to bring up the character model above the icon.
If you’re playing survival mode, after you finish one opponent, it can take up to 30 seconds before you’re fighting the next one.
It boggles my mind, and it certainly can’t be the fault of the system. I’m guessing it hasn’t been optimized. They’re supposed to be dropping story/arcade mode with Spinal and Fulgore, so I really hope that it comes with an update that doesn’t have these loading problems. I mean, the game is being played directly off of the harddrive for christ’s sake.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The game is fun to play. It needs more content, and it needs to be optimized, though. I haven't taken it online enough to give it a thorough review, but it was annoying how many Jagos I fought. I probably played 10 matches and 9 of them were Jago. It's an unfinished product, but one that is fun to play. I'd rather play it like it is now (and learn it) rather than wait however much longer to get a full game of eight characters (which is kind of ridiculous-sounding in its own right). There's a lot of old KI characters to bring back as time goes on, and there's room for new characters as well. Only time will tell how they handle it (and whether or not they fucking optimize all that loading bullshit).
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