Killer Instinct Gold is the home console port of the arcade game Killer Instinct 2

Original N64europe review

As a short introduction, KI was originally introduced a few years back and had some great potential. It made its way to home systems and a sequel soon followed. In this version, there are new characters and some like Cinder and Riptor have been replaced. Now, as KI makes its way to the N64, Rare uses its capabilities to exploit the game’s potential...

Graphics

Much like the other games produced by Rare, this game offers some high quality graphics. The sprites are large and colorful, as are the polygon backgrounds. There’s a glossy look to everything and the graphic seem to shine. And they do. Some of the arenas are 3D and can be moved around in. You can knock you oppenent off at times or knock them into a item that’s part of the background in most cases. There’s very little slowdown, but there’s is some. Also, in order to keep the frame rate up, the anti aliasing had to be removed. It doesn’t really show, however, for the most part. Also, when you defeat Gargos, the final boss, the end scene is a little lame, similar to the missile carrier explosion in Blast Corps. But the endings are simply outstanding!! Overall, the graphics are superb and are extremely well done.

+ large sprites + graphics are better than the arcade + great colors + some 3D backgrounds + constant framerate... + really cool looking endings - but there is some slowdown - no anti aliasing - sometimes objects in the background block the camera

Sound

The sound varies and is absolutley great. It adds atmosphere and is amazingly clear. Definitely CD quality. Mostly rock and some techno, the songs are great and usually have a nice melody. Only one or two seem to need a little more work. The voices is clear and great. Jago speaks in an Asian tongue. Sabrewulf growls menacingly and so on. The death screams aren’t bad, but are a little repititous. Sound effects are fantastic as well. This is one game that you should most definetly play with the volume up. The music is simply great.

+ Clear sound + CD quality + good voices + Variety of music + Music adds to game -death screams can get repititous - few songs could be slightly better

Gameplay

Suprisingly, of all the games I own, this is the one I play the most. I can’t help but return to it. It’s fast paced and exciting. There are tons of options, including a Training Mode and Practice. The Options screen alone has close to thirty options. You can adjust the speed, blood, difficulty, and so on. Combos are a big part of the game, but it doesn’t focus on it as much as a lot people would like to believe. No matter how good you think you are, someone can always beat you. There are a variety of characters, and most are great. Each has their own style and special moves. The AI is can be challenging as well depending on the difficulty level. This game is great alone or with a friend.

+ High replay value + Extremely fun + Multiplayer (2) + Challenging or simple + Lots of options + Variety of characters + Lots of moves + Combos... - but can be a little hard to pull off

Overall

I stumbled upon this game while looking for a new game with fantastic results. While the game is more expensive than a 1st or 2nd party developer, I feel it was worth it. Try renting first, though. Other people may not like it. I wasn’t a KI fan, until I played this. It’s fast paced fun and challenging. The options are great and Rare has done a smashing job with the title

Overall Score: 4.8 (out of 5)

- by Tim Symons