Reviewed by Robert Broussard
The arcade smash has finally reached the N64, and it has brought
along some improvements. The most obvious of course is the
backgrounds. Some of the stages are more interactive in that
the background can be affected by the characters. The
helicopter blade in Orchid's level, the broken piece of
Glacius's spaceship, the columns in Tusk's stage, and the
barrels in T.J. Combo's stage are some examples. What you do to
the background can allow you to perform a stage knockoff.
Differences between KI Gold and KI2
Stages are interactive and 3-D
New additions to the color pallet
FMV's are missing
Stage knockoffs are not as spectacular
Tournament mode
Team mode (just like MKT except you can choose between 2 and 11
man teams)
Team eliminator mode (you eliminate your opponent by ultra,
ultimate, no mercy, or stage knockoff)
Practice and training modes
Options, Options, and more Options!!
Jago's spirit move is out
Cheap juggles are in (toggled in the options menu)
Graphics: (4.8)
The only reason I didn't give a 5.0 is that the FMV's are missing, like
I bought the game for the FMV's anyway. The graphics will blow
your mind. The backgrounds have been improved drastically.
You can now fight all the way around T.J. Combo's and Kim Wu's
stage. I think you can know your opponent of every stage, but
you have to figure out how to do it. (like destroy the right wall
in Sabrewulf's castle) The detail is greater and the animation is
smoother than in KI2. I would have to agree in the "60 frames
per second" claim that Nintendo has made. Just like in the other
versions on Killer Instinct, you can change your color, but some
colors you have to "earn." Let me explain. If you complete the
training mode on hard or medium with a B or better, you can now
choose from the gold color (which is very sharp). If you complete
the training mode with all A's in the difficulty set to hard, you can
now choose the "master" color (which is basically a shadow) This
works great in confusing your friend. You can only choose this
color with the character you "earned" it with, and it will only
work for the player 1 or player 2 (depending on which slot your
controller was in).
Sound. (5.0)
The first thing I noticed when I turned on the game is the nice
stereo sound blaring in my ears. It's the little things I noticed
that helped me arrive at this rating. The clank of spinal's shield
when he blocks and Tusk's chilling roar send chills up my spine.
You can adjust the music through the vast number of options in
this game.
Control (4.5)
I give this because new comers to this game will obviously have a
difficult time adjusting to the controls, but you die hard KI fans
will have no trouble at all. In the practice mode, you can press
the Z-trigger to access a list of all of your character's moves.
I really like this feature because it gives newcomers a fighting
chance against more experienced players. The combos are easier
to perform, especially since you have the training mode. The
70 + ultras are in this game just like in the arcade, the instruction
booklet even tells you how do it! I already have a 73 hit ultra
with T.J. Combo. You will definitely want to use the
directional pad instead of the 3-D stick. The 3-D stick may
come in handy when trying the difficult "no mercies." As far as
the players' moves, the only one I couldn't get to work is
Jago's spirit move.
Gameplay (5.0)
As if this game bores you at all, the extensive options let you
customize this game drastically. You have the usual options
such as: DIFFICULTY, SPEED, CONTROL, TEAM, TOURNAMENT. Then you
have some unusual options. Some of my favorite options are:
CHEAP JUGGLES (my highest combo is 90, I think that's where the
counter stops), BLOOD (immediately set this to high), AERIAL
CAMERA (a nice perspective), THROWS ON/OFF (I hate throws).
Some options you have to earn by finishing the game at difficult
levels. (BLOCKING ON/OFF and LUDICROUS SPEED are some examples)
Don't worry tough, you won't have to earn the options every
time. The game saves all of your high scores and "earned"
colors.
Lastability (4.5)
There is so much depth into this game. The possible different
combos for Jago alone exceeds 1 million. It would take you a
long time to master this game. Even if you do, the extensive
options will always allow you to have fun.
Overall (4.8)
This game is just too much fun to play. It is the closest
arcade translation I have ever played. In some cases, as in the
background, it is better than the arcade. There is rumored to
be hidden characters in the game. I'm sure that Gargos is
playable. For you Killer Instinct fans, this is a must buy.
Trust me, you won't be disappointed.