Killer Instinct is a fighting game by Rare and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and claiming to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine. The game received a high profile launch on the Super Nintendo, as well as on the Game Boy. It led to a sequel, Killer Instinct 2. Killer Instinct was an hour-long crime drama television series broadcast on the FOX Network. ... Killer Instinct, in human behavior, is a reference to the human propensity to kill, murder. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (850x1102, 252 KB) Summary Killer Instinct arcade flyer. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Rare, Ltd is a United Kingdom-based video game development company. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher. ... For other uses, see October (disambiguation). ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... For other uses, see August (disambiguation). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... For other uses, see Joystick (disambiguation). ... This arcade cabinet, containing Centipede, is an upright. ... An arcade system board is a standardized printed circuit board or group of printed circuit boards that are used as the basis for multiple arcade games with very similar hardware requirements. ... The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ... Imagine the smiley face in the top left corner as an RGB bitmap image. ... Screenshot of The King of Fighters XI (2005, SNK Playmore). ... Rare, Ltd is a United Kingdom-based video game development company. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... arcade, see Arcade. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... Killer Instinct 2 (commonly abbreviated KI2) is a 1996 arcade-only fighting game developed by Rare Ltd. ...

Developed using SGI computers and 3D modeling software from Alias, Killer Instinct was considered a graphical and aural leader when it was released. It featured animated backgrounds that were pre-rendered movies which changed angles depending on the character location on many of the stages. This technique causes the backgrounds to have an unprecedented three dimensional look — a look far better than was possible at the time in real time 3D rendering. (Bram Stoker's Dracula for the Sega CD later used this technique.) Killer Instinct also gained notoriety for its memorable background music and over the top sound effects and was the first arcade game with an internal hard disk. Silicon Graphics, Inc. ... Alias Systems Corporation (formerly Alias|Wavefront), headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a software company that produces high-end 3D graphics software. ... Bram Stokers Dracula is a video game released for the Super Nintendo, Sega Mega Drive, Sega CD and Amiga games consoles. ... The Sega Mega-CD ) is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive released in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. ... A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk or fixed disk drive,[1] is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. ...

Story

Ultratech is a very powerful mega-corporation (entities which, in this future setting, replaced all governments) which organizes a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experimental creatures created by Ultratech also fight in the tournament. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions, and to also release from this dimensional prison a two-headed monster called Eyedol, an ancient warrior that was locked away along with his rival. Megacorporation is a term popularized by William Gibson derived from the combination of the prefix mega- with the word corporation. ...

Characters

The game features eleven characters, all of which are owned by Rare after the acquisition:

Fulgore

Fulgore is a cyborg, part of a cybernetic project developed by Ultratech, the masterminds behind the Killer Instinct fighting tournament. Fulgore was entered into the tournament to test its fighting capabilities. If successful, the Fulgore unit would be placed in mass production. During the first Killer Instinct tournament, Fulgore met its end at the hands of Jago. A newer version of Fulgore was produced for the second fighting tournament. Fulgore has two No Mercy moves, one in which it removes its head, revealing a large turret-like gun which shoots the enemy repeatedly. The other uses a laser beam from its eyes to reduce the opponent to ashes.

(1 year old, 6'5", 560 lbs)

Cinder

A criminal who was promised early release by Ultratech in exchange for participating in chemical weapons research. As a result of an accident during testing, his body is composed entirely of flame. He is promised a return to his original form if he is able to defeat Glacius in the tournament. In the early development stages of the game his name was Meltdown, but this was soon afterwards changed to Cinder. Cinder has two No Mercy moves, the first creates a pool of magma under the opponent, who melts into it. The second shoots them with flames to reduce them to ashes.

(31 years old, 6'2", 195 lbs)

Glacius

An alien who was captured by Ultratech and promised freedom if he wins the tournament. He gets his nickname from his body's icy liquid composition and ability to shape-shift. He uses three different No Mercy moves, one where he becomes a gel-like mass and absorbs the opponent (similar to the Blob), one in which he uses his finger as a syringe to inject the enemy with a substance that turns them to ice, and the last of which he turns into a pool of boiling water that the enemy drowns in.

(unknown age, 6'3", 300 lbs)

Jago

A Tibetan monk following the Tiger Spirit, he is on the path of enlightenment to defeat the evil within him. He believes it is his destiny to destroy Ultratech. He has many of the same moves as Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken characters, including the fireball and spinning uppercut. His No Mercy moves consist of stabbing the enemy with his sword, and meditating, which causes a car to fall on the opponent. “Street Fighter” redirects here. ...   , also written as 隆) is a video game character created by Capcom, and is the main character in the Street Fighter series. ... Ken Masters , his first name is sometimes written as 拳) is a video game character created by Capcom. ...

(21 years old, 5'6", 190 lbs)

Riptor

A genetically engineered velociraptor-human hybrid created as a prototype by Ultratech. The tournament serves to test its abilities as a killing machine. It has three No Mercy moves. One in which it spits acid on the enemy, one in which it stabs the foe with its tail, and one in which it runs at the enemy, and eats it's opponent. Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ...

(4 years old, 7'0", 700 lbs)

Sabrewulf

Count Von Sabrewulf is stricken by lycanthropy, and is promised a cure by Ultratech if he wins the tournament. This is a semi-cameo appearance of Sabreman, known from Rare's 1984 game Sabre Wulf. Sabrewulf fights in his inherited castle as his home level, with biting and claw attacks, and the ability to howl and use his Flaming Bat. He has two No Mercy moves, one where he slams the foe into the screen, and one in which he stabs the enemy with an elongated claw. In folklore, lycanthropy is the ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a wolf. ... Concept art of Sabre Man from Sabre Wulf (GBA). ... This article is about the year. ... Sabre Wulf is a ZX Spectrum video game made by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. ...

(45 years old, 5'11", 400 lbs)

Spinal

An Ultratech minion. He is a product of cell regeneration; a living skeleton of an ancient warrior. He seems to fight for sheer enjoyment. He carries a sword and shield, and has the ability to teleport and physically morph himself into a grayscale version of his opponents during combos. He has an odd quirk in that, in order to perform certain moves, he must gather energy (represented by tokens shaped like skull under his life bar in the SNES version, and by skulls floating around his person in the arcade) by either absorbing opponents projectile energy attacks, or performing combo breakers. Despite requiring these tokens, his special moves are not particularly stronger than normal special attacks. He can "store" up to 5 skull tokens. He uses two No Mercy moves, one where he repetedly stabs the enemy with a spike on his shield, and the other where he summons skeletons to drag the opponent underground, presumably to Hell. (note: in the SNES version, the second No Mercy is replaced with Spinal summoning a bolt of lightning) In computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample. ...

(2650 years old, 5'5", 110 lbs)

TJ Combo

A former heavyweight boxing champion for 5 years. He was stripped of his title and kicked out of the circuit when it was discovered that his arms had cybernetic implants which greatly helped his boxing ability. Ultratech promises him to return his title if he wins the tournament. Combo has two No Mercy moves, one where he snaps the opponent's neck, and the other he punches the opponent into the screen.

(25 years old, 6'1", 220 lbs)

Chief Thunder

A Native American Chief, armed with twin tomahawks, who enters the tournament to find out what happened to his missing brother Eagle in the previous year's tournament. He has two No Mercy moves, one where he calls down a bolt of lightning to smite the enemy, and the other in which he knocks the opponent into the air, leaving their shoes/feet behind, depending on the character. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Native American Afraid of Hawk, holding a tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. ...

(42 years old, 6'2", 280 lbs)

B. Orchid

Hired by Ultratech as a secretary, she is actually a spy working for an unknown party and, along with Jago, appears to be the heroine of the game franchise. Her full name is Black Orchid. She has two No Mercy moves, the first in which she gives her opponent a heart attack by unzipping her uniform and flashing her breasts, and the other in which she transforms the opponent into a frog, then (at the player's option) stomps on them. Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ...

(23 years old, 5'6", 125 lbs)

Eyedol

A two-headed, ancient mystical warlord who was trapped in a dimensional prison in the distant past. Ultratech released him to be the final combatant in the tournament. It is shown in Killer Instinct 2 that the person Eyedol was trapped in combat with was Gargos, the final boss of that game. For some reason, the game designers did not give him any No Mercy moves, ultra combos, or humiliations.

Art Style

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

Unlike many other fighting games, especially its contemporaries, Killer Instinct takes place in a modern/futuristic setting. Most stages are quite dark and the game's palette is composed generally of dark, rich colours, which highlight this. The attacks of the game are covered in a comic book style starburst. White starbursts designate hits that have connected, while red ones designate blocked hits. This style is similar to the flashes that appear in later fighting games such as Tekken, Soul Calibur, and Bushido Blade. The amount of blood in the game is actually quite low, especially considering the title of the game. While there is slightly more blood in Killer Instinct than Street Fighter II, generally speaking it is in a realistic amount and never approaches the levels of the Mortal Kombat games. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Tekken is a fighting game and is the first of the series of the same name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bushido Blade is a 3D fighting game series produced by Squaresoft for the PlayStation featuring one-on-one armed combat. ... For other uses, see Mortal Kombat. ...

The music of the game contains a variety of genres and differs heavily between each stage. Of special notice is that when a player's life is in critical status, the music tracks changed to a small loop of the current track, a la Street Fighter II. However due to the flow of the game this only occurs once per match and only at the very end, as opposed to two to three times in Street Fighter II, allowing the original track to play much longer.

Gameplay

Killer Instinct plays like many other typical fighting games, in which the player controls a character in order to beat an opponent in a one-on-one encounter. The game borrows the attack set of Street Fighter II (a weak, medium, and strong attack for punches and kicks, respectively), but also is inspired by the graphic violence and finishing sequences of the Mortal Kombat series. There are several features that distinguish it from other franchises: Street Fighter II ) is a 1991 competitive fighting game by Capcom. ... For other uses, see Mortal Kombat. ...

• A double energy bar: instead of winning two rounds, each player has two bars of energy. If a character finishes with his or her opponent's first life bar, the fight stops and resumes like a round, but the winning character still keeps whatever amount of energy he or she had at that moment. The player who depletes his or her opponent's second life bar wins the bout.
• Automatic combos: rather than press the necessary buttons in order to deliver the individual attacks that form a combo, in Killer Instinct the combos are automated and can be enabled by inputting a determined button or special move (which led to the character to deliver a string of hits).
• Finishing moves: Largely inspired by Mortal Kombat's Fatalities, each character has at least two moves known as No Mercy (Danger Move in later revisions) in order to finish the opponent in a violent manner. One of these No Mercy moves can be executed at the end of a combo (which is labeled as an Ultimate combo), when the opponents life bar flashes red (when his or her second bar is going to be depleted), although it uses a different combination movements. Another finisher is the Humiliation, that forces the opponent to dance (the dance style depends on the character), but this can only be used if the player has his or her first life bar.
• Ultra Combo: Another finisher, it operates like an Ultimate combo, though this one allows the character to deliver a long string of hits as the combo finisher instead, usually surpassing 20 hits.
• Combo Breaker: The player who is being caught in a combo may break out of it by performing a combo breaker move. The combo breaker is a designated special move of the player's character. A combo can be broken at either the auto-double or linker stage. To successfully break an auto-double, the player must use the breaker move at a strength lower than the auto-double itself (i.e. for a player to break a Medium auto-double s/he must use a Quick breaker.) The combo can also be broken at the linker stage. At this stage the player can use any strength of breaker, making long combos a risky affair. Also, after performing a combo breaker, a white starburst will appear at the tip of the breaker's health bar, enabling advanced versions of some special moves that require a different command, i.e. Jago, instead of a regular green fireball, can shoot a red fireball.

Ports

Nintendo 64

Initially, Killer Instinct was one of many titles planned for the Nintendo 64, as a relative perfect arcade port, along with Cruis'n USA. Killer Instinct did appear on the platform later on, but as a special version of its sequel, Killer Instinct II or Killer Instinct Gold (N64 Version). The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ... Cruisn USA is a 1994 arcade game developed by Midway Games under license from Nintendo. ...

Super NES

During that period, a Super NES port was planned and subsequently released. While it has many of the features the arcade version had, some sacrifices had to be done in order to fit the game in the cartridge. The graphic detail was vastly reduced and the characters were smaller. Some of the stages were redesigned or dropped from this version. The famous full motion videos that showed the characters after a victory were replaced by still images. The SNES version replaced the highly popular "Ultra combo!" announcer voice with a very short sample of the word "Ultra" that echoes several times The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... Screenshot of an FMV from Final Fantasy VIII using Bink Video. ...

Most of the characters preserved their special moves and danger moves. However, some of the special graphical effects - notably the shadow move effect - were removed. In the case of Spinal's skulls that surrounds him when he absorbs projectiles, the skulls are shown under his energy bar instead.

The game features many of the arcade version's secrets, though many of them have to be inputted with other sequences. For example, in order to play as Eyedol, in older arcade releases the player had to select Riptor and enter a code, but in later releases and also in the SNES release Cinder must be selected instead and different code must be put in.

In spite of these changes, some other modes were added, such as a training mode, a tournament mode (used for multiplayer purposes), and other options.

The Super Nintendo version was packaged with a 16 track music CD entitled Killer Cuts featuring arrangements of music from the game. Killer Cuts was later sold through Nintendo Power's Super Power Supplies mail order service in both CD and cassette form. Killer Cuts is a soundtrack album released with the video game Killer Instinct in 1995. ... Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo. ...

The Super NES game was packaged in a black casing in Europe, Australia and the United States, as opposed to the standard grey shell.

Game Boy

A Game Boy port was also made, but sacrifices were necessary due to the system's limitations. As a result, neither Cinder or Riptor appear, and the moves were heavily altered due to the more limited controls of the portable. The game supports some coloring when played in a Super Game Boy. For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... Super Game Boy Box art. ...

Version Differences

• In the first arcade version of the game the Danger moves were called No Mercy. This was changed for all later releases in the arcades and the SNES port.
• In older arcade releases there was a glitch that caused Fulgore and Glacius' teleport moves, when used against the edge of the rooftop levels, to shrink the players graphics to roughly half their normal size.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ...

References

• dmoz listing for Killer Instinct Series
• Killer Instinct series at MobyGames
• Killer Instinct at Nintendo.com
• Killer Instinct (Game Boy) at IGN
• Killer Instinct at GameFAQs