Ah, to have to judge Killer Instinct is like proclaiming which is the one true religion. KI has always been a love-it-or-hate-it game. My point exactly.

Ported from the arcade, this version was seriously downgraded graphically, but it still has a slick presentation. The animation is mostly smooth and the atmosphere of the game can’t be beat. Dark, sinister, yet with a cast of colourful and very likeable characters, KI is as easy hook.

But a hook to what? The gameplay basically consists of stringing combos together that reside within an established system. For the uninitiated, combos are accomplished through this pattern: opener, auto-double (”rock-paper-scissors” move that gives you free hits), linker (middle of the combo), second auto-double, and ender. One loses the flexibility of Street Fighter-esque two-in-ones and interrupts, but because the combo system supports multiple opening moves, auto-doubles and enders, one can mix and match different moves of different strengths for variety.

So, the combo system ensures that players won’t be popping the same string of moves over and over again. Good. However, using combos is basically the only way to win; there’s little flexibility for homegrown strategy. Not so good.

And that all boils down to this: Killer Instinct is a very wide game, but not a very deep one. If you can live with simply performing the combos, you will have yourself a fun, long-lasting title, and one that’s great for groups to watch. However, if you want the freedom to establish your own style of play and invent your own unique strategies, you may be disappointed. If you play by Nintendo’s rules, it’s an enjoyable title.

• Developer: Rare
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Reader Review by: B3njam1n
• Score: 70%