Frankly? Not much. It simply came out way too late. In August 1995, SNES was on its dying bed. MK wasn't exactly new, and KI obviously copied it way too much. Same year, Tekken 1 and Virtua Fighter 2 came out for consoles, and Tekken 2 in arcades, which is ridiculous. MK-like genre would see its last big success with MK Trilogy, and after that pretty much die after 3D fighters would take over.
>Other 2D fighters were just fine.
First off, not really. 3D fighters clearly dominated the sales on PS, and the only games to come close to this were MK Trilogy and SFA3. Second, in Japan arcades were still pretty big, so their 2D fighters had more of a market. In US, arcades were slowly going away, and I think there was more push to go 3D. MK had a rough transition to 3D which also killed off the rest if the genre.
Also, to add, KI is pretty good gameplay-wise. Very intuitive controls with some depth; easy and cool combos without XBBAYYBBLRRL autism; combo breakers; and so forth. It's kind of what MK should have been from the start; but seeing this in 1995 wasn't exactly mindblowing, since it mostly just updated what existed before it.
Its main selling points were pre-rendered graphics, and (on arcade) CGI video backgrounds. Both things became outdated barely 1-2 years later.
MK3U at least offered a huge roster with familiar characters—something 2D fighters had over new 3D competitors.
Also the PS came out outta Nintendo being Nintendo. Thinking they couldn't just make a console from all the work they had already done on adapting their devices and tech to the SNES.
It came out in arcades in '94 and was still an extremely impressive 2D game then. Awkward time for a console release for a game with its specs though, yes.
Killer Instinct was not Clayfighter. You're conflating unless you can provide evidence that there was anything claymation about KI.
I was there. I bought it the day it came out. It was $75. I had never spent so much on a game and never would again. Aside from the Terminator 2 VHS selling "early" for $200 I can't even remember anything similar back then in terms of super-inflated price for something new. I was just a boy though so I missed a lot of stuff I wasn't interested in.
Not him, but cheap ass looking animation in KI has always been a major turn off for me. Even disregarding Capcom and SNK stuff and taking Mortal Kombat as an example: MK2 has completely fine animation. MK3 animation is simply great. But KI is MK1 level of jankiness. Claymation may be not the best comparison, it looks more like stiff action figures.
It still impressed with those FMV pseudo 3D backdrops and particles and as a kid I thought the tower stages were neat. Taken as a whole it looked next level. You weren't there when this dropped in arcades and don't even try to say you were.
Killer Instinct was planned for a Nintendo Ultra 64 port, but ended up on the SNES and GameBoy instead. I actually would have liked to see a real N64 port.
Yeah, it was the #14 best-selling game on SNES, which is impressive given the number of hits on the console. I guess it's less remembered because 1995 already had a frickload of good games, from DKC2 to SMW2 to Chrono Trigger to MK3. And from fighting game crowd perspective, it's not very interesting competitively, and is a bit too similar to MK.
Uh could somebody enlighten me how this is an MK clone? It's flatout Street Fighter. Jago is a flagrant shoto and TJ Combo plays like all the Three Kings rolled into one. Its combo system is completely unique from both.
OK, so everything you know about the game is from a page spread in some gaming magazine thirty years ago? Or you dumb yourself down to think like somebody who never played games? Help me out here.
it's more like a mix of SF and MK. there are long flashy combos like in MK, but the move commands are more like SF. fatalities and throwing the opponent off buildings are an obvious nod to MK. same with the 3D look. in any case, I can tell you haven't really played SF to think KI is much like it.
you are overestimating the average consumer, its true that it plays much closer to SF but since it was a western fighting game = MK clone for most people
even here people do it lol
you being born after 1995.
this was really popular and usually had a line at the arcade. jumping wasnt too floaty, projectiles werent overpowered, and it was really good at what it focused on - combos. I dont like it, but i respect it.
My biggest issue with KI graphics is how blurry it looks. Almost as if it was put through bilinear filter. And yeah, the animation is on the weird/silly side.
>What went wrong?
You making this thread
Frankly? Not much. It simply came out way too late. In August 1995, SNES was on its dying bed. MK wasn't exactly new, and KI obviously copied it way too much. Same year, Tekken 1 and Virtua Fighter 2 came out for consoles, and Tekken 2 in arcades, which is ridiculous. MK-like genre would see its last big success with MK Trilogy, and after that pretty much die after 3D fighters would take over.
Why would you blame the death of MK clones on 3D fighters? Other 2D fighters were just fine.
>Other 2D fighters were just fine.
First off, not really. 3D fighters clearly dominated the sales on PS, and the only games to come close to this were MK Trilogy and SFA3. Second, in Japan arcades were still pretty big, so their 2D fighters had more of a market. In US, arcades were slowly going away, and I think there was more push to go 3D. MK had a rough transition to 3D which also killed off the rest if the genre.
Also, to add, KI is pretty good gameplay-wise. Very intuitive controls with some depth; easy and cool combos without XBBAYYBBLRRL autism; combo breakers; and so forth. It's kind of what MK should have been from the start; but seeing this in 1995 wasn't exactly mindblowing, since it mostly just updated what existed before it.
Its main selling points were pre-rendered graphics, and (on arcade) CGI video backgrounds. Both things became outdated barely 1-2 years later.
MK3U at least offered a huge roster with familiar characters—something 2D fighters had over new 3D competitors.
3D fighters were a mistake, besides Soul Calibur 2.
Stfu, Tekken 3 was peak late 90s soul.
>Tekken 2
ftfy
I know many have nostalgia for Tekken 2 here but having no input buffer puts it into the clunky trash category. T3 is where the series became good.
Tekken 3 was legit as frick
Honestly I think the game just ate shit, the competitors were all 3D and nobody gave a frick about 2D for a long while.
Also the PS came out outta Nintendo being Nintendo. Thinking they couldn't just make a console from all the work they had already done on adapting their devices and tech to the SNES.
It came out in arcades in '94 and was still an extremely impressive 2D game then. Awkward time for a console release for a game with its specs though, yes.
>another mk ripoff
>but with a claymation gimmick!
no one cared
Killer Instinct was not Clayfighter. You're conflating unless you can provide evidence that there was anything claymation about KI.
I was there. I bought it the day it came out. It was $75. I had never spent so much on a game and never would again. Aside from the Terminator 2 VHS selling "early" for $200 I can't even remember anything similar back then in terms of super-inflated price for something new. I was just a boy though so I missed a lot of stuff I wasn't interested in.
Not him, but cheap ass looking animation in KI has always been a major turn off for me. Even disregarding Capcom and SNK stuff and taking Mortal Kombat as an example: MK2 has completely fine animation. MK3 animation is simply great. But KI is MK1 level of jankiness. Claymation may be not the best comparison, it looks more like stiff action figures.
It still impressed with those FMV pseudo 3D backdrops and particles and as a kid I thought the tower stages were neat. Taken as a whole it looked next level. You weren't there when this dropped in arcades and don't even try to say you were.
>larping zoomer pulls "you had to be there" card
kek
okay dumbfrick
>Can't tell the difference between CG and clay
Confirmed underage.
>Can't tell the difference between assertion and irony
Confirmed autistic.
never got a release on the Nintendo Ultra 64.
Killer Instinct was planned for a Nintendo Ultra 64 port, but ended up on the SNES and GameBoy instead. I actually would have liked to see a real N64 port.
>I actually would have liked to see a real N64 port.
Same but the N64 wasn't even powerful enough to run it arcade perfect.
it sold 3.2 million copies and pretty much everyone who had it at the time loved it.
so not really much went wrong
Yeah, it was the #14 best-selling game on SNES, which is impressive given the number of hits on the console. I guess it's less remembered because 1995 already had a frickload of good games, from DKC2 to SMW2 to Chrono Trigger to MK3. And from fighting game crowd perspective, it's not very interesting competitively, and is a bit too similar to MK.
Uh could somebody enlighten me how this is an MK clone? It's flatout Street Fighter. Jago is a flagrant shoto and TJ Combo plays like all the Three Kings rolled into one. Its combo system is completely unique from both.
>Uh could somebody enlighten me how this is an MK clone?
The entire appeal to casuals (99% of sales) was blood and fatalities
OK, so everything you know about the game is from a page spread in some gaming magazine thirty years ago? Or you dumb yourself down to think like somebody who never played games? Help me out here.
it's more like a mix of SF and MK. there are long flashy combos like in MK, but the move commands are more like SF. fatalities and throwing the opponent off buildings are an obvious nod to MK. same with the 3D look. in any case, I can tell you haven't really played SF to think KI is much like it.
Stop judging games by Youtube videos and actually play them.
you are overestimating the average consumer, its true that it plays much closer to SF but since it was a western fighting game = MK clone for most people
even here people do it lol
my mom would never let me rent that game because of the name
Went in limbo for too many years, I think it would have done well on the XBOX1 both games, then a 3D new game.
Does this thread not know that a new update for the last game just got announced
Cinder was broken and everyone played him
you being born after 1995.
this was really popular and usually had a line at the arcade. jumping wasnt too floaty, projectiles werent overpowered, and it was really good at what it focused on - combos. I dont like it, but i respect it.
What do you mean by "wrong"? People liking this mediocre game?
dial-a-combo trash
Shitty lore and bad (Nintendo exclusive) console ports.
>bad (Nintendo exclusive) console ports.
I like how you put emphasis on "Nintendo exclusive", reads as a console warrior.
My biggest issue with KI graphics is how blurry it looks. Almost as if it was put through bilinear filter. And yeah, the animation is on the weird/silly side.
There's no filter going on, just some faked anti-aliasing.