Did Killer Instinct ruin fighting games?

[DexterNorgam]

Of course, fans of killer instinct are going to say no... but hear me out.

I miss the good old days of SF2, I think of SF2 and its variants (up to maybe sf3) as the golden age of the 2d fighters. MK, KoF, Samurai Showdown, ect.

Then KI came along, and while I liked it at the time I now dislike what it's done to my good old 2d fighters. After KI, every game had to have easily linkable pre-made combo chains. Or "super combos" that award some predetermined number of attacks/hits with a single command input. I don't think that was really the step forward that everyone seems to think it was.

SF2 had "links" as well, but those weren't really combos intentionally designed into the game. They were just examples of clever players taking note of the actual run time of certain attack animations and basically exploiting overlaps. That's why there's no combo meter, that's why the best chains you can run in SF2 are 3 or 4 hits. SF2 was more like a chess match, more about spacing, (especially since you couldn't cheat the spacing with a dash) and discipline than about memorization of a pre-made combination.

I'm not trying to take away from the skill it takes to play modern fighters. But I do miss the days of the simple contest of talent, no premade BS, no bail-me-out, super combos, basically everything that came about in response to Killer Instincts (well deserved) popularity.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

That game where I could mash the B button on my Gameboy and beat every character in the game?

Course not.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Variety is the spice of life.

Only being able to pull of 4 hit combos, with no supers etc is pretty damn boring.

Plus, nothing feels better than throwing out a well timed super/ultra and ripping victory from the jaws of defeat.

(Killer Instinct ruined nothing, but it was still a shit game.)

 

[Zhukov]

I remember that game! You could play as the human torch guy, mash forward and [other-button-I-can't-remember] and he'd do an almost infinite combo. Damn, that used to piss people off.

As for ruining fighting games... eh, I have no idea. Never really been into them, don't really see much there to ruin. They seem to have been in the gutter for quite a while now anyway.

 

[KaiserKnight]

Killer Instinct opened a door to more ideas and possibilities. I am not a fan of KI but I do detest SF, that game to me is over ratted and a HUGE marketing gimmick (HOW many SF2's are there? SF3 will do the same, it is not needed.)

SF and KI were fun games, it is not one games fault that others decided to mimic it...doesn't the new SF have combos? (Just cause they changed the wording does not make it different, combo, linking, combining, merging is the same bloody thing.)

There was no real talent in any fighting game, its remembering combinations (combos and/or special moves), timing and luck. Every fighting game can be like a chess game but many prefer to play them like checkers at times.

 

[krazykidd]

I remember that game. You could play as the human torch guy, mash forward and [other-button-I-can't-remember] and he'd do an almost infinite combo. Damn, that used to piss people off.

As for ruining fighting games... eh, I have no idea. Never really been into them, don't really see much there to ruin. They seem to have been in the gutter for quite a while now anyway.

You mean cinder .

OT : hey op remember this ? C-c-c-combo breaker! Yeah no infinite combos if you know what your doing . Plus the combos had a certain flow to it , you couldn't just use move after move you had to link them up which was pretty hard to do if you didn't get the timing perfect . It's no diferent than mortal kombat , except you couldn't break a combo that has started on you in mk . In my opinion killer instinct actually paved a way for chess like strategy in fighting games , especially playing against live players . Everything could be countered if you knew what you were doing . There were also no cheap super moves , so it all came done to skill . I would actually like to see a new killer instinct game .

Also didn't you love hearing ..... ... ULTRAAAA COMBOOOOO!

 

[StriderShinryu]

Fighting games were heading in that directing before Killer Instinct saw the light of day. In fact, I'd say it's more accurate a view to look at KI as a parody of fighting games. Of course, it played extremely well (better even than some of the games it parodied, like MK) and was very well crafted, but it was more a parody than anything else.

That said, I do understand the point the OP is trying to make and I even agree to some extent. There really aren't any fighters these days that don't have at least as much flash as function. It's just the way the market has gone and maybe KI did have some impact on that. If you want a more dialed back 2D fighting experience there's always SF4 even if it does have EXs, Supers and Ultras. I guess there's also the UFC games if you want more realistic fighting with less flash. Just don't, and it's good to see the OP make note of this as well, fool yourself into thinking that just because today's fighters are more flashy that they somehow are less technical or take less skill.

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

SF2 was more like a chess match.

I think this hits on exactly why, even though I played the heck out of SFII as a kid, that I don't enjoy playing it now. SFII is a lot like chess, in that strategy and thinking are a big part of winning. However chess is BORING as all heck to watch, and only less so to play. Having the big super combos, hyper moves, and multi-person teams make for a much more involving game.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I don't think Killer Instinct had much impact on the genre at all. Street Fighter (and King of Fighters, and Guilty Gear) style super moves are very different from the canned combos you saw in KI. In KI, literally everything was a combo, and pulling off the big ones was just a matter of knowing what buttons to press. In the other series that I listed, a super special is something you have to charge up a bar to be able to do, and it's more of a finisher than anything else.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Is it really in good taste to blame a dead franchise on current trends in gaming...? Sorry, I've just never been able to get any combos down on Killer Instinct Gold (the only one I had and played) and for fighting games in general, the best I could ever hope for would be the 3-hit combos. I'm by no means the best person to talk though...I'm terrible with fighting games and honestly don't care too much for them (though that wouldn't stop me from buying a new Killer Instinct, Clay Fighter, Primal Rage, etc should one be released)

 

[twistedheat15]

SF2 was more like a chess match.

I think this hits on exactly why, even though I played the heck out of SFII as a kid, that I don't enjoy playing it now. SFII is a lot like chess, in that strategy and thinking are a big part of winning. However chess is BORING as all heck to watch, and only less so to play. Having the big super combos, hyper moves, and multi-person teams make for a much more involving game.

SFII Had strategy? I remember the game being a matter of picking chars with the most spammable moves, then sit back and troll who ever your facing. Whether it was ryu/ken with their haduken, Sagat and his tiger shots, or Bison with his super sliding trip that raped you, ppl rarely used strat in that game. Even worst was the 3 hit combo that would leave you stunned and pretty much fcked, adding long hit combos made it so even if you where getting your ass kicked by spammy mc'gee you could always completely rape their ass with a well placed ultra combo just as they thought they was in for the win. IMO it took a lot more strategy learning combo's and how to execute them fully, then it did spending the match doing jump kicks and round house trips.

 

[Matrixbeast]

Of course not.
Mortal Kombat did with it's never ending supply of shit.

 

[ikyda1]

No its a fighting game thats sadly missed by alot of people

 

[Cridhe]

I think Killer Instinct was a fan-freaking-tastic game in it's time, although I have to say I feel it had a bad influence on the MK series but that's about it.