Killer Instinct

 Xbox One
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 656 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 362 out of 656
  2. Mixed: 102 out of 656
  3. Negative: 192 out of 656
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  1. RecoveryRx
    Nov 28, 2013
    6
    I question people giving this game 10's and even 9's for that matter, because while the fighting engine itself is fun, this is one of the most bare bones fighting games I've seen released in countless years. And we aren't reviewing here what the game COULD be after multiple months and DLC's this is what the game is now. This was clearly an EXTREMELY rushed game which can be seen in theI question people giving this game 10's and even 9's for that matter, because while the fighting engine itself is fun, this is one of the most bare bones fighting games I've seen released in countless years. And we aren't reviewing here what the game COULD be after multiple months and DLC's this is what the game is now. This was clearly an EXTREMELY rushed game which can be seen in the miniscule fighter line-up, total absence of most modes and features many fighting games launch with now, and lack of other things like No-mercy's, ultimates, stage fatalities, etc things the devs have even confirmed they just haven't had time to add in but will sometime in the FUTURE.

    So maybe in the future this game will be a 8-10, but right now the highest I can give it judging the whole package is a 6.    … Expand
  2. AngryJoesnum1Fa
    Mar 25, 2014
    5
    I can not stress my overall fun and disappointment right now for this game. I will just wait until the full game is completed with all the characters! I hope a COMPLETE PC port comes out next year! It is fun but insulting. It's like a tired out series that slaps you in the face while you are forcing yourself to have a good time while trying to ignore the constant slaps.
  3. Kadeemluvmusic
    Dec 6, 2013
    7
    Since the SNES started to wind down in the late 90s, I was totally into Killer Instinct. That was one of my favorite fighting games of all time. After nearly 2 decades, the new (and seemingly disappointing XBOX One) started to reboot a forgotten franchise that desperately needs a third sequel and it finally got what fans deserved. But I thought Mortal Kombat was better than Killer InstinctSince the SNES started to wind down in the late 90s, I was totally into Killer Instinct. That was one of my favorite fighting games of all time. After nearly 2 decades, the new (and seemingly disappointing XBOX One) started to reboot a forgotten franchise that desperately needs a third sequel and it finally got what fans deserved. But I thought Mortal Kombat was better than Killer Instinct because I felt that the new KI isn't ready for a comeback just yet. The characters were fully resigned including my favorite, Black Orchid, but they didn't add more fan-favorite fighters like we seriously want Maya and Kim Wu in the mix and that's why KI was a disappointment at E3 this year. There were a lot of problems including the reason why Killer Instinct is now an exclusive instead of a retail version on the XBOX One, why the new reboot avoided an M-rated content, and how this game is 15 years way too long. It's still a good game but needs to add more characters and hopefully things will be better in no time unlees a Teen-rated game is unnecessary and incoherent.… Expand
  4. charlie15
    Nov 24, 2013
    6
    Great mechanics, but it's a rip off considering the content is so shallow. $50 for a demo is not on. Let's hope that xbox decide to draw upon this blueprint and provide the people who purchased this with some nice free content
  5. StumpBeefknob
    Dec 17, 2013
    5
    Pros: The fighting mechanics are very deep. Graphics are solid. Performance is rock solid. Audio is good. This title still has a lot of potential to grow, if they can just give us the rest of this clearly incomplete game without gouging us.

    Cons: Their micro-transaction methodology is unappealing, it just feels greedy. $4.99 a character just puts me in a sour mood. Extreme lack of    Pros: The fighting mechanics are very deep. Graphics are solid. Performance is rock solid. Audio is good. This title still has a lot of potential to grow, if they can just give us the rest of this clearly incomplete game without gouging us.

    Cons: Their micro-transaction methodology is unappealing, it just feels greedy. $4.99 a character just puts me in a sour mood. Extreme lack of content. Even with all 8 characters, it still doesn't feel like enough variety. And if DoubleHelix starts releasing one single new character at time, so that you have to pay the full $4.99 per new character, I am throwing this game in the bin.

    The way many developers use Microtransactions nowadays feels like they're trying to abuse the fact that many gamers are quite often very impulsive. And quite frankly, its insulting and disrespectful to their clientele.

    Pay-to-Win and Pay-for-Basic-****ing-Content come off as greedy Microtransaction philosophies that banks on psychological tricks to incessantly milk the customers. Its insulting.

    Microsoft/DoubleHelix should probably take notes from Valve or ArenaNet, among others, on how to do Microtransactions in a respectful yet very profitable manner.

    Also, way too many obvious company shills posting 9s and 10s in user reviews, but such is the way of Metacritic.    … Expand
  6. SchroederRock
    Feb 1, 2014
    7
    Killer Instinct is pretty much every other fighter title you've played before, but it offers some cool bits that make it worth playing if you're a dedicated fan to the genre. It's also the only game of its kind on these next generation consoles and can be a good competitive title for you an another friend or two when a game like Battlefield may seem too big for the moment.
  7. DownByTheRiver
    Mar 29, 2014
    6
    My little brother bought this game and he enjoys it. I'm not really into fighting games but this one is okay. Not many characters unfortunately and some play better than others. The game looks great and is fairly fun, but I personally wouldn't pay too much for this one.
  8. etb444
    May 15, 2014
    6
    Right on the best thing for colombia and spending money from vacation with the Ted Kennedy and spending time together for colombia and spending them it is pretty good morning baby you live with that much of games up for the gold medal winning streak to get out early in english language and spending money for the best things about you
  9. Troublewalking
    Mar 6, 2014
    6
    This game is available as a free game from the Xbox One store. So honestly, I can't see how some people are complaining about the price of the game. IMO if you rate a game you can get for free, lower than 5, your probably not giving the game a fair review. You can play the game, compete in online competition or in single player survival mode, and I believe against friends offline and notThis game is available as a free game from the Xbox One store. So honestly, I can't see how some people are complaining about the price of the game. IMO if you rate a game you can get for free, lower than 5, your probably not giving the game a fair review. You can play the game, compete in online competition or in single player survival mode, and I believe against friends offline and not pay one red cent.

    The free version comes with one character opened, allows you to earn points and open other areas. I didn't play it enough to see if you can unlock other characters for free. Though it never seemed to unlock any new characters even after myself and 2 others played a couple hours each. Granted most of mine was in the dojo, learning the ins and outs of the combo, counter, shadow, instinct and counter system. The dojo mode is pretty extensive. And perfect for teaching those not used to fighting games like Killer Instinct to learn all the combos and in and outs of the game, along with it's new features.

    Of course being free there are the micro transactions where the company plans to make it's money back on you. Which is to be expected, as the company has to make profits some how.

    For 20 bucks you can unlock 6 characters, plus 2 new ones that will be released later. With several updates and characters already planned. Which is probably a bit overpriced for all but the hardcore Killer Instinct fans. IMO 5-10 bucks would be a fair price to unlock all the other characters. As there are only 6 in total.

    For 40 bucks you unlock all of the other content, including stuff to make characters look different. PLUS THE ORIGINAL KILLER INSTINCT FOR YOUR XBOX ONE! Again obviously something hardcore Killer Instinct fans would love. And something casual players would probably do best to avoid.

    The graphics are nice, the characters seem to move pretty fast. Online doesn't seem to have any real problems that I or my friends seemed to experience. Over all it's a typical 90's combo masher fighting game, with some updates to try to keep it interesting. Some of those updates may be very frustrating to those used to the original game, who didn't take the time to train in the games dojo mode. As they will have no idea why certain things are happening. Like someone countering your huge combo. You getting stunned by a bad choice. Or someone healing themselves.

    Obviously, if your not into the combo mashing fighting games this is not the title for you. But the free version is a nice addition to your Xbox One collection and is great for when you have some friends who like to compete in the 90's style fighting games over. When you no longer want it, go to your apps section, hit the start button on your joystick and delete the game from your system. No big deal.

    The thing that can be most frustrating about this game and other multiplayer online games for the Xbox One, is if you get in the online matches and you end up against people who are obviously ranked much better than yourself. It can ruin your gaming experience. The ranking systems early on, don't seem to really be able to accurately detect players skill sets. Which can lead to player frustration. Either because you have no competition, or some of the players you face may be impossible for someone of your skill level to beat. Though this shouldn't be a huge problem for serious fans of the original Killer Instinct game as they probably know most of the moves already. And will have a smaller learning curve as they adapt to the new stuff.    … Expand
  10. FNG
    Oct 27, 2014
    7
    (Seson 1) I received a free code for the full version of this game, but I opted to purchase the full version so that I could get the original arcade release of Killer Instinct 1... at the time, KI1 was what made the purchase worthwhile for me. The Xbox One Killer Instinct felt unfinished and repetitive with very little to keep me coming back to play.. No story mode, no finishers, few(Seson 1) I received a free code for the full version of this game, but I opted to purchase the full version so that I could get the original arcade release of Killer Instinct 1... at the time, KI1 was what made the purchase worthwhile for me. The Xbox One Killer Instinct felt unfinished and repetitive with very little to keep me coming back to play.. No story mode, no finishers, few finished characters, etc.; quite disappointing. As time went by and updates were released, the game became more polished and more features were added. The addition of a story mode was exciting to me, as was the addition of some classic KI characters such as Glacius, Fulgore, Spinal and Saberwulf. Season 2 promises to continue to shape Killer Instinct into the game that fans have been begging for.... One stage "fatality" has been added and hopefully, more will follow. The game play mechanics are rock solid, new menu system is very polished, and I'm excited to see what the KI team has in store for fans. (Please, don't let us down.,, so far, so good.)… Expand
  11. josesueiro
    Apr 23, 2016
    5
    Killer Instinct is a fighting video game, the third in the Killer Instinct series, developed by Double Helix Games, Iron Galaxy Studios, Rare and Microsoft Studios.
  12. XxJoseManuelxX
    Aug 16, 2016
    5
    Killer Instinct is a fighting video game, the third in the Killer Instinct series, developed by Double Helix Games, Iron Galaxy Studios, Rare and Microsoft Studios.
  13. CenkAlp
    Jan 2, 2018
    7
    Hikaye = 6
    Oynanış = 7
    Grafikler = 7
    Sesler = 6
    Keyif = 8
    Atmosfer = 6
    Süre = 6
  14. storygamer
    Sep 4, 2020
    7
    Killer Instinct is a cult fighting game, that found its way to the Xbox One. It has cool characters, nice optics and the gameplay isn´t innovative, but fun. The gameplay is complex but addictive but the story mode is negligible.
  15. ThePieMan07
    Aug 14, 2023
    6
    I'm bad at fighting games, and don't usually like them, but this ones pretty cool.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox One Game of 2013
5
#5 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2013
4
#4 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. Critical Hit
    Oct 9, 2014
    80
    Flashy, brutal and deeper than you'd expect. Killer Instinct is back baby.
    Read full review
  2. XGN
    Jan 3, 2014
    70
    Even though the demo is pretty disappointing, the full Killer Instinct proves to be a really nice addiction to the fighting genre. Most of the characters come directly from the first Killer Instinct-game, but this time they look really gorgeous on the new Xbox One. The fighting system of Killer Instinct is a very layered one, which will keep you busy for loads of hours although a campaign mode is definitely missed.
    Read full review
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 29, 2013
    70
    An excellent tutorial partially makes up for the tiny roster. [Feb 2014, p.68]
See all critic reviews »