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With Season 3, Killer Instinct has grown into the "people's champ" of fighting games

Moraizen

Member
I have always followed the game on a casual basis through streams and the like (no Xbone and crappy PC) because I've always enjoyed the universe of Killer Instinct and fighting games in general, and from all I've seen the worst period was the developer transition from Double Helix to Iron Galaxy. In particular I remember that during that time TJ Combo and Maya looked especially poor, animation wise. That and the change to the weird futuristic UI full of hexagons gave it a worse presentation in my point of view.

It always feels super cheap to me when characters in the same game have different "quality standards" (looking at you Morrigan, tha fuck happened in CvS2?). Having said that, did things improve in the time being? I would still like to get into it eventually, but the way things were going after Iron Galaxy took over kind of soured the game a bit for me.
 

Exodust

Banned
I never thought I'd ever like a KI game. Bought it because the Xbone had more variety in it's launch line up and it surprisingly ended up as my favorite of the launch games by far. Love me some KI3
 

ScOULaris

Member
I have always followed the game on a casual basis through streams and the like (no Xbone and crappy PC) because I've always enjoyed the universe of Killer Instinct and fighting games in general, and from all I've seen the worst period was the developer transition from Double Helix to Iron Galaxy. In particular I remember that during that time TJ Combo and Maya looked especially poor, animation wise. That and the change to the weird futuristic UI full of hexagons gave it a worse presentation in my point of view.

Having said that, did things improve in the time being? I would still like to get into it eventually, but the way things were going after Iron Galaxy took over kind of soured the game a bit for me.
Yes, things have improved dramatically since the time of the transition. Maya and TJ both look and animate much better now than they did when they were first announced, and most of the characters IG has created since then all look and play great.

I think most people were surprised with how much IG was able to step up their game as Season 2 rolled on, and Season 3 showcases even more polish in terms of presentation and game balance.
 

So in both posts I said that the stages look good.

In my old post I said I couldn't wait to play it on PC.

In my new post I said I tried to play it on PC but the game would always hang on startup, an issue others have posted in that games thread as well.

I'm not sure what the point of linking that old post was.
 

Zafir

Member
Mortal Kombat XL is much closer to the people's champ after they fixed the net code issue. It's damn near flawless in single player and multiplayer offerings. Killer Instinct absolutely deserves some praise for offering a nearly equal package and one that didn't cost $59.99 from the get go.

Ultimately I don't understand why these topics have to boil down to which fighting game "wins." It's a niche genre that we are fortunate to have as many options available to us as we do right now. Trashing other fighting games because they aren't your favorite isn't doing the already small community any favors. It also turns off potential players who are influenced by people constantly beating the "x game sucks" drum who have probably never touched it.

I don't see how Mortal Kombat X can be considered the peoples champ when Warner Bros just left any PC fans dead in the water.

I have a PS4 and a Xbone, so I could play it on another console, but man fuck Warner Brothers.

They aint getting more of my money.
 

cireza

Member
If only there was a good 6 buttons controller available for Xbox One, I would probably buy the game.

I have only played the free version because of that.
 

Daante

Member
I have never played this game (only a shitload of the KI1, yep i owned the full Arcade machine for a few years, good times) but i watched the majority of the KI World Cup, live earlier this year. I found it to be really good and entertaining, both from a general more mainstream esports perspective, and at the same time for someone like me who is interested more in the details, dept and the metagame.

It also seems there is at least a handfull of really, really good players who can compete at the absolute highest level currently possible. The character diveristy and the general pacing and quality of the games i saw in that tournament, made me feel i must watch the next big tournament.

Finally i would say that it seems the developer Iron Galaxy truly understands the whole spectrum of how you as a dev properly communicate with your audience and the fans.
I mean come on, i watched the whole patch announcment panel and as someone who never played the game i was still kinda hype.
 

pitchfork

Member
I jumped on board in January when it hit GwG and immediately fell I love. Picked up S2 ultra in the sale a few weeks later, and grabbed S3 ultra as soon as it became available

Best fighter I've played in years
 
Mmmh... too much SFV talking in a KI topic.
Shows you why in fgc no other fighting game find success like SF. Because deep down you inside we still love and want to play SF hahaha. Casual market is already on lock with MK maybe some smash and doa. But FG regulars still continue to play SF. Regardless of sp content...
 

bob_arctor

Tough_Smooth
Shows you why in fgc no other fighting game find success like SF. Because deep down you inside we still love and want to play SF hahaha. Casual market is already on lock with MK maybe some smash and doa. But FG regulars still continue to play SF. Regardless of sp content...

Of course. Street Fighter is life.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Shows you why in fgc no other fighting game find success like SF. Because deep down you inside we still love and want to play SF hahaha. Casual market is already on lock with MK maybe some smash and doa. But FG regulars still continue to play SF. Regardless of sp content...

The Capcurse. People that don't even like it play it because other options are so limited. This goes for SF4 as well. I ran an arcade in the SF4 days and would get the "don't like it but what else am I going to play" more often than you would think.


Edit: by limited options I am talking about what is populr among local players, not quality of competing games.
 

Moraizen

Member
The Capcurse. People that don't even like it play it because other options are so limited. This goes for SF4 as well. I ran an arcade in the SF4 days and would get the "don't like it but what else am I going to play" more often than you would think.


Edit: by limited options I am talking about what is populr among local players, not quality of competing games.

I completely agree with this feeling. I was never much of a fan of SFIV but was forced to play it because that's what people know best. With that said, I think SFV is fantastic from a gameplay standpoint, much better than IV could ever hope to be. All we need now is for the single player and general consistency (graphics, online matchups, etc) to fall into place and we will have a worthwhile proposition for any fighting game fan.

But as a side note, while I agree with the general "Street Fighter gets all the fame" sentiment, SFxT completely failed to lift off the ground (for very valid reasons), even after they got most of the issues fixed. That is proof that despite all the Capcom loving for which the FGC is usually known for, they are not completely blind, so lets hope that Capcom learns some lessons from Killer Instinct. The more fighters the merrier, none of them should fail if they prove to be both fun and balanced.
 
Shows you why in fgc no other fighting game find success like SF. Because deep down you inside we still love and want to play SF hahaha. Casual market is already on lock with MK maybe some smash and doa. But FG regulars still continue to play SF. Regardless of sp content...

I find this train of thought utterly depressing. Not everyone wants to play SF and not every game has to play like SF. Variety is the spice of life.
 

tariniel

Member
I've said it in the OT already, but I think this game is pretty close to perfect (at least on PC). I've had very few issues, there's tons of content and characters, the netcode and load times are lightning quick, I enjoy the music and graphics, etc.

The only downside - and this has been consistent for me from day 1 playing online - just about everyone is disrespectful with taunts and teabagging. I know that it means nothing in the end, but when I play ranked in Bronze, 4/5 people taunt and/or teabag between rounds and upon victory. I shouldn't let it bother me, but it still does anyways. I know that they're getting the reaction that they want by me feeling this way but I can't help it.

Exhibition has been a bit better in this regard, but it still happens there too.
 

ScOULaris

Member
I've said it in the OT already, but I think this game is pretty close to perfect (at least on PC). I've had very few issues, there's tons of content and characters, the netcode and load times are lightning quick, I enjoy the music and graphics, etc.

The only downside - and this has been consistent for me from day 1 playing online - just about everyone is disrespectful with taunts and teabagging. I know that it means nothing in the end, but when I play ranked in Bronze, 4/5 people taunt and/or teabag between rounds and upon victory. I shouldn't let it bother me, but it still does anyways. I know that they're getting the reaction that they want by me feeling this way but I can't help it.

Exhibition has been a bit better in this regard, but it still happens there too.

Yeah, that's one of the more unsavory aspects of the online KI community as of right now. The level of showboating/disrespect with teabagging and taunting is pretty high, but then again most other fighting games don't give you the opportunity to do that kind of stuff after a win.
 

Nuu

Banned
I've said it in the OT already, but I think this game is pretty close to perfect (at least on PC). I've had very few issues, there's tons of content and characters, the netcode and load times are lightning quick, I enjoy the music and graphics, etc.

The only downside - and this has been consistent for me from day 1 playing online - just about everyone is disrespectful with taunts and teabagging. I know that it means nothing in the end, but when I play ranked in Bronze, 4/5 people taunt and/or teabag between rounds and upon victory. I shouldn't let it bother me, but it still does anyways. I know that they're getting the reaction that they want by me feeling this way but I can't help it.

Exhibition has been a bit better in this regard, but it still happens there too.

Just be glad that you never played Street Fighter IV's online during its heyday.
 
I havent downloaded it again but I'll give it a shot. I've been playing on PS3 and original Xbox the last month so haven't had my pc on very much.

Try this too:

[quote="HashtagSenketsu - Ultra-Combo forums]

On pc go to your start menu and search for Services, open service.msc and find Xbox Live Game Save and turn it off. Then run KI and turn it back on. I don't know why, but doing this fixed the checking for downloadable content issue for me.
[/quote]

It worked for me.
 

tariniel

Member
Just be glad that you never played Street Fighter IV's online during its heyday.

Oh I did, where they allowed extra hits after the KO and everything. For some reason back then it didn't bother me. Maybe because I was younger and thought it was funny instead of disrespectful, or something. I was also less serious about playing then compared to now.
 

Dandy J

Member
As someone who plays most fighting games that come out, this game is dope. Tried it on XB1 when it first came out, and hadn't really kept up with it until the Win10 release. Catching up is definitely a struggle, but the game is really addictive and there's a ton of stuff to learn. It's got it's fair share of small problems, but overall it's a great package.

Also maybe it's just that I'm coming in late, but this is like the hardest fighting game I've ever played. The game is so fast and there's so much to look out for, and then on top of that you have to stay mentally present to mix up combo options when you get a hit almost too much to think about. The game is mind-draining beyond even VF (in a different way), and that's saying something.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Also maybe it's just that I'm coming in late, but this is like the hardest fighting game I've ever played. The game is so fast and there's so much to look out for, and then on top of that you have to stay mentally present to mix up combo options when you get a hit almost too much to think about. The game is mind-draining beyond even VF (in a different way), and that's saying something.

After playing KI ranked for a half hour or so I always notice that I'm sweating.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Playing a keep-away Glacius is so rewarding. You can sense the irritation on the other end.
 

Infil

Neo Member
Also maybe it's just that I'm coming in late, but this is like the hardest fighting game I've ever played. ... The game is mind-draining

Yeah, KI is one of the most difficult fighters to play for this reason. It's one of those things you actually can't really feel just by watching streams of the game... when you actually play it yourself, and you see how mentally draining it is to constantly worry about offense and defense at all times, it's pretty eye-opening. KI gets me more stressed, even against beginner/intermediate players, than any other fighting game I've played since maybe my tournament Melee days. It is incredibly high pace and you are only one or two mistakes away from taking (or delivering) big damage at all times.

It's why I can always brush off people who call it a button masher or a game with no depth. Sure, your character *does stuff* if you button mash (same with all games)... and in KI, your character actually does cool stuff. But none of it is sustainable against players with a bit of game knowledge and a few hours of practice, and then the game really starts to open up. And if you and your friends aren't particularly good at fighters, then the button mashing is still fun enough to sustain the game.
 
Yeah, KI is one of the most difficult fighters to play for this reason. It's one of those things you actually can't really feel just by watching streams of the game... when you actually play it yourself, and you see how mentally draining it is to constantly worry about offense and defense at all times, it's pretty eye-opening. KI gets me more stressed, even against beginner/intermediate players, than any other fighting game I've played since maybe my tournament Melee days. It is incredibly high pace and you are only one or two mistakes away from taking (or delivering) big damage at all times.

It's why I can always brush off people who call it a button masher or a game with no depth. Sure, your character *does stuff* if you button mash (same with all games)... and in KI, your character actually does cool stuff. But none of it is sustainable against players with a bit of game knowledge and a few hours of practice, and then the game really starts to open up. And if you and your friends aren't particularly good at fighters, then the button mashing is still fun enough to sustain the game.

Are you the guy who wrote that amazing guide? (responding to DandyJ the guy I know from his KOF/VF overviews)
 

ScOULaris

Member
Yep, that's me! Hiya.

Fantastic work on the guide. It's basically a blueprint for how digital guides should be for ever-evolving games like KI. The use of animated GIFs throughout really puts it over the edge in terms of quality and clarity.
 

Dinjoralo

Member
I feel like a big part of KI's sudden recent appeal comes from SFV's rocky launch and post-launch updates, at least for me. I got the supreme edition and I ain't regretting it at all, this is a great fighting game that actually trumps Street Fighter in terms of giving a shit about PC. It's a shame it's being limited to such a terrible storefront.

Yep, that's me! Hiya.

Yo, thanks for the awesome guides! How're the character pages for Rash and Kim going? :p
 

Dinjoralo

Member
Infil's guide is the greatest. Please share it with anyone new to the game. Its FREE!

Dude, you should ask if you could have that guide included in-game in some fashion. It is that good, and if anything else, it deserves being front-and-center to any new players like that.
 
It's an absolute shame that console wars rhetoric will prevent so many non Xbox non PC players from even trying this. Best fighting game of this gen by far.

I've actually got my SFV up in a BST after only a week.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I want the S3 ultra edition. But I bought the S2 supreme edition and I'm feeling a bit salty at no discount off of that $40 asking price based on my previous purchase. It makes my investment $100 where someone jumping in for the first time today gets everything for $60. I'm sure I'll get over it at some point.
 

Fraeon

Member
I do like the game. I'm not kidding when I say this is the best western effort for a fighting game to date.

I'm kind of used to combos being something I just do from muscle memory while you think of the next sequence I'll do to open my opponent. KI really doesn't let me do this thanks to how the combos work.

It takes a lot getting used to that combos themselves are mixups.
 
He is, but I don't think what he's saying is baseless. Hell, there's merit in psychological projection itself, despite the fact that people like to attribute pejorative connotations to it.

You're right. What he's saying is based in the idea that Street Fighter is the be all, end all of fighting games. That idea also happens to be bullshit. Why should we find merit in it?
 

danmaku

Member
I'm not a big fan of the art direction (some characters are OK, others look awful) but the combat engine is solid and very well designed. You can see a lot of thought went into it and the tutorial is great too.
 

eizarus

Banned
Damn OP! As someone who is generally bad at fighting games (I do OK in MK though), you just sold me on this game. Sounds perfect. I never kept up with it, thinking that was just another fighting game that would be forgotten in a few months. Glad to see that's not the case and that it's on PC. Gonna get it today :D
 
You're right. What he's saying is based in the idea that Street Fighter is the be all, end all of fighting games. That idea also happens to be bullshit. Why should we find merit in it?

That's a cynical interpretation of his comment, though. Admittedly, it's a crude expression, but what I find hiding in that quote is the inescapable fact that the genre at large is a product of Street Fighter II. Every fighting game you've played is some variation of it. That will probably never change as long as the genre is relevant.

That's going to play into the psychology of many people that play fighting games. Especially if you're a millennial child.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Damn OP! As someone who is generally bad at fighting games (I do OK in MK though), you just sold me on this game. Sounds perfect. I never kept up with it, thinking that was just another fighting game that would be forgotten in a few months. Glad to see that's not the case and that it's on PC. Gonna get it today :D

Nice! We welcome you into the fray, friend.
 

El Sabroso

Member
If only there was a good 6 buttons controller available for Xbox One, I would probably buy the game.

I have only played the free version because of that.

MKX pad

81XSWYPMfNL._SL1500_.jpg
 
Is there an article about how they managed to achieve the results they did with the netcode? I'd like to know how they have been able to have success when so many console developers fail at abysmal online coding for their games.

I'd also like to see some insights into how they balance the game.




This game is not coming for PC is it?
 
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