The beginning of the eighth generation of gaming was a very slow time: while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One caused a lot of excitement among gamers, the launch lineups for both games were not exactly glowing. The PlayStation 4 featured only the underachieving "Knack" and "Killzone: Shadow Fall," while the Xbox One was left with games like "Forza Motorsport 5," "Dead Rising 3" and "Ryse: Son of Rome," games that were, at best, just okay, and didn't exactly sell the world on the new consoles. With both consoles, it seemed that you had to rely on smaller games if you really wanted to enjoy your time with the systems. In the PlayStation 4's case, it was "Resogun," and for the Xbox One, it was "Killer Instinct," the free-to-play revitalization of Rare's fighting game franchise from the 1990s. As it turned out, this was a revitalization done very right!
"Killer Instinct" updates the fighting mechanics of the original games to great effect. The controls and fighting mechanics are smooth, and it leads to some very intense, excellent battles. I also love the game's fast pacing and combo system, as well as the excellent Combo Breakers. They occasionally feel a bit tough to pull off for me, but when I do, I think they are extremely satisfying. The visuals are stunning, the gameplay is smooth, and I love the sound design, from the great music to the satisfying announcer's screams of "C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!" And while the game was initially a bit light on content at launch, what was there was great, and I think the added content only helped out the game, as it gave you far more to do, while not detracting from the experience for people who couldn't pay for it.
I think my only real issue with the game is that I wish there was a little more single-player content to it. I'm glad more was added in, but I definitely think there could've been a little bit more length to the solo content.
Overall, though, "Killer Instinct" is a successful reinvention of a classic fighting game, and it's one that's gotten way better than it already was thanks to the post-launch content that was added. Even if you download the free version that doesn't include the add-ons, you would still have an amazing time with it. If you have an Xbox One and haven't gotten to try this game, do yourself a favor.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"