Killer Instinct was an early Tekken-variant with its spectacular combos, but this hid flaws in the gameplay.
What set Killer Instinct apart from the other beat-em ups was its combo system; hitting the right attack would set a chain of hits on your opponent. Further, once damaged enough, you could set in motion a combo finisher, where your character would batter the life out of your enemy.
Although most of the characters were stock types you'd seen equivalents of elsewhere - a boxer, a ninja, and a female secret agent to name but three - a werewolf, an alien made of ice, a convict turned into fire and a resurrected skeleton were a bit different.
Their reasons for entering the tournament are typical of the genre; Orchid wants to bring down the criminal organisation holding the tournament, Cinder wants his body and freedom back and so on. There isn't a great deal to distinguish between the characters' movesets, although some such as Jago and Orchid are more nimble than the likes of Glacius and Sabrewulf.
Whilst combat was enjoyable, the characters feel a little too gimmicky to present a rounded challenge and are hamstrung by their abilities - some are easy to beat, others seriously difficult - and this transfers over to the two-player mode as well, which isn't as much fun as it should be, nor does it compare to the likes of StreetFighter II.
It's a distinctive game and became a series that many are expecting a revival of, but there's a fair few bugs to be worked out before they perfect this formula.