Killer Instinct Critic Reviews

As strictly a fighting game, the long wait was worth it. Killer Instinct is everything I’d hoped for and more.

Killer Instinct is a good fighting game despite its obvious lack of content.

An excellent fighting game, fast and furious, easy to learn hard to master and with superb audio and graphics. A jewel for fans of the genre that will have a long life.

Killer Instinct is one of the most thrillingly addictive fighting games in years, recreating the mid-1990s series like you remember it, just not necessarily how it actually was.

Not only is its combat system flashy and well thought out, it's well explained too, thanks to its powerful training tools, and what is easily the most complete guide to terminology and tactics ever assembled in a fighting game.

Maybe Double Helix didn't choose the best model to bring back this beloved Franchise to life, but they certainly did a great job maintaining everything that fans loved from the original game. Killer Instinct fans shouldn't let this game pass without, at least, trying it.

Six characters (two more to come) are too few too be happy, but the style and gameplay mechanics of Killer Instinct are interesting, brutal and fresh. Don't miss it.

Killer Instinct may seem little light with only six characters at launch, no lobbies for online play, and no Story mode until March, but the fighting mechanics are top notch. You can't argue with how easy the game is to pick up and play, and you'll have a ton of fun in the process. This is easily one of the best Xbox One launch titles.

Excellent mechanics and incredible playability make up for Killer Instinct's shortage of single-player content.

Unfortunately, the weird pricing structure and noticeable depth of features holds back the screaming, rage-filled “Powerthirst” of fighting games from really making a statement. It’s no Street Fighter competitor this time around, but it’s good enough to measure up against the rest.

The great training offered by Killer Instinct will help you get your feet wet, and it might just introduce you to some concepts that'll make you understand all fighting games on a slightly deeper level. That's a great touch.

It plays smoother, looks better than anything out there, and has a kick-ass soundtrack with a goofball announcer to boot. If you absolutely must recreate your childhood, then pick up the $40 pack, but most will be satisfied spending half that.

Fans of the Killer Instinct franchise need not worry, this is a great game to launch with the Xbox One.

Ultimately, however, costing nothing to download, we recommend giving the game a try, because even with a lack of content, Killer Instinct is a fun fighting game that's able to appeal to newcomers and hardcore fighting fans alike.

By no means is it going to topple some of the more prominent fighting titles, but it is definitely an interesting and pretty game that can be enjoyed by casual and hardcore players alike.

One of the best Xbox One launch exclusives and a great fighting game, with a very good combat system and probably the best tutorial section ever seen in the genre. Our only complaints are about the thin characters line-up and the absence of a classic Arcade mode.

No one would have bet on Double Helix, yet they proved everyone wrong: not only does this return of Killer Instinct hold intact the spirit of the original, but it takes the franchise to a whole new level. It might lack some content and still be a WIP, yet this is one of the sweetest treats the nextgen has given us.

Flashy, brutal and deeper than you'd expect. Killer Instinct is back baby.

Killer Instinct certainly is a fun game that does everything fighting games need to do right. It just doesn’t have a whole lot to offer otherwise. So unless you have a dedicated group of fighting gamers to play the game with you, you probably won’t get the Killer Instinct experience you were hoping for, and even if you do, high-level play feels a bit shallow.

The new Killer Instinct succeeds at stoking nostalgic fires while updating the action. However, a piecemeal season-based approach means that the initial incarnation is extremely light on content, revealing a fighter that’s as packed with vibrant combos as it is unfulfilled promise.