E3 2013 Preview: Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct was one of the titles announced at the Microsoft press conference and it was available to play on the show floor at E3 2013. So how is it?

The first thing you notice are the graphics. This new Killer Instinct is bright, colorful and filled with detail. Sabrewulf and Jago were the only two characters you could choose from, so fellow Arcade Sushi writer Angelo and myself decided to duke it out.

As you can see from the photo above I wasn't doing too well with Sabrewulf. Jago's combos were pretty crazy and once you get the hang of the control system, you can pull off some pretty crazy, and lengthy combos. Once I figured out what Sabrewulf could do, I was able to level the playing field a bit and knock Jago around.

The combos are the most important thing in a Killer Instinct game, and if you know the right charge moves, you can string together a really impressive string of painful maneuvers on your opponent.

I wasn't moving the camera while taking pictures, it's just the game is that fast. Attacks, once they lead into combos, come at a lightning pace and it's really hard to tell what's happening and how to defend it. Of course, we only got to play a couple of matches, so it will take a bit to get used to.

Only one stage was available to play. We didn't use the Xbox One controller though. We played on Killer Instinct arcade stick controllers. Would have liked to have played with the One controllers but this is a fighting game and combos are easier to pull off with an arcade stick. It's also harder to throw one across the convention floor after getting your ass kicked.

Killer Instinct was a lot of fun to play. The action is really fast paced and fans of the original are going to love this new version. (I'll challenge Angelo to a rematch once they add Jade into the mix.)