Microsoft is teasing the return of Killer Instinct in some form.

On the Play XBLA website, the company mentions that Microsoft has “either renewed or refilled a trademark application [for Killer Instinct] in various jurisdictions.”

It’s a teaser for a game, but what kind of game? Breaking the news on an Xbox Live Arcade-centric website suggests it’s a port or revamp of an existing Killer Instinct game, but we don’t know. And unless Microsoft has access to the original character models and backgrounds or decided to re-do everything, it’s really hard to imagine how the Killer Instinct games aren’t going to look odd today.

If Jet Set Radio’s recent re-release has taught us anything, maybe some of our old “favorites” are better left in the past. Will Killer Instinct join that pile?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I totally owned a copy of the Killer Cuts CD. And liked it.)

Microsoft is teasing the return of Killer Instinct in some form.

On the Play XBLA website, the company mentions that Microsoft has “either renewed or refilled a trademark application [for Killer Instinct] in various jurisdictions.”

It’s a teaser for a game, but what kind of game? Breaking the news on an Xbox Live Arcade-centric website suggests it’s a port or revamp of an existing Killer Instinct game, but we don’t know. And unless Microsoft has access to the original character models and backgrounds or decided to re-do everything, it’s really hard to imagine how the Killer Instinct games aren’t going to look odd today.

If Jet Set Radio’s recent re-release has taught us anything, maybe some of our old “favorites” are better left in the past. Will Killer Instinct join that pile?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I totally owned a copy of the Killer Cuts CD. And liked it.)

Yes! Bring back all the old favorites!

Sweet

Hope its KI 1 2 was pants !

Love Killer Instincts but I don't know if it plays now, probably won't get it

Killer Instinct is still awesome, and I will strike down the hordes of comments below me that claim that it's awful and shouldn't come back.

This was my fighting game of choice. So many hours in the arcade with KI. I never came close to being decent at any other fighting game, but I could crank out 101 hit B Orchid combos like the world was ending.

i dont think my nostalgia for this will be ruined if it gets an xbla release. ive known it was garbage for years and it doesnt really bother me.

Don't hate on Jet Set Radio. Love that game, warts and all.

Killer Instinct by comparison was just there as a graphic showcase, an extension of the same rendering techniques that made Donkey Kong Country look good. Rare had no business making a fighting game, and matches that are decided in seconds as opponents race to dial in the commands that kick off hundred-hit combos on each other.

Unless it's a complete reboot, I'm not at all interested.

Eh, I'm sure my brother will love it. He loves Killer Instinct.

There are so many fighting games out these days, I can't imagine what kind of audience a KI remake could get.

Kinect Killer Instinct...

I spent a hell of a lot of time with KI for the SNES when I was a kid. Something about mashing the buttons and getting 8-11 hit combos was just so awesome. Patrick's right though, gotta feel that it's best to let sleeping Sabrewulves lie.

Minecraft skins.

Man I grew up on Killer Instinct. Would be awesome if they made an HD remake of the original.

Kinect Killer Instinct...

To be fair, they could just be renewing the trademark so they don't lose it and don't intend on doing something with it right now.

@Crushed said:

Killer Instinct is still awesome, and I will strike down the hordes of comments below me that claim that it's awful and shouldn't come back.

Bring it, fool.

Dam i could play the shit out of some killer instinct about now.

This has to be a port/feeler for a potential remake. Who would throw a real development budget blindly at Killer Instinct in this day and age? And would Rare do it? Could Rare do it? They're super busy making cartoon clothing.

I'd be shocked and pleased if Microsoft decides to go big with this. I just can't see it happening right now.

I hope I'm wrong.

I used to play the hell out of this on Game Boy. I have no interest in playing it again.

How about a nice new Perfect Dark?

SO GOOD!!

Yes, and yes, and oh yeah, yes.

Juggle mania!

EDIT: Needs a dose of C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

Fuck!

SUPREME VICTORY!

@onan said:

Don't hate on Jet Set Radio. Love that game, warts and all.

Killer Instinct by comparison was just there as a graphic showcase, an extension of the same rendering techniques that made Donkey Kong Country look good. Rare had no business making a fighting game, and matches that are decided in seconds as opponents race to dial in the commands that kick off hundred-hit combos on each other.

Unless it's a complete reboot, I'm not at all interested.

That's weird, the game had really interesting mechanics. Certainly a more deep combo system than UMK3 for instance. Just because you played it like *mash mash mash* doesn't mean every one else was.

SHE TOTALLY KILLS GUYS WITH HER TITS DUDE

My friend used to love KI. He always goes off about how he placed in some KI tournament at a local fair back in the day. Now I'll have to listen go off about it even more now that this is coming out. I hate people.

There's no room for a Killer Instinct game anymore. It will sell some based off nostalgia but it won't compete in the competitive scene, not at all.

It's all about Street Fighter and Marvel, with Tekken and MK fighting for scraps. Actually that's a bit unfair on Tekken.

Whaaat? Since when does Microsoft care about fighting games? This is potentially exciting...

Killer Cuts is dope as fuck. Don't be ashamed of that.

Shut up, Patrick. JSR still rules.

The realistic best case scenario:
- Rare will drop some KI themed avatar items

What actually happened:
- MS didn't want to let it expire so that other companies could apply for and use the name.

@Sooty: You're conflating the "scene" to be more than it actually is. Not everyone cares if their games are played in tournaments. In fact, Team Ninja pretty much came out and said that they're not even focusing on that crowd for Dead or Alive. What matters is what people actually buy. Tekken might not attract as many spectators as Marvel, but guess which series has sold more copies.

I actually have Killer Instinct II on the SNES, woot.

Modern gameplay mechanics layered under a revamp of the CGI-based graphics, with the classic characters, could be awesome.

If it's just a port or "HD remake" of the old game, it probably won't be good.

My money is on the latter, just because KI isn't a proven enough commodity in 2012 to be worth the money and time investment of the first option.

Couldn't this have just been a move to block someone else fro picking up the name?

Interesting...

Would rather see Eternal Champions get a reboot.

@msavo said:

Kinect Killer Instinct...

WAVE YOUR HANDS AROUND FOR AN ULTRA COMBO

But this isn't a good game.

Kind of off topic, but I really don't fucking understand why everyone jumps to the chance of shutting down anyone who legit enjoys Jet Set Radio. I sort of get the feeling that the people saying it "doesn't hold up" never actually played the original, and just remembered watching other people play it or saw screenshots years after the fact. Maybe my least favorite part of this new wave of HD ports is all the downers saying the games were never good.

That said, yeah, Killer Instinct was always garbage. I'm sure if they give it to someone other than Rare, though, the IP could be used for some cool things.

KI was the best fighting game to ever come out on the SNES, but I do not expect it to hold up even a little bit today.

Counterpoint: Jet Set Radio is still amazing regardless of the Giant Bomb staff's consensus-via-osmosis, and has no right to be lumped in with Killer Instinct (which was bad when it was new).

Loved me some Killer Instinct but, yeah, that might've been due to the lack of good SNES fighters once you've played MK and SF to death.

@Orange_Pork said:

@Sooty: You're conflating the "scene" to be more than it actually is. Not everyone cares if their games are played in tournaments. In fact, Team Ninja pretty much came out and said that they're not even focusing on that crowd for Dead or Alive. What matters is what people actually buy. Tekken might not attract as many spectators as Marvel, but guess which series has sold more copies.

I would be shocked if the Tekken series hadn't outsold Marvel vs. Capcom when that series only has 3, or 4 games if you include Ultimate MvC3, as opposed to Tekken which is on what, 7 releases now? (and over a longer time period I might add)

In addition, Tekken is definitely more casual friendly than both Street Fighter and Marvel have ever been. Tekken literally allows for combos to be mashed out, I'm not saying that's all there is to the game - as that would be moronic, but even I myself as a complete beginner was able to mash things together resulting in 50%+ damage combos as Bryan. I acknowledge there's a lot of depth to Tekken, but it's incredibly easy to get into which does leave good impressions on people who only play it one time at a demo booth or at a friends house.

Competitive play still gives a game more longevity and the potential for extra sales down the line, I don't personally see Killer Instinct being a sales hit at any point in its lifespan as they've left it far too long.

Don't tease me with this shit Microsoft. Do something with it, please!

YES!!!!! Please be awesome!

I never understood why they chose to put the home version on the SNES. The Arcade KI was virtually an advertisement for the Ultra 64. Was it because the Arcade game had better hardware than the N64? And they couldn't make a faithful conversion to the N64. So they put it on the SNES to shroud the N64's graphical limitations. Or was it a data storage space problem?