Top 5 Fighters We Want To See Return in Killer Instinct

While Jago and Sabrewulf stole the spotlight at E3’s unveiling of Killer Instinct, we’ve just started to see some familiar fighters make their reappearances known. While a frosty reception was had for Glacius with an in-depth preview, a quick tease hinted at the return of Chief Thunder – seen battling his latest foe, Bit of rotted oak tree.
While we expect more reveals as development continues, we can’t help but send our wish list rosters to Rare and Double Helix in the hopes that they resurrect our favorite fighters – or change their mailing address and send us yet another restraining order. To help them along a bit, we’ve even drawn up some concept art for reference so they can get them into the game as quickly as possible; we’re entirely oblivious to how game development works, clearly…
These are the Top 5 Fighters We Want To See Return in Killer Instinct!


#5. CINDER (BEN FERRIS) – KILLER INSTINCT 1994 (ARCADE & SNES)


Lightness without darkness, Yin without Yang, Banjo without Kazooie – if the order of the Universe, Arcade Gaming and Feng Shui is to be maintained we must have balance to Killer Instinct‘s Combo System as well as ever polar opposites Cinder and Glacius. This fan favorite made his debut in the original Killer Instinct where beginners could quickly become lethal in just a few rounds of play. With his entire body in a state of constant immolation, the Xbox One could render every lick of flame and errant ember with ease – all while things heat up as Cinder‘s intensity increases with each successful combo. Since escaping, we haven’t seen Cinder since his appearance in the original Killer Instinct Arcade but with his fanbase growing ever brighter we can only hope that Rare and Double Helix add fuel to the fire.


#4. TUSK (AMAZONIAN BARBARIAN) – KILLER INSTINCT 2 (ARCADE & N64)


While he might have missed the initial outing in lieu of time travel, Tusk was formally introduced to the masses after Killer Instinct 2 joined the arcade scene. If you could manage some competent swordplay and react quickly enough, Tusk was nearly unbeatable against any challenger in both KI2 and Killer Instinct Gold. His threatening disposition even extended outside of the arcade world and onto the Internet where he overlooked his own section as Uncle Tusk on Rare‘s official website, fielding rubbish questions with a surprising amount of tolerance for a barbarian brandishing a broadsword. Since the feature has been disbanded we can only hope that Tusk resumes his true calling and returns with a vengeance in the new Killer Instinct – fueled by nearly a decade of inane jabber from hardly-literate and rubbish players.


#3. SPINAL (RESURRECTED WARRIOR) – KILLER INSTINCT 1994 (ARCADE & SNES)


At first glance, Spinal would appear to be the least physically intimidating member in Killer Instinct, but with a sword nearly as tall as he is, players who mastered his blade managed to master him as well. Spinal demanded nimble reflexes to string a steady line of combos together, and was rather unforgiving to new players, but if you invested the time and dedication required you could make Spinal downright lethal. Clearly a fan favorite, Spinal has managed to make an appearance in every Killer Instinct title released in arcades and home consoles, resurrecting himself more times than he cares to admit. Once more shouldn’t hurt, surely. Sword Fighting Skeletons have been awesome since Jason and the Argonauts, and we’d give our own ribs to have Spinal‘s jeering laugh echo through our living rooms again.


#2. BLACK ORCHID (ELITE SPY) – KILLER INSTINCT 1994 (ARCADE & SNES)


Without being too lecherous, we always noticed that the arcade cabinet became a bit more crowded when Orchid bared all with her revealing No Mercy finisher, and while her reputation may proceed her, she has a great… err… personality as well. In all seriousness, Orchid was a bit of a trend-setter with her appearance as the only female fighter in Killer Instinct, which was soon shared with the likes of Maya and Kim Wu in Killer Instinct 2. Her looks made her to die for, as anyone reluctant to select Rare‘s femme fatale soon found themselves on the receiving end of wicked combos with her impressively agile reflexes. Found plastered on the sides of KI2 cabinets everywhere, B. Orchid has become nearly synonymous with any mention of Killer Instinct, and her return would send the community into celebration.


#1. FULGORE (ULRATECH MECH) – KILLER INSTINCT 1994 (ARCADE & SNES)


Constructed by series antagonist Ultratech before the events of the original Killer Instinct arcade title, Fulgore is the closest you can get to selecting a swiss-army knife. If his physically imposing stature wasn’t enough to send your opponents reeling, his laser blasts would fry them where they stood, and with a bit of practice, even novice players could drill their competition with a few key abilities. Joining Killer Instinct 2 and Killer Instinct Gold under the title of Fulgore Mk. II, a plethora of new upgrades from Ultratech made crossing him even more deadly, and controlling his arsenal all the more sweet. In the time since Killer Instinct 2, we can only hope that Fulgore Mk. III has been equipped with the latest in destructive technology from Ultratech, with a little help from Rare and Double Helix of course…

Categories: Top 5 Lists

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