Killer Instinct on the Xbox One launches with 6 characters? Wait... What?

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I am a sinner.
Sep 11, 2013
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Killer Instinct is launching with six characters! Yeah baby . . . wait. What?

That’s right, Double Helix is launching the much anticipated Killer Instinct with only six characters, those being Jago (free to play), Sabrewulf, Glacius, Thunder, Sadira and Orchid. Along with the six available at launch, two additional characters will come at a later date.

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OK, there’s not the full fleshed out roster that games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken have, but that’s OK--at least for me it is. I’m cool with it because the six characters are completely different. There are no pallet swaps with some altered moves here and there. They all require different playing styles. With massive roster games, like Street Figher, there are groups of characters that are the basically same style. There are the standard characters like Ken and Ryu. There are the distance characters like Sagat and Dhalsim. There are the close-up characters like T. Hawk and Zangief. Blanka and Guile are the chargers. In Killer Instinct for the Xbox One, we’re getting one character for each playing style, so that all of the playing styles are covered.

Jago is what I consider the standard character. He can play close, middle and far. There’s the distance character, Glacius. He’s a character you use to keep the opponent at a distance. Sadira is the high flyer. She bounces all over the screen and attacks with quickness, much in the same vein as Cammy from Street Fighter. Sabrewulf and Thunder are the charges. Not much is known about Orchid yet, but judging from her past, she’s the female version of the standard character.

While I can understand why people may be upset with the small roster, I do not see it as a big deal. Double Helix has all of the playing styles covered. They are focusing most of their energy now on balancing the game and tweaking the mechanics based on user feedback and play testing. Some have suggested they hold the game back until there are more characters; I say, “Why?” There are enough characters and nuances to keep even the most ardent fighting game fan busy for quite a while. This also gives players the time to really get to know the characters, rather than just knowing a few moves and supers for 30+ characters.

Don’t forget, those massive rosters are built from years and years of releases. Most of them have been set in stone for quite a long time. With Double Helix, it’s been almost 18 years since Killer Instinct was last seen, and we can’t expect to have the massive rosters which grace games that have been made every other year, practically spanning decades. It’s just illogical to expect such a large roster from Killer Instinct on the Xbox One.

From what I’ve seen, the guys at Double Helix are taking this game seriously, and are determined to make one of the best fighters we’ve ever played. I hope they accomplish it and I think they will.
 

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While its understandable due to time frame, that KI have only 6 characters at launch, they do need to increase their character roster over time. It doesn't need massive numbers like some other games, but min 16 should be something that should at least strife for. Having more characters not only means you will more likely find characters that you enjoy playing more its also more refreshing to play against bigger variety of characters, & especially avoid mirror matches, which are the most dull in my opinion.

But I do however think having a small roster, also means you also get to know your match up better, & will not be caught off guard unfamilar moves, timing or mix up you did not expect to be possible. Which isn't a bad thing.

So my take is, I think its ok to relase with only 6 at launch, & their price point, as they cover the general charcter type well, & the game is balance. Over time, the roster should increase to a decent number over the years.
 
KI 1&2 only had 11 characters, I am fine with 6 to 8 in the first year, they have to hold back some for season 2 DLC lol, I don't expect we will see more than 12-16 characters for this game total.
 
In my opinion, I like to have at least 10-12 characters that offer ton of deep story, missons, moves, special moves, etc. Or something similar to Soul Calibur on original Dreamcast (that game was perfect for me!). I cannot wait to try Jago out. :)
 
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KI 1&2 only had 11 characters, I am fine with 6 to 8 in the first year, they have to hold back some for season 2 DLC lol, I don't expect we will see more than 12-16 characters for this game total.
I think it depends on feedback & popularity. If the game is popular & people cries for more characters, then I guess it will happen.
 
I think it depends on feedback & popularity. If the game is popular & people cries for more characters, then I guess it will happen.
KI 1 was definitely popular, and people wanted more characters, but KI 2 still ended up with 11. I just hope they don't go overkill on the characters, part of KI's charm is a small character set.
 
With 6 characters I need multi level, interactive and different weather/time of day stages. And 60fps and 1080p and 3D.
 
Free to Play! FTW! :(

KI 1 was definitely popular, and people wanted more characters, but KI 2 still ended up with 11. I just hope they don't go overkill on the characters, part of KI's charm is a small character set.

Ah. At first I thought the lack of characters was because of the Free to Play. I guess that's not the case at all.
 
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