I figured we should start up a new topic because the other one was being a little derailed by this discussion.
It seems the community is a little divided on the issue of what KI’s tone and feel is/was. One camp thinks it was this dark brooding serious fighting game and the other believes it was a parody of pop culture that was never meant to be taken this serious. The serious side seems to hate Rash’s inclusion in the game because he’s ruining the “tone” or that the game needs to be rated M for mature and the laid back one thinks he’s a wonderful addition that fits perfectly and the ratings are fine where they’re at.
Personally I believe in the latter, every character in Killer Instinct has been a parody of some pop culture icon and the entire package has always been riddled with Rare’s signature silliness. Sure there was a win animation or two with some meat chunks but there was also boobie flashing, frog stomping, flatulence jokes, unfeasibly sized robot turret heads, fourth-wall breaking screen knock-offs and other such silliness. I mean where else can you watch the predator fight a cyclops?
I pretty much agree with you there. Killer Instinct was never supposed to be taken so super seriously. I mean in the classic games we have a monk that summons cars out of nowhere, a spy who looks like a cosplayer turning her opponents into frogs, and we even had a finisher that forces you to DANCE! To me, KI was about super combo-crazy fun with pop culture parodies. Yeah the series can get serious but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a few lols here and there.
KI’s classic games had quite a bit of parody behind them. KI3 is a teensey bit darker but it has some bits to it like some of the weird accessories for some of the retro costumes.
At the end of the day it’s a fun as hell game and that should be the real thing people should be worried about in my opinion.
The dark brudedness of the series can be appreciated but we shouldn’t try so hard to “look mature” because we play a game that isn’t “M” rating. Games should be fun, not a sighn of maturity. That I believe is reserved for how well we as a community act when we debate topics. Among how we behave socially with others.
Personally I don’t beleive Rash will “affect” the tone of the game. Obviously he is a weird choice for a guest character but to make him “super serious”. Especially since Cinder tends to find humor in his own battles.
I think a lot of people were kids when they played the original back in the day. As a kid you tend to have a simpler mindset: KI has blood and gore, therefore it has to be mature and serious. You don’t see the whole picture. There’s no context. And this is what sticks with you. Call it nostalgia if you want.
pretty much this. I think that’s a mentality that has never gone away for some. For me, KI was fun not because of blood, but because it was awesome!
I suppose it just depended on how you felt about the game as a kid and that will tend to stick with you, Which explains why we have folks who are probably in their 20’s-30’s worried about what people think about how “mature” they are simply by what game they play.
[quote=“BobbiLingAYahoo, post:4, topic:1582”]
et so worked up and make a thread
[/quote]I’m not worked up, I just have some respect for the other topic that we were derailing and I wanted to continue the discussion elsewhere. Please don’t try to make it personal because you disagree friend.
The important story bits, and initial atmosphere(start screen, menus) need to be dark and brooding.
Non crucial story bits, finisher moves, taunts, non-cannon guest characters are all OK to be goofy.
Spinal is the least serious character ever and I love him for it. Sabrewulf is the most dark tragic/serious character and I love that too. I think we CAN have the best of both worlds.
fair enough. To answer your post i think (at least the old ones, not so much the reboot) ki always had a comedic side. But rash is still a little too far imo
Yeah I purposefully left off the both option, kinda wanted a cut and dry yes or no result. Thanks for posting your thoughts though, I kinda feel the same there are serious aspects but overall as a whole the game feels pretty lighthearted to me.
I think KI has a nice middle ground. It’s got serious plot elements (demonic invasion, eugenicist robots, characters slowly spiraling into insanity) but it does so with a knowing, parodying angle.
Thinking about it as a dark comedy of sorts, it means we can have our cake and eat it too, so to speak.
Series like Fallout, Evil Dead, Superjail, and even The Avengers have proven that you can successfully mingle a serious plots or really dark themes with a not so serious overtone.
Personally, I lean more towards the cheese for KI, partially because every action game and their dog seem so far up their own butts with their story and how “cool” and brooding their character is. It’s like they’re all trying to be Batman. "Grrrr dead loved ones tragic back story justice vengeance grrrrr."
It’s nice to see some change once in a while, you know?
