You could be right, but I'll be shocked if we get the original six and there's no Fulgore or Orchid. Part of me wants that though, to get a big curve ball like Cinder or even Kim Wu.

Watch it be Tusk lol but I'd really like to see Riptor

So I just got home from the Xbox One Road to Launch event and got some time with Killer Instinct (actually more like only 1 match). The event was limited to just two games: Killer Instinct and Forza 5. I waited nearly 2 hours just to get one match in on the game.

From waiting in line though, it seems the biggest buzz about the system was Killer Instinct. It seems like 3/4 of the people at the event where waiting to play Killer Instinct.

The very brief time I spent with it, I must say i was very impressed. The game looks and plays amazing. The graphics look incredible and the gameplay feels like Killer Instinct.

I happened to drag my brother with me and played a match with him. I picked thunder and choose Saberwolf. He knows nothing about fighting games and match was pretty evenly paced. The only real difference I would say is that I found it easier to pull off counter/combo breakers because I've been following the game, where my brother really didn't. There quite a notice difference with character speeds. Thunder definitely feels slower because he's a grappler, but he was also pretty easy to pull off combos with. I think my highest combo was actually a 14 hit combo.

Another aspect of the gameplay that I noticed while standing in line as well is that if you activate Instinct mode and get knocked out for the first round the meter still burns down.









And one of Major Nelson:

Jago vs. Chief Thunder at TGS

Showing off the colors.

Sadira's gameplay trailer is up and the final launch roster slot is Orchid!!!!

I'm glad to see Orchid after all these years!

I'm happy we have seen some gameplay, but I wish it would've been accompanied with some background. Stage looks interesting, and I like that her veil was off. Happy to see her face.

Sadira looks much better without the mask. The emotionless facial expression does so much more for the character than the veil did. As for whether I'll play her... probably not. Her storyline might change my mind if it's well done (I swore I would never use Painwheel in Skullgirls, and now she's my main), but historically, I don't connect well with villains. It's possible that's she's not a villain, but something about the concept of "giant-spider cult" just seems to have evil written all over it. We'll see, though. Nonetheless, I wouldn't have made her one of the starting six.

Orchid looks stupid good. Not sure why everyone's getting all worked up about the goggles. They look fine to me (though I'll be disappointed if they don't translate into her gameplay at all; hopefully they'll play a part in her instinct mode). Doing away with the original one-piece suit was probably for the best, though it would be nice to see it again as a classic costume.

More than anything, I'm grateful for how they rendered her face. Her face always looked hella awkward in the old games.

Some screen caps of Orchid:








I think they did a great job with her. She looks very voluptuous without being overly sexualized. IMO. I don't have a problem with the goggles and i wouldn't mind if they where just aesthetics to her look and played no part in her gameplay.

Kind of disappointed that we didn't get Fulgore, at least not as the initial six characters, I'm fine with the roster spread out the way it is. We have two dudes, we have to female fighters, an alien and a werewolf. And I really like the new design for Orchid. I think it might a little weird for a spy get up, but it's less weird than her one piece neon catsuit. So whatever.

Sadira looks great. The model has definitely gone through a bit more refinement since the last time we saw her. No veil, no white eyes. Now she's sporting the golden domino mask and her eyes remind me of the vampires in Skyrim, post Dawnguard DLC. She looks like she has the potential for some devestating air combo plays which would be a nice change for KI. I wonder if the thrash metal background music is an indication of her theme.

By the way, Gametrailers has a match off he Microsoft stream, Sadira vs Jago, and you get her white costume in it. Seems like the model still isn't finished. Her jaw doesn't seem to work yet.

Jago vs Sadira

Sadira is definitely looking like an expert level character. As much as I would love to learn her, she looks like she's going to have a lot of precision timing with her combos, and a lot of reverse cross-ups.

& the purists over there at the website (not naming any names) should now be jumping for joy now that they got their precious "hurt sounds" (blech) in full effect, TJ Combo is going to be the only character on the roster that is going to be speaking english, & they have Orchid with her KI1 playstyle.

I see you guys know of the new trailer. Sadira looks cool, though I hope the mask is an accessory she can put on.

Oh, and YAY ORCHID!

Apparently the original tease wasn't even Sadira, but one of her assassins. Also according to this: Killer Instinct Central - Latest news on Killer Instinct. Since Sadira is an entirely new character, instead of getting a classic/retro costume she'll get an alternate instead.

Some other info from the article:
-Shadow Jago is his own character and isn't included as part of the 8 character roster.
-Sadira's stage is called Assassin's Cave
-Orchid's stage will be called Rebel Outpost
-Each character can be customized with accessories
-There will be titles and avatar icons that can be unlocked like in Street Fighter

Yeah, but it kinda sounds like an excuse for the design changes. None the less, I still hope the mask will be equipable as one of her accessories. Some might not like that she looked like an MK character with the mask, but I thought it looked good and it fits her assassin theme. ^^

The only thing that I don't like about renewed Orchid is that her face looks nothing like it was in KI2. She switched from looking like Janet Jackson to looking rather spanish or something like that. It's not a bad thing, but will take some to get to used to.

Yeah, it's kinda like what NRS did with Jade, her face In MK Deception having pronounced facial features which were toned down alot in the new MK.

Is it me or does Orchid's make-up look sloppy? In comparison to her old make-up at least. I don't love the look but it's okay I guess.

I don't know. I mean the models that we got back in the mid 90's were pretty crude. So if you wanted to have any kind of distinctive feature on a character, you really needed to have pronounced features on them. Nowadays that's really not a requirement, you can be more subtle. Which is probably what happened with Jade in between MKD and MK9.

I think, the difference here is that Jade went from looking very exotic to rather generic and Orchid went from looking afro-american to looking spanish.


I think her make up looks a bit goth-like or something. I don't think it's sloppy, just that there is a lot of it.

Orchid really wasn't meant to look Afro American at all though.

Oh, I definately agree on that.



I believe it's called smokey eyes. Like smudgey eye make-up.

That make-up makes her look trashy. And her face itself doesn't really do it for me. But the outfit is alright.

I personally love dark eye make-up. It looks badass. ^^

Sadira stage looks amazing. Hopefully that spider will be an interactive as a stage finisher if not just having it attack the fighter if they stray to far from the stage would be nice to.

Also Sadira looks to be my fav new fighter. If there even going to be any other new fighters.

Still hoping for Spinal.