Spending most of my childhood in arcades I saw a lot of fighting games come and go, from various Street Fighters, to Tekken, SNK Fighters, and Mortal Kombat, but there is one fighting series that holds a special place in my heart. I don't know why it does exactly.

Killer Instinct is a brand new fighting game in its own right, as well as a complete reboot of the Killer Instinct franchise. Never heard of it? That's not that surprising, really, given the last game in the series - Killer Instinct Gold - released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996.

Killer Instinct isn't what you'd typically call "free to play," and that's bloody marvellous. See, us hacks were quick to mislabel Xbox One's debut fighting game after its E3 showing, but we eventually learned that things were slightly more nuanced than just "F2P.

Fluid; brutal and versatile action feels fantastic on the new D-Pad; Handsome crisp visuals benefit from gratuitous particle effects; Exhaustive playable tutorials and smart business model

Desperately needs the story and arcade modes ASAP; feels a bit flimsy; Jago vs Jago match-ups are already wearing thin; Some classic characters still MIA; more memorable arenas would be nice

During the '90s, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat dominated local coin-op arcades as the fighting games fans preferred. But for hardcore fighting fans craving something different, Killer Instinct satisfied a certain itch with its extensive combos and stunning graphics.

Combat is deep; yet accessible and easy to learn; Combos are fluid and can last longer than ever; Feels so good to hear that Ultraaaaaa combo yell; Jago; Thunder; Orchid; Glacius; and Thunder are back..

And how does Sadira fit in; No story mode; Free; with a pay per character model

Fighting games are hard. For many they're impenetrable. Sure, you can do a hadouken; that quarter circle forward motion is ingrained in the psyche of most gamers of a certain generation, but beyond that? Well, things get complicated. And online? Forget it.

Killer Instinct is back to bust heads and break combos after an almost two-decade-long hiatus. Once you decipher the game's free-to-play pricing , you discover a bombastic brawler whose balanced fighting mechanics buck the trend towards very long, very technical combos while still providing an...

Fights are intense and engaging; Combo and counter breakers emphasize mind games; Online play runs smoothly; Ultra Edition includes classic Killer Instinct

Barebones online and offline modes; Lacks replay sharing

An excellent reboot of an unfairly forgotten fighter, but the way it's being sold does it no favours and severally restricts the fun to be had online.

A unique combat system that keeps the best of the earlier games and adds in some useful new ideas of its own; Decent graphics that make the best of the original designs

The microtransaction system is ruinous to the variety of the game; especially online and especially as there are too few characters anyway – or game modes for that matter

Killer Instinct succeeds as reboot of an almost forgotten fan favourite, updated just enough to feel relevant against modern competition. The fighting mechanics based almost purely on combos is fantastic, with a tutorial mode that will whip incompetent fighting ninnies into shape in minutes.

+ Awesome combos; + Detailed tutorial; + Free to try; + Original games with Ultra DLC

- Lacking modes; - Not enough characters; - Not as cheap as it appears

The sad truth about fighting games is that much of what makes playing them against others interesting is usually kept obscured. succeeds enormously at exposing all of that information to players of all skill levels.

Excellent tutorials; Smart combat system; Gorgeous effects

Limited roster; Character art

These past few years have ushered in a great era of fighting games. From Persona 4 Arena to Skullgirls to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, gaming's seen a lot of fresh blood mixing in with the older franchises making a comeback.

Several PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch titles haven't really taken much advantage of either console's improved hardware, but Killer Instinct looks outright incredible; From intricate character detailing to the splash from blocked fireballs, it's clear that the developers pushed the graphics as...