<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1996	O
fighting	O
video	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
arcade	O
game	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Rare	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
64	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
other	B-Application
series	I-Application
entries	I-Application
,	O
players	O
control	O
characters	O
who	O
fight	O
on	O
a	O
2D	O
plane	O
set	O
against	O
a	O
3D	O
background	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
includes	O
the	O
arcade	O
release	O
's	O
characters	O
,	O
combos	O
,	O
and	O
3D	O
,	O
pre-rendered	O
environments	O
,	O
but	O
excludes	O
its	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
sequences	O
and	O
some	O
voiceovers	B-Operating_System
due	O
to	O
restrictions	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
media	I-Protocol
format	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rare	O
was	O
a	O
prominent	O
second-party	O
developer	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
series	O
was	O
produced	O
as	O
an	O
exclusive	O
partnership	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
1995	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
port	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
,	O
Rare	O
began	O
a	O
sequel	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
platform	O
but	O
transitioned	O
development	O
to	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
,	O
upon	O
its	O
unveiling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gold	O
was	O
later	O
included	O
in	O
Rare	O
's	O
2015	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
retrospective	O
compilation	O
,	O
Rare	B-Application
Replay	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
preferred	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
port	O
over	O
the	O
arcade	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
appreciated	O
its	O
audiovisual	O
enhancements	O
,	O
but	O
felt	O
that	O
its	O
graphical	O
upgrades	O
and	O
memorization-based	O
combo	O
gameplay	O
were	O
insufficient	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
fighting	O
games	O
like	O
Tekken	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gold	O
ultimately	O
did	O
not	O
replicate	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
its	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
predecessor	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
series	O
remained	O
dormant	O
through	O
its	O
2002	O
acquisition	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
until	O
its	B-Application
2013	I-Application
reboot	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
is	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	O
fighting	O
video	O
game	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
other	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
series	O
,	O
two	O
characters	O
controlled	O
by	O
humans	O
or	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
fight	O
in	O
one-on-one	O
matches	O
to	O
deplete	O
their	O
opponent	O
's	O
health	O
meter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
fight	O
with	O
a	O
six-button	O
setup	O
:	O
three	O
punch	O
buttons	O
and	O
three	O
kick	O
buttons	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
controls	O
in	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gold	O
features	O
the	O
same	O
characters	O
,	O
combos	O
,	O
and	O
environments	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
arcade	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gold	O
and	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
shared	O
roster	O
contains	O
eleven	O
characters	O
in	O
total	O
:	O
four	O
new	O
additions	O
and	O
seven	O
returning	O
from	O
the	B-Application
previous	I-Application
title	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
also	O
includes	O
enhancements	O
to	O
the	O
3D	O
backgrounds	O
and	O
an	O
upgraded	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
but	O
excludes	O
the	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
sequences	O
and	O
some	O
voiceovers	B-Operating_System
from	O
the	O
arcade	O
release	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
's	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
media	I-Protocol
data	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Rare	O
during	O
a	O
time	O
when	O
the	O
British	O
company	O
was	O
becoming	O
a	O
prominent	O
second-party	O
developer	O
and	O
ally	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rare	O
modeled	O
its	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
series	O
on	O
the	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
fighting	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
departure	O
from	O
fighting	O
game	O
staples	O
such	O
as	O
Street	O
Fighter	O
,	O
both	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
and	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
championed	O
an	O
aggressively	O
fast	O
pace	O
of	O
gameplay	O
and	O
placed	O
less	O
emphasis	O
on	O
patience	O
and	O
mastery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
series	O
began	O
as	O
an	O
arcade	O
game	O
(	O
1994	O
)	O
and	O
became	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
version	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
"	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
(	O
1995	O
)	O
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
(	O
1995	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
expected	O
a	O
sequel	O
after	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
version	O
's	O
wide	O
success	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
three	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
a	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
version	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
but	O
transitioned	O
to	O
the	O
newer	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
after	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
announcement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
development	O
team	O
split	O
itself	O
between	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
release	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
began	O
work	O
as	O
soon	O
as	O
Rare	O
received	O
its	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
development	B-Application
kit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
incorporated	O
feedback	O
from	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
art	O
,	O
design	O
,	O
and	O
programming	O
changed	O
continuously	O
throughout	O
development	O
up	O
until	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rare	O
used	O
compression	O
technology	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
onto	O
the	O
smaller	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
was	O
planned	O
to	O
showcase	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
power	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
more	O
limited	O
than	O
Rare	O
's	O
arcade	O
setup	O
,	O
and	O
Rare	O
had	O
to	O
optimize	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
scheduled	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
's	O
initial	O
two	O
launch	O
titles	O
,	O
but	O
missed	O
its	O
release	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rare	O
,	O
under	O
contract	O
,	O
ultimately	O
finished	O
its	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
port	O
of	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
,	O
but	O
Nintendo	O
chose	O
not	O
to	O
release	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
reviewers	O
compared	O
Gold	O
favorably	O
to	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
,	O
but	O
thought	O
that	O
its	O
graphics	O
were	O
not	O
sufficiently	O
upgraded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
IGN	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
graphics	O
appeared	O
dated	O
in	O
Gold	O
and	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
cheesy	O
80s	O
feel	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
named	O
Gold	O
the	O
best	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
other	O
reviewers	O
only	O
recommended	O
Gold	O
for	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
genre	O
and	O
those	O
most	O
desperate	O
for	O
a	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
fighting	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AllGame	O
described	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
as	O
best	O
for	O
players	O
who	O
want	O
"	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
on	O
speed	O
"	O
with	O
a	O
"	O
hyperactive	O
Barry	O
White	O
"	O
announcer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
genre	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
considered	O
Gold	O
to	O
be	O
better	O
than	O
the	O
other	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
fighting	O
game	O
,	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
Trilogy	I-Application
,	O
but	O
GamePro	O
readers	O
rated	O
Gold	O
below	O
Tekken	B-Application
2	O
,	O
also	O
released	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
and	O
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
agreed	O
that	O
Tekken	B-Application
2	O
and	O
Virtua	O
Fighter	O
2	O
had	O
outclassed	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
concluded	O
that	O
even	O
in	O
the	O
Nintendo64	B-Operating_System
's	O
then-meager	O
catalog	O
of	O
titles	O
,	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
did	O
not	O
distinguish	O
itself	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
a	O
lifespan	O
of	O
"	O
weeks	O
rather	O
than	O
months	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
waned	O
from	O
a	O
celebrated	O
announcement	O
to	O
a	O
quiet	O
European	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
GamePro	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
perfect	O
ratings	O
in	O
controls	O
and	O
fun	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
considered	O
the	O
controls	O
almost	O
as	O
awkward	O
as	O
they	O
were	O
on	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
and	O
ultimately	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
"	O
not	O
much	O
fun	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
reviewers	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
training	O
mode	O
,	O
which	O
CVG	O
also	O
liked	O
in	O
its	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fifth	O
best-selling	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
1996	O
Christmas	O
shopping	O
season	O
according	O
to	O
TRST	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
1996	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
did	O
not	O
sell	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
the	O
series	O
went	O
dormant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
reported	O
in	O
2010	O
that	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
had	O
upset	O
series	O
fans	O
by	O
changing	O
the	O
combo	O
move	O
sets	O
and	O
omitting	O
"	O
fan	O
favorite	O
"	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
website	O
added	O
that	O
Rare	O
knew	O
that	O
between	O
all	O
its	O
franchises	O
,	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
had	O
the	O
most	O
fan	O
interest	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
series	O
entry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Rare	O
revived	B-Application
the	I-Application
series	I-Application
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
platform	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
GamesRadar	O
retrospectively	O
ranked	O
Gold	O
the	O
35th	O
best	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
was	O
later	O
emulated	O
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
in	O
Rare	O
's	O
2015	O
compilation	O
,	O
Rare	B-Application
Replay	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Daily	O
News	O
reported	O
that	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
,	O
while	O
"	O
underrated	O
"	O
in	O
its	O
time	O
,	O
had	O
withered	O
into	O
an	O
outdated	O
frustration	O
as	O
the	O
anthology	O
's	O
biggest	O
letdown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoid	O
singled	O
out	O
Gold	O
as	O
the	O
collection	O
's	O
worst	O
title	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
barebones	O
"	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twenty	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
,	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
wrote	O
that	O
while	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
was	O
popular	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
outdone	O
by	O
Tekken	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
2	I-Application
by	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
proved	O
mediocre	O
in	O
comparison	O
.	O
</s>
