Fans of the combo-centric fighter series Killer Instinct today flapped arms in optimistic hysteria, whilst simultaneously weeping Natal fearing tears. Nestled in a studio feature in UK magazine Games TM, Rare’s Mark Betteridge spoke worryingly on the future of the beloved beat-em-up; alarm bells ringing in the houses of joystick crippled hands worldwide with the quote: ‘œI think it’s about doing something different than with a conventional controller’.

With Rare continually reported as key players in the re-invention of Microsoft’s console, it seems, although in no way confirmatory, likely that a newly developed Killer Instinct would incorporate motion tracking in its control set-up. Betteridge spoke in veiled allusion to the technology, suggesting ‘œit’s about timing, and it’s about the opportunity creatively and gameplay-wise that it would offer”.

Head of design George Andreas previously described Natal as offering an “ocean of possibilities”. A statement true as long as your design brief requires a player to feel disconnected from the game world, without control and in possession of an open plan living room in order to partake in ridiculous, 1:1 gymnastics.

Betteridge praised the recently rebooted Street Fighter series, whilst shunning its technological and systematic progression.

Street Fighter IV looked great and they’ve done a great job, and I’m a big fan of those products, but with KI we want to do something different rather than go back into that arena.

Rare has never been a studio afraid of reinvention. Perfect Dark leapt from genre-defining to generic in a protracted console shift while beloved 3D platformer Banjo Kazooie somehow evolved into a interactive Duplo garage for its third iteration. Here’s hoping that a third next-generation IP update would treat Killer Instinct with similar respect. With the precision of the series’ 2D fighting engine brought up to date, players could expect realistic tactile feedback courtesy of Natal as both player and a spookily realistic on-screen TJ Combo reel from a living room lamp shattering uppercut.

Via: Video Games Daily