The King of Fighters XII
Less than a month before the return of ‘The King...’, we pay one last visit to the training camp to see if Street Fighter has anything to worry about.
The rules are deadly simple: You’ll fight three against three across five rounds against the clock. If you’re not happy with your win time in any of the rounds you can take a rematch once, and once only. After that you will be judged.
Like a seasoned three-piece heavy rock band, The King of Fighters XII gets straight to the point based on years of experience. 15 years to be exact. And just as kids who weren’t even born the first time Metallica took the stage are going crazy at Sonisphere this weekend, the appeal of KOF is timeless.
One-on-one fighting is enjoying a renaissance of late, and earlier this year the godfather of them all returned to remind everyone of who is boss. Street Fighter IV is everything Capcom and desired it to be, and the fans are taking or leaving it as such. In a bid to attract more casual players, Capcom has knocked a few noses out of joint. Overall, though, SFIV has been a success both in the arcades and on console.
Popularity isn’t everything, however, and we can only assume that the producers of The King of Fighters XII have remained focused on the original dream: continue to make the most kick-ass 2D fighting games on the planet comprising the coolest characters, backgrounds and music. That’s your three-piece combo right there.
For the first time since 2001, when development was handed to a Korean team following the closure of the original Japanese SNK, fans are not sure what to make of the new KOF. The coin-operated videogame in Japanese game centres is trailing behind new blood from Arc System Works (Blazblue) and the last few generations of Street Fighter. The home versions of KOF XII that recently launched in the US have come under fire for lacking a solid online versus mode and being underserved for characters.
At the same time, the die-hard community is saying that KOFXII is a joy to behold – and with 18 man-months required to create each character it certainly should be. Also that bare-bones online competition is something they’re glad to see. But mainly that we should continue as before, learning the new system and respecting the series.
Our take on all this is that SNK Playmore has perhaps been too ambitious with KOF XII, falling in love with its own idea of perfection and we dare say delivering more than most gamers would give them credit for. The hand drawn artwork is sublime. The bare-bones KOF structure remains in place. The only thing that’s missing is a final Boss character that would run the risk of being considered ‘cheap’ or ‘broken’ anyway – as with Seth in Street Fighter IV. But this no longer seems to be enough.
For the new King of Fighters to be king of the mountain it needs to smite down Street Fighter IV, while simultaneously proving far superior to the classic King of Fighters 98 currently available on Xbox LIVE. And in terms of value judged against number of variation of characters, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 now on LIVE Arcade and soon PlayStation Network, has 56 of the world’s best-loved superheroes battling it out.
It’ll be our turn to lay our thoughts on the line soon, an occasion we’re starting to dread. For us the main points of contention will be the online experience, and whether The King of Fighters XII can be considered a fan service or disservice given the obvious amount of effort involved balanced with what's ultimately on the table. No matter what, KOF XII will be greeted with reverence by true fans, in respect of series history, and because it is a true work of art. But we can already rule out newcomers, that’s only fair to say.
The King of Fighters XII is released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 28 August.
