Return of the King
posted by Sindarus (LEWISVILLE, TX) Aug 4, 2009
Member since Mar 2008
Return to its roots, that is.
King of Fighters XII abandons the 3D style of Maximum Impact and KoF 2003 in favor of the 2D sprites of its predecessors.
However, don't let that fool you! SNK isn't being lazy and just recycling old sprites like the Street Fighter Alpha series and several of Capcom's spin-off games of the time.
The new Sprites are beautifully fluid and well detailed while retaining the visual spirit of the classic KoF games.
Gameplay is for the most part unchanged from previous games, but in all the right ways.
Similar to what Capcom figured out with Street Fighter IV, SNK figured out that sequels should have the classic fast-paced 2D gameplay with only Graphical updates and limited bells and whistles, and that this style is vastly preferred by Old-School Fighter Gamers leagues above the side-stepping 3D Tekken clones.
The new Clash system is a great example of an update in gameplay that is just new enough without changing the soul of the game. Essentially, when both fighters attack at the exact same time in the same basic location (e.g. - high, low, or airborne), the attacks cause a "Clash" where both attacks are negated, and instead both fighters are repelled accompanied by a burst effect on screen (Dragonball, anyone?).
The part of the game that is perhaps my favorite feature is nothing revolutionary at all, but simply a well executed logical next step for the KoF saga: Fast and Furious Online Play.
Matches are quickly found, paired and started.
The only downside is a flaw shared with all online fighters including Soul Calibur IV and Street Fighter IV: if your opponent has a poor internet connection, your game is slowed as well. But again, that should not be held against the game as much as X-Box Live and the Playstation network.
Overall, the game is superb. If you are familiar with amazing SNK fighters like King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, etc., then you will LOVE KoF XII.
Even if you are new to SNK, give it a rental and enjoy.
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