The King of Fighters XII Preview
- May 20, 2009 10:31 AM PST
- Email this!
The King of Fighters XII just might be the most visually stunning 2D game to hit consoles this summer. After 15 years with this series, SNK is getting back to basics with a streamlined fighting system, classic characters and some of the most detailed pixel animations we've ever seen in a video game. We recently got our hands on a preview build of the game, and we're amazed at how good this retro-style fighter looks.
More The King of Fighters XII Coverage
The King of Fighters XII has some seriously impressive graphics, but that's possibly the biggest understatement that we'll make in this entire preview. Spending a good three years in development, entire teams of full-time artists have been building this game from chicken scratch. Whereas past titles in the KOF series made frequent use of recycled sprites and characters models, the artwork in King of Fighters XII creates a fresh experience right from the moment you load the game's menu screen.
When we saw KOF XII for the first time, we almost couldn't believe it when Ignition Entertainment told us that everything in the game was completely hand-drawn. That's right, each and every single pixel of artwork, right down to the dimples and love handles on fat French women in the background scenery of a colorful European villa, was actually constructed from a single digital dot on an empty white canvas. If SNK is setting out to make "the ultimate 2D fighting game," we're already hooked and believing the hype.
All of the artwork in The King of Fighters XII is brand new -- even the special effects had to be built from stratch.
Less Fuss, More Fight
KOF XII is capping off 15 years of King of Fighters games with a few big changes in this latest sequel, and it's not just about the visuals. Instead of the gigantic lists of fighters from SNK's previous titles, KOF XII is cutting down the roster count to a slim selection of 22 characters (although we've heard a couple juicy rumors about a few hidden fighters). While this means that the once standard pre-defined "teams" of fighters are now defunct, KOF XII has thankfully retained the series' 3-on-3 versus mode, which means that players can still create their own lineups on the fly. Even with the smaller number of characters, it's amazing to see the level of detail in each one's new 2D model, some of which reportedly took 10-man teams entire months to draw. SNK didn't just change the look of the fighters either, as almost everyone's moves and strengths have been completely altered from past games -- for example, many fans will immediately notice Iori's lack of his trademark projectile attack.)
The character roster includes two female fighters that don't appear in the arcade version: Mature and Elisabeth Branctorche.
- Previous Page Prev
- Next Page Next
- 1
- 2
- 3
More Top GamePro Stories
Comments [7]
-
- Jump To Page:
- [ 1 ]
-
- May 20 2009 at 11:04:09:AM PST
-
Seriously! Doesn't ANYBODY here care about King of Fighters?!!! I'll admit I've never owned a KoF game, but this one is just looking too awesome to pass up! It's my most anticipated game of the year! If it was in true 1080p it'd be absolute perfection!
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +1
- report user
I always kind of frown on KOF, but I might get this. The HD really makes 2d fighters AWESOME. I just looks so sharp. What I don't like is that VERY ugly character selection screen. Honestly, that is just a dated eyesore.
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +0
- report user
all i have to say is that the KOF series might not have the same following as, Tekken, Street Fighter or Soul caliber but King of Fighter is Still a good series.
I'm gonna buy it and Samurai Showdown.
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +1
- report user
Gimme, Gimme. I can't for this to come out. Between this and SF4 it's a fighters fan dream come true. Not to mention Blazblue.
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +0
- report user
I hope we get unlockable outfits and stuff because all this pay per DLc is killing me.
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +0
- report user
this is how I wanted street fighter 4 to look like but we got something totally different and new, I couldnt argue with it but if I had a choice I'd put sf4 in the same graphic 2D like kof XII
- Vote:
- Down
- Up
- +1
- report user
-
- Jump To Page:
- [ 1 ]
