GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
OK
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/31/2009
- Released on: 07/24/2009
- Originally published on GameSpot: The King of Fighters XII (PlayStation 3) Review
The King of Fighters series has offered team-based 2D fighting game competition, in arcades and on multiple console and handheld platforms, for 15 years. But other than the forgettable Maximum Impact series (which used 3D graphics) and a few obscure handheld versions, the series has generally reused the same 2D "sprite" art assets for its characters year after year. Until now. The King of Fighters XII offers a big visual overhaul that introduces huge new character sprites, along with brand-new background stages and music to go with generally solid fighting game action. But in exchange for the new paint job, the console versions of the game come stripped down with limited play modes, a thinner character roster than usual, and serious online problems.
6214529Watch The King of Fighters XII's big, beautiful new characters in motion.
KOFXII is a one-on-one fighting game that lets you choose a team of three different characters to challenge your opponent's team of three, and the game's fundamental fighting mechanics are pretty sound. The game's roster has a good variety of different abilities, strategies, and combination attacks, and the pace is good and brisk--about as fast as that of more recent games in the series. The characters also seem balanced--a team of any three characters has a good chance of beating pretty much any other team of three. KOFXII even has some new gameplay additions that really change the way matches are played, such as the new-and-improved knockdown attacks, which set up new offensive possibilities. There's also more emphasis on advanced "juggle" attacks than in previous games in the series--there are more opportunities to knock your opponents skyward and then hammer on them before they hit the ground, so skilled players have new ways to punish their opponents' mistakes.
The last new gameplay feature is the "critical counter" system, which rewards your well-placed counterattack by briefly stunning your opponents, opening them up to a huge offensive flurry. It sounds interesting in theory, but in practice, it tends to encourage both players to be a lot more conservative because nobody wants to open himself up to a critical counter followed by a giant knuckle sandwich. Also, even though the game has several of the gameplay accoutrements of the more recent games, such as the ability to roll forward and backward, as well as multiple jump levels, there's only one level of your character's "power meter" to perform only one level of superattack--the spectacular hyper and leader attacks of recent years are gone.
If you can accept KOFXII on just those features, you're all set to enjoy what the game has to offer. But if you've played any recent games in the series, you'll be disappointed by the relatively small character roster. For many years now, the KOF series has offered character rosters with more than 30 characters; this time around, you get only 22. This includes the addition of two forgettable console-exclusive characters, Mature and Elizabeth, as well as the conspicuous absence of SNK's iconic female ninja/geisha girl, Mai Shiranui. To be fair, KOF XII's all-new art assets make the game something of a restarting point for the series--but if you're a longtime fan, you'll still probably find yourself wishing the game hadn't cut this or that character you used to play.
Continue reading
Where to buy
The King of Fighters XII (PlayStation 3):
$32.25 - $58.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$58.99 | Yes |
|
|
$54.79 | Yes |
|
|
$32.25 | Yes |
|
%20PlayStation%203%20Game%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/playstation-3-games/the-king-of-fighters/4505-9992_7-33542313.html){kind=small}