King of Fighters is the highly successful series of video games from SNK Playmore, and King of Fighters XII is the latest installment in the series. The game does not feature a storyline like many of the arcade style fighting titles in the series, but it boasts of rich and lively sprites against simply explosive backgrounds. In an age of so many first and third person titles, KOF XII stands out from the pack with its unique styling and intuitive fight scheme.
The preview version of the game had some very serious loading time issues which took up most of the playing time, and left us slightly disinterested once the match actually got underway. These loading time issues were all sorted out in the review version of the game, and loading was quick and painless.
The game can either be played in 1-vs-1 combat mode or in a 3-vs-3 combat mode. Additionally, players can even perfect their skills in the practice arena, which is a crucial part in the game, if you wish to master more than just a few skills of the host of fighters provided. You don’t want to be one of those gamers who knows and uses only one move repeatedly, over and over again, to bust out your friends. No one likes that! And this game puts that aside, demanding that players push themselves and their fighters, performing a variety of moves to beat down their opponent.
The fighting scheme in the game is fairly simple and straightforward, and the moves are categorized into simple kicks and punches, special moves and super special moves. Special moves themselves come in a range of difficulty, some requiring smooth, sweeping left stick motions generally finished off with a light punch, heavy punch, light kick or heavy kick. A few special moves require the player to perform discontinuous left stick moves, automatically making these moves more difficult to achieve in a fight where quick timed actions are of the essence. The super special moves can only be performed when a bar at the bottom of the screen has reached its maximum level. They are generally a combo of many hits, characteristic of that fighter. Some super special moves are 8 hit combos while others take the hit total to 13. And how far you are from your opponent when you initiate these moves, will determine how many hits you actually land and how much damage you end up doing to your opponent. The gameplay is resigned to a 7 out of 10.
King of Fighters XII also features an intuitive and momentary blocking system. This means when you give the block command, a player initiates a blocking move thwarting an opponents impending attack, and then delivers a counter to break the opponent’s rhythm. The block lasts only for a second and cannot be held or prolonged for an infinite amount of time. This feature forces players to block more resourcefully and cleverly, not to mention with fairly good, if not synchronously perfect timing. A refreshing change to most of what we’ve grown up with.
The environments or fighting arenas in the game have been masterfully crafted. Every tiny detail is noticeable and everything in the environment is constructed for a purpose. The arenas reflect the regions in which they are based. Fight in Egypt, and you have scores of the locals bowing to your greatness. While a battle in France has many over zealous French women jumping and yelling, more than overjoyed to cheer you on. A line of portly pigs runs past after a knock out in the Chinese arena. Environments get a well deserved 9 out of 10.
The game graphics are lively and vivid, jumping right out of the screen. That is to say that the graphics in King of Fighters XII will catch your eye first, and keep you playing for hours together. The 22 playable characters in the console version of the game have every tiny graphical detail mapped out. Even a small thing such as an earring from one female fighter is made to be noticed. Graphics get a resounding 9 on 10.
The most intriguing part of the game though is the practice arena. You can really learn all that you need to know about your fighter’s abilities here. Every move is listed in detail and should prove helpful. You can change many settings here to have the opponent just stand there and take it, or fight back in various levels of difficulty. The practice arena even displays how much damage each of your punches, kicks and special moves does to an opponent. The effect of combos is cumulative, and the damage is multiplied. You can even pick up and learn which move to perform when, and which the best to finish off an opponent is. Opponent distance and timing while executing moves can be gauged in this area of the game.
The 3-vs-3 fights are where the game is at its best, and most challenging. Choose three fighters and then battle it out against three randomly generated computer controlled opponents. It’s as simple as that. The game features many challenging fighters to go up against, but none like the Bogard brothers, two fighters better to have on your side than to do battle against. The brothers are absolutely deadly and make formidable opponents with their quick moves, powerful combos, and multi disciplined fighting skills. The Bogard brothers make light work of their opponents and can be used as a valuable resource. But relying solely on a few fighters in the game can have disastrous results and it pays off to have a good idea of everyone’s skill sets. The bigger, bulkier fighters in the game deliver more powerful attacks, but are slow to recover, while the women fighters do less damage, but are very quick off the draw. Something you will need to get used to.
The Final Word: King of Fighters XII is a very well constructed fighting game and is sure to keep all fighting fans crazy in pursuit of the next knock out. The fighting scheme in the game is very innovative. always keeps you on your toes. There is never a dull moment, there’s no time for one. The fighting scheme is so formulated that it brings out the fight in you. Gameplay though is not very deep.
Gameplay: 7/10.
Environments: 9/10.
Graphics: 9/10.
Overall (not an average): 8/10.