The King of Fighters XII

most revered fighting 3-on-3 game franchise celebrates its 15th anniversary with its most ambitious entry to date: The King of Fighters XII. Meet more than 22 beautifully hand-drawn 2D characters in the history of SNK Arcade Floor The King of Fighters XII promises to meet the expectations of next-generation console owners play attractive, high-resolution graphics and all the best ..intense battles!

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #1370 in Video Games

Brand: Ignition Entertainment

Model: 400042

Published on: 2009-07

Released on: 2009-07-28

ESRB Rating: Teen

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Number of items: 1

Dimensions: .30 pounds

Features

Over 22 hand drawn characters, two of which, "Mature" and "Elizabeth Blantorche," are unique to the Console releases of the game.

Classic The King of Fighters 3-on-3 team fighting combat that now allows you to create a team with any mix of characters you want.

New Gameplay elements such as critical counter attacks, air guarding, deadlock counters, clash timing and guard attacks.

Ability to form clans, create your own personal Clan emblem and compete against other clans online, as well as record and replay your matches, then upload them to the Internet.

Four robust modes of game play.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description

The legendary 3-on-3 fighting game series that united rival brawlers from SNK PLAYMORE's classic arcade franchises celebrates its 15th anniversary in style with the 2009 release of The King Of Fighters XII. For the first time in its history, this epic martial arts showdown has undergone a complete graphical overhaul. The antiquated character sprites used over the past 14 years have been dropped in favor of all-new, high-resolution fighters fluidly animating across painstakingly detailed, 100% hand-drawn backgrounds. Create a 3-on-3 dream team. View larger. New "Critical Counter" system. View larger. Redesigned character animation. View larger. 2 console exclusive characters. View larger. Gameplay The King of Fighters XII is a pure arcade fighting title. Like a few other releases in its franchise it does not contain a storyline, instead focusing on the tried and true 3-on-3, five round team fighting gameplay mechanic. Far from a liability, the lack of storyline plays into the fighting mechanic by eliminating official teams linked to the prevailing story, which in earlier releases compromised the characters that could be added to a team. In addition, the game also features new combat elements including the "Critical Counter" system which opens up the possibility of additional linked attacks and finishing moves when players land effective counter punches following an opponent's attack, and "Clash Timing," a break effect during a bout that separates combatants when they land blows on each other at the exact same time. More Than 20 Playable Characters Although the more than 20 characters featured in The King of Fighters XII is only about half the numbers veteran players of the series may have grown used to selecting from in earlier releases, the characters that are included having each been recreated for the game are very much graphically superior to anything ever seen in franchise history. Going for an old school feel, the majority of these are pulled from early King of Fighters games. They also retain, as close as possible, their original move set and have been rendered in costumes either from their classic King of Fighters appearances, or in some cases that of their original game. In addition, two of the playable characters, Mature and Elizabeth Blantorche, are exclusive to the console releases of the game and are not found in the arcade version. Both are clad in new outfits. Aside from these two, a sampling of the playable characters includes: Ash Crimson Slender and effeminate, at first glance Ash does not seem like he would be much of a fighter, yet he is a first-class combatant full of hidden motives and tricks, and possesses the powerful ability to control a strange green fire. Athena Asamiya A Japanese high school student, powerful psycho soldier and part-time pop idol, Athena splits her time between Japan and her training under master Chin Gentsai in China. She has a strong sense of justice and a hatred towards wrongdoers. Kyu Kusanagi Successor to the Kusanagi clan's flame-wielding fighting style, Kyo is brash, self-confident and very powerful. He has been in the top tier at every KoF tournament he has entered and he and Iori Yagami are bitter enemies. Iori Yagami Iori is the successor to the Yagami clan's devastating Violet Flame fighting style. Although this style is similar to that of the Kusanagi, a hatred simmers between the clans which Iori takes nearly to the point of insanity. Key Game Features More than 20 playable fighters from The King of Fighters franchise history, specially redesigned for Next-Gen consoles, and including console exclusive characters Mature and Elizabeth Blantorche. Classic The King of Fighters 3-on-3 team fighting combat that now allows you to create a team with any mix of characters you want. The "Critical Counter" system which opens up the possibility of additional linked attacks and finishing moves when players land effective counter punches in response to an opponent's attack. "Clash Timing" break effect that separates combatants who land blows on each other at the exact same time. A return to the series' standard four button layout, with which players can not only attack, but also more easily dash, backstep, and perform rolls as they evade.

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Customer Reviews

15 Years of KoF just to return to the basics... why?
My first impression: All looks, no substance. Welcome to King of Fighters where the champion burns, the options are limited and the boys look like girls.

As an old school SNK fan, I must say that I was anticipating this new game to be one that would move the King of Fighters into the forefront of next gen fighting. I expected it to be like it's predecessors except have a nice interface, awesome art and special effects to trump the former titles. Almost weekly I would check the site and look at the clean images and the demo reels, salivating at the chance of playing my beloved KOF and who could blame me, being that KOF XI was fully loaded.

Before I start let's examine the aspect of sequels and how things have played out with the competitor in Street Fighter 4 . The original was a groundbreaking game which has had sequels to improve on the look, feel and play up until the point that the original seems stiff and unplayable by today's standards (I am talking Street Fighter original not Street Fighter 2). Let's take a look at the Fatal Fury series, the same can be said when you contrast Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 to the original Fatal Fury. If you tried playing the original now, you would turn it off after a few moments of the weird AI kicking your ass as you struggle to pull off a move. Real Bout is awesome fun in comparison. My point in these two comparisons is that sequels should be a step above their former game, it is what we have grown to expect.

Story:
That all being said let us examine the progress of the King of Fighters timeline. Originally story-wise the tournament was put together by Rugal, it transcended into a larger force called the Orochi who wanted to harness the power of the fire master Kyo Kusanagi (star of the KoF series) and produced a bunch of flawed clones that led to other circumstances. Although a bit hokey, there was always a story for the few people (myself included) who gave a damn. In King of Fighters XII, you do a Time Trial as the arcade game, no real teams, no story and no cool features to unlock from doing them. What is the point outside of earning Playstation trophies? This really upset me.

Fighting:
The original King of Fighters `94 is still a fun game to play even though the contestants have been tweaked, changed and perfected by the time you use them in King of Fighters XI. I am not sure why the producers felt it necessary to revert the series back to `94 - which I am assuming was their intent based on the characters I have played for 11 games (sans Mai who isn't in the new roster). We are given the ugly jumpsuit Andy Bogart with traditional moves, diesel trucker Terry Bogart with classic moves (so no power dunk, power charge, or overheat Geyser), traditional Ryo Kusanagi and an uber chibi version of Athena. For players who had gotten used to the massive 10+ hit combos of the King of Fighters series this game will feel enormously dumbed down.

Online Gaming:
kof 2 The King of Fighters XII (4/10)After the disappointment that is the Arcade mode for people who don't have a little brother or buddy to beat up on in versus, you can try to go online and fight people. This is one of the few positive things that I have to report... well not the fighting online but the new Clan feature. A group of friends are allowed to create a Clan and get people in to support the point system by kicking ass online. This, if combined later with Playstation Home could be a real gem and a necessary component for later fighters. This feature is very cool since it allows for your friends to stay together and help one another out in reaping the rewards of being up on the leaderboard.

Playing online however has been less than stellar for me and I will describe it the best I can through a metaphor: It felt like playing against someone with my fighters having to wade through mud in order to pull of their moves. It is so sloooow, I blamed this on the fact that I am used to the fast pace of Street Fighter 4 . I have also been playing King of Fighters `00 recently and going from that pace to King of Fighters XII is beyond brutal. I wanted to turn the game off and play something else. But the Clan feature is good and I really wish that this will be a feature made into other fighting games and linking it to Playstation Home will give that feature even more possibilities beyond logging in and dancing with trannies. Speaking of trannies, why does half of KOF's roster consist of men who look 100% female? This isn't limited to Ash or the once effeminate Bennimaru. Key up Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like A Lady".

In Conclusion:
With the slowed down pacing of the fights and the fact that the engine rewards button mashing with the light and heavy buttons. New players will no doubt be pulled in to like the King of Fighters 12. There is an advanced move that I am sure was made to attract vets (like Street Fighter 4's Focus) called a Critical Counter. The Critical Counter is done by pressing a heavy button when close to your opponent and your green Critical bar is flashing. A newb's dream come true - a nice accidental heavy punch press will start a combo similar to a Z-ism in Street Fighter Alpha 3 which goes on for about 5 seconds, allowing you to link hits and moves that normally wouldn't link. Once the counter is wearing off, you can finish it with a super or a special. Remember those pretty videos of KOF12 combos? Well those were all criticals.

I see what the developers were going for in dumbing down the series and reverting it back to the original. The thing about doing so is the slow gameplay and limited moves reminds me too much of `94. Street Fighter 4 managed to dumb down their game engine and add in elements that would keep vets like myself happy, while maintaining the interest in casual and new gamers. The King of Fighters XII is not successful in this. What is good about the game though, aside from the horrible load times even when you install it on your harddrive (I mean what the hell) is the crisp new art of all the characters. This gives me hope that in XIII or whatever, they can re-use them to make a fast-paced, fun version. Sorry I know that was mean.

The fact that there is a Playstation Store embedded into the menu makes me scared that later on down the line we will be sold more characters, stages and possibly a turbo upgrade to make it playable (there I go again being an ass). I give this a big no-thanks even with a little K' and Mai sprinkled on top. I already own King of Fighters `94 and even with the opportunities that a Clan can present, I still find this a really hard game to get into.

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Questionable Character Designs, Poor online mode, and even poorer 1 player experience!
Normally I would NOT consider rating a fighting game so low for it's lack of 1 player modes...but coupled with an absolutely POOR online mode and confusing character designs, makes this one of the most disappointing fighters available. Comparisons will be made to BlazeBlue and SF4, as those were released not too long ago, although SF4 was but is STILL getting serious play.

The character designs are confusing in the sense that, techniques/moves given to the characters don't quite make sense for their fighting style. E.G. Ralph was in the past a grappler, well they've taken away most of his grappling moves, and replaced them with some special punches that I've yet to really figure out their advantages. Some characters are a given in design, ex. Iori, as they're templates make very little changes to their overall winning strategy. Most characters don't have enough moves may be the biggest complaint others may make...but MY complaint is that they've changed/removed moves for characters that make you wonder WHY? E.G. Mature had over 4-5 moves in KOF 94...she's been dumbed down to 2 moves and a super. Maybe she's like Guile in SF4 and doesn't need anymore, but you seen this trend in a lot of the characters, like Raiden, Sei Kensou (have NO idea how this guy is gonna win btw...) and Clark with the whole system of all moves/throws are "faster" than special throws. Kinda throws his game out the window.

The online mode is a complete disaster. I've never seen online modes on SF4,Blazblue, hell even Tekken 5 DR run as low FPS/high latency as this. I'm talking about watching a slide show. NO JOKE. Nothing seems to make it much better, and this is AFTER THE ONLINE UPDATE! If Blazeblue can do it, hell if SF4s 3d engine can do it, so can this game. Someone got lazy somewhere here...

Finally, no story mode, no incentive to play through against the arcade cpu (like unlocking artwork,characters, costumes... come on SOMETHING!) I would normally say who cares, that fighting games are 2 PLAYER games right? Well, not with the mentioned above problems.
It's hard enough to get people huddled around 1 tv to play a fighting game. It would make sense that a good but understandably not perfect online experience should be implemented. As said, the weaknesses FAR outshine any good this game could of had. Disappointing, as I've been playing this series since KOF 95 on my PSone.

A Review That Has To Be Dated
07/28/09

Eh uh... Let me start by saying that I AM a KOF faithful; always have been and will be proud of it. On a wide scale, it was always written off as the knock off of Street Fighter, and while that may have been true in terms of gameplay and controls/overall mechanics, KOF always made up for it with "style." Even with identical commands, KOF characters pulled off more fighter-worthy moves, and KOF offered a true variety of characters, most of them with reasons to be anyone's favorite character.

However, I am not so sure if I could vouch for all the goodies KOF had to offer thus far in this highly-anticipated entry, KOF XII.

Otherwise known as 'KOF Rebirth,' KOF XII was to be THE fighting game of this year. Street Fighter IV came out early, but it only elicited a strong disappointment among the fans. KOF XII was to be THE game to truly rekindle the 2D fighter-fire that had diminished over the years. Then, BlazBlue of AKSYS came out; it took the critics and gamers by storm and by now there probably isn't a fighter-fan who has not even tried the game. AND, about a month after BB, KOF XII came out (with GameStop breaking the release date, nice).

And that's probably both the biggest advantage for BlazBlue and disadvantage for KOF XII, expectations.

BlazBlue offered not only colorful visual and orchestral fighter music (which is quite fresh) but also super-fast and sometimes ridiculous gameplay. And character design? out.of.this.world.

KOF XII, frankly, fails to deliver. I mean, it DID deliver, just not as strongly as BlazBlue.

I thought I was not what my friends (and I) call a 'graphic-whore,' but I guess underneath it all, I am. Hand-drawn sprites (which was the sellint point of this game) are most certainly nice. But even with the provided soft filter on, there are gaps, holes, rough edges, and sketchy animations to be found just about anywhere in-game, and when you put in BlazBlue right after playing KOF XII, one can't HELP but make comparisons and they are not in favor of 'the King.'

and the sound does not impress, either. SNK has not evolved much from before the franchise's "rebirth" and I really can't feel the exciting, engaging atmosphere from the soundtracks.

however there is a pro to this game that stands over all others - gameplay!
it's the most fluid game motion i've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. therefore, the fighting can only be simple and fast, which every fighter is meant to be (i'm not talking about commands or battle systems). even with deadlocks, a common mechanic which SNK decided to embed with KOF XII; Rebirth, bouts are never slowed down or lagged. critical counter is, in my opinion, also interesting. while you can't be moving at all when using it, when timed right, it literally opens up an opportunity to just beat your opponent senselessly.

now for the reason this review has to be dated - the roster and online play.
to be honest, it's weak. i know SNK had a complete overhaul in mind and they focused on rather more important things but it's KOF, for god's sakes. 22 fighters? not even CLOSE to enough. most fans seem to want and almost definitely there will be DLCs for widening the character roster (Mai and K' in highest demands) but it's... ya, disappointing.

and WHAT is next-generation fighter without decent online playing? i know i'm doing this a lot, but BlazBlue had PERFECT online experience laid out for its players. whereas KOF, in 20 or so online matches i've played getting frustrated there was not one single legit match. there were updates even as of now to make the game at least PLAYABLE online but if this issue isn't dealt with promptly and correctly, the fans WILL turn away.

SNK succeeded in a sense in turning the never-changing game upside down and welcoming it to the next age, but perhaps not quite as well as they'd hoped to. Luckly SNK is very receptive of fan feedbacks so who knows? i'll probably be able to give stars of the number i want in the near future.

p.s. don't use Iori

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Vampire Rain: Altered Species

Vampire Rain: Altered Species is an intense player who runs into a sad night in a suburb of the west coast of the United States. For some time, humanity has had to face the ferocious and terrifying Nightwalkers, a race of superhuman vampires who crave human blood. People have disappeared in the night, the lucky ones who have died, but the less fortunate are reborn Nightwalkers, and are bound by instinct to force the victims' Rookie of the Nightwalker army involuntary. Players assume the role of John Lloyd, a member of a special unit established within the United States government to defeat the Nightwalkers, and the only man to ever survive a physical encounter with them.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #6366 in Video Games

Brand: Ignition Entertainment

Model: 400035

Released on: 2008-08-26

ESRB Rating: Mature

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Number of items: 1

Dimensions: .50" h x 5.25" w x 6.75" l, .30 pounds

Features

Take advantage of the shadows, high vantage points and the rain

Open a special mode the second time you play

Go online with up to 8 players across 9 diverse maps and 12 modes of play

Compare your skills with other online players with the Experience Points System

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Customer Reviews

Definately Not Junk, Definately Not Treasure
I would like to lead things off by saying this game is CHALLENGING. At times, almost to a fault. I think this is where people get irritated with this game and walk away. Hell, the "tutorial stage" was harder than some games' last stages. This is the number one thing to keep in mind........expect to get frustrated. In fact I rarely find myself taking frequent breaks from games, but Between some of the replicated stages and the shear fact that the vampires are NOT easy to sneak by, I had to to retain my sanity.

Now for the rest of the game. It's fun. Nothing to blow your mind away, but a fun game provided to like a challenge. Think of it as Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell with very little room for error in the stealth aspect. You MUST not allow yourself to be seen. It's not like you can be seen, run and hide, be forgotten about and try again. You get seen in this game, you are forgotten only AFTER you're eaten.

Graphics are decent, nothing to write home about, but nothing too horrible. There are times where I wish they would have put a little more work in to it, but on the whole about three stars. The voice acting SUCKS!!!!! I don't know who they got for it, but it sounds like a junior high play in delivery. Controls are fair, nothing tremendously annoying and most are very natural although I have found myself occasionally running when I shouldn't have.

In short, this a solid 3 star game. Nothing that really comes out and grabs you.....whether good or bad. The few things that DO stand out GOOD compensate for the few things that stand out BAD. I wouldn't say it is a terrifying game, but the fact that you can't get complacent with movement does get your nerves on edge and when you get nabbed I know I still jump every now and then. A great idea for a game that was not treated how it deserved. I would definitely wait until it comes down in price to buy and even then I strongly recommend anyone to rent before buying it. It will NOT be for everyone.

Just keep going....
Didn't really get much fun out of this game, based on 3 hours into it, there is still no "game" to play. There are cutscenes after cutscenes (in game graphix, no video), you spend the majority of the time you do get to use your character sneaking from point "a" to "b", and maybe you get to kill a vampire on the way. And the vampires? One hit your dead. One hit throws you into the air (there has been no counter or dodge as far as I can tell) the second hit finishes you off. 3 hours and I think I've come across 5 vampires. Very very weak game. Just save your cash and look for something else.

Not for everyone.
There are reviews here that have mixed feeling about it. But here is my two cents: 1 cent-not splinter cell or metal gear! This game has vampires looking to kill you and eat you. That is what makes it hard to get around. 2 cent-vampires looking to kill and eat you with no where to go if you are seen is what makes this game hard. And there is my two cents. This game was interesting in what was listed above and I was glad that someone took the time to do something like this but I really wished that they had the fun factor in mind when creating this. Like I said before these are vampires and they have a heighten sense of reality but to make it to the point that you can't even survive long enough to get a feel for it will turn a lot of players off. IF you think this is just your average gun and run shooter which is what got me then you are in for a HUGE surprise. IF think that the tactics in Splinter cell and metal gear will get you by then you are in for an even bigger disappointment. I can't say enough that this game just plain out will have you wanting to just fling it against the wall cause its so hard and not fun at all when you think about other stealth games out there. If you feel that your skills in stealth are that good then here is a challenge for you and personally I didn't even finish it cause of the fact is was jsut frustrating trying to survive long enough to figure out how to get by one or two vampires. And if you are not on the roof in snipeing them off before moving you are dead. And if you shoot one and forget the other then come out of your hiding you are got cause they are moving to the sound of your shot. That is just one example of how frustrating it was. Get this if you think you got game but personally this will just piss you off the way it did me.

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