King of Fighters XII (2009)

System: Xbox-360, PlayStation 3, Arcade

Scores: Graphics: 90, Sound: 80, Gameplay: 70, Overall: 80

Review: The King of Fighters XII is the latest addition to the series of King of Fighters games by SDK Playmore. King of Fighters XII is definitely not your run-of-the-mill fighting game. You don’t have to be a fighting guru to enjoy King of Fighters, the combos are relatively simple and every character is pretty well matched. What I was quite impressive with was the graphics and gameplay.

The only thing really lacking about the game is the $60 price tag and the extremely laggy online match fighting, which I’m sure will be resolved in the next patch. Aside from that, King of Fighters XII is a good addition to your fighting game collection. With 22 beautifully hand drawn characters, awesome backgrounds, audio and pretty good gameplay, King of Fighters XII is definitely worth taking a look at.

The King of Fighters XII from SDK Playmore packs a serious punch!

Game Description: In celebration of its landmark 15th Anniversary, The King of Fighters XII — one of the last great arcade 3-on-3 fighter games — is about to get even greater. For the first time in its history, this ultimate fighting game has undergone a complete graphical overhaul. KOFXII features 22 gorgeous hand-drawn 2D characters from SNK’s arcade history. All sprites used over the past 14 years have been dropped and replaced with new 2D high-definition, high-resolution sprites on detailed backgrounds. KOFXII aims to knock players out with new gameplay elements including critical counter attacks, Sousai (deadlock) counters and guard attacks, and the introduction of new online elements.

Game Features:
* Simple 3-on-3 elimination battles are back! Savor the excitement of fist-on-fist clashes and pulse-pounding tactics.
* Feast your eyes on the visual fireworks — New 2D high-definition, high-resolution sprites and detailed backgrounds as well as a suite of special effects make KOFXIII a new King of Fighters for the next generation.
* Online Lobbies — Up to eight players, online lobbies simulate an arcade experience where two players fight while the others wait in line for their turn to fight the victor. Players can also duke it out via voice or text chat.
* Online Ranking System & Leaderboards: Grades each player’s performances (via letter grades) and keeps track of their best Time Attack times. These results are displayed online via public leaderboards.
* Xbox 360 Exclusive Truskill — This online ranking function lets players record, replay and share matches.

King of Fighters XII