King of Fighters XII

[Atarifever]

I got this game for Christmas (and as I said, for travel reasons opened it a few days ago). Anyway, I've seen a lot of negative reviews of it, and don't agree with them at all. I understand that with smaller move sets, less characters, less backgrounds,less modes, and some broken online, it may be somewhat disappointing for longtime fans. However, the game (both two player and the addicting "time attack" main mode) is still incredibly solid. As well, the new, high def characters and backgrounds are incredible looking, and drawing and animating them was obviously quite a good deal of work. The critical counter system is simple and changes the dynamics of a lot of matches, and the character balance is perfect. As well, the online patch has already hit the PS3, and no doubt will land on the 360 eventually. So although it may be "small" by KoF standards, it's still a solid fighting game, and what is there is extremely solid looking and playing.

 

More importantly, it's a great introduction to the series for newcomers (like me). I don't know any of the 22 characters, so the idea of having less than 30 really doesn't phase me. They're all new to me. As well, I have heard fans are disappointed by having only one super move bar or something. The idea of having three of those things to fill up doesn't seem like a huge addition to me. The one that is there fills up pretty fast, and I usually get to use it two or three times a set of matches.

 

Anyway, I really don't see why this game is getting 5s and 6s. It may not be a 10, but, especially for newcomers, this is still an incredibly solid game.

[Crazy Climber]

I am going to buy it but as much as I want to support SNK and their awesome games I know if I wait a few months I can get it for $20 due to the poor reviews it's getting.

[2600Lives]

From what I hear, it's mostly the online frustrations that's giving it the bad reviews. The game itself is supposed to be pretty good. The online portion was supposed to be the focal point of things, but the lag is SO bad it makes it almost unplayable. There is supposed to be a patch coming out in the near future, but who knows when or of it'll get made.

[Crazy Climber]

There is supposed to be a patch coming out in the near future, but who knows when or of it'll get made.

Thats the problem, if nobody is playing it, they won't bother with it

[Jess Ragan]

It's incredibly solid, but it's also half-finished. All those missing modes matter in 2009, when gamers have come to expect them as standard features in fighting games. It's incredibly weird that a game that was supposed to modernize the King of Fighters series feels like a step back to 1994 in so many ways... in fact, there are actually fewer characters here than there were in the first game! SNK really needed to leave this bun in the oven for another year... they rushed it to compete with Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue, and it suffers badly as a result. It reminds me a lot of King of Fighters: Maximum Impact, which was stripped to the barest essentials in its debut and wasn't really worth playing until KOF 2006 and the Japanese sequels were released.

 

People shouldn't have to pay for dress rehearsals. If they're paying full price for a game it damn well better be a full game.

[Crazy Climber]

Well, it's consistantly selling for about $40 now so just another few months or so I think it will be down to $20! Then I will pick it up

[2600Lives]

I actually liked Maximum Impact, but I took it for what it was. An experiment. KOF is a 2D game, pure and simple, and putting into the realm of 3D seemed more of a test to see if they could pull it off. I played the ever living HELL out of it after I picked it up at TRU for 10 bones (and it was the deluxe version, too!).

 

After getting the Fighter Pad, I may look into this after the price drops. Still, I doubt very seriously any game in the series will ever top KoF '98 in terms of sheer awesomeness.

[Atarifever]

So I've been playing a lot more of it, and I like this game more all the time. I was finding trying to top my completion times in arcade mode addicting enough as it was, but then the beauty of Achievement points finally fully dawned on me when I got the "under 10 minute" achievement. I already realized how achievements can make a mediocre game better (Sega Superstar Tennis is basically "Sega Superstar Achievement list" to me), but when I checked the ones for this game, I realized how much play they add to the game. The game doesn't otherwise care if you finish all 5 rounds in an hour, or in 5 minutes. However, there're achievements for under 10 minutes, under 8, under 5, under 4, and something like 2 minutes 30 seconds. Apparently I have a long way to go. This is important to me, as I'm not yet online, so it's a single player, or two people on a couch game to me.

 

I know people who live for these games expect 30 different modes and a story, but I certainly see more than enough here just playing it like any arcade game, where everything but your score is, at best, a distant secondary concern.

[Gabriel]

I actually liked Maximum Impact, but I took it for what it was. An experiment. KOF is a 2D game, pure and simple, and putting into the realm of 3D seemed more of a test to see if they could pull it off. I played the ever living HELL out of it after I picked it up at TRU for 10 bones (and it was the deluxe version, too!).

 

I love King of Fighters 2006 (Maximum Impact 2). Personally, I think it's a much better game than KoF12. Better looking, more original, more fun, etc. I really wish that SNK had embraced the Maximum Impact series and kicked the original 2D dead-end to the curb.

 

As for KoF12, it gets a somewhat bad rep. But we must also remember the KoF games have been recipients of inflated opinions for a long time because the whole series has been bargain bin fodder for a number of years. Had KoF12 been a $10-$20 game like KoF11 and Orochi Saga were, then it would have been much better received.

 

Plus, something had to be the whipping boy for the new media darling: BlazBlue. Good god, talk about overrated.

 

I think time will be kinder to KoF12. It's more conventional play mechanics as well as attachment to the popular franchise and future price drops will keep people coming back to it in the future when better rated titles like BlazBlue, Fate/Unlimited Codes, Battle Fantasia and thier ilk are forgotten. KoF12 is certainly one of the worst entries in the series, but it's still much more playable and accessible than a lot of it's competition.

[Taskmaster99]

I am a huge King of Fighters fan. I currently own 94 through 2002 on the Neo Geo AES system. Recieved XII for Christmas on the 360 and am not impressed. It just deosnt feel like KOF to me. Alot of moves have been dumbed down or taken out....especially on Ralf who I have used ever since the beginning. Needless to say this game will probably never be traded in due to the fact that i need it in the collection. As far as how much it will be played??? Probably a dust collector.