Multiplayer Monarchy-The King of Fighters XII Reviewed

In the span of years between the release of the AES and the Playstation, the capabilities of console hardware increased, yet the core King of Fighters spite-based artwork remain largely untouched. As the series churned out annual iterations, the roster was expanded, and subtle gameplay refinements were added, culminating in the colossal 47 fighter rota for KOF XI.

The recently released King of Fighters XII relinquishes the immense selection of fighters for what many gamers have been longing for- a reboot of the venerable series. The Ignition-published title offers a magnificent hand-drawn, fluidly animated rooster that while smaller in number, is substantially more abundant in stature. Seeing the newly envisioned and drastically more stalwart Terry Bogard in action is invigorating; the trucker hat-clad protagonist is now half as tall as the screen, and intimidatingly muscled. It’s unfortunate the game itself, couldn’t have bulked up as much.

Gamers accustomed to a variety of single player diversions will find KOF XII’s solitary time-trial mode severely limiting. Players select three fighters from the game’s selection of 22 participants, who brawl against an equal number of CPU opponents. The title offers none of the tag-team strategizing of NeoGeo Battle Coliseum or Tekken Tag Tournament; each match continues until one fighter is knocked out. Once a warrior is eliminated, play is paused briefly while the next fighting is loaded. Without the benefit of a narrative or even character specific endings, the player is offered little motivation to preserve through the mode more than a few times. Those favoring a more tactical brawl that puts button mashers at a disadvantage will find KOF XII‘s gameplay to their liking. Each characters selection of special, super moves ensure that players have a variety of offensive measures in their battling repertoire.

Fortunately, the game’s multiplayer variations offer more depth than the shallow single player experience. Skirmishes with a friend in the same room are predictably gratifying, and are robust enough to initiate heated trash-talking matches. The game’s online mode skillfully recreates a diminutive arcade tournament, as eight players compete for supremacy. As two gamer square off, other contestants observe the struggle, and are able to add color commentary via the title’s voice chat system. Team battles build a nice sense of camaraderie as two three-man teams fight for bragging rights. While I experienced a number of fluid online matches, a number of brawls were impaired by an ample amount of lag.

The title incorporates a wonderful art aesthetic, which recalls the golden age of fighting games, while stubbornly refusing to employ textured polygons. Each character is lithely animated, and displays just enough pixilated charm to evoke their NeoGeo origins. Special moves flash and fade in high-definition glory, adding the proper amount of incendiary allure to each match. Being able to hear the voice tracks in English or Japanese is a worthwhile attribute that should be obligatory in any international fighting game.

A few additional quibbles demand attention. Why would the developers conceal the list of fighter commands in the pause screen, instead of mapping them to the select key? Although the game’s roster offers a diverse array of fighters from long-range brawlers to big, slow powerful beasts, the game only contains five backdrops. The decision to exclude fan-favorite Mai Shiranui (presumably for DLC) does little to reward long-time follows of the series.

Overall, a player’s appreciation of King of Fighters XII is directly correlated to how much time they will spend fighting other players. Although the title has been given a long overdue graphical make-over, the game’s single player mode feels woefully sparse. Still, that will matter little to the gamer with a room full of imminent competitors, or the player who seeks a challenge online. For those expecting a profusion of content, we expect thirteen to be your lucky number.