SNK brings us a classic that holds some serious nostalgic value.
Hey kids, do you remember the NEO GEO? Well, probably not because most kids who remember that are grown and working a nine to five job…hopefully. Well, yet another King of Fighters iteration has made it to the States, and for the sake of nostalgia it still holds up to its old fighting charm. This particular title serves as the 11th KOF to come from the Far East. If you have played any fighting titles back in the arcade driven era a few years back, then more than likely you have heard of the King of Fighters series. For those of us who may not have jumped on the KOF joy ride, let me inform you.
The King of Fighters is a game developed by SNK that made its debut in 1994 and became a smash hit amongst gamers. The KOF series, over time, has developed a large cast of fighting characters with distinctive personalities and traits. So distinctive in fact that it’s used a way of encouraging fans to buy specific games based on which character is or isn’t omitted from the yearly release titles. So if you’re a fan of one specific character, you couldn’t always count on them showing up in the next one as part of SNK’s clever ruse.
The story, like most fighting games, is not awe-inspiring but gives you something to go on. If you have gotten attached to the characters over the years, then you may take more from the story then most. Mukai, a member of a mysterious group, stole the Orochi seal. Taking advantage of all the confusion caused by it, Ash stole the Yata Mirror from Chizuru. In the advent of the new tournament, new faces are handed invitations, while old faces, such as Eiji Kisaragi, return to the battle. Among the new KOF participants are Oswald, Duck King, Momoko, and Elisabeth. All these fighters will find themselves in a tournament full of mysteries and secrets started by motives that they’d ignored. Behind this healthy competitive tournament hides a hidden force called “People from the Past” that has a lot of mixed objectives.
The Gameplay in KOF is traditional one on one fighting; you know, the type of fighting that made these games all the rage during penny arcade days. When you first begin the game, you are taken to the initial menu screen. From the menu screen your options are arcade play, team play, single play, endless, challenge, practice mode, and gallery.
You can select from a wide roster of characters each with very unique stories and fighting styles. There are some characters that even make a special return, such as Chang Koehan, Joe Higashi, Leona Heidern, Mai Shiranui, and Robert Garcia. If that doesn’t get you going then what does? You must select a total of three characters and choose the order in which they can be swapped in and out. This feature becomes very useful during gameplay and can make or break your winning streak easily. After selecting your team and order you are thrown into the fight.
There are a lot of old traditions mixed in with some new techniques which add even more depth to the already impressive gameplay setup. Most veterans are familiar with KOF’s many maneuvers such as Runs, Rolls, Short Jumps, Guard Cancel CDs and Rolls, Empty Cancels, and the returning Quick Emergency Roll.
The newest iteration brings several more tactics along for the party. Tactics such as Quick Shift, the Saving Shift, the Skill bar, and the Dream Cancels add double the strategy to the fight. Using these skills require the use of Skill Stocks or Power Stocks. The Power Stocks from previous titles are still present. Skill Stocks, on the other hand, are new and gradually fill up over time. The maximum Skill Stocks you can hold are two, and you start off with the max limit. Whenever you use offensive maneuvers such as Desperation Moves, Guard Cancels, and Tag Attacks, you use up Power Stocks. Defensive maneuvers like Guard Evasion, Saving Shift, and Quick Shift use Skill Stocks. So any player can dominate the fight if he is clever and quick enough.
KOF XI uses the Tactical Shift System from KOF 2003, but with some noticeable changes. Quick Shift System allows you to change into another character in the middle of a combo even going as far as skipping the frames of animation that it normally takes. For most hardcore fighters this is a very tactical advantage as there are some guru gamers that can judge an incoming attack by the frame rates, making them a Neo of gaming so to speak. The Saving Shift tactic is an escape goat that allows you to quickly swap out a player as soon as he is hit at the cost of your skill bars. The Dream Cancel is from KOF 1999, around the same time, The Artist formerly known as Prince was partying approximately. Dream Cancel allows you to use stocks in order to break up your opponents’ execution with an even stronger attack. So there is a lot of balance in this KOF XI title.
I have to say that KOF XI has brought back a lot of good memories. From standing in line at the arcade with my father to the flashing lights with such words as TILT glowing across the screens, KOF XI takes me back to a time when sprites were the wave of video gaming future and one on one fighting brought people to the mall by the dozens. If you are a hardcore fighting fan with a sweet tooth for the past, then this game is worth checking out. The gameplay is fun and the moves are over the top, matched with colorful characters and powers. Not to mention the traditional static background with only two frames of animation that we have come accustomed to over the years. Since it is also at a budget price, you can’t really lose.
Features:
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.0 Graphics
the graphics are very old and pixeled sprites. 2.0 Control
the controls seem clunky and hard to pull of special attacks. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voices and music are loud and match the scenes. 4.0 Play Value
fighter fans will get into its depth easily. 3.0 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.