Review by: Brian Rowe

The original 3-on-3 fighter was back. I immediately set the difficulty to Hard, picked out my classic trio of Terry Bogard, Clark, and Mai Shiranui… wait, no Mai? Iori would have to suffice. I had a tournament to win, but after five matches topping out at 13 minutes, I stared in disbelief at the words, “Congratulations!! Game over, thanks for playing.” I felt cheated.

The King of Fighters is often regarded as one of the most technical fighters to emerge from two dimensions, and that reputation still stands. Combat is fast, extremely responsive, and, when fighting a seasoned player, requires expert knowledge of each character’s strengths and weaknesses. Compounding this element is an upgraded counter-system which includes Critical Counters that segue into custom combos and Guard Attacks for weak, but highly effective parries. More than any iteration before, baiting your opponents and reading their moves is as important as launching a face-pounding offensive.

Where the game stumbles is in the realm of presentation. The previous roster of 56 characters has been drastically cut down to 22 with no unlockables. That is still an impressive number for a fighter, but not when facing 15-years of history. Even the inaugural KoF had two additional contestants. Without longstanding staples like Mai Shiranui, Geese Howard, or even King (seriously, who uses her?), this version hardly feels worthy of the KoF name.

One reason for the reduction may be the time and care invested in new and long overdue sprites. Kim’s lightning kicks and Terry’s burning knuckles never looked better, but the illusion is nearly destroyed in high-definition. The sprites look fantastic on standard TVs, like those in most arcade cabinets, but the move to 720p or higher brings out the jagged edge of every pixel. Much like the re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, KOFXII includes a “Filter” option, but unlike Capcom’s baby, filtering only serves to eradicate details and wash out the color.

As a single-player game, KOFXII lacks any substance to draw you back. Back in the arcade scene, I was lucky to survive 30-seconds against the local competition, which says a lot for SNK Playmore’s modern concept of Hard. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if there is a Continue screen, because I have yet to lose. You won’t find the Endless and Challenge modes that the previous game had, but the main travesty is the complete lack of boss-fights. The only things waiting after five matches are the credits and that offensively anachronistic congratulation.