Urban Newz

I have to admit I was excited to play The King of Fighters (KOF XII). 

Anybody who loves games has to be excited about an “old school game with new flavor” made for the next gen platform.   Fantasies of a fighting game that could out-do rivals such as Street Fighter, DOA, and previous KOFs  flooded my mind, and enticed me to rush home to begin a night of serious button crunching. 

However, after a few button taps I realized this KOA wasn’t what I pictured as my fantasies fell short.

KOF isn’t all bad and definitely has a lot of positive attributes.  The game just didn’t meet the high expectations its predecessors have created. 

KOF doesn’t stray from its traditional 2D platform, but that only created an old school feel most gamers still enjoy.  The graphics are phenomenal which leaves players fixed on the background rather than watching the fighters.  

Some may like the old look of the retro versions of KOF, but you can’t deny the crisp look that creates a better visual for new KOF players. 

The initial reactions gamers will have to KOF is, “Could they have done more with the new generation game consoles?”. 

The game play itself is very restrictive and requires some practice before mastering fighting skills and kicks and blows come off as slightly slow.  In addition, the amount of fighters compared to previous KOFs’ seems to be a lot less leaving less options and styles to choose from. 

The selection of characters also doesn’t offer any standout characters that even novice players can use for a handicapped win.  The game also lacks a story line that can connect the game and create a great single player experience.  The game modes offered don’t do much to enhance the KOF franchise and truly left me wanting more.

The game’s online features definitely add value to the game itself and provide a satisfying attribute.  It seems that the high expectations I had for KOF weren’t fulfilled.  Previous KOF’s seem to work as a rival to KOF XII due to no new gaming experiences that fail to separate it from the originals. 

The abilities of next generations consoles wasn’t taken advantage of in ways it could have been.  I was excited to play an “old school game with new school flavor”.  However, I realized I was looking for a “new school game with old school flavor”. 

I’m positive future KOF games will have lots more to offer and include more use of Xbox and PlayStation technologies, but in today’s economy you have to be very selective about purchases.  And while KOF XII is a good value many gamers my want to wait until prices come down slightly before purchasing.