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KOFXII - Console news: Mature and Elizabeth CONFIRMED. 3v3 Clan matches PS3 exclusive
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If there's a single 2D fighting game to be excited about right now, it's not SF4, and it's not BlazBlu, and it's not a new Melty Blood, or anything else. It's KOFXII.
Why? Well, first because KOF is awesome. Second, because KOF XII is a complete HD restart of the franchise, marking the first time they've drawn completely new sprites for each character pretty much since the series started more than a decade ago.
Compare:
KOF XII
KOF XI
KOF XII
SF4
What we know about the game:
20 characters, not counting possible boss characters or (unlikely with the current release schedule) console specific characters.
Final Roster
(Organized into teams, even though there aren't really any teams in a non-story KOF.)
Hero Team - Ash Crimson, Duo Lon, Shen Woo
Japan Team - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
Psycho Soldiers Team - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
Fatal Fury Team - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
Art of Fighting Team - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Raiden/Big Bear (first KOF appearance)
Ikari Warriors Team - Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Leona Heidern
Rivals - Iori Yagami, Kim Kaphwan
Return to the traditional 3v3 teams, no tagging, no leaders.
New systems - Critical Counter and Clash. Clashing is when 2 moves hit each other at the same time, after which the characters will be returned to a neutral state unless one of them can press the advantage somehow.
Return to 4 button layout, since there's no tagging the blow away attack can go back to C+D.
For a little while the super bar would fill and then drain, as in KOF '94, but it's back to multiple levels of bar that you can use anytime.
Videos:
Japanese HD character trailer.
Location test vids on youtube
Things to note and discuss:
Release date. Nothing firm yet. April release for Japanese arcades, and there's supposed to be a worldwide arcade release, so that'll probably be around the same time. Worldwide console release (PS3 and 360) is scheduled for summer '09, but we'll see how that goes.
Due to the time it takes to draw and animate HD characters by hand don't expect any surprises for the console release outside of boss characters. Do expect a bevy of new characters for KOF XIII, though.
Also! KOF 2002: UM is out, though there's no concrete worldwide release date yet. A complete rework of one of the most popular games in the series, with a massive cast of characters (even the infamous Eolith characters before they were axed, though one had to be altered, for obvious reasons). Anyways, it's PS2 exclusive, but you can keep your fingers crossed for a console arcade release, if you want.
According to this kotaku article, the console releases will have, amongst other features, console specific characters and some sort of anti-aliasing mode for the sprites. Whatever. NEW CHARACTERS. YURI.
KOF 2002: UM vids can be found here
Why? Well, first because KOF is awesome. Second, because KOF XII is a complete HD restart of the franchise, marking the first time they've drawn completely new sprites for each character pretty much since the series started more than a decade ago.
Compare:
KOF XII
KOF XI
KOF XII
SF4
What we know about the game:
20 characters, not counting possible boss characters or (unlikely with the current release schedule) console specific characters.
Final Roster
(Organized into teams, even though there aren't really any teams in a non-story KOF.)
Hero Team - Ash Crimson, Duo Lon, Shen Woo
Japan Team - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
Psycho Soldiers Team - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
Fatal Fury Team - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
Art of Fighting Team - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Raiden/Big Bear (first KOF appearance)
Ikari Warriors Team - Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Leona Heidern
Rivals - Iori Yagami, Kim Kaphwan
Return to the traditional 3v3 teams, no tagging, no leaders.
New systems - Critical Counter and Clash. Clashing is when 2 moves hit each other at the same time, after which the characters will be returned to a neutral state unless one of them can press the advantage somehow.
Return to 4 button layout, since there's no tagging the blow away attack can go back to C+D.
For a little while the super bar would fill and then drain, as in KOF '94, but it's back to multiple levels of bar that you can use anytime.
Videos:
Japanese HD character trailer.
Location test vids on youtube
Things to note and discuss:
Release date. Nothing firm yet. April release for Japanese arcades, and there's supposed to be a worldwide arcade release, so that'll probably be around the same time. Worldwide console release (PS3 and 360) is scheduled for summer '09, but we'll see how that goes.
Due to the time it takes to draw and animate HD characters by hand don't expect any surprises for the console release outside of boss characters. Do expect a bevy of new characters for KOF XIII, though.
Also! KOF 2002: UM is out, though there's no concrete worldwide release date yet. A complete rework of one of the most popular games in the series, with a massive cast of characters (even the infamous Eolith characters before they were axed, though one had to be altered, for obvious reasons). Anyways, it's PS2 exclusive, but you can keep your fingers crossed for a console arcade release, if you want.
According to this kotaku article, the console releases will have, amongst other features, console specific characters and some sort of anti-aliasing mode for the sprites. Whatever. NEW CHARACTERS. YURI.
KOF 2002: UM vids can be found here
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Yep, May.
Man Terry and Ralf got fuckign RIPPED!
But really this excites me to no end, pretty much in the realm of 2d it cockslaps BlazBlue so fucking hard its not funny.
FUCK
edit: Seriously, I play K', King, and Yuri this suuucks.
Since the OP mentioned not having seen Iori or Raiden, here is the promotional poster that reveals their presence:
It offers a glimpse of the new Iori. Black jacket, red shirt and white pants. You can also make out K' in the "KOF 15th Anniversary" logo, so he may end up in the game. And here's the original promotional poster, that reveals Elizabeth's new outfit and Goro:
The small cast is disappointing, but the awesome graphics definitely make up for it. Long live the new era of 2D!
On that note, are they still working on a new Samurai Spirits/Showdown or has that been canned? I haven't seen anything about it passed the teaser awhile back.
EDIT: Oh wow, wikipedia says the new SamSho was released in April of this year. I should start digging for info.
I'm in!
my other favorite is Yamazaki but I don't think he will make it in.
PSN: super_emu
Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
They really stand out to my eye in a negative way, like they just sit on top of the image, not as part of it.
But maybe it would be different if I saw it in person?
Please say yes.
You'll always be in my team, Whip.
And I'd really like to know more about the new Samurai Shodown, which I've heard almost nothing about, and it comes out around the same time.
And Terry=<3
Regarding SamSho, all I can do is direct you to the same page I'm looking through here.
I agree about the special effects. Like there are black backgrounds where it should be transparent or something. I bet the more transparent flame effects lacking that black background got lost among all the other crap that's going on in the stages.
EDIT: On second inspection Ash's green flames appear to be just fine, but the green "hit" flames on other characters don't look nearly as good. Kyo's Orochi Nagi just plain looks bad.
Those posters are interesting. Raiden is just so out of left field for me, but I didn't disbelieve. Elisabeth is a big part of the current storyline, somehow, so it makes sense she'd be in the game. Strange that Shen is in the game, but not Duo Lon. I can see Kensou making it in, too.
But XII is the end of this arc, and the next game is traditionally a "Dream Match" game, and would include characters who aren't part of the story anymore, or have long since died. Maybe they'll drop that format with XIII, but either way they'll have to draw up new sprites, so I don't see why they wouldn't, unless it's just "too soon," or something.
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What was the story in XI anyway? Haven't got a chance to play it.
Wikipedia says:
Oh, and Ash has stolen Iori's flames.
The goal of the "People from the Distant Past" involves Orochi. Orochi is an ancient, evil Japanese spirit who was the main enemy behind the original KOF storyline (95-97), aptly named the Orochi saga. At the end of that storyline, he was sealed (preventing him from entering our world). Rather than being followers of Orochi, however, these new "PftDP" seem be a race of beings similar to him (god-demon things?).
So messing with the Orochi seal has bad consequences for the descendants of Orochi's original followers. These people are described as having Orochi blood in them. In ending for 2003, Leona enters a state known as the "Riot of Blood" where she went crazy and tried to kill Ralf and Clark, her fellow Ikari teammates. Following this, Heidern (leader of the Ikari warriors) took Leona off the team for unspecified reasons, although it's always been presumed that it was to protect her (and her teammates) from further Orochi-related incidents. This is why Whip joined Ralf and Clark on the KOFXI Ikari team.
The Ikari ending for XI overlapped with the Agents team ending (Vanessa, Ramon, Blue Mary) and the NESTs team ending (K', Kula, Maxima). Following the death of Magaki, the XI boss (who was one of these demi-god folk), Heidern assembles these teams together to do a threat-assessment of these People from the Distant Past (who need a better name). As the meeting begins aboard a battle cruiser, two of the above-mentioned group appear out of nowhere, steal the body of Magaki, blow up one of Heidern's ships and disappear. Heidern then orders the Ikari team to prepare for the next KOF tournament, where these people will surely reappear.
While it is strange that Leona has returned to the cast, I assume it's because the Orochi connection makes the fight personal for her. Ralf and Clark don't have any more reason to be in the tournament than Whip does, so it's possible she'll show up as the third Ikari member. However, my money's on Clark simply because Ralf and Clark have never been in any game without the other.
If anyone is interested in the larger KOF 2003/XI storyline, allow me to continue typing about it; largely because I like typing.
Orochi was sealed through the combined efforts of Chizuru Kagura, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami. All three of these characters have powers granted to them by their ancestors expressly for the purpose of sealing Orochi (convenient, eh?). At the end of KOF2003, Ash Crimson stole the symbol of Chizuru's power (the Yata mirror) from her, leaving her in the hospital. He then pledged to come back for Iori in the next KOF. Sure enough, the ending of XI had him stealing Iori's flame. As you may have guessed, Ash has promised that Kyo is next on his hitlist.
Ash Crimson's motives and origins are still largely unknown. It looks like he's breaking the seal on Orochi, like the People from a Distant Past, but he doesn't appear to be allied with them. The one clue to his past is Elisabeth, who is one of his childhood friends. In her ending, she asks Ash if he's forgotten the orders they received from "the organization." Ash only responds that he has forgotten, and that no one will be able to stop him (ha ha).
So, this is what SNK is tasked with wrapping up in this game. It will surely be done with much confusion and a dash of Engrish.
There I said it.
Don't you worry about that.
Whip though....
You suck.
Actually, I don't really care about Ralf. But Clark, Clark is the man.
I wasn't really any good with them, but I like their style.
If there is no Kensou, I'll probably be boring and just play Terry or Kyo or something.
I know the Dream Match games have huge rosters, but my point is that they'll have to draw up a bunch of new sprites for the next game either way, and just for fan service I think SNK might put out a game with a bunch of the old favourites in HD. Maybe not, but it'd be nice; it's the only way I'm going to get another game with Vanessa.
Right now I'm really hoping Yuri gets in. She's been in every KOF, and I don't know what I'd do without her. And if history is any indication then the console version might include a bunch of extra characters.
Robert was another strange one. He'd been pretty much absent for a while, and only made it into XI as a bonus console character. Mai wasn't in XI, either, so who knows? Neither of them are important to the story, but they do fit the classic note they seem to be going for with this semi-reboot. I can only imagine the reasons for Raiden making it in. Maybe he's popular in Japan or something.
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And not make it so bloody hard to find.
Yes. Yes I do believe that you are correct. I'm just praying to God that we'll be blessed with kickass online play. Though if it does have kickass online play, I may as well kiss my weekend home DIY projects goodbye.
Edit: To follow, I hope that the game is successful, because I'd really like to see more games like this released. Advances in technology allow you to really drill down and refine your style, which is something that I feel gets lost every so often.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
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KoF is probably the only fighting series I'm really good at, but after having been obsessed with the series for 10 years now, even I could admit it had grown stale. This is all I could ever hope to have happen, and I can't wait. My only concern is that the roster doesn't look very large; 20 characters is a record low, but I expect bosses and such for the console version. Maybe some extra ones as well, but that'd probably be a stretch with the effort gone into the sprites.
But, hey, they're going to be reusing these graphics for the next ten years, so they better make the most of it the first time 'round.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
What I really want is to see Rugal make an eventual appearance. The next dream match I want a HD Rugal in all his glory, dammit!
You can't go wrong with the hot blooded bat shit insane defender of Justice. With the best teeth in fighting game history.
I also hope/wish they bring in the rest of the old Korean team members, and throw in his sons too.
Will this game have fewer characters than what we've grown used to? Yes, but only because we're so fucking used to rosters of 33+ characters (11 teams of 3 each, not including boss characters).
That doesn't bother me much because doing this, redrawing everything from scratch, is taking an enormous amount of time and money to do all of this initially. But once it's done, you can rest assured that most of this roster will be retained for the next several iterations, for many years, until it too grows to a roster of 30+ characters :P Rome wasn't built in a day!
Also, I disagree that the KOF series has grown stale. KOF '03 was a big departure for the series formula, and XI was really the only game to take after that. The Maximum Impact and 2006 games were also huge departures that were still really fun, great games. NeoWave, though, that was pretty stale because .. well it was like KOF 02 which was like KOF 98.
Anyway, I'm hugely excited for this game.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
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