The King of Fighters XII Thread

[Damaramu]

December 1, 2008 Update:

Dengenki Online posted some new screen shots; plus new characters!

HERE! (http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/124/124718/)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/Damaramu/c20081129_01_kof12_08_cs1w1_640x360.jpg



http://www.gametrailers.com/player/30832.html

Anyone else looking forward to this? I have to say, I really like the look of this game. Glad to see SNK sticking to 2D on this one. Nice hi-res sprites to boot. Might give the Guilty Gear series a run for it's money.


April 2nd, 2008 Update:

Thread title changed.

As reported this morning on Kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/374986/new-the-king-of-fighters-xii-screens), there are some new screens and artwork:
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/679/kingfb6.th.jpg (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kingfb6.jpg)
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/679/kingfb6.th.jpg (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kingfb6.jpg) http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2437/kingza4.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kingza4.jpg)

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/9006/king1na7.th.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=king1na7.jpg)

*Edit
September 18, 2008 update:

New gameplay footage: Here! (http://eyevio.jp/movie/168361)


*Edit September 26, 2008:

New trailer!! Here! (http://kotaku.com/5055162/here-another-gorgeous-king-of-fighters-xii-trailer)
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/679/kingfb6.th.jpg (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kingfb6.jpg)

[Hwj_Chim]

I love the look of the game. I will be keeping a close eye on this one.

[sabre2922]

the new KOF looks great.

Thank god SOMEONE is still making great traditional 2-D fighters:cheers:


This is also very impressive:

http://kotaku.com/362913/holy-crap-king-of-fighters-xii-is-100-percent-hand-drawn

"The game is one hundred percent hand drawn. There is zero cell shading in The King of Fighters XII."

[swlovinist]

Holy cow, that game looks awsome. I wish other games could get redone like that! Imagine a Samurai Showdown that was like that? Or a Last Blade?

[Wraith Storm]

This looks incredible!!! SNK really has a passion for what they do.

[spoon]

I hope this comes to the 360. KoF XII + HD TV + XBL= WIN!

[kaedesdisciple]

Holy cow, that game looks awsome. I wish other games could get redone like that! Imagine a Samurai Showdown that was like that? Or a Last Blade?

I 100% agree with you. I would LOVE to see another Last Blade done with this much attention poured into it. Hm, my CMVS is probably feeling ignored lately, maybe I'll toss LB2 and KOF98 in later to start getting really excited for this release.

[djbeatmongrel]

I hope this comes to the 360. KoF XII + HD TV + XBL= WIN!

I hope they issue a new controller if this is the case. the 360 controller just like the original xbox ones are trash for fighters. the PS3 and the Wii (with classic controller of nyko stick) are the best 2 choices for control.

Anyways, this game looks like it will be amazing. I hope to see a return of the mark of the wolves characters with a few more surprises from their line up.

[spoon]

I hope they issue a new controller if this is the case. the 360 controller just like the original xbox ones are trash for fighters. the PS3 and the Wii (with classic controller of nyko stick) are the best 2 choices for control.

Anyways, this game looks like it will be amazing. I hope to see a return of the mark of the wolves characters with a few more surprises from their line up.

Yeah a new d-pad is in order. I recently picked up the Hori stick. Not too bad off a stick. Stick needs to be broken in pretty good imho. Buttons seem a tad bit close. Nice click to 'em though.

I'm a d-pad man at heart too.

[djbeatmongrel]

Doh, you're right, its a hori stick, not nyko. The xbox/360's pad problem is also with the positioning, its a bit of a stretch.

[Damaramu]

Have you guys checked out the Hori Pad EX Turbo for the 360? Looks like it's getting pretty good reviews for fighters. And it's cheaper than standard 360 controllers to boot.

Link (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-dd-49-en-70-13qb.html)

Honestly, I wish someone would just make a Saturn to 360 controller adaptor.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

HOLY CRAP that looks nice!

I'm still enjoying the hell out of how nice KOF XI looks on my PS3 ... but hot damn XII looks beautiful.

with this, Street Fighter IV, and (for those of us still enjoying the steady stream of budget classic releases) the upcoming Samurai Showdown Collection ... 2008/2009 are going to be a great couple of years for 2D fighters!!

[RadiantSvgun]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/30832.html

Anyone else looking forward to this? I have to say, I really like the look of this game. Glad to see SNK sticking to 2D on this one. Nice hi-res sprites to boot. Might give the Guilty Gear series a run for it's money.

I felt that The Rumble Fish and FOTNS already topped the GG series in terms of that. But seeing that picture really made my day. Any word on which system? I hope it comes to PS3, I already have a broken in Hori stick thanks to VF5. Honestly, I thought the new generation consoles were going to kill 2d fighters. Glad to see I'm wrong.

[djbeatmongrel]

I felt that The Rumble Fish and FOTNS already topped the GG series in terms of that.

i beleive the characters in the rumble fish are cel shaded, not drawn.

[Damaramu]

Hmm...interesting tid-bit from one of the Kotaku articles:


SNK gave us the full rundown, so here's how it worked: The original character drawings were modeled into 3D. Those 3D models were then rendered back into 2D. That way the 2D characters could have a greater depth of motion. Since the 2D models were devoid of color and details, artists went through each character, background, image and painstakingly added colors and drew in details pixel-by-pixel on a tablet PC. In one day, one artist would be able to draw one frame and a half for whatever image he or she was working on.

[GnawRadar]

I'm very excited for this game and I'm basically new to 2d fighters. I'd dabble in a fighter here and there but they never really intrigued me until recently, DJBeatMongrel brought Fist of the North Star to the South Jersey Classic last month and that was awesome, and this past weekend at the South Jersey Classic all I basically played Mark of the Wolves of the Neo Geo cab and now all I want to do is play fighters. And seeing everything for KOF XII I'm pumped and I can't wait, and soon will be hunting down a copy of KOF XI.

[Damaramu]

And seeing everything for KOF XII I'm pumped and I can't wait, and soon will be hunting down a copy of KOF XI.

Why hunt? KOF XI is available on Amazon.com for $9.99!

LINK! (http://www.amazon.com/SNK-King-of-Fighters-XI/dp/B000V7889C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1204742574&sr=8-1)

[GnawRadar]

Word up. Thanks Damaramu.

[sabre2922]

Hmm...interesting tid-bit from one of the Kotaku articles:

"SNK gave us the full rundown, so here's how it worked: The original character drawings were modeled into 3D. Those 3D models were then rendered back into 2D. That way the 2D characters could have a greater depth of motion. Since the 2D models were devoid of color and details, artists went through each character, background, image and painstakingly added colors and drew in details pixel-by-pixel on a tablet PC. In one day, one artist would be able to draw one frame and a half for whatever image he or she was working on."

Very interesting fact.

You see its effort like this that the current younger generation of gamer, "the FPS addicted ADD kids" as I like to call them simply have no appreciation for.

All they care about is how many people they can snipe and how many overused bump maps and polygons an ugly game like Gears of War is pushing.

It seems that every year there are fewer and fewer gamers that still appreciate and enjoy a great and well made traditional hand drawn 2-D game.

[Damaramu]

Bump for updates!

[GnawRadar]

http://kotaku.com/374986/new-the-king-of-fighters-xii-screens

A couple more screens from the game...I'm starting to get giddy.

[Damaramu]

Heh, yeah I posted those at the top of the page!

Cannot wait to play this game. Although, what the hell did they do to Athena?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Heh, yeah I posted those at the top of the page!

Cannot wait to play this game. Although, what the hell did they do to Athena?

... she... looks...

... chubby. o_O It's probably the artist making her legs thicker than normal, and her school uniform looks quite baggy for some reason. Still, a black outfit? What the hell were they thinking?

[josekortez]

Yeah, I was reading the new Play Japan arcade feature in the new Play magazine, and they mentioned how many fighting games were hitting the arcades in Japan in 2008, although the arcades are nearly dead in the U.S. and not all of these are 2D:

Akatsuki Blitzkampf - Subtle Style
Arcana Heart 2 - Examu
BlazBlue - Arc System Works
Fate/unlimited codes - Capcom
Gundam vs. Gundam - Namco Bandai (developed by Capcom)
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match - SNK Playmore
The King of Fighters XII - SNK Playmore
Melty Blood: Actress Again - Ecole
Monster: Ancient Cline - Examu
Samurai Spirits Sen - SNK Playmore
Sengoku Basara X - Capcom
Street Fighter IV - Capcom
Tekken 6 - Namco Bandai
Virtua Fighter 5 R - Sega

I'm assuming at least some of these are coming to Xbox 360 and/or PlayStation 3.

[Neo Rasa]

... she... looks...

... chubby. o_O It's probably the artist making her legs thicker than normal, and her school uniform looks quite baggy for some reason. Still, a black outfit? What the hell were they thinking?

It's just her original uniform outfit from from Psycho Soldiers and her intro animation in King of Fighters '94. I actually like it more for nostalgia purposes, since it wasn't til '96 and up that they started really pushing Athena as some Jpop idol type character.

[GnawRadar]

Heh, yeah I posted those at the top of the page!

Cannot wait to play this game. Although, what the hell did they do to Athena?

My bad. :beaten:

[Jorpho]

So what hardware is this running on these days?

[MonoTekETeA]

I might have to buy a few copies, just because I am so gay for this game...It also needs Gato...

[Sotenga]

I might have to buy a few copies, just because I am so gay for this game...It also needs Gato...

Quoted for the truth. I'd kinda like to see him get back his multi-air kick move from Mark of the Wolves should he return.

But who I really wanna see back is everyone's favorite psychotic fight-picker, Ryuji Yamazaki! Oh, and also, a bid for my now-favorite Kyokugen master, Takuma Sakazaki! Though, if not either of them, I'm still sure the roster will kick serious behind. :D

Though, I must say that I rather liked the tag mechanic... ah well. I'm sure I'll get used to the back-to-basics team style as long as the rest of the game rules. But let me request this: The final boss better not be a super-douchehole like Magaki. :grrr:

[Kid Fenris]

I might be interested if they were to announce so much as one new character.


... she... looks...

... chubby. o_O It's probably the artist making her legs thicker than normal, and her school uniform looks quite baggy for some reason. Still, a black outfit? What the hell were they thinking?

Yeah, she should be wearing fox ears and fangs and nine different tails.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yeah, she should be wearing fox ears and fangs and nine different tails.

Go troll somewhere else, please.

Anyway, I could've sworn Yamazaki was in XI, but I haven't played the game much. And yeah, I hope they put in a decent boss, not like Mr. Bug Eyes. :\

[Damaramu]

I just hope we get some decent controllers/joysticks State-side. The regular 360 is awful as we all know....and importing sticks and such can get pricey.

[ubersaurus]

I like the VF stick, but that's me. Aren't there ps2-ps3 convertors, too?

I don't really care about the lineup, because I trust SNK to give me at least a few of the numerous characters I like to use. I just hope they don't nerf Oswald too badly.

Oswald: Eatin your food.

[Damaramu]

New gameplay footage!

HERE! (http://eyevio.jp/movie/168361)

[Tron 2.0]

So what hardware is this running on these days?
Taito Type X2 for the arcades.

[Damaramu]

Bump for new game trailer!

Here! (http://kotaku.com/5055162/here-another-gorgeous-king-of-fighters-xii-trailer)

[GnawRadar]

Jesu Christo! That looks amazing. I hope University Pinball imports this game because I will be over there all the time rocking this game. I hope some Garou: Mark of the Wolves characters make their way into this game as well. Specifically I'd like to see a Tizoc, Freeman, Gato team but I'd also like to see Rock in the mix as well. Once again, God Damn this looks good! :D

[MonoTekETeA]

Gimme characters, or give me death. I drool over the high res, but cry over the 12 characters, or however many it is currently limited to. Yes, I am spoiled as hell thanks to SNK.

[Hwj_Chim]

I am just happy they are redrawing the sprites. As long as they don't edit the American release and gimp the moves and controls I will be happy with it.

[G-Boobie]

Gimme characters, or give me death. I drool over the high res, but cry over the 12 characters, or however many it is currently limited to. Yes, I am spoiled as hell thanks to SNK.

There's twenty characters right now, or so the screens of the character select screen would have us believe. That's enough for me.

It looks like they're going to use XII as a new launch for the series, so here's the deal. We buy XII and like it, nevermind how many characters there are. Then, they make a few more insanely detailed, well animated sprites for KoF XIII, XIV, and so on. Eventually, we'll have the huge roster again.

It's SNK we're talking about, so we'll be rocking these sprites until 2025. It'll get there, assuming people buy the goddamn thing.

[Damaramu]

Yup, 20 characters:


Kukino confirmed that there will be a total of 20 characters in KOFXII, 11 of which are playable in the AM Show build: Kyo, Terry, Ryo, Ash, Robert, Kim, Ralf, Shen-wu, Benimaru, Leona, and Athena. KOFXII is currently 60 percent complete in development, and there will be beta tests before the game's proper release.

source: HERE (http://au.gamespot.com/news/6197909.html) (good read too!)

[Sotenga]

I can't help but be a bit crestfallen, as 20 characters is even less than the series' debut, KoF 94 (not counting Fatal Fury: King of Fighters as the start ;) ). It only had 24, but it's still more than what we've got here. Granted, you couldn't mix teams then... and the Sports Team was discounted by many, so you could argue that it only had 21 genuine fighters... but then everyone hates Chang and Choi, so 19 really good characters... wait, Ralf and Clark were ALMOST exact clones of each other despite some subtle differences... all three members of the Kyokugen team were really similar... I don't think anyone played as the Psycho Soldiers then...

That last statement was a joke, but I retract my bitching about the roster size. It'll be a bit of an adjustment to deal with such a comparatively small roster at first, but as long as each character kicks more ass than they ever have, I can deal with it. :)

[Kitsune Sniper]

As long as they don't put Rugal as a final boss again, I'm game.

[Overbite]

Well that's dissapointing. Why do they go from a 40+ roster to 20? And most of the cast list is the stupid new characters like Ash.

It has Ralf in it so that's good. Ralf/Mary/Hinako is the best team, but Hinako has been missing for a while :(

[Sotenga]

As long as they don't put Rugal as a final boss again, I'm game.

Quoted for agreement. He's just become more obnoxious in each new game he's been in, having exceeded the hyper-annoying limit in 2002. How much more powerful could he be here? A Genocide Cutter that causes a crescent slash to fill the entire screen?! Ugh, I'm disturbed just thinking about it. o_O

[Overbite]

Rugal is easy compaired to Magaki. Jesus christ lets have him shoot giant projectiles all over the screen you can't dodge. If you roll out of them he does some crazy move that makes everything explode.

[G-Boobie]

Rugal is easy compaired to Magaki. Jesus christ lets have him shoot giant projectiles all over the screen you can't dodge. If you roll out of them he does some crazy move that makes everything explode.

In some countries, SNK Boss Syndrome is still considered a viable defense for aggravated assault.

[Sotenga]

Uh-oh. http://kingoffighters.planets.gamespy.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1347&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=465

What it says in this thread is that XII is going to totally disregard the current plotline started by 2003 and XI. To me, this says that they're not going to attempt to make it better than XI, and it's looking to me like a Dream Match type game with a gimped roster. :(

Well... I'm only hoping for two things: A) Every character is incredibly fun to play as, and B) Rugal is not the freaking final boss. I'm going to gamble Geese in this case. May be a bit farfetched, but I can only hope.

[ubersaurus]

Uh-oh. http://kingoffighters.planets.gamespy.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1347&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=465

What it says in this thread is that XII is going to totally disregard the current plotline started by 2003 and XI. To me, this says that they're not going to attempt to make it better than XI, and it's looking to me like a Dream Match type game with a gimped roster. :(

Well... I'm only hoping for two things: A) Every character is incredibly fun to play as, and B) Rugal is not the freaking final boss. I'm going to gamble Geese in this case. May be a bit farfetched, but I can only hope.

What, people care about fighting game plots?

Nah but seriously, the KOF story isn't so good that the lack of one is going to make me not play the game. XII looks nice, and if its on PS3 and 360 like they say, it'll have online play. So what excuse would there be for not having fun with it anyway? SF2 barely had a storyline, and it's arguably the most beloved fighting game ever made.

[Damaramu]

I hope Mr. Big is in the roster. :D

[Tron 2.0]

As long as they don't put Rugal as a final boss again, I'm game.
As for not having a cheap boss at the end you wish.

That's all ways been a staple for snkp i doubt that will change any time soon.

[Kitsune Sniper]

As for not having a cheap boss at the end you wish.

That's all ways been a staple for snkp i doubt that will change any time soon.

Well, every time that there's a dream match, Rugal gets used. Remember 98? And 2000... something? Hell they even used HIS SON on the recent games. Jeez.

Rugal's a pussy, anyhow. Give us someone worth fighting against, like I dunno... Nightmare Geese Howard?

[G-Boobie]

Well, every time that there's a dream match, Rugal gets used. Remember 98? And 2000... something? Hell they even used HIS SON on the recent games. Jeez.

Rugal's a pussy, anyhow. Give us someone worth fighting against, like I dunno... Nightmare Geese Howard?

Man, regular Geese Howard is bad enough. Don't give SNK any ideas.

[Damaramu]

Dengenki Online posted some new screen shots; plus new characters!

HERE! (http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/124/124718/)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/Damaramu/c20081129_01_kof12_08_cs1w1_640x360.jpg

[Sotenga]

My current stance on XII is as follows: Generally, I'm a slight tad disappointed in the lowered roster, but I realize that I'm only one fan, so SNK Playmore cannot cater to me and me alone. Also, I recognize that sacrifices are necessary to generate this new visual style. However, don't get me wrong: I am still very excited to play this game. Let me go into specific pros and cons:

Good:
+Graphics are absolutely fantastic, no complaints here.
+Gameplay looks awesome from what I've seen in the videos. A bit simpler than in recent games, but fast-paced and just as solid as ever... though there is one thing I've seen that I'm not sure I favor, which I'll list below.
+Ralf and Clark ROIDED TO THE GILLS. I initially opposed Clark's inclusion, but the two soldiers seem more different than ever in how they play, so I can dig it.
+Psycho Soldier Kensou. Although one of my favorite characters now, I always thought his appearance was off, but now he truly looks like a fighter!
+Raiden's inclusion. I'm in the minority, but I really like him, and now moreso than ever since seeing his DM.
+Finally new Iori. Some don't approve of his new look, but I personally do, if for no other reason than he's finally over his damn tied-pants phase. Plus, his new gameplay looks great, a bit of a combination between Mature and Freeman from MotW.
+The unlikely return of Joe Higashi; an underrated favorite of mine, and he looks great in action.
+Chin Gentsai. Yes, serious. While I thought his inclusion was a real WTF choice at first, I changed my tune when I saw him in action! WHOA!

Bad:
-Leona and Athena are the only two female characters?! Now I'm generally somewhat patriarchal when it comes to choosing characters in games, but KoF has some awesome females, most especially King and Mai. To not have at least them in the fold is just... wrong. I especially know one of my friends on here will be crestfallen at no King.
-What happened to Elisabeth? She was shown in an early promotional flyer, but has yet to appear in game and is not apparently part of the main roster. I really hope she didn't get cut due to time constraints... I'd rather wait a few more months if they have some characters yet to be released.
-It seems that each character only has one Desperation Move this time around... I might be wrong on that, but I've only seen one limited to each character so far. On top of that, no Super DMs can be performed, which makes me a bit sad. I always liked the uber-versions of attacks myself, even if they weren't always practical.
-Andy Bogard. I've never been much of an Andy fan, but I've liked him in Fatal Fury 3 and onward, especially as his design is more ninja-esque in FF3 (slightly less so in the Real Bout games, but I still like it more than his KoF look). I heard mention that they were proposing a possible redesign for Andy, but nope; he's still got his boring KoF look, and I'm not impressed with seeing him in action... but I've only seen him in one gameplay video so far, so my opinion might change.
-Speaking of the Bogards and their design, I'm STILL miffed that they reverted Terry to his classic look from his MotW look... I personally prefer his MotW design, but this is just a minor gripe.
-They booted Kyo back to his 94/95 moveset... and I love his flame punch chains, personally. I can sense that they wanted a "back-to-basics" feel with XII here, but it seems to me that a few of the decisions they made are TOO conservative.
-On that tangent, Robert's been changed back to his AoF/94/95 look, and his moveset along with it. A few of his moves appear to be somewhat simliar to Ryo now, which makes me wonder why they have two Kyokugen fighters in the fold instead of a more unique character in the place of one. Now I personally like Robert more than Ryo, but if they wanted to keep him, at least give him the anti-air flip kick or the ability to launch fireballs high and low as he's had in some games.
-I'd personally wish they'd call this "King of Fighters: Rebirth" which seems to be something of an unofficial alternate title. This game appears to be something of a Dream Match, disregarding story and whatnot, and referring to it as KoF XII in the middle of the Sacred Treasures arc makes it indicate that it's a direct follow-up to 2003 and XI when it really seems to not be the case so far. I'm used to the Dream Match being at the end of an arc, and XII is mucking up the order. However, I have heard a theory that it's being called XII simply because it's been a lengthy amount of time since XI was last released... is it 2005? That much time has passed already? Geezums.

A few more comments:

I have yet to decide if I like or dislike this mechanic, but I can only judge for sure once I actually play the game. It's called the Critical Counter system, and it involves stopping a special move with a strong punch or kick, allowing you to follow up with a damaging combo of your own design OR a DM that does much damage. It makes combos more damaging for sure, but I hope it makes them easier to perform as well; otherwise, this mechanic will kick my ass when it comes to experts and I won't be able to use it as well. Here it is in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7w0WlTXE0M

I revoke my past comments about not wanting Rugal to be the final boss. If this is going to be a Dream Match consisting mostly of characters that have been mainstays since KoF 94, then Rugal's only a natural compliment to the roster. I'm hoping that he'll be a fine and somewhat unfair challenge without being overly ridiculous or spammy, like his own 2002 incarnation, Igniz, or Magaki. I'm also thinking Geese could be a likely prospect if he's as strong as he was in Real Bout Fatal Fury or RBFF Special.

However, a random thought of dread hit me recently: What if there IS no final boss? A boss isn't always necessary, especially as fighting games are often tailored to be 2-player affairs, but I always like to see what ridiculously-overpowered mofo SNK has waiting at the end of a 1-player run... especially since I'm often a loner when it comes to most games.

I'm getting the feeling that there will be more characters added to the roster; if not for the arcade, then definitely for home versions. This is more a hunch than anything, and in all likelihood, I'll be proven wrong, but it's cool to hope sometimes.

Wow, this is becoming a wall of text. To retain interest, I'm concluding my rant with some gameplay videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04M3F8ng0GU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVlrpXgujgE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDXFBvUc1AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIZh_IJKF8

And based on that... I highly approve. I'll have to play it for myself, but I'm certain it won't change my current stance. If anything, it can only improve.

[XYXZYZ]

1. I can't wait to play this game.

2. Where the hell is Mai? How the hell are you going to redraw all those sprites in loving detail, but not draw Mai? With her many animation frames of realstic* physics? I know we have DOA, but... it's not the same.






*not really

[AB Positive]

*grumblegrumblegrumble*no King*grumblegrumblegrumble*

I'll still play it, obviously... but damn. No King, no Mai... no Blue Mary, Vanessa, Elizabeth? Don't SNK know I ALWAYS play a 3 woman team? Damn...

Gotta brush up on my Terry or Benimaru I guess... :/

[ubersaurus]

*grumblegrumblegrumble*no King*grumblegrumblegrumble*

I'll still play it, obviously... but damn. No King, no Mai... no Blue Mary, Vanessa, Elizabeth? Don't SNK know I ALWAYS play a 3 woman team? Damn...

Gotta brush up on my Terry or Benimaru I guess... :/

Elizabeth was in the promo art for the game, so she's in there apparently :P

[Suzaku]

I can't wait for this one. I'm slowly working on importing all the various SNK collections for the PS2. I loved KoF XI, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the tag mechanic. It's nice to see them finally redrawing sprites, but I do cringe at the roster. King is one of my favorite characters, so I'm sad to see her go. On the bright side, I've been awaiting Andy's turn for quite a while, and I love that they're bringing him back.

I just hope that in their return to the older movesets for some characters they're not going to some of the old motions (partial circles ending in an up/back diagonal, for instance. I'm looking at you, Crack Shoot.....) I use an HRAP for most of my fighters, but I still hate weird motions like that. Kind of like what they did to Guile in SSFII HD Remix.

[Sotenga]

*grumblegrumblegrumble*no King*grumblegrumblegrumble*

I'll still play it, obviously... but damn. No King, no Mai... no Blue Mary, Vanessa, Elizabeth? Don't SNK know I ALWAYS play a 3 woman team? Damn...

Gotta brush up on my Terry or Benimaru I guess... :/

How can you have your pie if you don't have any sausage? :ass:

I jest, I jest. I keep thinking to myself, "Now Al HAS to have a male on his team. He not gonna like that." Mai and King are gaping omissions, but King wasn't around for the arcade 2002, nor was Mai in the XI team. I'm going to gambit that at least one of them will be released on consoles, and we can only hope. Just remember these two facts: A) SNK can't cater to the demands of every individual fan, and when the roster is smaller, many are bound to be disappointed that their favorites aren't in the fold. And B) They could have picked Chang or Choi. It could be MUCH worse. :-D

On a side note, I've legitimately attempted to like Andy... it worked! I realized that, at least in KoF 98, he's actually fast and pesky, able to blitz the opponent with some quick attacks. Plus, without Mai, Eiji, or Lin, he is XII's only ninja, and that has to get points for awesome. I can officially say that, at the moment, I have no problems with the roster choices for XII.

Also, I think my official super-awesome team will be consisted of Kensou, Iori, and Shen. I'm liking the sound of that. :)

EDIT: Suzaku, I agree. I know they're going back to basics, and I'm not sure how much farther they can go back... but if they have that F@#$ING awkward as all get-out motion for the Crack Shoot again, then my opinion is going to drop even lower. It was already low before, now it's climbing back up to a high perch. C'mon, SNK. Don't screw us over on that one. The less cumbersome, the better.

[We Are Ninja]

I'll definitely miss Mai and Vanessa, but I'm looking forward to this WAY more than Street Fighter IV...

[Damaramu]

Well, maybe we'll see missing characters as DLC's?

[CosmicMonkey]

The first screen shots of the 360/PS3 version have escaped. The North American console version has an optional antialiasing filter for the character sprites. July can't come soon enough.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/kof1203160902.jpg

Source: Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/king-of-fighters-xii-screens-reveal-new-antialiasing-feature/)

[Solertia]

Hopefully they add more characters before the final product o_o; I mean, there's only about half as many as in XI, and there's no Mai! Q_Q

[Vlcice]

Console characters have been confirmed (http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2144/picture182.jpg)! Don't expect another 20 characters though. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mai, considering the same thing happened in XI.

[XYXZYZ]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/kof1203160902.jpg


Those artists don't get to draw Mai or Yuri, but they do have to draw a bunch of fat chicks stuffing their faces with pie. Damn.

[Gozer]

*grumblegrumblegrumble*no King*grumblegrumblegrumble*

I'll still play it, obviously... but damn. No King, no Mai... no Blue Mary, Vanessa, Elizabeth? Don't SNK know I ALWAYS play a 3 woman team? Damn...

Gotta brush up on my Terry or Benimaru I guess... :/

The lack of female fighters is kinda disappointing. My main trio consists of Yuri, Mai and Athena. I'm still excited for this game though and preordered it today for the 360. I just hope that the net code for online play is excellent.

[Solertia]

Moar info: http://kotaku.com/5170764/the-king-of-fighters-xii-gets-new-fighters-smoother-graphics-for-consoles

[c0ldb33r]

wtf?!? no mai? what's the point?

[Kitsune Sniper]

That is one SHITTASTIC antialiasing filter.

[boogiecat]

I'll likely buy both the PS3 and XBox 360 versions of KOF XII..I expect they'll only add ten new characters on the home ports!!\\^_^/

[Vlcice]

Mai skipped the arcade version of XI too, and showed up again in the PS2 version; they might be planning the same thing here.

I was disappointed by the lack of female characters too. Elisabeth has to be one of the new characters for consoles - she was one of the very first characters revealed for it, and I doubt she was scrapped altogether. I think some other likely ones would be series regulars like King, Yuri, and Blue Mary. I'd like to see some NESTS characters like Jhun, Vanessa, Seth, Hinako, Whip, and K', but I don't know how likely they are - the focus with XII, at least, seems to be old-school.

The filter is pretty ugly, isn't it? I'm glad it's optional.

[c0ldb33r]

what's the expected price on this?

[Solertia]

what's the expected price on this?

Probably the $60 standard for PS3/X360 games.

[CosmicMonkey]

I can't say I'm overly impressed with the line up. Or that antialiasing filter.

However, SNKP have gone and completely redrawn all the characters in HD; that does take a lot of work. At least this means there are now 20 characters in full HD. They can build on this for future releases so at least XIII will have these 20, plus another 10 - 15 new HD characters.

Or maybe they'll just charge us all $5/£3.60 for the pleasure of downloading a rather bouncy young lady a couple of months after release....

Personally, I'm more exited about BlazBlue.