Since it was announced, but especially since I played Street Fighter 4 and was mostly disappointed in it, I’ve been looking forward to King of Fighters 12. I’ve watched all of the youtube game play videos, read every bit of news about it as it came out, and even managed not to be deterred by the mixed but mostly negative press it’s been getting.

After all, King of Fighters does not share the mass market appeal Street Fighter has over the years and I can see how someone who isn’t a fan of the series (which I have recently become) would deduct automatic points for what they might see as a cheap Street Fighter knock-off.

So when I say I was somewhat let down and disappointed by King of Fighters 12, I say so with a heavy heart. This is a game I really wanted to like. I need to scratch that fighting game itch worse now than ever, and I don’t think that KoF 12 has the necessary nails … just yet.

So what is it that disappointed me about KoF 12?

King of Fighters 12 won me over when they announced that, unlike Street Fighter 4, they were sticking to beautifully hand-drawn 2D sprites. Sadly, although they’re definitely sprites and definitely 2d, they’re not as beautiful as they were in the youtube videos. This is a minor grievance since they really do look nice, but the character sprites have jaggies on the edges and are less colorful than the backgrounds they fight over. Also, I think the art director went over-the-top with the shadows. Street Fighter 3 proves that there’s nothing wrong with color! In fact, color is wonderful! Come on SNK, get your act together!

Also, some characters underwent a sometimes unappealing transformation. Ralf and Clark are ridiculously big, Joe and Iori have gotten thinner, but I find those changes suit them. What doesn’t work as well is Terry and Ryo’s bulking up. I like how not all of the characters have the same proportions but I was used to seeing Terry and Ryo a certain way, this change will take some getting used to.

The backgrounds are a mixed bag too. First thing, there are far too few of them with only 5 in total. The ones that are nice are the ones that have the fewest background characters. The characters are nicely drawn and integrated into the background but there are too many of them in almost any given background. Also, they only have 2-3 frames of animation. Keep in mind that the speed of the animation more than doubles after a round is over, so those 2-3 frames of animation look incredibly stupid when sped up. Seriously, for the sequel, please simplify the background or add more frames of animation … or both!

STORY

To quote myself “Fighting games don’t need a plot beyond ‘There’s a tournament of the best fighters’”. If there IS a story, I would often ignore it anyway as I’ve yet to play 1 fighting game with a worthwhile tale. It’s good to give characters motivations and ways to relate with each other but a real plotline is rarely, if ever, done right and is not really needed. Take King of Fighters 98 for example. It had no story and is often called the best King of Fighters ever.

What I WOULD have liked in King of Fighters 12 is a last boss though. It doesn’t have to be Geese, Rugal, or any other character not in the roster, it could have been an Orochi version of Iori, Leona, or Kyo (or all 3 alternatively) if they just didn’t have the time/resources for an extra character to sprite. Hell, even Elizabeth would of been ok.

CHOICE OF CHARACTER

What’s with KoF and metro sexual characters? As if Benimaru wasn’t enough, they had to throw Ash in the mix too? Not only that, but you put him on the front cover of the box? Why not put the 3 most iconic characters instead: Terry, Ryo, and Kyo. That would have made more sense. And seriously, Mature and Elizabeth? Unlike most internet whiners I don’t care for Mai as I’ve never used her really, but including her would have made WAY more sense. And where the hell is K’? Personally, I would have loved to see Vanessa but I understand that she’s not everyone else’s favorite character …

22 fighters are plenty, I don’t get why people are complaining about that number. Sure, it’s the smallest King of Fighter roster ever, but it’s still more than games like BlazBlue have. I understand that this is the first of a series, and so, I am willing to be patient and see what comes next. Oh, and as for new characters, I have a long list of old characters I wanna see make a comeback first.

GAME PLAY

I have nothing negative to say about the game play at all. I love the fighting system as is and can’t wait to better learn how to use counters and all the different jumping distances to my advantage. I wish Street Fighter 4 actually played more like this.

ONLINE

Although I haven’t had any trouble at all, many people are complaining about lagging and being disconnected. So many people that I feel I’m in the minority by not having any issues with it. Since the single-player mode isn’t worth much online is all people have to fall back on, the least SNK could have done is insured it worked well for everyone at launch.

In the end, this is a great, yet incomplete game that will not be worth it’s 60$ price of admission to most. It’s obviously meant to launch a reboot of the series, and so I hope it sells at least enough to justify a more complete and polished King of Fighters 13. I’m still a fan of the series and I have faith that SNK will do much better the second time around.

Related posts:

1. Converting to King of Fighters?
2. Street Fighter 4 vs Mortal Kombat/DC
3. Top 10 Capcom Fighting Games
4. What I hate about Street Fighter 4
5. Rufus? Are you kidding me Capcom?