King of Fighters XII trailer shows us combos are king

by David Hinkle { Jul 7th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Another brief snippet of gameplay arrived on our digital doorstep today, showing off some super combos and other asskickery in the upcoming King of Fighters XII. In the above trailer, we're presented with some beatdowns courtesy of Joe Higashi, Kim Kaphwan, and fan-favorite Kyo Kusanagi. Sadly, there's no Iori, but we'll have all of the time in the world to watch him mess folks up when the game releases later this month.

Tags: ignition, ignition-entertainment, king-of-fighters-xii

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

chris @ Jul 7th 2009 11:07PM

doesnt look as good as blazblue

Wiizer (Michael Pachter MUST DIE.. Professionally) @ Jul 7th 2009 11:08PM

HA! I was just saying that!

DeepFriedSushi @ Jul 7th 2009 11:13PM

this game animates much better. there very few transition frames in blazblue.

DeepFriedSushi @ Jul 7th 2009 11:18PM

sorta like comparing cod4 to bad company.

cod4 runs at lower resolution 600p but at 60fps (kof12 lower resolution sprites but animates much better)

bad company runs at 720 but at 30fps (blazblue high resolultion sprites but animates worse)

before you start bashing me, both games are technically native 720 and runs at 60fps but sprites detail are somewhat independent.

WINterfang @ Jul 7th 2009 11:41PM

Take in mind that KOF sprites takes almost half the screen, they are humongous.

Blazblue seems more like a fad to me, let's see what people thing a few months after the hype dries up, I'll might pick it up then.

Wiizer (Michael Pachter MUST DIE.. Professionally) @ Jul 7th 2009 11:07PM

It's gonna be real difficult to top BlazBlue... I kinda thought I'd be saying the opposite, lol.

animeko @ Jul 7th 2009 11:28PM

BlazBlue and KOF may both be fighters but game-play wise you're comparing apples to oranges there buddy. graphically speaking though, KOF XII does have more frames of animation... Both games look beautiful though.

Wiizer (Michael Pachter MUST DIE.. Professionally) @ Jul 7th 2009 11:34PM

Please see DeepFriedSushi's comment below...

handlas @ Jul 7th 2009 11:36PM

eh. I bought BlazBlue and honestly don't know what the hubbub about it is. Graphically it doesn't look that great. The characters are extremely choppy looking (the line quality). I'd say SF2HD looks better. I've tried a little online and thus far I've only encountered people that seem to know one combo that they spam over and over again. Not many characters and only a couple of them are interesting. The rest seem like some knock-offs of characters from other games.

Just my 2 cents. Probably get hate for it since the game already has a rabid following. Wishing I hadn't fell into the hype on this one and waited for the reviews to come out on King of Fighters XII although I listened to the reviews on BlazBlue and look where that got me. Generally I agree with what IGN says about games and they gave it a 9. I popped in the bonus disk from the Limited Edition version of the game and what do you know...IGN is featured in the game itself. Just sayin...;p. It did get great reviews from a lot of places so far tho.

But every trailer coming from KoFXII looks amazing. Too bad I probably won't be dropping another 60 bucks on a game after just buying BlazBlue and Fight Night...and Prototype...and Infamous....and....ya I spend too much money.

animeko @ Jul 7th 2009 11:41PM

uh yeah I started writing my comment shortly before he posted
and thanks Sushi for stating my thoughts much more eloquently :D

bluenocturnex @ Jul 7th 2009 11:15PM

BlazBlue? GuiltyGear?

King of Fighters Ownz

MC Double Def DP @ Jul 7th 2009 11:15PM

I too am loving BlazBlue right now but really looking forward to this. And I'm still enjoying Street Fighter 4. SFIV matches gets my heart pumping and BlazBlue matches make my eyes bleed. KoFXII just might make me sh*t the couch!

Hugs For Monsters @ Jul 7th 2009 11:22PM

I feel like this is kind of a response to the OXM review that gave KOF12 a 6.5, calling the game "slow moving and awkward". This trailer is balls to the walls action/explosions/omgscreenshake.

WINterfang @ Jul 7th 2009 11:45PM

OXM really drop the ball on this one.

I mean the lastest Gamepro only have a preview on this game and they are giving reviews already.

handlas @ Jul 8th 2009 12:18AM

OXM and the official playstation magazine both gave it a 6 score. 6 and 6.5. Kinda depressing after watching these vids and the game looking real good. Wish I could read the reviews to understand why they disliked it so much. But, as I stated in my other post, BlazBlue got great reviews and I'm not feeling the same way they felt about it. I also traded in SF4 after a couple months. Fun for awhile but didn't give me the lasting appeal I wanted from it. The main draw for me for BB was the lobby system which was completely absent from SF4. Hope King of Fighters has a 6 or so player lobby system. I always enjoy that.

SABCA @ Jul 8th 2009 7:07AM

@handlas

KoF XII has 8 player lobbies. Except when you play "Team" mode, then it limits the lobbies to 6. However, that is because each person in the lobby can play a separate member on each 3 person team. On PS3, this is called "Clan" play. On 360, it's just called "Team" and players pick to either play on the Red side, or Blue side.

The online features sound really nice so far, just hope the netcode holds up!

Tim @ Jul 7th 2009 11:23PM

As long as I can pull off Galactica Phantom in here, then, I can see myself getting this.

SABCA @ Jul 8th 2009 7:14AM

Ahhhh, good ole GP. It's Ralf's only Super in this game, however, it can combo now. A common combo for it is *C > CD attack > GALACTICA PHANTOOOM!*

Tim @ Jul 9th 2009 1:36PM

SABCA

Any difference between Galactica Phantom A and Galactica Phantom C?

SABCA @ Jul 9th 2009 2:56PM

Unfortunately, not that I know of yet. I haven't heard of any supers in this game that differ from button press, though I know that used to happen all the time in the older games. The most I would hope for is different start up times, or changes in high/low startup invulnerability.

WINterfang @ Jul 7th 2009 11:38PM

2 words.

FUCK YEAH.

RagingStormX @ Jul 8th 2009 3:18PM

n' ya know dats right !

But as excited as I am for this...I feel that they rushed this out. Other than updated hand drawn sprites...this KOF seems to have taken a few steps backwards and one to the side. SNKP should have used this time and effort and make a new Garu MotW 2. The updated graphics and low (for a KOF) character selection would have gotten more praise....plus the fatal fury series was always the direct SNK response to crapcoms SF series. Just my two cents..

Shadow_Modder @ Jul 7th 2009 11:47PM

So, they still don't have a release date officially announced other than July 2009? Well, at least it's coming this month. I heard Japan is getting it July 30th... hope it comes out here faster!!

WINterfang @ Jul 7th 2009 11:51PM

I think it comes the 20 here in the americananas.

Rocket Raccoon @ Jul 7th 2009 11:56PM

This looks like too much fun.

Hugs For Monsters @ Jul 8th 2009 12:29AM

I'm suspect of any publication that gives the video game for Pixar's "UP!" a 7.0 and gives King of Fighters a 6.5. Who's mom are they writing this stuff for?

Even their review of BlazBlue was idiotic. After complaining that the cutscenes were long and boring in story mode, they wrote, "Do we really need a story in a fighting game?" So, after a developer goes out of their way to add something nice and optional for fans who care about the story, they don't complain about the quality, they ASK THAT IT BE REMOVED. What? Are you that brain dead to say, "We found this optional feature slightly boring. Why not get rid of it and have less of a game?"

P.S. Don't worry, they were really excited about Modern Warfare 2. Really excited. Like, so excited. There's gonna be guns, guys. Are you excited? Excited enough to pre-order? No? Shit.

P.P.S. I stole this issue from the mall. You hear that, OXM? I stole the damn thing for the Left4Dead premium theme. Eat a dick.

Hugs For Monsters @ Jul 8th 2009 12:30AM

This was about OXM. But Joystiq's comment system sucks.

KingOfHearts @ Jul 8th 2009 7:16AM

thats pretty depressing, knowing that they dont like the story mode.. i hate not having a reason to fight the people i fight..
i mean, in street fighter 4, zangeif fought abel just to cheer him up..
if someone tried to cheer me up by offering to beat my ass, id be pissed as hell.. and then i'd beat his ass.. lol

SABCA @ Jul 8th 2009 7:22AM

My most anticipated fighter of the year! The updated classic characters (Like Iori, Kensou, and Chin) all look very well conceived, the gameplay systems all look very fun and well balanced, and when at it's best, the action looks very speedy and satisfying!

Sure, the game doesn't have all the crazy extras of Blazblue, but it seems to have it where it counts: The gameplay!

If you guys wanna see the game played at it's best, look up the Arcadeinfinity videos on Youtube, and make sure to watch in HD!

jynxycat @ Jul 8th 2009 8:53AM

Critical Counters are a horrible game mechanic. Not to mention this game looks like it's 10 years too late to the party.

People are going to continue to play 2002, and 98, because they're what this game is, with more characters.

SABCA @ Jul 8th 2009 10:17AM

Actually, Critical counters are pretty well thought out. They only do great damage if you use them with well placed, timed blows. If you mash buttons, you at least get to look cool, but you don't do too much more damage than a super move/regular combo.

And then there is the whole method of activating them. You can't CC a jumping opponent, first of all. They cannot be combo'd into. The Activation move is slower than a normal standing C or D, so it's easier to punish someone who spams them. You can b+CD parry them, throw them if they spam it too much, or land a counter hit on them, which opens up combo possibilities.

You also can't sit on them forever, using them as a deterent like ultras in SF4, because the meter for them auto-drains.

In the end, when used in actual gameplay, against good players, it's about as strong as old SDMs/LDMs, except there is no way to combo into it. It puts you at great risk, for great reward.

I've yet to hear a serious player of the game complain about them at all. That's a very good sign.

And as far as the look, it looks like an updated Pixel Art game (which is what it is). It has the best animation of the 2D Fighters that have come out recently, and does many effects that have rarely ever been done in 2D games, let alone 2D fighters.

Darkwun @ Jul 8th 2009 9:21AM

KOF2002 FTMFW but i spose it's only fair to cast judgement on this game after playtesting........

i can haz demo??

EMaster @ Jul 8th 2009 9:34AM

Half this fucking Trailer isn't gameplay. I hate that. I know who makes it and what game it's about I don't need to see that..... I am just nitpicking of course. I want this game when it comes out... which is soon :D

WINterfang @ Jul 8th 2009 9:48AM

Yep who are they trying to fool with all this FMV...wait a minute?

Dymphna @ Jul 8th 2009 1:33PM

I actually think this looks worse than BlazBlue, particularly in the animation. I'm not sure where everyone is saying that the animation looks better.

People keep saying it looks so much smoother than BlazBlue, but I find it quite the opposite. All these trailers make it look a lot choppier than BlazBlue (or even SF) to me.

It seems overall a slower paced fighter (compared to the crazy twitchy gameplay of BB), more like SF than BB if anything. The animation itself is okay, but the way they move from attack to attack seems really choppy.

Of course the gameplay is going to be where it counts. So far, it looks better than SF but not as good as BB, to me.

SABCA @ Jul 9th 2009 3:21AM

Maybe you're looking at the combo portions, of one move to another. From say a standing C, to a forward and A, yeah, the moves have no "one to another" transition. (Does any 2D fighter in that part?) They're Snaping from one to the other. But the start up and follow-through of moves in KoF is more fluid (more frames), and generally, so are the "Bigger" animations, for most characters. (some KoF animations are stiff, yes.)

Blazblue has great standing animations, but when they start moving arms, and doing big C attacks, they start to show a lack of frames. Secondary animations in BB can also be very jittery (Look at Bang's scarfs in his normal stance. There is very little fluidity in them...) KoF has much more muscle flow, and details in folds that form and drop off, and hair that flows smoothly, rather than jumping gaps from one place to another. Blazblue has much better "downed to ground" motions, though, XII has some of the worse of their entire series!

As far as being like SF and BB, it's kinda in the middle. KoF is more offensive based than SF, which (especially in IV) is much more defensive. You can't fireball pressure in KoF, and the 4 different types of jumps (Normal, Hop, Hyper Hop, Hyper normal) give you more ways to get in.

I have to say, gameplay wise, I don't really get the overall feeling of "Strategy" in blazblue. Not to say there ISN'T any, but it feels much more "Rush, Rush, get an opening, have the mental ability to rush from that opening, GO GO GO !" Even though the "internal" gameplay feels a bit slower than I've normally felt. I feel I have to slow my motions, compared to KoF 98, in order to get things to work in BB. Jump-in combs have a HUGE amount of time where you can land, and then start your blows, that feels very unnatural compared to SF or KoF.

In KoF, I feel that positioning and use of the right normal move, is much more important. With all the offensive options, It somewhat makes it harder to get in on your opponent safely. Makes me pay much more attention to "per move" strategy, and remembering the tighter combo system pays off. I don't feel very open, in comparison, after wiffs in BB (unless I'm being Magnet-punished by Tager!)

BB has more inherent character play variety, yes. Some of the best gameplay system variety of characters ever. If you wanna learn one character and master them, BB is the game! KoF makes it much easier to play a variety, with it's 3 on 3 play, and the fact that it's not trying to re-invent the wheel with each one. Characters will feel more balanced between each other.

Very different games! Bang makes BB for me, but a bunch of characters make KoF for me, so it's no contest which I'll play more as a multi-player fighter. (For single play, of course BB wins!) It's still and Arcs Sys fighter, and I've always found them to feel more like a "fad", compared to KoF or SF, and I don't see that changing much here; However though, Arc has really outdone their previous efforts!

(sorry this was so long, lol, but your post made me think much on the details that attract me to KoF more than BB!)