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Finally! Good quality The King of Fighters XII screenies. There's images of the China stage and the Egypt stage. Just look at those shades and fire effects. Truly dazzling stuff.
KOF12 Screens [Famitsu]
Hooray! This April, The King of Fighters XII is getting its first official play test in Japan. As pointed out in Famitsu, it's traditional 3 vs. 3 team match-ups. Also, the screen's edge forms a hard barrier that players will have to balance. What's more, attacks can cancel each other and there's a Guard Attack system that lets players switch from offensive to defensive modes on the fly. SNK says that the game system had gotten too complex and they were aiming showing that would be more approachable and put emphasis on "reading the opponent's mind." Famitsu scans below — which do the 100 percent hand drawn game no justice whatsoever.
KOFXII Info [mmcafe via Arcade Renaissance]
opinion
I've long been mulling over exactly how a theoretical Diablo III should look...for years now. You see, Diablo is a 2D franchise entering a 3D world. And its graphical style, as trivial and superficial as the topic may seem, will affect the way the game feels to play (which many have probably noticed in 3D Diablo clones like Dungeon Runners that feel distinctly less satisfying).
But after reading that King of Fighers XII was completely hand drawn, the answer to updating a 2D isometric game suddenly felt obvious—just draw it out.
More »
When SNK showed off The King of Fighters XII at arcade show AOU in Japan and industry event GDC in San Francisco, the unanimous reply was: Nice cell shading. That, or it's "just" hi-res 2D. Thing is, that's totally incorrect. And for SNK, who's been working on the game for the past three years, frustrating! Today, I checked out the game's latest build at SNK's Osaka office and saw a few stages that haven't been revealed. Screens weren't available, but there was a French stage, complete with fat, rich women and an Egyptian one that had loyal subjects worshiping before the Pharaoh. Colorful stuff and classic SNK. The company set out to make the ultimate 2D fighter — unparalleled by anything else out there, attempting not only to raise the bar, but snap it in half. KOFXII producer Masaaki Kukino tells Kotaku:
The game is one hundred percent hand drawn. There is zero cell shading in The King of Fighters XII.More »
gdc08
I got a chance to swing by the SNK Playmore Suite at GDC to check out some of their offerings. Most of what they had going on on their screens were showings of their various game anthologies including Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2, King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match, King of Fighters Collection Orochi Saga, Samurai Shodown Anthology, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 and World Heroes Anthology. Not a whole lot new here but there were a couple of nice looking trailers for King of Fighters XII and the New Samurai Shodown.
The real treat however was a little surprise waiting on a DS in the corner, Metal Slug 7! I hot footed it over to the corner of the room and practically wrestled the girl playing it to the ground in my attempt to check out the game. It looked great, played better and had everything you could possibly want from a Metal Slug game. So if you are ready for a new Metal Slug experience, look no further than Metal Slug 7, coming soon to a DS near you.
4:00 PM on Sat Feb 23 2008
By fdemarco
17,935 views,
59 comments
Latest by n/a: they stole that 7 from the next James Bond film. more »
arcade gaming
Street Fighter IV... I saw it at the AOU 2008 show... I was impressed. It's very similar to King of Fighters in that we're trying to do something new with the franchise.
Hit the jump for a higher quality clip. Do it!
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kofxii
vc update
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Christmas cards from developers are big thing in the West. Similarly, no developer in Japan would be rude enough to neglect sending cards commemorating the New Year. Metal Slug and King of Fighters developer SNK Playmore has already done the honors for this holiday, creating a batch of a half-dozen Happy New Year 2008 card mock ups that you can send to your favorite fan of whatever SNK Playmore games the kids are playing this year. Designs for Metal Slug (above), Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters XII, The King of Fighters '94 and The King of Fighters '98 are all currently available for your downloading and redistributing pleasure.
For your own enjoyment, plenty of wallpapers that are not holiday related, including some fabulous desktop worthy World Heroes Gorgeous pieces are just a downward scroll away.
Happy New Year 2008 [SNK Playmore]
hot tears of shame
king of fighters
It would seem that SNK's buxom ninja Mai Shiranui is popular with the Japanese gamer. Maybe it's the constantly flaunted T and A? That's just my theory, as I've begun to notice a trend in Mai's poses throughout her recent PVC incarnations. Max Factory took great care to expose both earlier this year, with Aizu Project being a bit more blatant about it. Now, Daiki Industry is giving it a go, artistically exhibiting Mai's obscene proportions with a nice arm shelf and a timely gust of wind. It's due out in March of next year for 14,700 yen (approximately $135 US) and will make for a nice centerpiece. Who's next?
Mai Shiranui [HobbyStock]
It's been a banner several weeks for new games and this one is no different. No matter what your taste there is a little something for everyone. Mass effect, Rock Band and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune will be on my holiday play list as I sit in my parents rec room after ingesting too much food. What will you be playing post-turkey time?
Mass Effect (X360)
Space, ho!
Rock Band (PS3, X360)
Rock out with more than just a guitar.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
Relive every great 80's adventure movie you ever saw.
Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)
Get real with Unreal..3!
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC)
It's like a buddy movie with killing.
Ghost Squad (WII)
Fight the war on terror at home on your Wii
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
More Final Fantasy... more!!
College Hoops 2K8 (X360, PS3, PS2)
Next-gen college basketball.
Soul Calibur Legends (WII)
The Soul Calibur franchise tries a new style.
Time Crisis 4 (PS3)
Shoot those bad guys up. Now with scrolling.
Link's Crossbow Training (WII)
Test out the Wii Zapper Zelda style!
While King of Fighters XII is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 in a few years, for the time being SNK is continuing to dole out the PS2 love. Today they announce that King of Fighters XI and NEOGEO Battle Coliseum are both head to North American PlayStation 2 consoles. KOF XI is the 11th title in the main King of Fighters series (duh), sticking to the 2D we all know and love while adding in new factors like the Quick Shift, Saving Shift, and the Dream Cancel, which takes Super Cancels to a whole new level. Battle Coliseum is a NEOGEO fan's wet dream, featuring 2 on 2 battles with characters from World Heroes, Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Samurai Showdown, Last Blade, Metal Slug, Kizuna Encounter, and my personal favorite SNK fighter, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. The game boasts 40 characters across 13 games for a truly awesome roster of fighters. The game was already released in Japan and Europe, so this Fall it's finally our turn. About damn time.
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jubblies
snk playmore
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