King of Fighters XII dominates hands
If the 2D fighting game genre could be epitomized by one single aspect it is most certainly the unwillingness to redraw anything in subsequent revisions. Character sprites get reused over and over again, continuity between new sprites and 10-year old sprites be damned. I don’t blame them, though. In attempts to lure young latch-key children away from their Dance Dance Revolutions, bolstering the lineup of available characters to absurd proportions is usually the first strategic move. The second strategic move? Characters with big bouncing breasts. I’m looking at you, Mia Shiranui. Directly in your eyes. Yes, your eyes. I swear.
Bucking the trend is the latest edition to the King of Fighters series, XII. Featuring fully hand drawn (if a little computer aided) characters and animation, KOFXII certainly looks amazing. With most fighting franchises moving towards 3D characters and environments, it is nice to see that the 2d niche won’t go down without a fight. Specifics like release date or platforms aren’t yet known, but this game will certainly see an arcade release.
Head on over to Kotaku for their exclusive interview with the development team and to see the game in motion.
- Rob O’Reilly
