King of Fighters XI

While most of America’s fighting game fans concern themselves primarily with either Namco- or Capcom-made fighters, in Japan, SNK’s King of Fighters series is arguably the most popular, and has been going strong now for well over a decade.  Originally designed to be a mash-up of characters from several different SNK series (Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury being their two main fighting game series beforehand), King of Fighters quickly overtook its “parent” titles in popularity and began receiving yearly installments.  Despite the games’ success in the East, America has seen only sporadic localization of the various titles, and they usually sell only to the SNK hardcore fans.  This year, the US was not only lucky enough to receive a translated version of the latest KoF, but at a budget price, it might just be the best bargain in gaming this winter.

Like the other King of Fighters titles, the game’s storyline is more or less a silly afterthought.  Mysterious groups working with nefarious agendas and stolen ancient magical artifacts both play into the plot, but when you get down to it, all you need to know is that thirty-three of the world’s best fighters (divided into 11 three-person teams) take each other on in the King of Fighters tournament.

The quick combat can get pretty frantic at times.

But who cares about the plot?  Any fighting game lives and dies on the strength of its gameplay, and I’m happy to say that King of Fighters XI has got depth and playability in spades.  Fans of the series will be familiar with the myriad of complex maneuvers at your disposal, including Desperation Moves, Guard Cancels, and Tag Attacks, not to mention the new abilities added just for this installment, including Dream Cancels, Saving Shift, and a Skill Bar that operates in addition to the Power Bar from previous installments.  As you can probably tell all this can be a little intimidating to series newcomers, but none of it’s necessary to enjoy the game; it merely adds layers of tactical depth for those hardcore fans who crave it.  Controls are quick and responsive, and special moves require simple input to execute (these will be familiar to fighting game fans, as they are mostly of the traditional, quarter-circle forward + punch variety).  Returning for this installment for the first time since 2003 is the series’ tag system, which allows players to switch between their team’s three characters in the middle of a battle (or even in the middle of a combo, thanks to the new Quick Shift maneuver), adding yet another layer of tactical depth to the combat.

The game doesn’t fare quite as well in the technical end of things.  The 2D sprite-based graphics are the result of many years of honing and perfecting, but they’re not particularly detailed.  Recent titles like Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire have shown what the PS2 is capable of in terms of 2D graphics, and what’s present here simply doesn’t measure up.  The backgrounds look great, but the characters are jarringly low quality in comparison.  They’re not terrible, and they animate beautifully, but the simple fact of the matter is that this game has its roots in an antiquated arcade hardware board and it shows.  Some might not like the game’s music, either, but as far as I’m concerned, generic Japanese techno-rock is the perfect audio background for this type of game.  The rest of the game’s audio is well done, with plenty of crisp sound effects and voice clips (in Japanese, of course).

While the backgrounds look great, the characters are disappointingly low-res.

Even with its (minor) technical problems, King of Fighters XI shines.  With almost fifty characters (counting unlockables), several game modes, and tons of depth to discover, the game would be a bargain at full price.  The fact that SNK Playmore has decided to release it for a mere 20 bones is just icing on the cake.  Sure, not everybody will appreciate a deep, complex Japanese 2D fighter.  For anyone with even a modicum of interest in the genre, though, King of Fighters XI is definitely recommended.  It’s the most bang for your buck you’re likely to find on the PS2.
 

Gameplay:  8.7

There’s enough silky-smooth, fast-paced fighting action here to satisfy even the most discerning of SNK fanboys.  While the more complex gameplay elements are likely to overwhelm the casual player, anyone can pick up a controller, dish out a beatdown, and have a good time.  KoF XI plays as well as or better than any other 2D fighter to date.

Gameplay:  8.7

Graphics:  6.8

The art style is great, the backgrounds look great, and the animation is gorgeous, but the characters themselves (which is what you’re looking at 90% of the time) are dated and low-res.

Sound:  7.1

While the music is forgettable Japanese techno (in that classic fighting game style), sound effects are crisp and plentiful, and voice-overs are frequent and well done (even though they’re in Japanese).

Difficulty: Hard

Actually, only the last boss is really difficult, but boy, is he ever.  Frustrating, cheap, and overpowered are just a few of the terms that will probably come to mind when you face him down.  The rest of the game is remarkably well-balanced, with no particular team dominating the game.

Concept: 7.5

When it comes to 2D fighters, SNK’s a master of the form.  Most, if not all, of the gameplay additions here are brilliant, and add a new layer of tactics to what was already a deep fighter.

Overall:  8.1

Sure, the game’s far from perfect.  Still, it’s one of best fighting games ever to grace the PS2, and for only 20 bucks, it’s about the best deal in gaming today.  Pick it up, have some buddies over, and remember the fun a well-made 2D fighter can deliver.