The King of Fighters XI

"KoF at it's finest"

I loved this game in the arcades and I was ecstatic that it was announced for the PS2. But SNK/Playmore didn't just go for a simple direct port; they went the whole 9 yards and added 7 more characters to an already huge roster, an arranged mode, playable boss characters, new stages and challenge mode. Here's my little review of this awesome fighter:

Graphics: 8/10
The character's sprites look better than KoF 2003 and Neowave, thanks again to the Atomiswave hardware; basically it's on par with the recent Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. But not as smooth as Garou, SFIII or Guilty Gear. Still, I don't care much about the graphics though, but the effects of special moves and DMs look cool; and the new animations for some of the attacks of the returning characters are a welcome sight. The backgrounds of the arcade version are lively and not bland or plain looking like on previous KoF games; the new backgrounds added for the PS2 version look better but they're not that all interesting unfortunately. And the intro is too simple for my tastes.

Sound: 7/10
Still I don't care much about the sounds of fighting games. It doesn't distract you much and provides good enough background music during gameplay. The only thing I didn't like is that some of the character's voice samples during taunts and victory poses are somewhat muffled.

Gameplay: 9/10
KoF XI still retains the tag battle feature introduced in KoF 2003; so matches are still fast paced but now tagging in and out is not as constricting as it was in KoF 2003, since you can tag out anytime and even immediately after the new fighter comes in. A new feature in the game is that you can even tag out the moment you're hit (Saving Shift) or during a combo (Quick Shift) to extend the combo. The all new skill gauge dictates Super Cancels, Dream Cancels, Quick Shift and Saving Shift etc. A fifth button has been added which is the "Blown Off" Attack, which basically is the CD/Hard Attack/Blowback Attack in previous KoF games, it is also the button to push when you're using Leader Desperation Moves. A stun meter is now added so that you can keep track when the active character is about to be dizzied. Although there's no Guard Crush meter, the lifebar will blink to indicate that a Guard Crush is imminent. Regarding timeouts, the team with the most health won't necessarily win the match. There's a Judgment Counter which points to the team which is actually doing better offensively, defensively and how many team members are left. So, whichever team it's pointed once time expires, that team wins, regardless of the health. All in all, with running, quick jumps, rolls, fallbreaker rolls, Guard Cancel Roll, Guard Cancel Counter Attack still present, and add to that the new features, make this the best playing KoF game currently.

Overall: 9/10
The large roster provides a lot of team variations. The Challenge Mode included is 40 stages of fighting under different conditions which will unlock the hidden characters. The gameplay rewards skilled players who utilize Quick Shift for flashier and damaging combos. Regarding features, SNK/Playmore could've at least included the PS2 trailer and the extended trailers that had commentary by Kyo and Ash unlockable in gallery mode. Anyways, 2D fighting fans will not be disappointed with this one; in my opinion it's the best KoF to date. I actually prefer this one over KoF 98 and KoF 2002. The barebones arcade version is already an excellent game by itself, but the extra features included make this title a must buy even for casual 2D fighting game fans.

Pros:
- huge roster, 47 characters in total
- top-notch gameplay
- very fast load times unlike the arcade version
- lots of extras like new stages and BGM, Challenge Mode, Gallery Mode, 7 extra characters and Arrange Mode

Cons:
- import only, so it's gonna be expensive
- no English option
- has online play, but only in Japan
- last boss is really cheap

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/06