![]() ![]() Characters are equipped with both light and heavy punches and kicks, throws, and special moves. I’m fairly new to the series, so I can’t compare the game to anything other than my brief playtime with XIII, but the fighting feels responsive and impactful. Thankfully, in that regard, XIV delivers. That’s unfortunate, but as a friend of mine once said, a fighter could be using stick figures and as long as the fighting itself was solid, most people probably wouldn’t care. So King of Fighters XIV isn’t a looker, unlike XIII. ![]() This lack of detail extends to the stages, as well, though it’s less noticeable. Think Ultras from Street Fighter IV, and yes, that is really what they’re called). This isn’t that big of a deal when the characters are fighting far away from the camera, but it becomes an issue whenever the camera zooms in for some pre-fight banter or to highlight a CLIMAX Super Special Move (New to the series. While outfits are colorful, textured, and detailed, the characters themselves lack texture and their skin looks flat. Thankfully, in that regard, XIV delivers" "So King of Fighters XIV isn’t a looker, unlike XIII. The main issue seems to be caused by the chasm of detail that separates the character’s clothes from their skin. SNK, unfortunately, has done neither, and while their 3D models don’t look as bad as they did during the initial reveal, they don’t look good, either. ![]() But sprite art is almost unfeasibly expensive for studios in the AAA space today, and companies, beginning with Capcom with Street Fighter IV, have largely switched over to 3D models on a 2D plane, which are cheaper and easier to make.Ĭapcom mitigated the change with a very stylized approach, and Arc Sys performed some technical wizardry to make the 3D models in Guilty Gear look and animate exactly like the original sprites. Like Arc System Works and Capcom of old, SNK’s games were as well known for their beautiful sprite art as they were for their complex fighting engines. Let’s start with the elephant in the room: the 3D models. It’s been a little more than six years since King of Fighters XIII revitalized the franchise and brought back its previous critical acclaim, which means King of Fighter XIV has a lot to live up to. The main issue seems to be caused by the chasm of detail that separates the character’s clothes from their skin."īut success isn’t easy, and even a series as storied and respected as King of Fighters has had its issues (we’re looking at you, KoF XII). "While the 3D models don’t look as bad as they did during the initial reveal, they don’t look good, either. For reference, that would be like if Street Fighter x Tekken was so successful that Namco and Capcom stopped developing Tekken and Street Fighter and just made that crossover. No, what’s shocking about King of Fighters is that it’s outlived each and every one of the series that inspired it on its way to becoming SNK’s most recognizable and successful franchise. Crossover fighters are as common as colds, and were nearly as numerous in the 1990s. Add a dash of original characters, and throw them all into a blender with a fresh fighting engine, and you had King of Fighters ’94. The first game in the franchise, released in 1994, was a crossover that combined characters from previous SNK fighters Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting with characters from other, older franchises, like Ikari Warrior and Psycho Soldier. ![]()
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