King of Fighters XI review (PS2)

The influx of high-definition gaming may be upon us, but with the likes of the Wii’s Virtual Console, Xbox Live and of course SNK, one cannot deny it’s also an auspicious time to be a proud, born-again retro gamer. Indeed, while the ubiquity of The King of Fighters series may not be quite as apparent as it used to be (for one, they’re not being churned out on a yearly basis like before), it’s impression on the retro market is still very much as strong as ever; and fortunately, the case still remains so with this latest instalment, King of Fighters XI.

Fight Night

As far as 2D beat em-ups go, King of Fighters has always proven to deliver its worth; XI is no different, offering up a massive 47 characters, 16 of which have been assimilated from titles such as Fatal Frame and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum for use exclusively for the PlayStation 2 version. In terms of game modes, there’s more than enough to sink your teeth into here aside from the standard Arcade mode, including Team Play, Endless, Challenge, and of course the obligatory Practise mode.

King of Fighters XI basic gameplay is reminiscent of any 2D fighter, allowing you access to dozens of devastating combos, throws and other manoeuvres in order to better your opponents; needless to say, your thumbs will most probably lose all ability to function following a heated bout (leading to a successful life of crime no doubt, due to the loss of your finger prints) The main principle involves choosing three characters, picking the order of which they’ll appear if one is defeated/shifted, and battling it out till the bitter end. However, the titles most distinguishing features come in the form of several new gameplay mechanics; Quick Shift, Saving Shift, Skill Stock and Dream Cancel, adding a new dimension to combat.

2D Terror

The shift functions allow for a quick character swap on the fly, perfect for when your lead fighter has taken a battering and you need to get him/her out as soon as possible. Even more satisfying however, is that the Saving Shift enables you to swap partners instantaneously as your opponent lands a hit; as a result, your partner character will swoop in, delivering a devastating kick to the chops as he does.

It’s stylish, and ultimately can save your skin with the right timing. Additionally, these abilities are attributed to the new Skill Stock gauge, which decrease each time you use them forcing you to strategically plan out and map your attacks where necessary.

Moves moves and more moves

While this can a times get a little overwhelming in the heat of combat, its still immensely rewarding to pull off, allowing for a more conscious approach to combat as opposed to merely lumping a bunch of standard attacks together. More importantly, the offer ample opportunity to counter obvious butter bashes hoping for an easy victory.

The Dream Cancels are particularly nasty, allowing you to cancel a move and follow it up with an even more power attack, stringing together a number of health-draining combos while your adversary lies helplessly at your mercy. Of course, the PS2’s D-pad is more than capable of delivering all the fast-paced combat a game such as this offers, the shoulder buttons of which are especially useful for delivering double-buttoned attacks.

Battle Scars

Admittedly, there sometimes feels a little over emphasis on the more complicated manoeuvres, and your computer-controlled opponents will waste no time in hammering this home, as yours truly found out the hard way. As such, things feel slightly unbalanced at times (and a little intimidating), but once mastered, it’s a rewarding concept. It’s not likely you’ll spend much time on the single player side of things either, instead wanting to plump for the games multiplayer offering, where any over reliance on flashy moves is not forced down your throat. As mentioned, the game has a number of different modes up for grabs, which are instrumental in prolonging your interest far greater than recent console ports of 2D fighters, such as the uninspired NeoGeo Battle Coliseum.

Sprite-tastic

Included among these are Single Play (which allows you to eliminate the team aspect, going it alone with one character) Endless Mode (an endless battle, as the name suggests) or Challenge Mode. Of the above, Challenge is of particular note, pitting you against dozens of mission-based fights, that, aside from providing a nice distraction from traditional combat, also aim to increase your skills as a combatant, as you’ll be required to execute various techniques and abilities to win each bout.

Visually, the game encapsulates the very embodiment of 2D retro gaming; while obviously limited from a technological point of view, King of Fighters is still a good looking game, whether it’s the polished, slick menus and interface, down to the neat touches of the games various backdrops and characters. Likewise, the sound effects and soundtrack are suitably old school, offering up a fine degree of catchy, guitar-driven tunes and the usual array of over-the-top grunts and groans.

Flawless Victory

Overall, King of Fighters XI is a superb addition to any retro fans collection. With ample moves, special attacks, dozens of characters and a couple of extra good modes to boot, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that matches the level of quality seen in SNK’s latest release. Throw in the addition of some superbly effective, yet rewardingly complex new manoeuvres, and you have what is undoubtedly a more balanced, versatile and ultimately strategic nudge to 2D combat, which even the most obstinate of gamers will find hard to disparage. Retro-tastic.