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Best of the Rest: Dave's Picks of 2009
Resident Evil 5 I've long been a fan of the Resident Evil series, and while the campaign here has problems and should never be played solo, the Mercenaries mode is what kept me coming back. Those action-packed levels spent trying to survive while running low on ammo and health were some of my most chaotic, yet highly enjoyable, experiences of 2009.
King of Fighters XII patch fixes online play
To put it lightly, online play in The King of Fighters XII sucks. It's broken, regardless of which platform you play it on. Weeks after the game's release, SNK Playmore has finally released a patch for the PS3 version. According to the press release, the update "fundamentally changes the way game data is processed and synchronized during online matches, placing greater importance on the game's response time and allowing for much smoother play." Online battles should be improved, especially for those with less-than-ideal internet connections.An Xbox 360 version of the patch is also in the works and should be available "very soon." SNK Playmore issued an official apology with the release, promising it will "strive to improve their system of quality control for future titles," but we're wondering how the fighting community will response. For some, this patch may be too little, too late.%Gallery-63875%
New Xbox update to shrink some hard drive installs
Posters on Cheap Ass Gamer who keep track of Xbox 360 hard drive installs noticed that those who'd been admitted to the dashboard update preview program were seeing games take up markedly less space than before (a fact later confirmed by Digital Foundry). How much smaller? Well, DF noticed that King of Fighters XII and Raiden Fighters Aces went from 3.4GB to 703 and 484MB respectively, post update.By DF's approximation, the update allows the system to be more efficient in selecting what non-essential data it puts on the hard drive. Though that results in a big savings in some cases, there are exceptions. Fable 2, for example, is no smaller post-update, leading us to assume Lionhead needed every inch of the disc for all that GOTY material.
Review: King of Fighters XII
SNK sticks to the KOF series' roots with King of Fighters XII, the latest 2D installment in its popular fighting franchise. It's been years since we've seen a King of Fighters game and you'd think SNK had some cards hidden up its sleeve but, to be honest, King of Fighters XII is short on the surprises. [Editor's note: This review also features a video walkthrough.] %Gallery-63875%
King of Fighters XII patch to address online play
Lag can be a real buzzkill when you're trying to maintain million-punch combos -- unfortunately, those who got their hands on early copies of SNK Playmore's King of Fighters XII reported some "minor performance issues" during online matches. Fret not, fighting fanatics -- according to a recent email from SNK, the game is receiving a patch today on the PS3 (and " very soon" on the 360) which "should help improve the overall quality and stability of online play."Day-one patches are usually frowned upon, but hey -- at least you won't have to suffer "issues" during your online bouts. Unless you're playing on 360, that is -- you lot will still have to wait for the patch to clear Microsoft's intimidating Certification Gauntlet of Death.
New King of Fighters XII trailer includes punching, also kicking
SNK Playmore has dropped a new trailer in advance of the King of Fighters XII release later this month. The trailer focuses on the series' fifteen year history, spanning all the way back to 1994. It also has a long montage of people beating the crap out of each other, all set to decidedly dramatic music. It's all very exciting.King of Fighters XII hits Xbox 360 and PS3 on July 28.
King of Fighters XII uppercuts retail July 28
The official Twitter account for King of Fighters XII has revealed the final date for retail release: July 28. KOFXII features 22 characters to choose from and the series' tried-and-true, three-on-three gameplay. The game does bring some new gameplay elements to the table, though, such as air guards and guard attacks; so it's not just the same old King of Fighters in HD. Not that that would totally be a bad thing ...
King of Fighters XII punches through with a new video
If you had told us five years ago that 2009 would be a year to remember for 2D fighters, we would've called you a crazy person and erased you from our buddy list. Sure enough, with solid releases Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue already dropping this year, and Marvel vs Capcom 2, Tatsunoko vs Capcom and, as the above video shows, King of Fighters XII awaiting release, we would've been the crazy one. If you're a fan of the occasional bout of two-dimensional fisticuffs, then you've got a lot to choose from this year. It's as if millions of piggy banks suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced ... by giant hammers.
King of Fighters XII trailer shows us combos are king
Another brief snippet of gameplay arrived on our digital doorstep today, showing off some super combos and other asskickery in the upcoming King of Fighters XII. In the above trailer, we're presented with some beatdowns courtesy of Joe Higashi, Kim Kaphwan, and fan-favorite Kyo Kusanagi. Sadly, there's no Iori, but we'll have all of the time in the world to watch him mess folks up when the game releases later this month.
King of Fighters XII trailer explores the triumph of combat
This latest trailer for King of Fighters XII makes with the pummeling, as trailers for fighting games are wont to do. We've said it once, and we'll say it again: Pretty sprites these be. The game just looks great, plain and simple. And on top of that, the gameplay is something we know we'll enjoy, because, well, it's King of Fighters, and King of Fighters doesn't really change.Oh, and we totally love watching Kim Kaphwan get the business. He's such a goody-two-shoes jerk.
King of Fighters wins giant arcade unit, paper crown
Over 100 contestants competed in a seven hour (!) King of Fighters XII tournament in Hollywood yesterday, and when the smoke cleared, one winner was awarded a stately paper crown. Oh, and a full-sized King of Fighters arcade machine, straight from Japan. Reynold Tacsuan defeated Alex Phan in the best-of-three finals when his soldier Ralf Jones dealt a deathblow to Judo master Goro Daimon.Multiple arcade units and PS3s were set up around the venue featuring the new game, which doesn't hit U.S. shores until July 16, so attendees could face off while the tourney took place on the main stage. One station even went old-school with Intellivision, an Atari 2600 and an old Vectrex system. if only they'd had KoF back then.I am 8-bit was on hand throughout the event with scantily clad nurses administering fake cuts, bruises, and wounds to unblemished skin in their Anti-ER. Which got us thinking: even though we're all for friendly competition in gaming, it would takes things up a notch if some company starts turning these events into feats of skill and muscle. It's high time they brought competitive arm wrestling to the world of video games. %Gallery-64579%
Latest King of Fighters XII trailer is a history lesson
With the release of King of Fighters XII drawing near (or, if you live in LA, you can play it early tomorrow!), SNK sent out a trailer to remind people why this franchise is so revered and why the latest installment should be worth your time. You know, thinking back on all of these games, we've realized something: King of Fighters has been around for a long time. No, seriously, it has! Grossly obvious statements aside, we will say this: Them's some pretty sprites.
King of Fighters XII tourney in LA this Saturday, May 30
A King of Fighters XII battle to the death tournament will be held this Saturday in a little burg known as Los Angeles. The event will be held May 30, from 12-7PM at Element (location details after the break). Cosplayers are welcome and there will be "goodies" on hand.Want to compete? The first 100 folks to RSVP to Paul[at]ignitionusa[dawt]com with their name and email address are good to go. We'll be covering the tournament this weekend in hopes of kicking our Iori Yagami addiction, so stay tuned for more.
Watch this King of Fighters XII footage and pretend you're winning
We never get tired of staring at King of Fighters XII. We were pleased, then, when Ignition sent over this new video of a match featuring Elisabeth Blanctorche, a recent addition to the KOF XII roster, facing off against SNK mainstay Joe Higashi.Confession time: when it comes to fighting games, even though we adore them, we're used to experiences like what the Joe player here is going through -- crushing defeats. Over and over again. At least with KOF XII, we'll get to lose online to a variety of opponents, which is somewhat novel for KOF. We like to mix it up, you know? Lose in the arcades sometimes, then lose at home with friends, then lose a few online matches. Maybe we'll try losing a couple of rounds with an arcade stick.%Gallery-63875%
Help choose The King of Fighters XII box art
Ignition Entertainment is asking for the community to decide The King of Fighters XII's box art for North America. Currently there are polls open on the company forums to decide between the four different covers -- two for each system -- of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. In both cases, "Option 1" is the Japanese box art and "Option 2" is the originally-intended North American box art.The fans will decide which graphic the McCountry will be forced to gaze its eyes upon. We know it's supposed to be a battle and all, but wouldn't this be the perfect time to make the argument for reversible covers? Anyway, the PS3 choices can be found after the break.Source -- Rock the Box Round 2 [PS3]Source -- Rock the Box Round 2 [X360]
King of Fighters XII getting DLC, console-specific modes
It looks like SNK is already preparing to outfit King of Fighters XII with DLC. The upcoming fighting game will have additional purchased content available on the Xbox Live Marketplace (as uncovered by Siliconera) and, presumably, on PSN as well. What that content is exactly, we don't know just yet; however, we assume this means more costumes and game modes a la Street Fighter IV. Maybe it means more characters ... like all the ones missing from the roster screen.In addition to DLC, KoF XII has console-specific online modes. The PS3 version features a "Clan" mode which is not found on the 360 version (check out the image above); however, the 360 version has a "Ranked Match" option while the PS3 version does not. Hmm ... you don't think SNK would charge for these modes as paid DLC now, would it?[Via Siliconera]
Fight like a king with these SNK fighting sticks
You'll need to wield a sturdy fighting stick if you ever plan on becoming a champ in the fighting genre. Everyone knows that; Capcom knows it, Namco Bandai knows it, and SNK Playmore knows it, too, which is why the latter will be releasing two, brand-new controllers alongside King of Fighters XII in July. The first is a King of Fighters XII USB Stick featuring character artwork of series favorites Iori, Athena and others plastered on the topside. The second fighting pad is the Neo Geo Stick 2, a throwback to the classic controller, which will finally be available for PS3 (It's already out for Wii). They retail for ¥6,279 ($65) and ¥5,229 ($54), respectively.Now, why are those prices in Japanese currency? Well, unlike the game itself, these sticks haven't been given a worldwide release date. They hit Japanese stores on July 16th and hopefully we'll get them in time for launch date, too.
Two new characters for King of Fighters XII coming home
In addition to the ultra smooth (and likely quite sophisticated) King of Fighters XII anti-aliasing graphical update, it appears as though the home version of the game will be coming with two new characters. Elizabeth Blanctorche and a character known only as "Mature" will be joining the ranks of the already 20-character strong roster as a result of the move to console from arcades.1UP claims the game's Japanese language website also teases, "the art of K' and Mai Shiranui in the style of KOFXII," though it remains unconfirmed whether or not the console release will see more exclusive characters. The game releases this July, and in the meantime, we'll be over here looking through the beautiful gallery full of artwork we already have.[Via 1UP]%Gallery-47801%
Ignition reveals date, details for King of Fighters XII tournament
Ready to compete in a game you've never played? Ignition Entertainment has officially announced the King of Fighters XII tournament teased last week on the game's website. The tournament, being held in cooperation with the EVO tournament group, will take place at Element in Hollywood on May 30th, during which 128 freakishly talented competitors will pit their stylish, high-resolution avatars against one another in a five-round tournament. If you think you're the king of King of Fighters, you can sign up at EVO's site starting April 6 at 10AM PST. Signing up at Ignition's KOF site could win you a trip to watch the event.The press release teases "special guests and the opportunity to win one-of-a-kind KOF goods" -- not the least of which is a Japanese King of Fighters XII cabinet.%Gallery-47801%
King of Fighters XII screens reveal new anti-aliasing feature
Click to embiggen.We're happy to be able to bring you these exclusive screens of King of Fighters XII, if only because it meant we got to look at screens of King of Fighters XII. Seriously, look at this thing. We couldn't be happier that SNK Playmore got the money together to make an HD fighter. Thanks, Doki Doki Majo Shinpan!As far as we know, these are the first screens of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version, and for the most part, they look exactly like the (amazing) arcade game, with one small difference: the North American console version has an optional anti-aliasing filter for the character sprites, which is enabled in all of these screens. We think that the new art looks wonderful without any extra smoothing.KOF XII is scheduled for a worldwide July release.%Gallery-47801%
