john_mcpain

The King of Fighter is one of the most beloved series in the Fighting Game genre. While SNK can often give us a mixed bag where each KoF may be very different from the last, XIII is a callback to the days of KoF98 and 2002, two of the most competitive fighting games of all time. By adding an HD mode that reminds us of KoF2002's maxmode, a mode in which you have a small amount of time and the ability to free cancel nearly any special or super move, SNK has taken several facets from the past beloved games to take into the new age of fighting games. As can be expected, the gameplay is tight with blazing fast responsiveness. The inputs, while often requiring more complex motions than say Street Fighter IV's often quarter circle quarter circle button supers, have a deep system of shortcuts and tricks, along with an extremely lenient buffer system. This is a fighting game that, while deep, does give players the tools they need to succeed. Balance, as can be expected of Fighting Games, has its issues. For the most part, outside of the EX characters, the game is pretty fairly balanced. In many fighting games having 5 tiers to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the various characters. In this game, arguably no character is more than 3 tiers away from any other character. Its refreshing to see a game as balanced as this is in an age of Street Fighter IV, Mortal Kombat 9, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Soul Calibur V, Street Fighter X Tekken... It may not be perfect, but it sure as hell beats the competition. This would be a 10 review if it weren't for the netcode. Now, they've done a lot in listening to us and working their formerly bad netcode to something atleast playable. But we need more than what we've got. We need a GGPO equivalent (for those who do not know, GGPO is a netcode that utilizes "rollbacks" to allow inputs to be virtually lagless). SNK Playmore, this will be what puts you over the top. You need the netcode to get the people to play the game. This game is a must have, and this version is the definitive version of KoFXIII. Any self respecting fighting game-lover should buy this game and give it a shot. We here in the West have often relegated SNK to the East. Its time to change that.