KOF XII he revival! Well not really. With the new great graphics taking the major light almost everything else fell to far behind. The gameplay is a stylistic mix of kof95 with some new elements that appeal to beginers. Also gone from the kof franchise is the enclusion of a story mode. This has been done before but normally for games with dream matches that have vast amounts of character from previous games that are either dead or havent been in games in while. The pathetic roaster of only 22 character is a major hamper. While 22 characters could have been enough this ones selected are a joke. SNK does great in justis by forgetting fan favorites such as Mai and K. The most ridiculous aspect of forgeting K is that K is SNK offical mascot at the moment. Another lack luster aspect is its uncompliteness. Only 6 stages and no final boss. So heres the break down Pro: *Great Sprits and backgrounds * Simple gameplay thats pick up in play for users of all skills *Decent online play that doesnt seem to be filled with lag yet Cons *Incomplete *Missing obvious favorite characters *No bosses *Only 6 stages Overall KOF is worth owning if not only to have a visual update but to play online. However you money could be better spent on BlazBlue.… Expand

Don't listen to Roy the graphics are amazing in this game (someone doesn't know how to use the soft filter). Now this is a big step forward (or back to the old days) for King Of Fighters. They finally added some new sprites and brought the characters moves back to the 94/95 days. The single player in my opinion is merely practice for the meat of this game which is the online mode. At the time of this writing there are some lag issues but SNK has promised to fix them with a soon to be released patch. Please don't overlook this terribly underrated game which in my opinion is far superior to that reskinned Guilty Gear game called BlazBlue.… Expand

While the gameplay and graphics are good, the presentation leaves much to be desired. SNK decided not to include a story in this game, so you pretty much turn on the game and fight. That's it. Arcade Mode is really Time Trial. It has a few barely animated cutscenes, but they add nothing to the game. There isn't even a final boss. Taunts have been removed, and I'm pretty sure every character has the same win pose. On the plus side, the characters are HUGE, gorgeous and have lots of animation. KOF fans will love how the classic characters are re-imagined, as several of the them play completely different from previous KOF's, making them seem new. Has a high nostalgia factor, as characters like Andy Bogard and Raiden (Big Bear) are back, and even the recurring KOF characters are still fun to play. Just seeing Iori and Terry moving in high def is exciting. Overall I can't help but compare this to BlazBlue, which is the other new high-def 2-D fighter. That game surpasses KOFXII in almost every way. KOF's characters might be a bit bigger, and it's definitely a simpler game (which might be good news for people turned off by BlazBlue's complexity), but otherwise KOFXII is just not as good. A buy only for fans, a rental for everyone else.… Collapse

----Pros and Cons----- - Bare bones port of the arcade only. Small selection of characters and no abundance of extras that separate it from Arcade to Console port. - Along with the lack of extras, there are also no other game modes/ variables(look at the classic Capcom Vs. SNK 2, with survival, single match/ 3vs3/ ratio matches, unlockable characters, color edit mode, etc.) and the loss of older gameplay attributes like tag-ins/LDMs from XI, or even the older "charge" bars from older KOF games. -Character selection is rather small compared to the bigger casts that KOF was renowned for in past iterations - Characters have lost moves, or have entirely changed. Depending on who you ask, they may take my side of thought, or argue that the "story" allows characters to have such changes...but as it has been annouced that this KOF has NO storyline intrusion, then there is no need to meddle with altering/taking away movelists, let alone make them from better to worse. Prime examples are Kyo losing his punch chains, Iori losing flames (yes, I know Ash stole them, but as this game has no story, why couldn't they have made it a "Dream Match" like 98?), Also everyone but the Shotos losing second DMs. Only possible 2 pros: + Total overhaul of graphics. The sprites looke and move fantastic, and the color/shading is more fluid and dynamic than their 2-d Rival, BlazBlue. The animation is on par with Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (kinda makes SNK's overhaul 10 years too late). + Addition of online mode. This game is meant only to be played as a rental, unless you are a Die-Hard KOF fan.… Expand

Anyone saying it looks like a Super Nintendo game, is clearly lacking in intellect and is grossly misinformed. I'd be surprised if a person who knew so little about 2D art and animation actually bought the game they are comparing to a 16 bit system. If you are a legitimate fan of fighters, be it 2D or 3D and already have a KOF game in your collection, buy this game, it's really that simple. Support the companies that make great games!!!… Expand

I really wish I had something a little more positive to say about the King of Fighters XII, but this one falls way short from calling itself "The King." The backgrounds, while lavish and bright, are sold short by the highly pixelated characters. While they are supposedly hand-drawn, they are still choppy and look extremely dated. Lack of single player options don't do the game any justice either...and one can only assume that they are going to bribe gamers by selling certain trademark characters that do not currently appear in game later down the line as DLC. Combo system is not nearly as complex and intuitive as it could be; easy for beginners, but not really a challenge, nor is it entertaining for fighting game vest. I'd maybe...maybe recommend this as a rental. Stick with BlazBlue.… Expand

Single player more is really short, and doen't have a final boss!!! my god how lazy are these people. One of the good things of the KOF games was the variety of characters, something this game also doesn't have!! This game was a waste of my time downloading it. Please please people do not spend money on this game.

Kof 12 long awaited , expected to be more dynamic than , kof 2002 and more tactic than kof 98 with nice GFX , and what we get a Mugen like game , yes the characters are cute but did ask your self where is the Moves and characters , even KOF 94 are more riche than this , also The AI of CPU is so stupid random click and dodge and lake of special players move , kof hardgamers trained hard for using cancel and moves and what we get a Street fighter 4 focus , whats wrong with SNK playmore , to understand me more just imagine this game without HD GFX , it will the badest KOF even worst than KOF 94.… Expand

This has to an insult to any kof fan around. They've changed a fast-paced game into a touch-of-doom turtlefest because of critical counters. Duo Lon became a zoning character and many characters lost at least one DM (which could be attributed to it being a throwback to kof 94-95). Playing most of these characters will make you feel like they've been raped from their older versions, like Leona from 2002 to 2003. Because of the lag, nobody would really want to be playing online, which then comes the offline mode. The computer is too easy to beat, throwing random moves and generally standing still, even if you chose "hard". For the first time in kof history there's not even a boss or a survival mode. They did what they could, but even hardcore kof fans will find it hard to pay so much for so little. Get 98 UM or XI or even the 02/03 bundle instead.… Expand

The worst disappointment I've had in YEARS. They wasted a ridiculous amount of time drawing each frame of the characters' animation, and even though animation itself looks fluid, the sprites look AWFUL on a decent HD screen. All that energy could've been better used into content for the game itself... I mean, what's wrong with modern animation techniques?