The King of Fighters XI

SNK's flagship 2D series is still going strong.
Version
 PS2		Developer
SNK		Publisher
SNK Playmore / Ignition / Atari		Genre
Fighting



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By Dominick Hardy

As any dedicated KOF fan will know (or those with at least a cursory interest in the fighting genre - or even those who have already read this site's KOF Maximum Impact 2 review), SNK, not content with releasing one KOF game, has released two. So, now we're taking a look at the gloriously two-dimensional The King of Fighters XI.

"Like most of the previous titles, this is a gentle evolution rather then a genuine revolution."

You'd think SNK would have perfected things by now, what with the franchise starting way back in the dim and distant past of 1994 and this being the eleventh title in the series. And whilst this version does build upon the previous releases, it - like most of the others - is a gentle evolution rather then a genuine revolution. As such it will likely appeal to fans of the series but will do little to appease detractors or to attract newcomers.

Perhaps the biggest additions for this version are the huge number of characters in the game (47 initially) including 3 characters brand new to the franchise plus some new fighting manoeuvres - the quick shift, the saving shift and the dream cancel. Quick shift allows you to change to another of your team's characters in the middle of a combo or attack, thereby prolonging it.

P L E A S E   V I S I T   O U R   S P O N S O R :

Saving shift is the opposite, allowing you to change characters and get out of any attack that might otherwise be impossible to break or would cause extensive damage. Dream cancel allows you to interrupt a move with a more powerful move thereby creating huge and devastating combos. Most of the rest of the game though is pretty much as you were.

"Graphically it's decidedly old-school; KOF is unashamedly 2D and revels in its heritage."

Selecting your team of three fighters, you battle opposing teams until all their fighters are eliminated, or until yours are. It's a novel take on the traditional best-out-of-3 rounds found in most one-on-one beat-em-ups. Graphically though, it's decidedly old-school; KOF is unashamedly 2D and revels in its heritage. The characters are low-def and the backgrounds are limited-animation 2D affairs.

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