GAME REVIEW: KING OF FIGHTERS XII (PS3/X360)

KING OF FIGHTERS XII (PS3/X360)
Ignition Entertainment/SNK Playmore
PEGI Rating: 12+
Out Now

A MEATY burger just isn’t the same without the bun, cheese, salad, relish and side of fries, right?
Well that’s the perfect analogy for this infuriating beat ‘em-up which gets the basics right – but pretty much forgets about everything else.
First and foremost, King of Fighters XII – in its first next-Gen incarnation – still has a lot going for it, from a purely gaming perspective.
This, along with the likes of Fatal Fury, was one of the few serious contenders to Capcom’s Streetfighter-dominating fighting crown – and the gaming mechanics are not a million miles from this year’s SF IV.
The bright, lusciously re-drawn graphics are a joy to watch in motion – despite some poor up-close pixilation problems (which to be fair gives it an arcade-esque effect anyway) – and that provides KOF XII with a solid backbone in which to build.
Unfortunately though, it fails to do so, with a wafer-thin package that just about has the bear necessities – which is a shame for the series’ 15-year anniversary.
And when I say ‘bear’ it does have my favourite Fatal Fury character Raiden (aka Big Bear) imported across franchises, and other favourites – old skool and recent – such as Terry and Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Robert Garcia, Leona Heidern and Ash Crimson – but with such a bare bones package it needs more than the allotted 22 fighters to ignite the game.
The three-on-three elimination matches (or regular one-on-one if you wish) will still appeal to 2D beat ‘em-up enthusiasts, but without decent storylines, presentation glitches, a distinct lack of unlockable content and a hit-and-miss ‘laggy’ online experience, it does unfortunately fall at nearly every hurdle in comparison with Streetfighter IV.
With the aforementioned SF IV already available and a European release of the acclaimed BlazBlue on the horizon, it pains me to say this is a bitter disappointment – particularly as my fledgling gaming days were spent on similar games.
For hardcore fans of the series it still just about comes recommended – but the “rebirth” tag can only really be attributed to the joyous chunky graphics . . . and sadly that’s just about it.

Gavin Miller

ESP RATING: 2/5