The King Of Fighters XV (2020)

[DevilRedeemed]

Played kof 13 the other day for the first time. Some amazing backrounds. Character designs themselves are nauseatingly bad. Pathetic.

I must say they really pulled it off here with whip. What an inconsistent game this seems to be. Ryo, Robert, Terry look like utter shit, Whip, Andy and a couple of others are well modelled.


It's somewhat funny to me though. As technology advances and we have access to moves with dynamic camera angles and in game cut scenes etc. these games ever more feel like interactive movies than videogames at least in the way they used to feel. There's a growing seperation between player and character. Add to this the apparent use of real life human models as basis for facial expressions etc. and it's like we will end up some day with digitized graphics again the way MK was once upon a time.
I'll shut up now. But yeah, I don't know how to feel about all of this even now.

 

[Fygee]

IMO the KOF games should have stayed as 2D games. But it's good that they're still making new entries in the series.

SNK should keep their most popular series going (King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug).

Not a cost or labor efficient option for them anymore. KOF 13 took a tremendous amount of monotonous labor for a relatively small development team to make.

I remember reading an article a long time ago where one of the artists talked about how he almost went insane having to spend countless hours animating just one sprite. It was basically 4 times the work compared to a standard Neo-Geo KOF sprite just at a resolution level, let alone all the extra frames to make it look smoother.

2D isn't coming back, unless it's 3D to look like 2D. It's a shame for us, but that's the way it be man.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Not too sure about that fygee. Time will tell. Tendencies coupled with tecnological advancements modify the landscape drastically from one moment to the next.

It's a shame they spent so long working on the sprites on kof XIII, almost to the point of insanity given it looks like dogshit. Seriously

 

[wataru330]

I’d read something different about XII & XIII…that they are skinned, 3-d wireframes (not traditional sprites).

It’s a shame, that instead of ‘beading’ them one dot at a time (think pearler art) they didn’t hi res skin them like Rumble Fish 2.

Eh, it sucks…but-at least I lived long enough to play GG•Strive.

 

[Neo Alec]

13 was well received by KOF fans at the time. It's solid. And a lot of the sprite work was from 12, which felt unfinished.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

13 was well received by KOF fans at the time. It's solid. And a lot of the sprite work was from 12, which felt unfinished.

Good for them, I hate it

 

[Neo Alec]

Good for them, I hate it

Fair enough. It may not be to your liking, but at the time one of the common criticisms being leveled at SNKP was that they kept reusing old sprites. So the fact that it was all being painstakingly redrawn did not go unappreciated.

When the main series first went 3D in 14, that was more controversial, but the game was again very well-received.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Yeah, and I appreciate how measured you are in your assesments. I realise that my general attitude in these threads regarding recent games by SNK can read as pompous insufferable and jaded. I just can't stand the bad taste instilled into these offerings, by ones who at one time could do no wrong.

Have you seen how terrible Clark and Ralph look for instance? Some 20 years before, they looked brilliant aesthetically, how can you devolve in such a manner so many years on?

How can you go to all this trouble, making the game animate more fluidly with so much colour and sharpness, only to produce an embarrisingly ugly game which is on par with that ridiculous SF hd offering of some years past.

As I say, I can't stand myself being so pointlessly critical about nothing much, but kof was always a game I really liked so it feels dissapointing to me.

 

[SouthtownKid]

I loved Nona's art and character designs. If we can't have Shinkiro, Nona's my clear second choice. I'd take his outlandishly exaggerated expressionism over the drab wannabe SF5 style we have now.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

I loved Nona's art and character designs. If we can't have Shinkiro, Nona's my clear second choice. I'd take his outlandishly exaggerated expressionism over the drab wannabe SF5 style we have now.

Well I respect your opinion enough to further review my own. I actually love Nona's work in 2k1. In fact I went from hating to loving the aesthetics for that game, including profiles from one moment to the next. It's not so much that it grew on me, rather it clicked suddenly for whatever reason. Expressionism is right.

 

[wataru330]

XI is the KoF I go back to, the most.

 

[Neo Alec]

Well I respect your opinion enough to further review my own. I actually love Nona's work in 2k1. In fact I went from hating to loving the aesthetics for that game, including profiles from one moment to the next. It's not so much that it grew on me, rather it clicked suddenly for whatever reason. Expressionism is right.

Yeah, when I go back to 2001 now, I feel that I originally judged it too harshly. Only a few of the backgrounds are really bad, and I chalk up most of the music to being a rushed failed experiment. There are certain elements that feel rushed like the ugly, drab continue screen. But the new characters and their animations are downright beautiful classic KOF when revisited now.

 

[terry.330]

I love those goofy ass character select portraits in 2k1.

 

[Neo Alec]

Well, I can't really cosign shitting on KOF 13 while praising 2K1.

 

[Fygee]

Yeah, when I go back to 2001 now, I feel that I originally judged it too harshly. Only a few of the backgrounds are really bad, and I chalk up most of the music to being a rushed failed experiment. There are certain elements that feel rushed like the ugly, drab continue screen. But the new characters and their animations are downright beautiful classic KOF when revisited now.

I feel the same way. Hated 2001 back when it first came out and a while after. Hated the artwork, both promo and in-game. Hated the backgrounds, Hated the music. Hated the harsh sound quality. Thought it looked and played like a bootleg (albiet a fun one). Liked the roster and ratio system stolen from CvS though.

A big part of it was the shock of the SNK we knew suddenly being yanked away. The quality took a noticeable dip, and going from Shinkiro to Nona was a big shock to absorb.

I enjoy it a lot more now for what it is, even though the music and harsh speech and sound effects still make me want to pour bleach into my ears.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

XI is the KoF I go back to, the most.

It is pretty great

Well, I can't really cosign shitting on KOF 13 while praising 2K1.

Each to their own. No one asked you to anyway

 

[k'_127]

Open Beta November 19th - 22nd

The online open beta can be pre-downloaded on PS4 / PS5 now.

Will go live November 19th at 7:00 PM (PST).

No PS plus required.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Not that it matters one bit.
13 is actually a lot of fun and pretty flashy. The pre game dialogues are very bad but the animated cut scenes are lush.
I think all this talk of 2k1 made me look at this game differently.
I'm a sub scrub player btw. Have been since 1994. But 13 is the real thing

 

[wataru330]

The online open beta can be pre-downloaded on PS4 / PS5 now.

Will go live November 19th at 7:00 PM (PST).

No PS plus required.

It didn’t pop up for me on 1st search; here is a direct link, in case anyone else has that problem:

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0576-CUSA30967_00-KOF15BT0000000US i got it from here

# ***KING OF FIGHTERS XV - OPEN BETA INFORMATION***

* ***Client available to download now! Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 users only.***

* *** 11.4GB of free space, 3.8GB to launch at first.***

* ***Open Beta Client will be accessible / playable from November 19 - 7 p.m. PT until November 22 - 6:59 a.m. PT.***

* ***Move-lists attached for all 8 playable characters (Shun'ei, Kyo, Iori, Chizuru, Dolores, Shermie, Chris, Yashiro)***

 

[k'_127]

I'm very excited to try it and test the connection, but God damn, the characters line up is awful (for me).

 

[DevilRedeemed]

I'm very excited to try it and test the connection, but God damn, the characters line up is awful (for me).

In all fairness though, you do get the 2 principle shotos. Good way to get a feel for what this is about at the core of the game through them

 

[Neo Alec]

Good luck with online. Sometimes these betas aren't much fun because there are a lot of disconnects and lag.

 

[k'_127]

Good luck with online. Sometimes these betas aren't much fun because there are a lot of disconnects and lag.

Yup, I'm expecting issues and bugs. The good news is, it will have offline VS. and training modes.

 

[k'_127]

Impressions so far:

- online is wonky
- back to neutral play and short combos
- good amount of training options / features
- game looks nice but not great (PS5 version)
- no way to check the connection quality prior to starting an online match (and no wifi indicator)

 

[yagamikun]

Anyone try the beta yet? Haven't been able to connect to a random person online, but a few friends were able to create a room and play against each other. I'm having a great time in training mode, though. Game feels amazing so far, looks great (especially on PS5 in 4K/HDR), and Chris is the version I've always wanted of this character. Thoughts?