Saisyu: Thank you. I needed a good laugh. And you actually being serious makes it even better.
It was the least I could do. But on second thought I am going to play this game to make people quit. That is my goal.
This looks much improved over Kof XII. I am a little disappointed by the lack of character introductions before the match. I’m curious if they have brought back the tagging system, it doesn’t seem likely but I don’t recall it officially being announced.
KOF XII sold so bad they cancelled THREE games (MI3, MIA2, one DS RPG) because of it.
Of course they’ll try to please the fans and adress the complaints. They’re not a charity, they’re there to make money!
Replaced with dialogue scenes:
http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/249/249223/img.html
I bet they made this to save time on animation (so they would spend time animating new moves and characters, instead of intros).
My thoughts on SNK almost completely abandoning XII’s system.
Well, I can tell they are going the money route. Let’s say you try a new idea with one title and it doesn’t work out so well. SNK’s core audience (Asia) completely rejected the game, making it harder for them to think on continuing down the same path regardless of how America received it. I understand some of us are saddened that the game is jumping almost completely back to traditional, but consider how they want to appeal to KOF fans and newcomers. Yes I understand they paid a lot more attention to America with XII’s release, but after a shitload of negative reviews, it can feel like it was a failure. What few of us that post on the forums can’t change the way they make games, so you can not buy it, or enjoy like the rest of us will.
Personally, I also wanted to see how they would polish XII’s system, but at no point were we promised they would do such. So for now I’ll wait and see what’s new to come, the game already looks like a promising entry, even if they still don’t put in all they want to.
I have 1 demand, and 1 demand only. Ozzy!
Friend of me was at the presentation, more images in high def here : http://basgrospoing.fr/2010/03/exclusif-images-et-videos-de-kof-xiii-en-haute-definition/
Sorry about the french. 
Thanks, Neithan. Finally some big, clear pics. Nice background.
no tag
no tag! =D
8 empty slots i think still left, i doubht i get my dreams of rock bein in a kof 
One important, sobering bit of info - some people are saying Neithan’s site says when asked about it, the producer said if this game fails, KOF is over. Is that correct, Neithan?
I wonder if anyone can confirm that.
Not that surprising, since they cancelled three games after XII, and Nona had previously said XII was the most expensive 2D fighter ever…
Wow talk about a buzz kill. I hope like hell this game does well.
they better put Duolons LDM this time…I want to kill characters off a cr.a again!!!
Are you serious? Holy shit those are powerful words.
[proceeds to preorder 17 copies of XIII]
Yeah your not kidding. When I tell some of my friends this, I wonder what their reactions will be.
How long until loke test?
Hey guys.
The locktest will continue until sunday. About the fact that kof could die, they did not announce it this way but the man that was there for me knows well japanese industry and producers, he also worked for several mags. He explained to me that kof XII was this way cause it cost a lot of money to do and that they needed easy and fast money, they needed to sell something. So kof XII get out this way on consoles very early. They putted kof 2002 um in arcades so the game sold correctly in asia (china, corea, thailand) and even did things like… Kof Sky Stage.
Now let’s see what options they already explored :
- Kof 98 and 2002 remakes (the favorites) : done and is ok
- Kof in 3D : done and fail
- Kof in other genres : partially done and fail/gave something correct (kof sky stage and kof online)
- Putting games on xboxlive (correct conversation but bad online)
You see ? They used all they can use to make games and sell them and it’s correct/failure most of the time. Now what can they do ? Kof XI UM ? Maybe yeah but seriously ? They only can do Kof XIII the way they wanted it from the beginning and that’s all. And why do they have to succed with kof XIII ?
- It cost A LOT of money to do
- It cost A LOT of time (5 years !!)
- They cannot do a remix/revamp of another kof because it’s already done or the people behind the old kof (shinkiro, coders, sprites designers) are gone for years to other companies
- They can’t afford another one if this one does not sell a bit, it will mean they is no public for kof
And what are the goals ?
- They want to find new players that begun with SFIV (ex moves in a kof ? never seen before !)
- They have to make players slide from old kofs to this one (kof 2002 system, guard cancel, old camera)
- They need to convince arcade owners to buy this kof so SNKP can make money (no console ports announced)
- The need to sell a lot of kof after the arcade version on the consoles with a good online
The thing that we have to understand is that SNKP is in a critical situation because of their fans : they always want new things, but if it’s not the exact same as the previous game, it’s no good, if there is not THE character they love, it’s no good, if there is only 9 stages it’s no good. You can’t satisfy old kof fans even when you try to be kind with a gameplay they know, they will say the design is not their taste. Even with 35 characters, there will be one they wanted. Kof fans aren’t watching the actual game but wishing for their personnal game to come.
SNKP have to make a kof that will convince everyone like capcom did with SFIV (or almost did) to switch or begin but they do not have the same people to do the game (the director of dimps, who is the company that did SFIV, is the man behind SFI ! But all the people behind all kofs are gone so you can’t copycat them) and it’s taking a risk, they are in the same situation Arcsys was when losing guilty gear rights : asking players to switch, or it’s the end.
All these reasons, are hintches that gave us this conclusion : SNKP is putting their balls on the table, but at the opposite side, they are doing a lot to gain success :
- The graphics will convince most of the people now that the zoom is over (for hardcore gamers) and the pixelisation gone (for newbies and game reviewers)
- The system is well knowned of the players and can be learned easily by begginers because it has less options than kof XII.
- They are doing a bit the same thing that capcom did with SF3 : give us chun-li ! Here they are giving Mai and other characters the fan really wanted and it counts a lot
- The game will be first in arcades for months, so arcades can buy it and be sure they will make money with it -> the game will have a life
- The game will have a tournament on the tougeki
- The home port will have more time to be done, same for netcode
- They are putting an end for the Ash arc (seven years after the first game !) and giving what fans want and if it works, they will be able to run a totally new arc
- Come back of bosses, storyline
2 d fighters have changed, video games in general, you now have to cater to a fan base who only really play casually, and that fan base or casual gamer make up about 60 to 70 % of the population on even sites like these. It happens to all arts though. That being said the game looks good so far, hopefully all the stuff that get’s found out at the loke tests SNKP really tries hard to incorporate that feedback in the final version. I’d say that’s the most important thing. They must also get the internet right!
Thanks for the updates. Looking forward to more loke test info/ and vids!
All they need for the game to sell decently well in North America is good netcode, lots of 1P content, and a good amount of advertising.
That’s really it. It doesn’t matter how good the game is or not.
But the sad thing is that they won’t even do those 3 relatively simple things.
Ignition hounded them from the get-go about the fucking Netcode, and basically told them the truth that they had no chance of selling the game without an online community, and SNKP responded by firing their asses.
I think that was the final nail in the coffin for SNKP’s chance of success in America. Now they’re doing the ass-backwards business plan of putting Japanese arcades first, everyone else a distant second…when they should be realizing that online console play is the only true FUTURE of fighting games.
They paid a shitload of money that they can’t really afford to lose, just to make the last-minute entry in the bottom-tier spot in SBO. Way to fucking go, SNKP. Banking your entire futures on a couple of months of Arcade play in Japan, until the day after SBO when Japanese arcade gamers will promptly forget the game was ever created.
When it came to the sprites in KOF12, SNK only had to re-draw the sprites into HD quality but with conservative animation. Drawing so many frames per move was pointless, the frame count we had seen in previous KOF tittles was perfect and it would have worked well with the new HD sprites. My 2nd issue was the sprite size, not that I mind big sprites but KOF had a good sprite sizes IMO. The other issue I have was the effects/backrounds…why waste so much effort into this when 3D effects could have easily saved time and money. Had they just been practical about the visuals and focused on the presentation and gameplay we wouldn’t be in this situation…oh and a continuation of the story arc wouldn’t hurt either lol.