The king of fighters xv mode update#
The king of fighters xv mode upgrade#
The king of fighters xv mode series#

Previously, you could only unleash them after activating MAX Mode, and while you can also continue to do that here, I appreciate the flexibility. What I like most is the switch to having EX specials-aka stronger versions of your special moves-usable at any time by spending half of your power meter. While I’m not going to get too deep into them for now, I think the changes made to the power-boosting MAX Mode in The King of Fighters XV are positive so far. Above all else, this still feels like a King of Fighters game-quirks and all-and that makes me happy. The difference in resolution, framerate, and amount of animation for each character continues to make both KOF XV and 2019’s Samurai Shodown feel slower to me compared to classic chapters, but I know a lot of that is all in my head.

The king of fighters xv mode series#

As I said earlier, KOF XIV was an incredibly solid first step toward updating the series for a new generation, and this is the logical next step. No, this isn’t some big reinvention of the series or drastic shift from what we got last time, and really, it shouldn’t be. The easiest-and perhaps most boring-way to answer that is by saying that it feels like a more polished version of its predecessor. Of course, the most important factor is how The King of Fighters XV plays, not how it looks. Sure, some might dislike the changes, because they fall in line with “simple and clean” principles that are, at times, accused of being boring. Menus and UI are something we can take for granted, but I especially appreciate the more streamlined and modern style we get here after revisiting KOF XV’s predecessor. Image credit: SNKīeyond the characters and backgrounds, I think the overall look of the game and its user interface have seen some welcome improvements all across the board. There’s still a lot of room for SNK to come up with its own unique style when rendering its trademark characters in 3D just like Arc System Works has done, but to be fair, Arc is making everyone look bad in that regard. Do I miss the old days of 2D SNK? Absolutely-but if we can’t have said days anymore, then I’m glad to see the company is working to find a style that does its games justice. After playing the game for a while, I’d kind of forgotten what KOF XIV looked like, and going back to compare the two was pretty shocking.

The king of fighters xv mode upgrade#

While not perfect, KOF XV is a huge upgrade in every regard on a visual level, especially in its character models.

The king of fighters xv mode update#

The King of Fighters XIV was an ugly game at first, and while a later update made improvements to its graphical style, it still wasn’t great. I think the most obvious place to start is the game’s visuals. Still, there are opinions I can give at this point concerning what I’ve seen and played so far, so let’s talk about those things. Especially given how bad KOF XIV’s online could be, how SNK’s effort to bring rollback netcode to the series has gone is going to be a major factor in reviewing this game. As well, I’ve spent no time online with KOF XV, as I missed the beta test, and I’ve had little luck finding online competition amongst the small pool of people playing the game pre-release. I’ve only been playing it for just around a week now, and fighting games are notoriously hard to judge in the early going. Well, that time is now, as we’re finally almost to the release of The King of Fighters XV.īefore we go any farther, however, I need to be clear that I am in no position to fully review the game just yet. Yes, there was a lot about it that needed fixing, but its most important gameplay elements and concepts were incredibly solid, and its weaker areas could get better with time. Image credit: SNKĪs much as I never wanted to see The King of Fighters-or any SNK series, really-go 3D, even I have to admit that KOF XIV did lay the groundwork for a bright future for the franchise. So, SNK changed directions again with KOF XIV-a game that was pretty fun to play, but something of a mess in the quality of both its graphics and netcode. SNK had tried to move to higher-resolution 2D sprites in KOF XII and XIII, but while they were utterly beautiful and a fantastic homage to the history of the series, that visual style took so much time, effort, and money that it threatened to ruin the company. The last chapter of that series, The King of Fighters XIV, was admittedly a little rough. It was SNK who pioneered the idea of characters from different games coming together to trade punches, and since the first tournament invites went out in The King of Fighters ‘94, the series has continued to expand, improve, and evolve. While all the kids are going gaga for the brothers of smash these days, Nintendo’s crossover fighting game series might not even exist if it weren’t for The King of Fighters.