| |  "Re(6):SNK Stuff Thread 20- Spring 2017 Editio" , posted Tue 2 May 02:25:  
quote:
The player is Kula, he mains Angel/Robert/Mature.
He and M' played a fantastic FT20 this morning, which Kula won 20-17.
Yes it's Kula, thanks. I do wonder if he's hitting the city again come Evo Japan.
There's actually a fair number of Mature players in Japan. Angel is another thing .
I think though, the JP scene is in a total rut right now, and regardless of high-level play like this getting shown on stream, it's not going to help the community much.
Given the way how all the JP community leaders departed from the scene, the wikis and forums are dead, and high-level players share info privately on LINE, as far as it goes with novice or intermediate players trying to learn the game, it's a total information drought.
On the other hand, SNK has been really active in their promotions so it's a great time to be more of a casual fan/consumer!
[this message was edited by Professor on Tue 2 May 02:52] |
| | "Re(7):SNK Stuff Thread 20- Spring 2017 Editio" , posted Tue 2 May 02:57:
quote:
Yes it's Kula, thanks. I do wonder if he's hitting the city again come Evo Japan.
There's actually a fair number of Mature players in Japan. Angel is another thing .
I think though, the JP scene is in a total rut right now, and regardless of high-level play like this getting shown on stream, it's not going to help the community much.
Given the way how all the JP community leaders sort of moved away from the scene, the wikis and forums are dead, and high-level players share info privately on LINE, as far as it goes with novice or intermediate players trying to learn the game, it's a total drought.
On the other hand, SNK has been really active in their promotions so it's a great time to be more of a casual fan/consumer!
His Angel was really impressive as well, he even OCV'd M' with her. No one knows how to block against her lol.
And thanks for the insight into their scene, that's sad to hear but I guess expected since it has been so long since the last mainline KOF, and XIV launching console only probably didn't help.
So far SNK has been pretty solid with the support so here's hoping it continues and a scene develops again over time.
I wonder if it would help if their next fighter was SamSho or something else that is 1v1? They could play around more with the mechanics, accessibility etc. and have a smaller roster. Should be less overwhelming for new players than a 54 character KOF (which is known for being hardcore/difficult in general).
BTW Oogosho was at the East Asia tournament this weekend and made it all the way to grand finals against Dakou using Billy, Muimui and Goro. A lot of exciting matches from him.
[this message was edited by Izek on Tue 2 May 03:03] |
| | "Re(1):Lee Pai Long sprite in Art of Fighting" , posted Fri 5 May 12:10:
quote:
This has been bugging me for a while, last month I was talking with a friend about old neo geo games when suddenly he told me that Lee Pai Long sprite in AOF 1 was based on a 3d model. I inmediately told him that he was crazy, since I doubt that SNK would do that for just one character.
But there is something in the movement and specially the colors on Lee Pai Long sprite that made him look different from the rest of the cast, which used more colorful pixels. And in AOF 2 his sprite looks more fitting compared to the rest of the cast.
I still has my doubts about it, so it will be cool if someone could enlighten me on this
I also doubt he was based on a 3d model. If he was, then SNK were real innovators back then! Art of Fighting was released in 92. That would mean SNK would have been doing 3d character animation before Virtua Fighter, Toy Story, Donkey Kong Country etc. If you come across an evidence of SNK using cg as a base for their characters all the way back in '91/'92 please let me know, because I think that would be quite historically significant! :D
quote:
But there is something in the movement and specially the colors on Lee Pai Long sprite that made him look different from the rest of the cast, which used more colorful pixels.
You have a good eye. His sprite does stand out and look like it's cg compared to the rest of the cast, but I think it's because of his design leading the developers to approach his sprite in a few different ways.
Here's a clip of Lee Pai Long from AOF1 for reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooLMXHlohic
1) He doesn't expose much skin. Back in the early 90s, convincing organic cg models were a long ways off. Everyone else exposes more of their body, which makes them look more like conventional pixel art characters.
2) His clothing is very puffy. Because of this, there aren't many planes of flat color on his body like all the other characters. Because of that, he has very even, banded shading throughout. That style of shading makes him look more cg. I'm pretty sure it's hand done though. Anyone who has messed around with pixel art at some point probably knows how easy it is to fall back on that style of shading.
3) Related to the above, his sprite doesn't utilize much linework. Humans tend to naturally want to render things with both lines and tones. Computers only use tones (cel shading was a long ways off from 1992). The lack of clear lines that help provide more clarity and depth and style to his sprite also make him look muddier and more cg.
4) He has a lot of key frames where he's perfectly in front view or profile. I think maybe this happened with him because he's wearing a mask. When a character's face is uncovered, you naturally want to keep them close to a 3/4 angle because it just looks better/more dimensional. Since Lee is wearing a mask his face actually looks cool from these perfect orthagonal views. However, his body looks very stiff, especially in motion from these perfect front and side views. To their credit, for the front views they didn't simply copy paste and reflect. He's not perfectly symmetrical. They did the extra work to properly shade him in and make his sprite look better.
If you take a look at Lee's Art of Fighting 2 Sprite you can see it looks much more hand crafted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkVmCfhu1uU
He isn't all puffy and blobby. His clothing has lots of sharp lines and flat planes that bend and wrinkle in interesting ways. Also they employ more linework which helps with clarity and just looks better.
www.art-eater.com
[this message was edited by nobinobita on Fri 5 May 12:21] |
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| "Re(2):Lee Pai Long sprite in Art of Fighting" , posted Fri 5 May 20:31
quote:
This has been bugging me for a while, last month I was talking with a friend about old neo geo games when suddenly he told me that Lee Pai Long sprite in AOF 1 was based on a 3d model. I inmediately told him that he was crazy, since I doubt that SNK would do that for just one character.
But there is something in the movement and specially the colors on Lee Pai Long sprite that made him look different from the rest of the cast, which used more colorful pixels. And in AOF 2 his sprite looks more fitting compared to the rest of the cast.
I still has my doubts about it, so it will be cool if someone could enlighten me on this
I also doubt he was based on a 3d model. If he was, then SNK were real innovators back then! Art of Fighting was released in 92. That would mean SNK would have been doing 3d character animation before Virtua Fighter, Toy Story, Donkey Kong Country etc. If you come across an evidence of SNK using cg as a base for their characters all the way back in '91/'92 please let me know, because I think that would be quite historically significant! :D
But there is something in the movement and specially the colors on Lee Pai Long sprite that made him look different from the rest of the cast, which used more colorful pixels.
You have a good eye. His sprite does stand out and look like it's cg compared to the rest of the cast, but I think it's because of his design leading the developers to approach his sprite in a few different w
-- Message too long, Autoquote has been Snipped --
Thanks for the explanation, it really makes more sense now.
I thought the same about SNK not using a 3d model, otherwise, they would have used it as a selling point for their game
quote:
I suspect there's a story behind Lee's sprite that needs to be told. Kind of like how Gen-An from SS1 originated from a scrolling beat 'em up concept. (can't remember if it was just the design or the actual sprite) He looks brawny in this sprite but the hand drawn character art depicts him as a lean martial artist. Also, because Lee isn't a playable character the decision to leave his sprite as it is must've been easier.
Lee is playable in the versus mode of AOF 1
|
Rare Customer   | "Re(1):SNK Entertainment new mascot. ENTER- GI" , posted Sat 6 May 16:19:
quote:
By the way, when did Falcon returned to SNK?
Probably first half of 2016.
For now, SNKE controls their remaining pachislot IPs and just sit them on until someone is interested to acquire them. This is probably the reason why Sister Quest and Sky Love is not in SNK's licensing list.
Sister Quest and Sky Love are already acquired by Highlights Entertainment. Highlights might announce Sky Love within this year. I believe around June/July the earliest.
Probably, SNK will stop using Love Heart once Highlights officially announce Sky Love to avoid conflict between them unless they made a deal prior to that. For now, SNK can freely use Love, just like in Nariyuki Quest, until Highlights Entertainment makes an official announcement.
I wonder what will SNK do once it finally happens.
EDIT: Interesting enough, Nakoruru was introduced earlier in KOF'98UM OL. However, her teammates are fellow Samurai Shodown characters, Haohmaru and Ukyo (who should be out anytime later this year) rather than wait for KOF'98UM OL to reach the KOF XIV Arc and add her there along with her pachislot teammates.
Well, there might be conspiracy theories between SNK's Chinese parents and pachislot. Not sure how true it is though.
I think Ledo Millennium/37Games/Leyou Games Group are disappointed with the SNK's President statement about "making gamers into pachislot players" after acquiring them.
This make me believe they have a hand somewhat in forcing SNK to finally withdraw from pachislot two months later after the statement.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Sat 6 May 16:36] |
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| "Re(2):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Wed 10 May 05:00
quote:
Not much, but SNK China has plans in spreading the KOF Brand across the nation.
Also, some KOF World (MMO) and KOF Destiny (CG Animation) previews, an announcement of a Live Action adaptation and most importantly...
The King of Fighters XIV for Steam
As announced by Oda.
I know i've said this at least a dozen times, but Mark (of the wolves) My Words:
After KOFXIV is officially released in China via Steam, it will eventually become the biggest fighting game in the world. If not in sales, then in e-sports viewership.
SNK is very fortunate in that all the people running game companies in China grew up loving their games. However, their window of relevancy shrinks year after year if they can't get younger people interested in the franchise. People love those characters though. I believe the inherent appeal of all those classic SNK characters will eventually shine through. I BELIEVE IN YOU SNK! がんばって！加油!!
I doubt that steam will give this game a huge boost on e-sports, unless SNK starts doing an even bigger league than what they are holding now.
And I think that SNK is doing an ok job with keeping its IP relevant, between all the collaborations on gacha games, the new mobile games coming, MSA, and the new designs in KOF 14, at least they are not as old for the kids as 5 years ago for saying something
|
| | "Re(3):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Thu 11 May 00:51
quote:
Not much, but SNK China has plans in spreading the KOF Brand across the nation.
Also, some KOF World (MMO) and KOF Destiny (CG Animation) previews, an announcement of a Live Action adaptation and most importantly...
The King of Fighters XIV for Steam
As announced by Oda.
I know i've said this at least a dozen times, but Mark (of the wolves) My Words:
After KOFXIV is officially released in China via Steam, it will eventually become the biggest fighting game in the world. If not in sales, then in e-sports viewership.
SNK is very fortunate in that all the people running game companies in China grew up loving their games. However, their window of relevancy shrinks year after year if they can't get younger people interested in the franchise. People love those characters though. I believe the inherent appeal of all those classic SNK characters will eventually shine through. I BELIEVE IN YOU SNK! がんばって！加油!!
I doubt that steam will give this game a huge boost on e-sports, unless SNK starts doing an even bigger league than what they are holding now.
And I think that SNK is doing an ok job with keeping its IP relevant, between all the collaborations on gacha games, the new mobile games coming, MSA, and the new designs in KOF 14, at least they are not as old for the kids as 5 years ago for saying something
A random KOF 97 tournament in China ended up being one of the most spectated FG tournies ever. There's just so many people in China. I think they have the potential to make it a contender in the world of e-sports.
I know KOFXIV is already out in China on PS4 and Xbox One, but those systems don't have a huge presence over there. I think less than 500,000 combined sales. Steam on the other hand just recently passed the 14 million mark and continues to grow.
http://influencematters.asia/2017/04/12/the-rise-of-steam-in-china/
I mean, I dunno if 1/10 Chinese Steam users are gonna buy KOF14 (one can dream), but i figure if they do a tournament in China it'll attract a ton of eyeballs.
eSports are quickly on their way to casually overtaking regular sports in viewership. More people tuned in to watch LoL last year than the NBA Finals. Tencent knows what they are doing in that arena. Hopefully some of that will trickle down in their support of the KOF franchise.
www.art-eater.com
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| "Re(5):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Thu 11 May 03:03
OK, I've been waiting for a KOF14 Steam announcement since the April 25th event last year, although this title was my first reason to buy a PS4, because I really feel a Steam edition may sell a lot of copies. Let's see if that huge demand is real, I sure hope it is.
Nobi, thank you for your insight about Lee's RnK1 sprite, enlightening like always, and I also enjoyed it because I can't help but believe there's a bit of Lee's fighting style in Mian.
Of course I'm marking your words about Steam KOFXIV in China ;) In the age of eSports, it may been the best feat ever for SNK.
On a side note, I saw KOF Destiny promotional material now features King as well. As poor as the whole thing looks, I think she's one of the better designs, and I'm getting more and more impatient to watch the series.
Ore no...kachi da!!
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| PSN: DefensorVirtuoso
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| "Re(9):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Thu 11 May 06:11:
quote:
I think it's more likely that they might not be in the Steam version and replaced with Chizuru or whatnot, but we'll know soon enough.
I would be OK with that.
Though if there really is some problem with Love Heart (it would have been quite amateurish to add her to the game without owning her fully, but again, KOF14), they'll probably replace her with a totally new and original character that happens to have the same body structure, move and voice actress.
She will be called... Nameless子.
Does this mean there will be two different versions of KoF14? Will this scab team be brought over to the console and arcade versions?
But the big question is why the heck did SNK include characters they might possibly lose the rights to? This is a baffling business decision which means the old SNK that we know and love is still around.
KOF 14 has been developed from a long time, I will dare to say that the game has at least 1 year before the chinese buyout, and then there were like 6-12 months after that than Ledo/Snk decided to sell the rights of the pachislot games since the idea was to leave the business
I still have my doubts about it, unless the company than purchased Sky Love stops the distribution of KOF 14, SNK has no reason to change their roster, it will be less troublesome to release 15, but if the rumours are true, than this means that SNK is using the games as service model for 14, so it should have a lot of support going on.
[this message was edited by sibarraz on Thu 11 May 06:14] |
Rare Customer | "Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Thu 11 May 19:00:
quote:
I think Love Heart appeared in Nariyuki Quest because Highlights Entertainment has not yet officially announced Sky Love to the public. The earliest announcement of Sky Love by Highlights Entertainment is around June/July (estimation).
I think they will stop using her once it is finally announced.
If they had plans to completely give up on the character, it would have been pretty easy to not include LH in the Naruyuki Quest comics - it would be simple enough to have her replaced with another "team mom" figure like King, and let LH naturally go out of focus due to lack of exposure. That being said, LH isn't one of the girls in the main illustration...
If she were to be replaced, I wonder what character could she be reskinned into, assuming they'd go for another existing SNK character... I never played Crystalis, but as an older RPG that seems sword-prone enough as a possibility while opening up a lot of flexibility in looks and animations; while someone like classic armor Athena would be more likely to use the sword all the time, and she'd probably fit bast in a later game of the current KoF story arc.
Next thing you know they create yet another original Metal Slug Attack character just for this purpose...
Probably, they'll just write her off in the next few chapters or, this trope.
Since Chizuru plays completely different from Alice. The replacements will be more than a reskin.
The rumor also mentioned that Mui Mui and Love Heart will be replaced by two characters from Samurai Shodown, but they were not named. I assume they are Haohmaru and Ukyo because of KOF '98 UM OL. (They were announced, but not yet available.)
Still, I think Ledo Millennium is behind this decision if this is true.
They were the one who convinced SNK to give up their lawsuit and stood as mediator for the settlement against Square-Enix's publishing division and Hi Score Girl.
I believe they also have a hand in convincing SNK to completely withdraw from pachislot amid pressures in stricter laws and declining markets.
EDIT:
ATRyoSakazaki thinks it was a mistake. He mentioned that it's an illustration instead of a 3D Model.
Compare Chizuru's portrait to Yashiro and Chris in KOF World
Mistake or not, why Chizuru's KOF World portrait ended up in KOF XIV in SNK China's Press Conference?
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Thu 11 May 20:11] |
| PSN: Gojira_X
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| "Re(3):Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Thu 11 May 22:54:
I think I got the owners mixed up, but it still doesn't make that much sense to me that they would have to change the roster this soon. The digital version of KoFXIV is still on the PSN store and still includes all three of the characters. If they were being forced to change it, wouldn't it be taken down by now?
In other news, LordBBH - a streamer that I frequent and fellow old school Neo Geo advocate - recently had one of his archive videos auto-muted by Twitch. Apparently the issue was that he had a playlist of KoF94/95 music up, which seems like it shouldn't have been a problem. As it turns out, some "band" has been selling KoF music as their own since last year on many music download sites, including Amazon:
Hi We Are The Totally Original Frans Bleed Band
So when Twitch merged with Amazon's database this came up and automatically flagged the stream, causing a bizarre situation where someone who owns nothing is able to block all use of something just because someone somewhere neglected to check their facts.
This is obviously not the first time something like this has happened on Twitch, but AFAIK it's the first time SNK has been involved. I tried letting SNK's official twitter know about this, but in case it doesn't reach them or they don't understand, maybe someone here is able to contact them and let them know the problem? It would suck seeing people get into trouble streaming KoF on Twitch just because some asshole tried to steal the music and sell it.
[this message was edited by Gojira on Thu 11 May 22:55] |
| | "Re(5):Re(10):Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Sat 13 May 02:37:
quote:
I assume KOF XV will be released on 2019 to coincide KOF's 25th Anniversary.
Here's hoping SamSho 7 is ready for SamSho's 25th anniversary next year.
Woah!!! That would be way to long. I am hoping the announcement for XV will be this August :)
I also wonder how SS7 will be this time around. Not only by graphics, but will it be combo based or like the first 2 installments. Maybe a new Last Blade can keep the combo system while SS stay original.
There is speculation that SS7 might be a "back to basics" SS with some elements from later games.
I hope they add 2 types of supers like most 2D themed games (preferably universal Supers input-style ala MOTW) and a more powerful super ala AOF/Real Bout.
However, I am worried that the violence might be watered down by SNK just to please the Chinese Market.
Unlike KOF, the roster for SS7 might be hard to predict.
I predicted that most 2D SNK-era (SS1-SS4) might return in SS7 except for the boss characters, Nicotine and Shizumaru. (for Shizumaru's case it depends on timeline. His story is done as of SS4) Tam Tam and Cham Cham are interchangable. (I am not sure who will SNK use, Tam, Cham or both?)
Not sure about the Examu/Sen-era characters. I can see Yoshitora, SS6 Yumeji and Iroha (eye candy purposes) returning, but not the rest. Probably Kim Hae Ryeong from Sen (because Kim's moves can be utilized) (The only Sen character SNK cares about is Suzuhime). I doubt with SNK's current 3D capabilities, Kusaregedo and Ochamaro won't be in SS7.
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Yunfei is dead, Mina is implied to be dead and nobody cares about Sankuro. Andrew and Sugoroku are doubtful.
End of Spoiler
Although Shiki and Asura are more popular, I see Taisan and Hanma having a bigger chance in SS7 than their more popular fellow SS64 characters. That is, if timeline is factored in.
Roster Leak or no Roster Leak, SS7 newcomers are one thing to look forward to.
I'm not sure about the atmosphere of SS7. I like SS7 to have some Sukiyaki Western/Chanbara atmosphere.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Sat 13 May 03:02] |
| | "Re(7):Re(10):Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Sat 13 May 04:02
Was Sen part of any timeline or was it a new start?
In the main timeline, half of the interesting characters are dead (as they should in a chambara game), so if they want Nakoruru, Genjurou, Kazuki, Mina and others to appear, they'll either have to create time portals or chain resurrections, or yet again start anew...
I wouldn't be against a fresh start. The scenario is complicated as it is, and unlike KOF, there's no easy reset button. Hopefully they'll manage to keep the violence restrained and elegant, like SSS or Zero, and not like Sen's gross finishes. The fact that they're specifically aiming at the Chinese market instead of the US market is a good sign already.
The series also lacks Chinese representation, so I guess most of the scenario will be about the new Chinese characters, like KOF14... It could be the occasion to create some really interesting designs. Or something fun, like a Chinese rival to Kyoushirou.
I hope they'll chose some refined aesthetics (all SS games should aim to look like Zankurou Musouken), and if they do, that they'll be able to pull it off... Atmosphere is 50% of what makes SS games memorable, so they'd better up their game in 3D, but also in music and sound effects.
I don't think the franchise could survive another failure like SS Sen... But then, SS has had many bad games and has survived through it all, so maybe the good games are enough to support the failures.
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| | "Re(8):Re(10):Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Sat 13 May 04:16:
quote:
Was Sen part of any timeline or was it a new start?
In the main timeline, half of the interesting characters are dead (as they should in a chambara game), so if they want Nakoruru, Genjurou, Kazuki, Mina and others to appear, they'll either have to create time portals or chain resurrections, or yet again start anew...
I wouldn't be against a fresh start. The scenario is complicated as it is, and unlike KOF, there's no easy reset button. Hopefully they'll manage to keep the violence restrained and elegant, like SSS or Zero, and not like Sen's gross finishes. The fact that they're specifically aiming at the Chinese market instead of the US market is a good sign already.
The series also lacks Chinese representation, so I guess most of the scenario will be about the new Chinese characters, like KOF14... It could be the occasion to create some really interesting designs. Or something fun, like a Chinese rival to Kyoushirou.
I hope they'll chose some refined aesthetics (all SS games should aim to look like Zankurou Musouken), and if they do, that they'll be able to pull it off... Atmosphere is 50% of what makes SS games memorable, so they'd better up their game in 3D, but also in music and sound effects.
I don't think the franchise could survive another failure like SS Sen... But then, SS has had many bad games and has survived through it all, so maybe the good games are enough to support the failures.
Sen takes place a year after Asura Zanmaden (or two years after SS2/Shin). Some events in AsuZan were retconned in Sen. Kazuki, Genjuro and Ukyo are alive as of Sen. Nakoruru is still a spirit in Sen. Mina... she might be dead... Basara is excused thanks to time traveling shenanigans in Zero and Tenka.
From what you said, I expect more Chinese Characters in SS7 other than Wan-fu. Probably another Wuxia-styled warrior or a Chinese polearm user. A weaponized theater actor could be good.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Sat 13 May 04:18] |
| | "Re(8):Re(10):Re(10):KOF Presscon by SNK China" , posted Sat 13 May 09:02
quote:
Was Sen part of any timeline or was it a new start?
In the main timeline, half of the interesting characters are dead (as they should in a chambara game), so if they want Nakoruru, Genjurou, Kazuki, Mina and others to appear, they'll either have to create time portals or chain resurrections, or yet again start anew...
I wouldn't be against a fresh start. The scenario is complicated as it is, and unlike KOF, there's no easy reset button. Hopefully they'll manage to keep the violence restrained and elegant, like SSS or Zero, and not like Sen's gross finishes. The fact that they're specifically aiming at the Chinese market instead of the US market is a good sign already.
The series also lacks Chinese representation, so I guess most of the scenario will be about the new Chinese characters, like KOF14... It could be the occasion to create some really interesting designs. Or something fun, like a Chinese rival to Kyoushirou.
I hope they'll chose some refined aesthetics (all SS games should aim to look like Zankurou Musouken), and if they do, that they'll be able to pull it off... Atmosphere is 50% of what makes SS games memorable, so they'd better up their game in 3D, but also in music and sound effects.
I don't think the franchise could survive another failure like SS Sen... But then, SS has had many bad games and has survived through it all, so maybe the good games are enough to support the failures.
All this sounds great to me. And I agree with others that I don't want another combo game. I want meaty slashes and decisive blows.
/ / /
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| | "Re(5):KOF XIV Steam in 3 Weeks." , posted Sat 20 May 07:27:
quote:
Kensou: that's too bad...I hope sales happen soon, PS4 KOF14 got its first discounts few months after its launch if I remember well, so that my be the case with the Steam Edition as well.
Due to the nature of PC game pricing, I wouldn't be surprised if KOF14 is 50% off inside of three months, and I expect it to be 25% or even 33% off at least once within that time period. (Though that latter prediction is a bit of a cheat considering the pre-order itself is 20% off.)
As for the game itself, it is KOF14 on PC. I've not messed with it much, but I haven't seen any amazing problems (unlike the KOF12 beta.) Mind, I haven't tried online.
Though, honestly, I'm not sure that is enough.
I get the feeling that the only rival SNK sees is Capcom. KOF14 was marketed on a combination of nostalgia and how it offered more than the horribly mishandled Street Fighter V. The problems are that SNK in its current state wasn't going to (and didn't) beat Capcom on gameplay, while Capcom botched SF5's outside-the-gameplay stuff so badly that it was no real achievement to beat them there.
SNK got some chuckles at Capcom's expense when it promoted KOF14 launching with perceived basic modes (that SF5 lacked at launch), but at the end of the day that is still just having perceived basic modes. SNK didn't really do anything above and beyond with KOF14. It didn't tackle the visual spectacle of Guilty Gear Xrd, the alternate game modes and features of Killer Instinct, the storytelling spectacle of Netherealm titles. Nor does it have the fan service of Dead or Alive, and certainly not the all-around everything of Tekken. And while it is nice to see SNK returning to the fight, it doesn't even have the indie-darling-that-could factor.
SNK has tried to use the roster size as a selling point, but that is an argument that from my experience is largely ignored by non-KOF fans (and even by some KOF fans). Why? Because the perception is that SNK is able to make such large rosters because it doesn't put any real effort into the majority of its characters. They view KOF as a series where most of the roster won't matter, because a few characters will have all the tools while the majority are shallow gimmicks. As bad as F.A.N.G is, he at least feels like Capcom spent some effort in designing him, trying to make him special and unique and to stand out. (And Capcom hasn't completely given up on trying to rebalance its roster, either.) No matter how you feel about Killer Instinct's game design, its developers obviously put effort into its characters. As badly as Netherealm animates it characters, it at least tries to sell their personalities. In comparison, most of the KOF14 roster feels phoned in, designs that copy-paste old ideas and tick off the necessary check marks.
I think that ultimately will be SNK's biggest issue going forward. They aren't actively trying to compete with anyone other than Capcom, and they aren't even competition for Capcom in the area where it actually matters. I don't know if SNK even sees anyone other than Capcom. Until SNK changes, I just don't see their games selling to a wider audience, while their existing audience is gradually aging out and vanishing.
[this message was edited by Baines on Sat 20 May 07:35] |
| | "Who would've thought. Chang and Choi!" , posted Sat 24 Jun 12:27:
I've never played it, but a game that looks like a Monster Strike clone called Crash Fever is doing a collaboration with KOF and it's quite awesome.
Rather than just sticking to the usual over-collaborated main characters like Kyo Iori Mai and Terry, the game's producer had fond memories of KOF and it apparently led to some faces that are lesser than likely to be in collaborations, like Chang, Choi, Vice, King and Yamazaki. Check the link below for pics.
https://gamedeets.com/archives/279874
On a completely separate note, news on SNK's ongoing development of their MMORPG "KOF World" has been kind of mum as of late but there's been a screenshot released earlier this month and oh boy, Maxima....
http://picture.ledo.com/kofw/20170612/0108.jpg
As for licensed games, that sidescrolling title "KOF Destiny" has gone closed beta and it looks... well, it's not using the original CvS2 sprites, but they're obviously traced right over them. It's got some originality though, like a young boy Terry against Sword swinging mobsters in the middle of an American residential suburb..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ght0c0Q7Mok
[this message was edited by Professor on Sat 24 Jun 12:29] |
| | "Re(3):Who would've thought. Jubei Yamada?" , posted Sun 2 Jul 11:40:
quote:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-king-of-fighters-xiv-community/the-king-of-fighters-xiv-steam-edition-futuras-dlc-datamining/146140039270460/
Some reported datamining of the PC version.
Blue Mary, Shingo, Oswald, Hinako, Heidern... and Jubei Yamada?
Waiting for two weeks for real answers is a pain.
If true, Oda "fully" contradicts himself in an interview, if Blue Mary and Jubei Yamada is added.
http://www.mmcafe.com/news/posts/10212.html
quote:
Popular characters like Yamazaki and Blue Mary were obvious picks for the roster, but it would've ended up making the game into a Fatal Fury. Oda wanted a game that felt more "KOF".
We all know Yamazaki was added as DLC. I assumed that was enough Fatal Fury reps already back then. Adding Blue Mary (and Jubei Yamada, if real) in the process over-saturates the KOF roster with Fatal Fury characters, according to Oda.
...?
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Sun 2 Jul 13:34] |
| | "Re(4):Who would've thought. Jubei Yamada?" , posted Sun 2 Jul 13:59
quote:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-king-of-fighters-xiv-community/the-king-of-fighters-xiv-steam-edition-futuras-dlc-datamining/146140039270460/
Some reported datamining of the PC version.
Blue Mary, Shingo, Oswald, Hinako, Heidern... and Jubei Yamada?
Waiting for two weeks for real answers is a pain.
If true, Oda "fully" contradicts himself in an interview, if Blue Mary and Jubei Yamada is added.
http://www.mmcafe.com/news/posts/10212.html
Popular characters like Yamazaki and Blue Mary were obvious picks for the roster, but it would've ended up making the game into a Fatal Fury. Oda wanted a game that felt more "KOF".
We all know Yamazaki was added as DLC. I assumed that was enough Fatal Fury reps already back then. Adding Blue Mary (and Jubei Yamada, if real) in the process over-saturates the KOF roster with Fatal Fury characters, according to Oda.
...?
The guess right now is that those unknown character names in the data are tentative names used during the development of the new characters in 14.
|
| | "Re(5):Who would've thought. Jubei Yamada?" , posted Sun 2 Jul 22:59:
quote:
Some reported datamining of the PC version.
Blue Mary, Shingo, Oswald, Hinako, Heidern... and Jubei Yamada?
Waiting for two weeks for real answers is a pain.
If true, Oda "fully" contradicts himself in an interview, if Blue Mary and Jubei Yamada is added.
http://www.mmcafe.com/news/posts/10212.html
Popular characters like Yamazaki and Blue Mary were obvious picks for the roster, but it would've ended up making the game into a Fatal Fury. Oda wanted a game that felt more "KOF".
It would be a contradiction, indeed. I wouldn't complain, though: Mary should have been informações XIV from the start, and Jubei was so funny in FF2 that it amazes me it would take so long for his return.
My only complaint if these are really the next DLC characters is that SNK should replace Hinako with Kasumi Todo. Not only because she's far more recognizable, but also because the AOF series definitely deserve more love than it got so far in this game.
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
[this message was edited by Just a Person on Mon 3 Jul 01:14] |
| PSN: Mike_ADV
XBL: n/a
Wii: n/a
STM: tamakimike
CFN: n/a
Rare Customer | "Re(4):Who would've thought. New DLC stages!" , posted Thu 6 Jul 05:34
quote:
AFAIR, SNK were hostile with the Rock Howard leak and the Chizuru rumors they "debunked" last May. But not this one.
Weird enough, the r/KOF subreddit dismissed it as fake. (NOTE: URL is still online despite being deleted)
On the other hand, they completely ignored that the first 50 characters were leaked many months even before the announcement and even the leaks detailing them, the story and mechanics JhonXuandou was posting on 4chan.
I don't see any argument dismissing the datamining on that reddit thread aside from a tweet made by ATRyoSakazaki pointing at SteamDB files that has simply nothing to do with what X-Kira did (looking into the executable files of the Steam version). The only thing X-Kira said about SteamDB is the fact that there are two unnamed packages besides the main game and the DLC pack.
ATRyoSakazaki also pointed out for unused entries in KOFXII that ended up in XIII and things in XIII like Adelheid entries (and unfinished portraits) but everybody here at the Cafe know about the situation SNK had during the development of what would end up becoming KOFXIII, how costly that game was on resources and people and what the president at time of the console release, Ryo Mizufune did to the company. So, even if Oda is learning well from Ono, Boon and Harada on how to say something about your game and do the opposite, it's a whole different situation and they said they want to keep the support and are doing what they neved did to any KOF game in matter of exposure and support.
I know for sure X-Kira did find those references that might point to future DLC but if SNK think it's worth it to invest in more content for the game or simply cut the development like happened to other games like Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, Soul Calibur V and, maybe, KOFXIII only time will tell. And maybe not even in EVO considering how unpredictable SNK is with those things.
|
| | "Re(5):Who would've thought. New DLC stages!" , posted Thu 6 Jul 23:25
With all this datamined characters and stages, I suddenly remembered that Dr. Octopus and the Okami Stage were supposed to be in Vanilla MVC3.
Dr. Octopus
In the MVC3 datamine, Dr. Octopus was found (along with Frank West, who was scrapped in MVC3, but returned in UMVC3). Capcom has already planned Dr. Octopus in MVC3 from the beginning. He even has a theme and an artwork. However, for some reason, he was dropped from the roster. He was not even considered in UMVC3.
Okami Stage
I remembered in a developer interview probably that an Okami stage was planned for MVC3. However it was cut because Okami's art style (Japanese-style ink painting) clashes with the Comic-book art style used in MVC3. It even had a stage theme.
In KOF XIV's case, are they abandoned, leftover or unused data, or upcoming DLC? Unless someone from SNK sheds an explanation. We have more than a week to find out.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
|
| | "Re(7):Who would've thought. New DLC stages!" , posted Sat 8 Jul 17:16
quote:
Well, like I said, there are tons of unused Characater Creation parts and thumbnails for even more in SCV that came in a later patch. PSASBR has whole character models in it and the character select screen was changing to accommodate more and more characters but after Zeus and Isaac, it feels like something is missing.
Well, SNK might had something to talk about because they were schedule to a panel at EVO in July 15, but that was recently removed for some reason (maybe it was a mistake and it wasn't supposed to be one in the first place?). So the mystery persists.
According to Mr. Wizard, SNK cancelled themselves.
I'm speculating it may have something to do with the datamine. However, it neither confirms nor denies it. Damage Control? Maybe... (IOW, "passive hostility") Remember, SNK went hostile when they debunked the "Chizuru in KOF XIV" thing.
I feel sorry for X-Kira if their cancellation has something to do with this.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
|
| | "Re(2):Blood and gore are back again" , posted Fri 14 Jul 11:28:
quote:
And looks like it's finally a non-censored Samurai Shodown V Special
Anything for what is ultimately the best SS, Examu's best game and SNKP's best published game, but that's some tasteless trailer if I've seen one.
Oh well, if it can convince some Mortal-Kombat kid to try it and experience what a real fighting game looks like...
MK kids have already seen a father turn his daughter's face into bloody pulp (Johnny and Cassie Cage... I considered linking the gif, but though I am no prude, in honesty I find it repellent). Now they can experience the visceral thrill of a 15-year-old girl, spattered in blood, having split the diminutive body of her own 12-year-old sister vertically in half, right down the middle.
Iterative sequels and universally applied game rules can (inadvertently or not) lead to some pretty gross situations, huh?
Man, if I were ever fighting against my own younger sibling like this, I would definitely try and kick them into merciful KOsville rather than have some grisly scene of fratricide burned into my mind. I would definitely not hit QCB +CD when their life was in the red.
What have you done, Nakoruru? May Christ Amakusa have mercy on your soul!
Actually, I think one the most interesting things about Mortal Kombat is that you have a deliberate choice between brutally executing your opponent or sparing them (or, you know, turning them into a baby). They never should have taken Friendship moves out, IMO. In another world, Friendships could have made it into SamSho. I mean, wouldn't it be better if Nakoruru had her falcon fetch her little sis a lovely bunch of flowers or something?
Ah, what a world. I weep for humanity. After that, though, I will probably buy SSV Special.
/ / /
[this message was edited by Mosquiton on Fri 14 Jul 11:30] |
| | "Re(3):Blood and gore are back again" , posted Fri 14 Jul 18:47
All this talk about Special has reminded me my only gripe with it: even though it's for sure overall really well balanced, it's sad one of the most intimidating bosses of all time, Rashoujin Mizuki herself, made her playable debut in such a sorry state... I wouldn't mind a fan patch that would add some punch to her moves and fix some of the holes she has in her game plan.
Zankurou and Gaou are not very interesting either, but at least they're not so bad, just boring to play as. Amakusa was nice.
It could have done with a playable Yumeji that would have played a riff on Ukyo's move, too.
... I was so excited at the prospect of Tenkaichi, back in the day... What a waste that game was.
So, yeah, Special still reigns supreme.
|
| PSN: Gojira_X
XBL: Gojiraaa
Wii: n/a
STM: n/a
CFN: Gojira
| "free destiny" , posted Fri 4 Aug 20:40
The first episode of KoF: Destiny released today for free on Steam (in the US anyway, but I'm assuming it's like this in most regions)
Is watching your destiny
Some thoughts:
-Yup, it's... still pretty ugly.
-Obviously not lip-synced to the Japanese voices, although everyone does have their official CVs.
-The story is off to a good start, and nothing seems too out of place. Seems to be based directly around KoF94 even though some of the outfits like Benimaru's are not from '94. Otherwise characters are well-established so far. Speaking of Beni I don't remember him being rich? Maybe it's just been too long since I looked at his profile.
-Action is exciting enough, lots of HnK-style freeze-frame "THIS MOVE KANJI" in the middle of the fights. Unfortunately the bad character models have some shoddy bone placement and bad joint deformations when they're doing exaggerated poses. I mean I wasn't really looking for it to nitpick, but when one shot is a close-up of someone's ankle bending weirdly as he's pushed back it's kind of hard to ignore.
-The way the scenes are directed I could totally see this being chopped up and thrown into a pachinko. The style is actually pretty similar to Garou PREMIUM, which makes me wonder if this is the same studio.
Finally, they listed all the characters in the credits - including ones that have yet to appear - which seems to further confirm that the story is based around KoF94. Though strangely enough, no Takuma to be found. And although Mature definitely appears there's no listing for Vice either. Other notables:
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Iori
Goenitz
Rock Howard (as a kid)
End of Spoiler
Overall I'd say it's good so far. Bad modeling but good story setup with decent action, worth checking out.
|
| | "Re(1):free destiny" , posted Sat 5 Aug 06:51:
quote:
which seems to further confirm that the story is based around KoF94. Though strangely enough, no Takuma to be found. And although Mature definitely appears there's no listing for Vice either.
Mature was in KoF94. She even plays a minor role in the story, as she is the person who greets the winning team and brings them to Rugal's aircraft carrier.
Vice didn't appear until KoF95, from what I recall.
EDIT: Watched the episode, and it was better than I expected. It is decent enough for a free series.
Graphically, it makes me think of PS2-era CG, just played at a higher resolution than you got in that era. Terry's face looks strangely rather generically Asian, and as if they based his face on a real person. I'm a little surprise they didn't go for a "cuter" face for Yuri. (And somewhat disappointed if they actually tried but could only manage what they gave her.) She's not ugly or anything, just more "normal actual person" than I'd expected.
If this were another company, I'd expect tie-in DLC outfits to be released for the related fighting game. I'd kind of like KOFXIV Mature to have the outfit she wears in the first episode, though I admit I wouldn't pay for it.
It was a bit weird for all the posters and ads inside the airport to be images of Mai advertising King of Fighters W. I wonder if there is going to be a story acknowledgement of that. I expected either generic posters, or posters advertising other SNK properties (like a Last Blade movie or the like).
I like Benimaru. It feels like they had a bit of fun with Benimaru.
[this message was edited by Baines on Sat 5 Aug 07:30] |
| | "KOF Destiny" , posted Fri 18 Aug 09:51
With episode three out, the glaring question is: "How short can an episode of KOF Destiny become?"
The first episode was 20 minutes. The second was down to 18 minutes, which includes the addition of a recap at the beginning. The third episode has seen run time plummet to 13 minutes.
And that 13 minutes includes all the filler. The recap, the intro, the preview, the credits, and the KOF XIV ad. The actual "Episode 3" of episode 3 is only around six minutes.
I wonder if this was always the plan, or if SNK felt that it drastically needed to scale back the scope of the project midway. The 24 episode plan certainly looks a lot less grand and risky with these shorter episodes appearing, though.
Still, episode 4 looks to contain a bigger, fancier battle scene.
|
| | "Re(1):KOF Destiny" , posted Fri 18 Aug 14:05
quote:
With episode three out, the glaring question is: "How short can an episode of KOF Destiny become?"
The first episode was 20 minutes. The second was down to 18 minutes, which includes the addition of a recap at the beginning. The third episode has seen run time plummet to 13 minutes.
And that 13 minutes includes all the filler. The recap, the intro, the preview, the credits, and the KOF XIV ad. The actual "Episode 3" of episode 3 is only around six minutes.
I wonder if this was always the plan, or if SNK felt that it drastically needed to scale back the scope of the project midway. The 24 episode plan certainly looks a lot less grand and risky with these shorter episodes appearing, though.
Still, episode 4 looks to contain a bigger, fancier battle scene.
AFAIK, there was a scene that was cut in the international version compared to the Chinese version.
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Angelina singing
End of Spoiler
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
|
| | "Re(2):KOF Destiny" , posted Fri 18 Aug 17:10
quote:
With episode three out, the glaring question is: "How short can an episode of KOF Destiny become?"
The first episode was 20 minutes. The second was down to 18 minutes, which includes the addition of a recap at the beginning. The third episode has seen run time plummet to 13 minutes.
And that 13 minutes includes all the filler. The recap, the intro, the preview, the credits, and the KOF XIV ad. The actual "Episode 3" of episode 3 is only around six minutes.
I wonder if this was always the plan, or if SNK felt that it drastically needed to scale back the scope of the project midway. The 24 episode plan certainly looks a lot less grand and risky with these shorter episodes appearing, though.
Still, episode 4 looks to contain a bigger, fancier battle scene.
AFAIK, there was a scene that was cut in the international version compared to the Chinese version.
So the elephant in the room; If Angelina is daughter in law, then who is the son? Does Rock have a half brother somewhere?
Or is it basically translation error for uncle or adoptive uncle or something?
|
| | "KOF XIV Destiny..." , posted Sat 19 Aug 13:50:
IGN Latin America interviews producer Yasuyuki Oda and gameplay director Hayato Watanabe about the future of KOF XIV
However, the interview is in Spanish. Can anyone here translate the interview in English?
Although IPlayWinner did some partial translated Summaries.
- Oda mentioned that XIV still has "room for improvments" but further updates are "up in the air".
- Additional content is only a "possibilty".
- KOF XV (which I often predict will come in 2019) "will be a reality"
- About balance, Watanabe mentioned that he tries to listen to players before making final decisions.
- Oda talks about the difficulties in either adding more content to KOF XIV or approving new projects, admitting that it's hard convincing SNK as a whole about such ideas.
- He did reveal that SNK is working on new fighting games, but refused to give details. (Samurai Shodown VII?)
Although not part of IPW's summary, I did read some stuff.
- Oda likes Antonov and he finds him "cute". Watanabe likes Luong.
- Oda often received phone calls from fans around the world. He prefers to talk to them via FaceBook instead. (Credit goes to Gatoray)
Update: A full translation from Dark_Tzitzimine from Shoryuken.
quote:
IGN: At a year from the game's launch, how it is its balance?
Yasuyuki Oda (YO): It was the first KOF on almost five years so the fan response was very positive. Even though there were some netcode issues and other issues at launch -which were fixed immediately, the response was very positive and the fans are pleased with the final product.
IGN: As Developers, are you pleased with the final product?
YO: The game isn't perfect yet, we believe there's still room for improvement but so far we've been able to do anything we've thought to improve it, so we're satisfied with the current version.
IGN: Can we expect a new entry for the series or more updates for KOF XIV?
YO: We can't deny nor confirm any of those possibilities at the moment, but we're convinced that KOF XV will be a reality. Right now we aren't sure if there will be a new patch for XIV but is definitely a possibility.
IGN: Any plans for Fatal Fury or Art of Fighting? Maybe more characters added to KOF or planning a new entry for these series?
YO: Of course we're always considering doing new entries for series like those, but since it requires the company's approval, there's a lot of people that needs to be convinced first which is no easy task, but of course that is something we'd like to do (laughs)
IGN: Within the competitive scene, what has been your experience regarding balance, players' feedback or there's someone at SNK that exclusively focuses on these area?
Hayato Watanabe (HW): Of course we're always listening the opinions from fans and competitive players but that doesn't mean we implement all the suggestions we get. We want the game to be accessible, not too hard and fun. We aways listen to players and general public feedback but we are very careful to implement it. There's no one in charge of this, so I personally do the balance changes, listening to the feedback and implement those changes.
IGN: KOF XIII is one of the most successful entries on the series, any chance it comes back on an improved version?
YO: No plans at the moment for something like that
IGN: There are talks about SNK support for eSports, how do you plan to do it?
YO: We've been offering support to tournaments for a while now, not only in Japan but worldwide.For major tournaments we're offered cash prize and we'd like to continue doing it, not only for KOF but for any other game we'll release.
IGN: There will be more EX Characters for XIV?
YO: We aren't sure yet if there will be more DLC or patches, but the players' response to the new characters back on April was really good, so if we do more DLC, we'd rather do new characters than costumes since players like them more.
IGN: What are your favorite characters?
YO: I've been an Antonov fan of late because I believe he's too kawaii
HW: Luong, she has been my favorite since the start and that hasn't changed.
IGN: There will be another world championship like the one on Japan? Can we expect something alike to the Capcom Cup?
YO: Obviously we'd like another WCS but there's a lot of regional events and we need to be careful with the schedules so they don't overlap. But if we do anything similar, We'd like to do it our way, not copying anyone else.
IGN: Do you really sit down and play the title, putting yourselves on the player's skin, not a developer's?
HW: We try to put ourselves on the player's place, not the advanced ones but the casuals, and we try to make the game more interesting and fun for that kind of audience as possible.
IGN: Anything else you might want to add?
YO: We're developing many more fighting games that we can't reveal yet but we'd like for you to keep an eye on us.
HW: We intend to keep updating and improving the game as long we keep getting feedback from the players, so we'd like to keep getting their opinions on our Facebook, Twitter and Steam pages.
YO: Another thing I'd like to add is that sometimes my phone rings and I get called directly by fans, I don't know from which country or language, but please; don't do it because most of the time I can't understand you Facebook is the best way to reach me. I don't know what are they saying but I can tell they're very passionate (laughs)
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Sat 19 Aug 18:58] |
| | "Re(8):Eiji Shiroi opens English FB account" , posted Sat 9 Sep 02:16:
I am not sure it has ever been made clear what happened with KOF'99 and Daraku Tenshi. The link with KOF'95 is obvious, as the mechanics of the game feel very close to pre-96 KOF. We know most of the staff at Steel Hearts had worked on 94/95, and therefore on Last Resort, and therefore some if not all of them probably started at Irem.
The link to KOF'99 is more ambiguous. There are waaaay too many coincidences between the characters from KOF'99 and those from Daraku Tenshi, but it's not clear whether Steel Hearts left SNK with some ideas which were already in development at SNK and made alternate version of the same work-in-progress characters in Daraku Tenshi, or if the staff went to do Daraku Tenshi then came back to repurpose those ideas inside KOF'99 after the failure of Daraku Tenshi. It's not entirely impossible because Daraku Tenshi came out in March 1998, but the usual development deadlines would rather imply the first theory. In her original character bio, Whip famously hates "corruption" (daraku), "angels" (tenshi) and "internet slandering" which would tend to imply some acrimonious relationship between the KOF'99 and Daraku Tenshi teams.
In any case, we know for sure that the director of the game, Mitsuo Kodama, stayed at Psikyo afterwards since he was involved in Sol Divide. However! Following the experiment at Psikyo, Mitsuo Kodama created his own studio in Osaka, K2 (he is one of the Ks). And K2 ended up making Samurai Spirits Sen on behalf of SNK some time later. So... ? Had enough water passed under the bridge? Was the rivalry all fine and tongue in cheek from the start? Had the people with whom he had issues at SNK all left? Who knows. Capcom ended up absorbing K2 to support the Lost Planet and (mainly) Monster Hunter teams. I believe Kodama is still to this day the Boss of K2 as a subsidiary of Capcom, unless he has retired recently.
Going back to Shinichi Morioka, he went on to draw the the cover art for Konami's Hybrid Heaven.
Même Narumi est épatée !
[this message was edited by chazumaru on Sat 9 Sep 02:18] |
New Customer | "Re(9):Eiji Shiroi opens English FB account" , posted Sat 9 Sep 19:03:
Speaking of Shinichi Morioka, although some of his designs were used as promotional materials during the development of Eternal/Skies of Arcadia, he hasn’t been credited in the game. Itsuki Hoshi is only credited as illustrator.
He still has a Flickr account but his posts are gone for long (you can find his concept art here though).
Speaking of Eiji Shiroi, she also has a Tumblr account where she posts the same stuff as on Facebook. She told me that the black and white SamSpi illustrations you can find in the manual of the first game were made by Violetche Nakamoto, front designer and character designer on the first game. Shiroi only did the color illustrations for the first game, which were based on the sketches made by Nakamoto.
Oh and while I'm sharing some links here...:
Eri Kohjitani / 糀谷 恵里, AKA Jitari
https://twitter.com/_jitari
King of Fighters 94 (Back designer) Mexico
King of Fighters 95 (Back designer)
King of Fighters 96 (Back designer)
KOF 97
Last Resort (designer)
Super Sidekicks (designer)
Top Hunter (Back designer)
Itokatsu / イトカツ
https://twitter.com/itokatsu1127
Garou - Mark of the Wolves (Neo-Geo) Hotaru (original chara-design)
Real Bout Fatal Fury (Neo-Geo)
Mitsuo Kodama / 児玉 光生
https://twitter.com/mitsumame1212
Air Duel (Arcade)
Daraku Tenshi (Arcade)
Ghost Pilots (Neo-Geo) Designer
Last Resort (Neo-Geo) Designer
R-Type
Tenchu
The King of Fighters 94 (Neo-Geo) Graphic director
Valhalla
Naohisa Yamaguchi / 山口 直久, AKA NaoQ
https://twitter.com/naoq7013/
Garou - Mark of the Wolves (Neo-Geo) Title designer
Metal Slug 4 (Neo-Geo) illustration
Metal Slug 5 (Neo-Geo) Title designer
Top Hunter (Neo-Geo) Designers, Cover art, manual illustrations
The Last Blade 2 (Neo-Geo) Title logo
The King of Fighters 2001 (Neo-Geo) Title designer
...and tons of logo designs for SNK.
Nobuyuki Kuroki / 黒木信幸
https://twitter.com/NobuyukiKuroki
Art of Fighting 3 (Neo-Geo) Ryo
Fatal Fury 3 (Neo-Geo)
Garou - Mark of the Wolves (Neo-Geo) foreground design
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Neo-Geo) Obj. Designer, Demo Designer
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (Neo-Geo) Design front
San Chang
https://twitter.com/San_Shang_2017
Mutation Nation (Neo-Geo) graphic design
Last Resort (Neo-Geo)
Robo Army (Neo-Geo)
Eight Man (Neo-Geo)
Senri Kita /北千里
https://twitter.com/senri_kita/
Takayuki Mizuno, AKA Kalkin Mizuno / カルキン
http://neogeo.freeplaytech.com/kof00/gallery/gallery.htm
http://neogeo.freeplaytech.com/svc/illust_2/illust_cont/illust_index.htm
King of Fighters 95 (Front Designer)
King of Fighters 96 (Front Designer) Kal Mizuno
King of Fighters 98 (Foreground Designer)
King of Fighters 99 (Demo designer)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Neo-Geo) graphic designer (Opening), illustrations
Tomoyuki Kotani / 小谷智之, AKA Styleos
https://twitter.com/Styleos_
https://twitter.com/styleos_fix
Yōichirō Soeda / 副田陽一郎 / Soe Soe
https://twitter.com/SOESOE_329
Art of Fighting 2 (object designer)
Fatal Fury (Character Designer)
Fatal Fury 2 (object designer)
Fatal Fury 3 (Object Designer)
Garou - Mark of the Wolves (foreground design)
Real Bout Fatal Fury (obj. designer)
Real Bout Fatal Fury special (object designer)
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (object designer)
The Last Blade 2 (Character design)
Yoshihiro Nakanishi / 中西ヨシヒロ, AKA Futatsu
https://twitter.com/FUTATSU24
Art of Fighting Gaiden / Art of Fighting (Neo-Geo) Karman and Sinclair
The Last Blade (Neo-Geo) Juzoh Kanzaki (with someone else), Yuki
The Last Blade (Neo-Geo CD) illustrations
The Last Blade 2 (Neo-Geo) Shinnosuke Kagami (basic shapes)
Cosmic Epsilon (Famicom) enemy design, graphic design
Dragon Defense (Android, iOS)
3 Count Bout (Neo-Geo) Front CHR Designer
Football Frenzy (Neo-Geo) Designer
Savage Reign (Neo-Geo) Gordon
Fūun Super Tag Battle (Neo-Geo) Rosa
Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun (Neo-Geo Pocket Color)
Garō Densetsu (Pachislot ) graphic design - Terry
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Neo-Geo) foreground design
Yujirou Hayami / 速水融次郎
https://twitter.com/hayamiu/
The King of Fighters 94 (Designer) Yuri
The King of Fighters 95 (Front Designer)
Yukinari / Yukinari Z
http://neogeo.freeplaytech.com/kof00/gallery/draw-14.htm
The King of Fighters 2000 (Neo-Geo) Demo Designer
The Rumble Fish (Arcade) chara-designer
VGDensetsu
[this message was edited by Youloute on Sat 9 Sep 19:41] |
New Customer | "SNK or Neo-Geo related people on Twitter" , posted Fri 15 Sep 14:57:
You're welcome!
A few more SNK or Neo-Geo related people (but if you want info about people from other companies, please ask):
Akihiro Takanami, AKA HIROAKI FUJIMOTO, Powerudon
https://twitter.com/@powudon
http://powudon.com/
Battle Master (SFC)
Ragnagard (Neo-Geo)
Power Athlete / Deadly Moves
Eiji Kaneda / 金田榮路
http://www.din.or.jp/~c-o/
https://twitter.com/eijikaneda/
Samurai Spirits 0 (Neo-Geo) cover art
Rezel Cross (PSP) chara design
Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)
Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi / Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (GBA) illustrations
Hiroyuki Andō / 安堂ひろゆき
http://www.flightunit.co.jp/
https://twitter.com/drunkenAndo/
http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?id=542692
Tengai Makyo Shinden (Neo-Geo) object (as H.Ando)
Kabao Kikkawa / 吉川かば夫
https://twitter.com/kabaotan_k
http://twitpic.com/photos/kabaotan_k
http://p.twipple.jp/user/kabaotan_k
https://web.archive.org/web/20070310025221/http://www.ax.sakura.ne.jp/~kabao/
Agressor of Dark Kombat (Neo-Geo) Sheen Genus
Ninja Masters (Neo-Geo) voice (Sasuke)
Tofu Adventure (Windows, freeware)
Twinkle Star Sprites (Neo-Geo) Sprites
Kouki Kita / 喜多 鋼毅
https://twitter.com/innothin
Waku Waku 7 (Neo-Geo) illustrations, flyer
Mario Vargas
http://mrvo.deviantart.com/
Rage of the Dragon (Neo-Geo) character designer
Masato Kaminari / 雷 将斗, AKA Yasumitsu Okuda / 奥田泰光
http://animex.jp/gw/profile.html
https://twitter.com/AnimexJP
https://medibang.com/u/animex
Aliving Body Armor: Elm Knight (PC-98) Character Graphics + mecha
Campaign Version Daisenryaku (PCE) graphic
Dragon Half (PC-98) character graphics
Fray in Magical Adventure CD: Xak Gaiden (PCE) Visual Design (boss)
Gōma Reifu Den Izuna 2 (DS) characters other than the main character
Illusion City: Gen'ei Toshi (PC-98) character graphic
Mystic Formula (PCE) Visual Graphics
Shadowrun (Mega-CD) background
Sonic Wings 3 (Neo-Geo) boss
Time Gal Flash
Toybox (Mega Drive? - proposal) graphic design
Minoru Suzuki / 鈴木 稔, AKA Miso Suzuki / 鈴木 みそ
http://www.misokichi.com/
https://twitter.com/MisoSuzuki
Stakes Winner (Neo-Geo) flyer
Stakes Winner 2 (Saturn) flyer
Roger Motzkus
http://www.motzkusart.com/
Basketbrawl (Lynx) cover
Doom (PS1, Saturn (JPN)) cover
Fatal Fury (Neo-Geo) US cover
Powerslave (PS1) cover
Streets of Rage II (Mega Drive) character illustrations for a US advert
Untitled cancelled game
Takumi Matsumae
https://twitter.com/fifth_coin/
Dragon's Heaven, AKA Darkseed (Neo-Geo - cancelled) graphic design
Money Idol Exchanger (Neo-Geo) graphic design
Tomokazu Nakano / 中野友和
(who recently won an Overwatch fanart contest but it seems that nobody remembered who he was)
https://twitter.com/nakkan
https://web.archive.org/web/20060803102343/http://www.backyardbuilt.sakura.ne.jp/
http://backyardbuilt.blog118.fc2.com/
Comicroad () CG Work
Eternal Chain (- cancelled)
The King of Fighters: Neowave (Arcade) Illustrations
Shin Gōketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnō no Kaihō (Arcade) Illustrations
Shin Gōketsuji Ichizoku Tōkon: Matrimelee (Neo-Geo) Illustrations
Tekipaki: Working Love FX () CG Work
Wachenröder (Saturn) chara-design
Tony Taka / Takayuki Tanaka / たなか たかゆき
http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/i/taka_tony/
https://twitter.com/Tony_T2ARTWORKS
Blade Arcus: From Shining (Arcade - 2014)
Changsegijeon Oejeon 2: Tempest (Windows 95-98 - 1998) chara-design, illustrations
Cyvern (arcade - 1998) planner (as Tony)
Dunk Dream, AKA Street Hoop / Street Slam (Neo-Geo - 1994) graphics + illustrations for Gamest (as Takayuki Tanaka)
Dunk Dream '95, AKA Hoops '96 (Arcade - 1995) graphic
Exstetra (PS Vita, 3DS - 2013)
Flying Power Disc 2, AKA Windjammers 2 (arcade / Neo-Geo?, unreleased – 1995-96) Chara design
Ghost Lop (Neo-Geo, unreleased - 1996) Chara design (as Ukkari Tony)
Love Kanojo!! (Mobile/Gree)
Room with Lina (Windows 95-98 - 1999) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Ark (PSP - 2013) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Blade (PSP - 2012) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Hearts (PSP - 2010) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Resonance (PS3 - 2014) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Tears (PS2 - 2004) chara-design, illustrations
Shining Wind (PS2 - 2007) chara-design, illustrations
Valhellio (Windows - 2011) illustrations
Tsutomu Maruyama / 丸山勉
http://marutom.jimdo.com/
https://twitter.com/marutom1/
Gang Wars (producer, director, game design, graphic designer)
Ninja Combat (Producer, Director, Scroll Designer)
Crossed Swords (Special thanks)
Ninja Commando (Producer, Director, Character Designer)
World Heroes (Special Thanks)
World Heroes 2 (Graphic Adviser)
World Heroes 2 JET (Game Adviser)
Agressors of Dark Kombat (Producer, Action Plan, Game Director, System Planner, Sound Direction, Art Director)
Crossed Swords II (Special thanks)
Yoshihisa Tagami / たがみ よしひさ
https://twitter.com/TagamiYosihisa
http://taua1yosh2.blog39.fc2.com/
Ikari Warriors (Famicom) cover art
Red Fox
https://twitter.com/REDFOX_wf/status/592639701653196801
Fatal Fury: First Contact (NGPC) graphic design
And if you're looking for a composer : VGMDB
VGDensetsu
[this message was edited by Youloute on Fri 15 Sep 15:03] |
| | "Re(2):Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 2?" , posted Tue 3 Oct 22:03:
quote:
The roster seems a bit weird too. Mr Karate 2 for AOF? Wouldn't that be Buriki 1 Ryo? Speaking of which, no Gai Tendo either?
Yes, Mr. Karate 2 is likely Buriki 1 Ryo, just like he was named in NGBC1 (and that 3D Fatal Fury game... Wild Ambition, if I remember correctly). The "2" was probably added by whoever leaked the list just to specify that we're talking about middle-aged Ryo, rather than Takuma wearing his Tengu mask. Which means Robert would probably be in his middle-aged version of NGBC1, too.
...Which makes it a shame (if this rumor is true, of course) that middle-aged Yuri would be absent from this game. Then again, Japanese fighting game companies don't seem to be very supportive of middle-aged women, especially when their fanbases have already seen said women in their youth and fantasized with them...
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
[this message was edited by Just a Person on Tue 3 Oct 23:56] |
| | "Re(3):Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 2?" , posted Thu 5 Oct 02:38:
Another "leak"?
quote:
Looks like SNK is leaking again, huh? Guess I don't have to feel guilty about sharing this.
Most characters from the first game are returning, these are the ones that aren't.
>Mudman
>Cyber Woo
>Asura
>Shiki
>Shermie
>Goddess Athena
>Chonrei
>Chonshu
>Mars People
>Tung
>Lee
>Hotaru
Now for new characters, that imgur post from earlier caught most of them, but it missed a few. This is the full list, as far as I know.
>Fio
>Andy
>Ash
>Krauser
>Joe Kusanagi (AoDK)
>Rimururu
>Ralf and Clark (Ikari Warriors style)
>Ukyo
>Hibiki (Last Blade)
>Sho, Rosa and Sue-il (Kizuna Encounter)
>Kagami (Last Blade)
>John Crawley (AoF)
>Kula
>Captain Kidd (World Heroes)
>G-Mantle
>Elta (Magician Lord)
>Kain and Grant
>New boss
Game is still 2 vs 2, this time with assists. Your assist's special is chosen on the select screen like in MVC. You can get "happy birthdayed" too so don't spam your assist. Every character has a "V-Trigger" like in SFV that powers them up temporarily. Kyo gets EX specials, Iori goes orochi, Geese gets his boss moves, Haohmaru enters concentaration one state and Genjuro enters rage mode.
Game uses an anime aesthetic instead of the realistic style from XIV. A good comparison would be that J Stars game on PS3 and PS Vita. Story mode is similar to SFV and MVC Infinite in terms of style and presentation.
Expect an announcement at Playstation Experience and a release some time around Summer 2018. There will be a DLC season pass with four characters and six costumes because SNK saw how successful this strategy was for other FG devs. I do not know
who these characters are or who the costumse are for.
For character stuff, Kyo is based on the Ash saga in both design and gameplay. He has both the fireball and rekka, including the new rekka chains from XIV. Instead of RED Kick he has the rising kick.
Iori uses the XII design but has his usual fire gameplay.
Ryo's design takes some elements from the 3D Fatal Fury Wild Ambition by giving him some stubble and removing his gi top.
Robert is the same as the last game but with an XIV styled goatee.
K' and Kula have new designs that make them look older, K' in particular wears a black trenchcoat and his intro has him throwing away a cigarette.
Mizuchi looks very different with scars and veins that seem to imply that the orochi power is overwhelming his body. His "V-Trigger" turns him into his boss form, with an animation that looks like he's in a lot of pain.
Goodman's playable version is closer to a puppet character like SFV's Menat, with the ability to position his ghost on screen and pressure with it.
The new boss is the leader of a terrorist hacking group trying to overthrow the world governments by obtaining the powers and techniques of all the Neo Geo characters. In the final boss fight he wears a suit that looks like a robotic gargoyle and uses various signature specials from the cast. He can also use techniques that kidnap your other character to prevent you from tagging, and when he kills one of your characters he brainwashes them to be his own personal assist. His ultimate is a transforming special like Yuki's, where he becomes the giant scythe wielding demon from Metal Slug 5.
In the story mode, Dr. Brown from World Heroes gathers the Neo Geo characters to assist Yuki and Ai's organization in the battle against the hacker's group, who have recruited a fallen Goodman and his corporation to their cause.
That's all you're getting for now. Be patient and wait for more details like good little boys and girls.
Got me a little excited, might be fake, but let's wait and see...
Then again, the original "leaker" objects.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Thu 5 Oct 02:44] |
| PSN: n/a
XBL: IAMDC1
Wii: n/a
STM: dc202styles
CFN: n/a
| "Re(5):Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 2?" , posted Mon 9 Oct 23:39:
Well that leaker brought in more info last week.
quote:
Hello again /neog/, I trust that you've all been good little boys and girls like I asked, yes? Then have some new info.
I see that the leaker from SRK is calling my info false. Based on what he posted, I believe that his source is legitimate, but I don't know why he's trying to discredit me. I guess that his info is outdated or he wasn't given all of it. I didn't want to have to do this, but I will test this leaker...if he is as informed as he claims to be, he should know the meaning of the phrase "Neo Shock Engine" and what it refers to.
First of all, I see a lot of anons asking about Mars People. I haven't seen this character in any playable capacity. Same for Athena, Kensou and General Morden. These characters could be the four DLC that I wasn't told about, or they could be scrapped in the planning stages. I'd also like to note that I haven't seen these "alluring woman" or "serious otaku" characters either. I'm not denying that they might exist, but they aren't in the build I've seen.
To elaborate on K' and Kula's new designs, K' is dressed similar to Liquid Snake, with a long black coat and shirtless beneath it. He still has the leather chaps, the glasses, the pendant, the gloves, everything else is the same. Kula wears a pink leather hoodie with black sleeves and a pendant similar to K's in the shape of her heart sigil. She pulls the hood down in her win pose to reveal that her hair is cut short.
Yuki can transform into characters from Shock Troopers and Sengoku now.
The music is tied to characters instead of stages like the first game. When a character dies it changes themes to the other character's theme just like in MVC. You'll probably be happy with the OST, it has a lot of variety in styles, some songs are heavy metal and some are techno dub-step style but there's also orchestra and traditional style music for the SamSho and Last Blade characters. If you're a longtime SNK fan, you can probably anticipate what characters get what themes.
Stages are based on iconic backgrounds from classic Neo Geo games, like the Esaka station stage from KoF95 and Ukyo's seaside stage from SamSho 2. The arena-styled boss stages from the first game return for the sub bosses, just in case you were wondering. The final boss's stage is similar to Apocalypse stage from the MVC series with all of the cut characters trapped in stasis pods in the BG and each of them reacting differently, ie Mudman is snoozing, Cyber Woo is banging his fists trying to escape, Hotaru is scared and crying, et cetera. I should note that Mars People is there, but obviously this doesn't rule him out from being playable.
And just so we're clear, I have no relation to JohnXuandou or any of the anons who leaked XIV shit. I'm just a guy who knows other guys.
I don't know a lot about the story beyond what I've already shared. If you've played SFV, you should know what to expect. Cutscenes that lead into fights that you have to win to see more cutscenes. I haven't seen much of it, so it's probably still in development.
As for the season pass, I was told that they saw how well those sell for companies like Capcom, NetherRealm Studios and Namco-Banbai, so they saw it as a profitable venture.
Yes, 2d with teams of two characters, tagging and assists. It's almost identical to the first game, but with assists.
Long Live I AM!
[this message was edited by Neo0r0chiaku on Mon 9 Oct 23:41] |
| | "Re(6):Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 2?" , posted Thu 19 Oct 15:22:
Something more... But I'm beginning to agree with Iggy about this...
http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/comment/11467041/#Comment_11467041
quote:
Don't expect a lot this time, I'd much prefer you got to witness most of the game with your own eyes. That, and the build I've played is nowhere near complete, so I fully expect a lot of changes.
I suppose I can share some details on how assists work. When you select a character, you can select between two different assists. Here are a few moves that characters use when assisting
>Kyo: 236K hopkicks and uppercut
>Iori: Projectile and sumagushi (hand swipe)
>Terry: Burn knuckle and round wave
>Mr. Karate 2: Zanretsu ken and short range projectile
>Haohmaru: Tornado and unblockable slash
Also, some characters have assist exclusive moves such as Jill's herb from MVC2 and Morrigan's meter buff from 3. I guess that this is so that there isn't much overlap considering how many chars there are that shoot projectiles, do uppercuts and do charging attacks. For example, one of Fuuma's assists places a seal of fire on the screen, if the opponent touches it they get burned into a crumple state that lets you continue your combo. Also, Kula can put a shield of ice on her partner that makes them temporarily immune to chip damage, but breaks after a few hits.
https://twitter.com/Diavlestein/stat...23435558576130
This is VERY accurate to their new looks, so kudos to the artist! However, there are two details that are incorrect. K's collar is slightly larger/higher than that, and Kula's hair is MUCH shorter. She's almost bald, so I guess a good example would be Charlize Theron's character from Mad Max: Fury Road. There is a story justification for this, but I'd rather not spoil.
I cannot wait for you guys to see this beautiful game that SNK has been hard at work on. I don't want to say too much more, because I want you to see it all with your own eyes and I think my sources might be getting savy soon, since this information has spread throughout the internet. But I am not opposed to answering specific gameplay-related questions.
Kula's reason to cut her hair
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Early in the story, the hacker's group is shown capturing various Neo Geo fighters,
including the cut characters. Eventually,
they go after K' and his team, but they put up a fight. Just as they're about to be finished off,
Maxima jumps in to save them, but since he's a cyborg the hacker is able to crack into his body and force him to self destruct, killing him.
K' grabs Kula and they run for it. Kula is traumatized so she spends a long time shut in,
while K' joins up with Yuki and Ai to fight the hackers. A bit later, K' is confronted by Goodman, who mentions that he remembers K',with the scene strongly implying that he is Igniz under an alias. Just as Goodman is about to finish K', an icicle strikes him from the back, and Kula walks in to join K' with her new look and a new resolve. You then control K' and Kula fighting Goodman.
End of Spoiler
Unlike MVC, you cannot call assists in the middle of an attack. You must be in a state where you can act normally.
As mentioned before by other leakers, they are an animesque style. If you've seen the Dragon Ball, Naruto, etc type of games, you know what you're in for. The game looks absolutely nothing like XIV in any capacity.
This leaker is right on the money, "Neo Shock Engine" is the tentative name some are using for SNK's new 3D engine. I don't believe that it will be the final name for the engine, however. Of course, KOFXIV does not use this engine. It seems this leaker does have more credibility than I had previously assumed, which makes me question why he's attempting to discredit me so hard. Perhaps he's trying to prevent me from spoiling too much, or costing us our sources?
The cast are all in a playable state except for the final boss and the boss versions of certain characters, although specific move properties and balance are of course tentative. The story mode cuts off at a certain point, after only a couple of hours. There are no character endings for arcade mode currently, it just ends on a screen saying the game is in development.
The boss difficulty will vary for most players, but I would put Goodman and the new final boss on par with the likes of 94 Rugal, 96 Goenitz, 2001 Igniz, 2003 Magaki, especially the last boss who has various cheap tricks including some moves that break the fourth wall to mess with the interface. He can "hack" the game to alter life values, super bar, even altering your button controls or the properties of your moves, or tthe visuals/sound.
Most of the character abilities are pretty standard if you're familiar with classic SNK, but I suppose I can elaborate on the "V-Trigger" style mechanic. For instance, Mizuchi's playable form starts draining his meter and his partner's life to transform him into his boss form, so you temporarily get to control an SNK boss.
Cel shading is definitely not the right word for the visuals. It's more that the art style resembles anime rather than KOFXIV's realistic style. As I've said, look at the licensed anime games from Namco-Bandai.
King Lion plays identically to the first game. His "V-Trigger" gives him new techniques.
There are redesigns, but most of them are either ones you've seen before such as Kyo and Iori using different looks or are very subtle such as Ryo utilizing elements from Wild Ambition. Captain Kidd has a slightly exaggerated build like Antonov and Robert has his goatee, but very few characters have extreme makeovers like K' and Kula do. The most notable changes are to Yuki, Ai, Andy, and Mizuchi . Yuki and Ai wear tight body suits that resemble the characters from Ton. Andy fights in a new uniform with a classical ninja face mask and scarf. Mizuchi is perhaps the most interesting, in my opinion. His playable form has black hair with a white streak, and he has many lacerations and scars across his body, implying the Orochi power is exceeding his body's limits. During his idle animation, his hair will glow white and he doubles over in pain holding his head. His boss form is the same as it was in the first game. Aside from this, many female characters have more conservative outfits, Mai is dressed as she is in the Chinese port of KOFXIV and Rosa has her mid-drif covered. I can't say for certain if this will be the case in every region.
It's a very, very fast-paced game, on par with Guilty Gear XRD. It controls almost identically to the first game, save for the new mechanics, but it's much more loose and forgiving. Many difficult command inputs are changed to be easier. The game is very easy to pick up and play with your friends, in my opinion, assuming nothing changes.
The build I've played has arcade, story, versus, training and survival modes. That's it. I don't know what else may or may not be coming.
Yes, if you fail at any fight in arcade mode, you can use a continue service, like in most SNK games.
All normally playable characters are selectable in this build, but that may just be for testing purposes. Characters like Mizuchi, Neo Dio, King Lion, Kagami and Goodman have boss forms, but they are unselectable, as is the final boss.
I don't know much about how DLC is going to work, but based on what the other leakers have said I'm going to assume that Athena, Kensou, Mars People and Morden are the four DLC characters, since they don't exist in the build I've played. All I've been told is that there will be a season pass with four DLC characters and six costumes.
I have no idea if the censorship to the female characters will be region based or not, but I have been told that SNK is very aware of the complaints that Western gaming journalists and feminist activists have to their characters, and want desperately to amend their image in the US. That, and the build I've played is in completely translated English. I'm unsure if the censorship will be present in all versions of the game, but I can say with absolute certainty that unless something changes, it will be present in the North American release.
All I do know is that SNK's sales in the United States are abysmal, so it makes perfect sense that they would want to try anything they can to increase their sales. . Through my contacts I do know that many overseas developers think about these things often when considering the release of their games in the West.
If I had to make an estimate, I'd say that this is probably the first playable build. It's still very buggy and rough looking. Maybe it's been in this state for about 6 months? I don't know, I'm not a developer.
Training mode is extremely barebones right now. I assume, and hope, it will get more features later.
I don't want to spoil too many of them, but I want to reiterate that the stages are a serious love later to the history of SNK, instead of the random science fiction stuff in the first game. If you're a longtime fan, you WILL recognize many of them. I had a huge smile on my face every time I saw one of them for the first time.
The character select screen is similar to the first game with characters across from their counterparts, Yuki to Ai, Kyo to Iori, K' to Kula, so on and so forh. The boss characters are grouped at the bottom, and on either side of them are four empty boxes for the season pass characters.
Sounds crazy.
I guess we'll have to wait for TGS 2018 for some KOF XV Teaser.
"Lasciate ogne speranza"
[this message was edited by Yuki Yagami on Thu 19 Oct 15:24] |
| | "KOF Destiny" , posted Mon 30 Oct 08:30
I've changed how I'm watching KOF Destiny. Instead of watching the ten or so minutes of new content per week, I'm just waiting to watch a month of episodes at a time.
I don't know if I've just gotten used to the animation, or if it has actually improved. It certainly doesn't hurt that the last month of episodes were mostly fight scenes (as the tournament proper started), as that has been the stronger suit of the series. I do know that I've somewhat gotten used to the art style, because the faces haven't changed, yet they don't bug me quite as much as they used to.
Considering the story elements that have been changed, the series has remained surprisingly loyal to the KOF94 roster. The story has certainly been expanded, with Geese working with Rugal to harness Orochi's power, as well as incorporating the whole Bogard/Howard family conflict as a primary story line. We've seen Mature acting as more than a secretary, the US Sports Team turned into Orochi-infused fighters, and a brand new destined-to-die love interest for Terry. We've also seen Terry meeting kid Rock and flashbacks of both Jeff Bogard and kid Krauser.
At the same time, other than the various Bogard/Howard-related characters, there haven't really been any post-94 cameos? It felt like we were going to get stuff like that at first. We got rather a bit with Saisyu, and then we got the Jeff Bogard stuff (before it was obvious the storyline was going to focus so much on the Bogard/Howard stuff), and that was pretty much it. I admit that I expected to see stuff like Leona and/or Whip acting as support for Heidern's investigations, or to see Gang-Il and/or Luong watching Kim's match. It would have made sense to insert these post-94 characters into supporting, background, or even pure cameo roles. But it never happened. (Maybe they just didn't want to spend the money or time making cameo models that couldn't be easily recycled for crowd scenes?)
On a side note, it wasn't until I started thinking about this that I realized that Takuma was missing. He wasn't replaced; Ryo's team simply never shows a third member. The series never makes a point of this absence, and seems to actively try to not draw attention to the issue. While only Ryo and Robert attend the reception, that introduction itself comes only after Ryo has already started a confrontation with Yuri. As for their tournament match, the episode starts with the last round of their match (Mai vs Ryo, so we don't even see Robert fight.) I wonder what the show had against Takuma?
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<Dinocrisis 
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move, are you actually hitting the 
