Written by Birrywong | 12 February 2012
Posted in Standing Fierce News

Hey all,

I don't often post much on the front page, mostly due to my own inherant laziness, but I feel like I need to say this. A lot of you are aware of KOF XIII, I'm sure. Im also sure that there are plenty of you that have yet to give it a try. Basically, if you haven't tried this game, I really REALLY think you should. As someone who has played just about every fighting game since 2001, (Except all the anime inspired stuff, because it just doesn't appeal) I am pretty vocal about what I don't like in the games I play. This is pretty extensive btw, so if youre keen for some reading and some gameplay videos, hit the Read More button and get on the BEST FIGHTING GAME EVER train.

I don't like the pace of SSF4, which is why I main El Fuerte in that game. Too much of it is watching the other persons character wiggle back and forth until you find a safe point to attempt to poke at him. Not a HUGE fan of how Ultras are a deliberate comeback mechanic either. I like the way links work, and, despite my first gripe, I like that a lot of the game is about controlling space. It has some great entry level stuff for beginners, and your fundamentals in terms of general fighting games will improve a lot as you play SSF4.

I was big into MVC2, and so MVC3 naturally became my next big timesink. Super fun game, but is hampered by some really really bad gameplay decisions imo. X factor is still too strong, even though its a universal mechanic. Wesker can be played well by a blind man with no arms. General damage is WAAAAY too high. The actual game moves at a really awesome pace, and the combo system is great because it has a really low entry point, making it a great game for actually pulling more people into the genre, since its so beginner friendly. Not a big fan of the whole 'one mistake oh lol your first character is now dead' mechanic that develops once people learn all their combos properly though. The game is pretty unforgiving with its punishes.

Both these games are fantastic. Love them both, but hate them at the same time for their obvious flaws.

Now we come to KOF XIII. There is no X Factor. There are no Ultras. No deliberate comeback mechanics. If you make a mistake, you get punished, but you will probably live through it, with a bit of HP to spare. Zoning is different, but still really important. The game supports rushdown players A LOT better than SF4, and has just as much flashy shit in it as Marvel does. The Balance is really REALLY good. It's impossible to balance a game perfectly, but every character has stuff that's worth mentioning, and if you put work in with any character, you're not going to sit there thinking 'I should just pick Wesker and get wins without effort'. (Salt much Bill? Harden the fuck up.) Pick a character. Search for them on Youtube. You WILL find something mind-bendingly sick.

You can do all the elaborate stuff you like, as you can in Marvel, but it's going to cost you significant meter. A lot of the time you're going to want to save it to try and deal as much damage as possible to a problem character. Yes, there are 100% life combos in this game. There are even fucking RE-DIZZY's.

 

Its not just a combination of buttons and assists like in Marvel. Its actually quite challenging. Landing the more difficult stuff in KOF feels really REALLY rewarding. Even compared to other games.

In all honesty, it is a harder game for beginners to get into than the other two. Most of you guys aren't beginners, which is why I'm posting this. Fundamentals are still REALLY important, much like they are in SF4, but your execution needs to be a good deal better to hold your own in KoF than it does in SF4. Characters can be as sticky as Vanilla Wolverine, but the pressure game is a completely different beast to MVC3. You don't have the luxury of tridashing all day and mashing the assist to make it safe. You really have to think things through. I really like this about it. Anything you're fighting you can think your way around, from the cheesiest bullshit to the most iron-clad pressure. Everything has a certain risk/reward to it. More so than the other games I'm using as a comparison. It's straight up HARDER than both games. And it can be pretty imposing for beginner players. But for ANYONE who would consider themselves pretty well versed in the genre, (ie. 90% of the people reading this) then there is NO REASON for you to not try this game.

If you have your SF4 fundamentals or you want something a little less 'EXPLOSIONS ON THE SCREEN HOLY SHIT' than Marvel, I INSIST that you give this game a try. I like SF4, and I like MVC3. I like them both A LOT, and have put a hell of a lot of time into both games. And I really don't want to seem like I'm bagging them, but this game, is REALLY REALLY good. I can say with 100% honesty that it is the best fighting game I have ever played. It supports any way you want to play, as long as you are skilled enough in that particular playstyle. Any tactic can be countered by someone willing to think it through. Nothing is impossible, and the mechanics reward you for your own abilities. They don't say, "oh you're at 50% hp, better give you an Ultra". They don't say "Bro, need some 100% damage combos? try this X-Factor on".

The MAJOR issues I have with the other games I play simply ARE NOT PRESENT in KOF XIII. In fact, if anything, it takes the good parts of SSF4 and MVC3 and mashes them together into a golden ball of 'HOLYSHITMYBALLSJUSTEXPLODEDLY AWESOME'. I think this game deserves a lot more recognition than it is being given. It seems like there aren't as many of us playing it as I would like, and I really think that you all NEED to at least give it a crack.

So for all you Aucklanders, once Ranbats are finished every Friday, and we hit the casual setups, each week I am going to make one setup a KOF XIII setup, as long as I am there to make it happen. I am by no means a master of this game yet, but anyone who wants to get into it, I will be MORE than happy to take you through the mechanics and show you how to compliment your playstyle with your initial character choices.

If you haven't yet, you NEED to play this game. Ill even throw in some gameplay videos.

First one if you like extremely good players, Second one if you're a hype junkie.

 


 

Ninja Admin Edit. Added King of Fridays in here as well. Long video, but loads of character variety in this one, and the commentary is pretty good for the most part.

 


One more time for anyone that just skipped to the end.

YOU. NEED. TO. PLAY. THIS. GAME.