The King of Fighters XIII

The King of Fighters XIII comes back as the leader of technical fighting games. A lot of single player modes, characters and the good online experience but first of all a solid and difficult gameplay make this last release a must buy for all the fans.

KoF XIII is probably the best game of 2011 for die-hard fans of traditional 2D fighters. From the incredible graphics, to the deeply detailed and difficult-to-master drive cancel combos, to the invigorating options for rushdown and retreat that come with every KoF title, the game feels like the most traditional, yet most skill-rewarding modern fighter on the market.

Story mode might not bring much to the table, and the lack of proper tutorials might make this game a little bit intimidating to some but with tight gameplay mechanics, a ton of content to keep you busy for a long time and a working online mode, this game easily obtains its "must-play" status for all fans of fighting games in general.

King of Fighters XIII is a title that every fighting game fan should take notice of. It's gorgeous and surprisingly accessible, yet challenging and deep for competitive play. There's no shortage of solo gameplay appeal, either: the characters are great, the story is intriguing, and there's a wealth of varied content to keep you playing.

Playing KoF XIII is the closest thing to "work" I have felt here at TPS. I wasn't good and I had to earn every bit of ground I gained. Just know that you won't get your hand held by the game or its players, you'll get it broken.

The King of Fighters XIII has multiple offline modes, balanced mechanics, improved online system and all that one KOF must have. It's a great fighting game, not for everyone, but good contender for Blazblue and Super Street Fighter IV.

King of Fighters XIII accomplishes the difficult task of redeeming a previously failed attempt at revitalizing the franchise. Everything that makes a great fighting game, from an interesting and balanced cast to well-conceived mechanics and visual flair, are here in abundance.

All of these features, combined with the tightly balanced fighting mechanics, make The King of Fighters XIII a fantastic game that can easily go toe-to-toe with the heavy hitters in the fighting game genre.

The King of Fighters XIII can definitely hold its own against more established games in the genre, and deserves to be in your library.

Some unfortunate issues with the online multiplayer, frustrating bosses, and a tutorial that is merely average prevent it from being the dominant fighting game it could have been.

If you think, that Street Fighter 4 is too polygon-ish, BlazBlue too wild and Marvel vs. Capcom too chaotic, then the new King of Fighters is perfect for you. (...) It lives up to the standards and merits of its early predecessors.

Quotation forthcoming.

Raw and beautiful Versus Fighting, here it is! KoF XIII gives its pride back to the series. But it sacrifices some accessibility in favor of this new richness, even though it includes some tutorial modes that are well-crafted. But if you have time and motivation to spare in order to dive into it, this episode is a really good one, even though it still doesn't come near a Blazblue or SFIV in terms of online play.

Despite its lacking online features and (Russian) roulette connectivity hoopla, KOFXIII is still an excellent game. For OGs desiring an honest, non-n00b friendly fighter, or for new schoolers wanting a unique challenge, don't miss out. It's time to knuckle up.

SNK has proven with King of Fighters XIII that it cares about the fans. Nearly every bit of negative feedback about the last game has been addressed here, resulting in distilled fan service in disc form. Devout King of Fighters fans left wanting last time won't have much to complain about here. And while the tutorial and missions mode offers some guidance for casual players, I can't recommend this over other superior fighters on the market.

Overall, King of Fighters XIII is a very fun game to play.

It's good to see the KOF series back on track. [Issue#213, p.93]

The in-depth fighting mechanics and awesome animation and visuals give KOF its own space alongside other mainstream fighters. The King of Fighters XIII is definitely an improvement over the last installment, but is still plagued with troubled online play.

The King of Fighters XIII offers a phenomenal fighting game experience you won't find in many newer fighting games, and while the learning curve might be steep, the time and effort you put into it won't be obliterated by mindless mashing of uppercuts or ridiculous comeback mechanics. If you want to be the King of Fighters, you have to earn it.

While many, many improvements have been made over its predecessor, The King of Fighters XIII is not without its faults. One of the biggest requests from fans was that of better netcode. The King of Fighters XII was known for its downright terrible and horrendous lag. SNK has stated multiple times that XIII will feature a better online experience but I can't say they've made good on that promise. While input latency has definitely been cut down, it is still quite noticeable.

This is a great challenging fighting game, but the unforgivable difficulty makes it not the most accessible one. Novice players will find themselves lost at some times, but fans will enjoy this considerable improvement over King of Fighters XII. One question though: what's the use of a story mode when there is no story?

King of Fighters XIII is definitely an improvement over its predecessor.

The game looks crusty. The sprites introduced last year are pixilated and their animations limited. Plus the game lacks any creative flourishes during the massive super moves. We love the idea of a stunning 2D fighter, but there's no technical or artistic creativity here. Note to SNK – invest some money to make it look like a cartoon made by a ninja Walt Disney. [January 2012, p.76]

An improvement over its predecessor in almost every way, but it still feels undernourished. [Jan 2012, p.81]