The King of Fighters XIII

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
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  1. DarkZero
    Feb 6, 2012
    70
    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.
  2. PSFocus
    Dec 20, 2011
    70
    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?
  3. IGN
    Nov 22, 2011
    70
    King of Fighters XIII is definitely an improvement over its predecessor.
  5. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Feb 2, 2012
    60
    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]
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  6. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Jan 6, 2012
    60
    An improvement over its predecessor in almost every way, but it still feels undernourished. [Jan 2012, p.81]
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  7. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 5, 2011
    50
    As solid as the combat is, there are numerous contemporaries that offer as much challenge and fun with much more visual flair, and without horrendous loading times.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best PS3 Game of 2011
72
#72 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
82
#82 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 98
  3. Negative: 15 out of 98
  1. frantisek
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    King of Fighters XIII is probably the best 2d fighting experience you can have in the current generation, and one of the best 2d fighters everKing of Fighters XIII is probably the best 2d fighting experience you can have in the current generation, and one of the best 2d fighters ever created. Not only has the overall package been extremely improved in both quantity and quality, with tons of modes, new characters, beautiful stages that will remind you of the best SNK games on NeoGeo, new systems that actually add a lot of depth to the game (drive cancel, extra versions of special and desperation moves, and many other things) but the game has also a good netcode that, so far, hasn't let me down a single time. KoF13 has already been a favorite in the competitive scene for some time, and it's likely to gather a decent following in order to build a sizeable community in the future. The 4 CD soundtrack provided by Atlus USA surely helps to improve the value of an already exceptional game.… Full Review »
  2. Brunuman
    Nov 22, 2011
    8
    The king of fighters was always a well known and beloved fighting series, starting in 1994. As an snk fan since long forgotten times, theseThe king of fighters was always a well known and beloved fighting series, starting in 1994. As an snk fan since long forgotten times, these series always had a special place in my fighting spirit. And saying that kof XIII is a bad game is to fail to understand these beloved series.
    Kof XIII is a big inprovement over kof XII, the fighting system is well tweaked and the characters animations and stages look AMAZING!
    the story mode is easy to follow to who really follow the story from previous kof, leaving the new and not-so-interested players a little confused whith all the fuss around the characters, but its a great addition no doubt about it! To those saying this game has cheap bosses, please, tell me that the other fighting games dont have them! if you do... well god help your ability of judgement!

    the online is still a little laggy, but who can say better from all the other online fighters? its a common headache for all, some a little better, some way worse.

    Whith a ton of addictions, the great new stages, a pile of new characters, new and improved (and fun) playability, kof is an excellent choice to al the kof fans and the pixel punching fans in general!

    I give it an 8, the same i give to ssf4, has the same online issues and we have to understand its 2 very different games, the choice is up to you and your taste!    … Full Review »
  3. rempel
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    while i was burned by kof12's lack of contents and poor online, i must say that kof13 is really different, to the point of being completelywhile i was burned by kof12's lack of contents and poor online, i must say that kof13 is really different, to the point of being completely different both regarding gameplay and available modes. if kof12 had practically nothing aside from arcade, versus and practice, here we have a great story mode with multiple paths, a nice arcade mode with dialogues between matches, versus, time attack, survival, tutorial, training, missions, a great color edit mode and a competent online mode that is surely on par with most other beat'em ups.

    the new features, like special versions of moves and supers are also welcome additions, and i think anyone remotely interest in this genre should buy this gem asap    … Full Review »
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