SNK Playmore's fighter The King of Fighters XII will arrive in North America and Europe next year, publisher Ignition announced today, though further details are scarce.
The sequel sees the long-running series ditch all of its constantly reused previous artwork. Instead, it utilizes "new 2D high definition, high resolution sprites, on detailed 2D backgrounds," all of which are hand-drawn.
"Release date, game platforms, screenshots and loads of details on new features" are all coming soon, teased Ignition. Given the game's emphasis on HD visuals, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are expected to follow the arcade release that hits Japan next April.
To see the gorgeous sequel in motion, check out the arcade trailer below:
GameDynamo - "Fighting games have enjoyed a period of spectacular growth after being a nearly nonexistent genre for so many years prior. Because of this sudden growth, we're seeing a lot of companies taking different approaches to the traditional fighting game formula that has stood since Street Fighter II first came onto the scene."
Star Trek Online developer Cryptic has ruled out the possibility of it releasing a sequel to the game in future years - telling CVG it would rather constantly update its existing MMO.
I'm glad they aren't going to make a sequel. The current game is unfinished and flawed, they need to fix that first.
A sequel is the last thing people are thinking about right now, it's an online game! You don't need a sequel, you can just keep building the game and change the story arc for as long as you want.
The Start Screen reviews King Of Fighters XII for the PS3. They cover how far fighting games have come and with the showing that SNK Playmore's KOF XII, how far we need to go. The game was seemingly released incomplete with an time trial for an Arcade Mode and a seemingly broken online mode. Did the 772 MB patch help?
look awesome
Can't wait for this game.