The King of Fighters XI
Encyclopedia
The King of Fighters XI is a 2D competitive fighting game
produced by SNK Playmore
originally released in as a coin-operated arcade game
for the Atomiswave
platform. It is the eleventh official installment in The King of Fighters series following The King of Fighters 2003
, although a spinoff titled The King of Fighters Neowave
was previously released for the same platform. A home version for the PlayStation 2
was released in Japan in , followed by releases in the PAL region
and North America in .
The King of Fighters XI utilizes the Tactical Shift System from The King of Fighters 2003. The Quick Shift allows to change into another character in the middle of any combo, prolonging it, or in the middle of any attack, canceling the frames of animation of the attack, if it's needed. The Saving Shift allows to take out a character when he is being hit as soon as he is hit, at the cost of both skill bars. The last new feature of The King of Fighters XI is the Dream Cancel. Like the Super Cancel that first appeared in The King of Fighters '99
, Dream Cancel allows players to use stocks to interrupt a move in the midst of its execution with a more powerful move, allowing devastating combos.
Should the timer run down in a match, the winner is no longer decided based upon who has the most life remaining. Instead, the judgment bar, a new bar of circular shape composed of two colors, each one representing one player acts as a quantifier of the skill of each player. Whichever player has the judgment bar towards his or her side will be the victor if none of the teams win defeating all three characters from the opposite team; rarely, if the bar is exactly in the center, the match will end in a draw and both sides will lose. The bar is affected by each attack that the players get in, combos affect progressively more, and when a character of the opposing team is defeated, the bar suffers a big change against that player.
), who creates the Anti-Kyokugen Ryu Team along with Kasumi Todoh (who returns to The King of Fighters as well) and Malin. Oswald, an Irish card player who's an expert in using his playing cards to battle, joins Ash and Shen Woo in the Hero Team to find the whereabouts of a powerful new drug. Elisabeth Blanctorche, a young French woman who is acquainted with Ash, creates a Rival Team along with Benimaru Nikaido and Duo Lon to investigate Ash's true intentions. Duck King, a well-known South Town veteran fighter, joins Terry Bogard and Kim Kaphwan in the Fatal Fury Team as Joe Higashi had left to focus on his Muay Thai
training and Mai Shiranui had refused to help Terry out after he told her that he didn't know where his young brother Andy was. Having recovered his powers lost during the NESTS Chronicles, Sie Kensou returns to the Psycho Soldiers Team along with Athena Asamiya and newcomer Momoko, a cheerful Capoeira-using girl. A new Agent Team is formed by Blue Mary and returning characters Vanessa and Ramon. A new team known as Garou MOTW is formed by the beautiful female pirate B. Jenet, Gato and Tizoc. Due to an emotinal trauma that her character has at the end of The King of Fighters 2003, Leona leaves the Ikari Team to focus in regaining her strong will and Whip decides to leave the K' Team to replace her. The former NESTS agent, Kula Diamond, joins K' and Maxima in the K' team to help them out in investigaing their latest threat. Since Chizuru is unable to help her fellow teammates out, Shingo replaces her in the Sacred Treasures Team to help Kyo and Iori recover her powers from Ash.
, Mai Shiranui
, Leona and Robert Garcia) absent for the first time in the series. However, past characters such as Eiji Kisaragi, Kasumi Todoh, Sie Kensou, Vanessa, Ramon, and Kula Diamond return to the competition. Characters new to series include Oswald, Elisabeth, and Momoko, as well as Duck King from the first Fatal Fury
and B. Jenet from Garou: Mark of the Wolves
. Characters from Savage Reign
and its sequel Kizuna Encounter
, as well as Buriki One
, appear in the game as secret challengers.
The PlayStation 2 version features seven additional characters taken from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
. They become available once the player clear certain challenges in the games Challenge Mode.
Mid Bosses
Sub Boss
Final Boss
PlayStation 2 exclusive characters (each is based upon their NeoGeo Battle Coliseum appearance)
and SNK released , a soundtrack from the game. It is made of 2 CDs, both featuring 37 tracks. While some tracks are identical to the ones from the game, other have been arranged. The disc one is from the Arcade version, while the disc two is from the PS2 version. The tracks were composed by SHA-V and arranged by Koji Takata, Masuo Okumura, Masanori Kuki.
or what could have been a The King of Fighters 2004. Development of the game began when the SNK staff finished making Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. On September 8, 2006 Ignition Entertainment announced they licensed The King of Fighters XI for European release. SNK Playmore USA announced the game on November 13, 2007. Ben Herman, president of SNK Playmore USA said "With the release of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XI, 2D-fighter fans have hours of the classic gameplay they love, plus brand-new game-enhancing features, at their fingertips".
The additions of the mid-bosses from Buriki One and Kizuna Encounter were meant to surprise gamers. Since their original moves did not "fit" in The King of Fighters XI, developers had to change some of them. The boss character Magaki was designed to "disgust and disturb fans with his movements", giving more characters to the antagonists, Those from the Past. Additionally, he was meant to be a hated and nonredeemable character due to the difficulty players could have to defeat him.
gave the game an 8.0, commenting that while it is "a very old-school 2D fighter" since the style from the games has not changed so much since KoF 94, it is well organized due to the large number of playable characters and how variable were their fighting styles. He also added that some fights were very difficult for players unless they learn the special moves from the characters, causing them to spend some time learning them. Andrew Park of GameSpot
also gave it an 8.0. He mentioned that the game was well-balanced with several characters to play and a good artwork for the illustrations. He mentioned that while the sub-boss Shion, is "terribly powerful", the final boss, Magaki, is "absurdly overpowered" although his voice is not well done and his appearance is not impressive. Eurogamer
also gave the game an 8, saying that it is an "excellent 2D game", being comparable to other good games such as Street Fighter III
. The reviewer complained about the lack of popular characters like Leona and Joe Higashi, although he praised the addition of bonus characters like Mai Shiranui, Mr. Big and Robert Garcia.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
produced by SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
originally released in as a coin-operated arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
for the Atomiswave
Atomiswave
The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's NAOMI system board...
platform. It is the eleventh official installment in The King of Fighters series following The King of Fighters 2003
The King of Fighters 2003
The King of Fighters 2003 is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series and the first KOF game to become a tag tournament as well as the first one to be published by SNK Playmore...
, although a spinoff titled The King of Fighters Neowave
The King of Fighters Neowave
The King of Fighters Neowave is a 2D competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore and originally released as a coin operated arcade game for Sammys Atomiswave hardware. It was the first game SNK Playmore produced for the Atomiswave...
was previously released for the same platform. A home version for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
was released in Japan in , followed by releases in the PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
and North America in .
Gameplay
The four largest innovations The King of Fighters XI brings to the franchise are the Quick Shift, the Saving Shift, the Skill Bar and the Dream Cancels. The Power Stocks that existed previously are still present, and are filled in the usual fashion. Nevertheless, there are now Skill Stocks as well, which gradually build up over time. Each team begins a match holding the maximum of two Skill Stocks. Offensive maneuvers, such as Desperation Moves, Guard Cancels, and Tag Attacks, continue to use Power Stocks. However, more defensive or tactical maneuvers, such as Guard Evasion, Saving Shift, and Quick Shift, use Skill Stocks.The King of Fighters XI utilizes the Tactical Shift System from The King of Fighters 2003. The Quick Shift allows to change into another character in the middle of any combo, prolonging it, or in the middle of any attack, canceling the frames of animation of the attack, if it's needed. The Saving Shift allows to take out a character when he is being hit as soon as he is hit, at the cost of both skill bars. The last new feature of The King of Fighters XI is the Dream Cancel. Like the Super Cancel that first appeared in The King of Fighters '99
The King of Fighters '99
The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle is a head-to-head fighting game by SNK released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sixth installment in the companys The King of Fighters series. The game was ported to the Neo-Geo CD and the PlayStation as the final KOF game released...
, Dream Cancel allows players to use stocks to interrupt a move in the midst of its execution with a more powerful move, allowing devastating combos.
Should the timer run down in a match, the winner is no longer decided based upon who has the most life remaining. Instead, the judgment bar, a new bar of circular shape composed of two colors, each one representing one player acts as a quantifier of the skill of each player. Whichever player has the judgment bar towards his or her side will be the victor if none of the teams win defeating all three characters from the opposite team; rarely, if the bar is exactly in the center, the match will end in a draw and both sides will lose. The bar is affected by each attack that the players get in, combos affect progressively more, and when a character of the opposing team is defeated, the bar suffers a big change against that player.
Plot
Mukai, a member of a mysterious group known as "Those from the Distant Land", stole the Orochi seal in the last tournament and broke it, causing confusion and destruction. Taking advantage of the situation at hand, Ash Crimson attacked Chizuru Kagura in her weakened state and stole the Yata Mirror from her, draining her powers in the process. In the advent of a new King of Fighters tournament, new faces are handed invitations, while old friends return, such as Eiji Kisaragi (who makes his long-awaited comeback since his last appearance as a member of the Rival Team in The King of Fighters '95The King of Fighters '95
The King of Fighters '95 is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console. It is the sequel to The King of Fighters '94 and the second game in The King of Fighters series...
), who creates the Anti-Kyokugen Ryu Team along with Kasumi Todoh (who returns to The King of Fighters as well) and Malin. Oswald, an Irish card player who's an expert in using his playing cards to battle, joins Ash and Shen Woo in the Hero Team to find the whereabouts of a powerful new drug. Elisabeth Blanctorche, a young French woman who is acquainted with Ash, creates a Rival Team along with Benimaru Nikaido and Duo Lon to investigate Ash's true intentions. Duck King, a well-known South Town veteran fighter, joins Terry Bogard and Kim Kaphwan in the Fatal Fury Team as Joe Higashi had left to focus on his Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
training and Mai Shiranui had refused to help Terry out after he told her that he didn't know where his young brother Andy was. Having recovered his powers lost during the NESTS Chronicles, Sie Kensou returns to the Psycho Soldiers Team along with Athena Asamiya and newcomer Momoko, a cheerful Capoeira-using girl. A new Agent Team is formed by Blue Mary and returning characters Vanessa and Ramon. A new team known as Garou MOTW is formed by the beautiful female pirate B. Jenet, Gato and Tizoc. Due to an emotinal trauma that her character has at the end of The King of Fighters 2003, Leona leaves the Ikari Team to focus in regaining her strong will and Whip decides to leave the K' Team to replace her. The former NESTS agent, Kula Diamond, joins K' and Maxima in the K' team to help them out in investigaing their latest threat. Since Chizuru is unable to help her fellow teammates out, Shingo replaces her in the Sacred Treasures Team to help Kyo and Iori recover her powers from Ash.
Characters
The character roster for the game receives a major shake-up, with no returning team remaining unaltered from the previous installment, and with five long-time regular characters (Chang Koehan, Joe HigashiJoe Higashi
is a video game character created by SNK Playmore . He makes his first appearance in the fighting game Fatal Fury: King of Fighters as one of the three playable characters from the game...
, Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui
is a player character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK and in related media, also appearing in a large number of other games...
, Leona and Robert Garcia) absent for the first time in the series. However, past characters such as Eiji Kisaragi, Kasumi Todoh, Sie Kensou, Vanessa, Ramon, and Kula Diamond return to the competition. Characters new to series include Oswald, Elisabeth, and Momoko, as well as Duck King from the first Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
is a 1991 head-to-head fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. Fatal Fury was SNK's first fighting game for the Neo Geo system and served as the inaugural game in their Fatal Fury series, as well as the first game to depict the fictional "King of Fighters" tournament...
and B. Jenet from Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
, known as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves on Dreamcast, is a 1999 fighting game produced by SNK, originally for the Neo Geo system. It is the ninth and final game in the Fatal Fury series, set ten years after the death of Geese Howard in Real Bout Fatal Fury...
. Characters from Savage Reign
Savage Reign
is a futuristic-themed competitive fighting game released by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as for the PlayStation 2 along with its sequel Kizuna Encounter in Japan only .-Plot:Savage Reign is set in the first half of the 21st century in...
and its sequel Kizuna Encounter
Kizuna Encounter
is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to Savage Reign. Like its predecessor, it was ported to the Neo-Geo CD and also included in the Fūun Super Combo for the PlayStation 2...
, as well as Buriki One
Buriki One
Buriki One: World Grapple Tournament '99 in Tokyo, otherwise known simply as Buriki One, is a 3D competitive fighting game produced by SNK and released as a coin-operated arcade game in...
, appear in the game as secret challengers.
The PlayStation 2 version features seven additional characters taken from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum is a 2 on 2 tag team fighting game for the Atomiswave arcade board. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. The PlayStation 2 version of the game has been released in Japan, North America and Europe...
. They become available once the player clear certain challenges in the games Challenge Mode.
Mid Bosses
- Gai Tendo: The lead character from Buriki OneBuriki OneBuriki One: World Grapple Tournament '99 in Tokyo, otherwise known simply as Buriki One, is a 3D competitive fighting game produced by SNK and released as a coin-operated arcade game in...
. - Sho Hayate: The lead character from Savage ReignSavage Reignis a futuristic-themed competitive fighting game released by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as for the PlayStation 2 along with its sequel Kizuna Encounter in Japan only .-Plot:Savage Reign is set in the first half of the 21st century in...
and Kizuna EncounterKizuna Encounteris a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to Savage Reign. Like its predecessor, it was ported to the Neo-Geo CD and also included in the Fūun Super Combo for the PlayStation 2...
. - Adelheid Bernstein: The alternate final boss in The King of Fighters 2003.
- Jyazu: The antagonist of Kizuna Encounter.
- Silber: The antagonist of Buriki One.
Sub Boss
- Shion: An assistant of Magaki skilled in the use of martial arts and weapons, particularly a long spear and Flying Dart.
Final Boss
- Magaki: The final boss of the game and a herald of Orochi Demudo of Geegus in Darkless.
PlayStation 2 exclusive characters (each is based upon their NeoGeo Battle Coliseum appearance)
- Mai ShiranuiMai Shiranuiis a player character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK and in related media, also appearing in a large number of other games...
(Fatal Fury 2Fatal Fury 2is a 1992 fighting video game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise.-Gameplay:...
) - Robert Garcia (Art of FightingArt of Fightingis a trilogy of competitive fighting game titles that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the Fatal Fury series and is set in the same fictional universe...
) - Geese HowardGeese Howardis a fictional video game character appearing in SNK Playmore's Fatal Fury fighting games series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the...
(Fatal Fury) - Tung Fu Rue (Fatal Fury)
- Mr. Big (Art of FightingArt of Fightingis a trilogy of competitive fighting game titles that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the Fatal Fury series and is set in the same fictional universe...
) - Hotaru Futaba (Garou: Mark of the WolvesGarou: Mark of the Wolves, known as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves on Dreamcast, is a 1999 fighting game produced by SNK, originally for the Neo Geo system. It is the ninth and final game in the Fatal Fury series, set ten years after the death of Geese Howard in Real Bout Fatal Fury...
) - EX Kyo KusanagiKyo Kusanagiis one of the main characters in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team. He is one of the iconic characters of the series and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. His name and...
(Kyo in his The King of Fighters '99 outfit)
Soundtrack
On March 24, 2006, ScitronScitron
-List of Video Game Albums Released:A -B - C -D - E -F - G -H - I -J - K -L - M -N - O -P - Q -R - S -T - U -V - W -X - Y -Z-A:* ACECOMBAT 04 shattered skies Original Sound Tracks SCDC-00146...
and SNK released , a soundtrack from the game. It is made of 2 CDs, both featuring 37 tracks. While some tracks are identical to the ones from the game, other have been arranged. The disc one is from the Arcade version, while the disc two is from the PS2 version. The tracks were composed by SHA-V and arranged by Koji Takata, Masuo Okumura, Masanori Kuki.
Development
Since the first game in The King of Fighters series, each of them were released every year; the last of them to be released in this manner was The King of Fighters 2003. In December 2004, Falcoon, the series' main illustrator, mentioned that the next game the SNK Playmore staff were trying to release was different from KOF: Maximum ImpactKOF: Maximum Impact
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact is a fighting game for the PlayStation 2, produced by SNK subsidiary Noise Factory published by SNK Playmore in 2004-2005. An enhanced version was released for Xbox and PlayStation 2 under the title KOF: Maximum Impact — Maniax...
or what could have been a The King of Fighters 2004. Development of the game began when the SNK staff finished making Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. On September 8, 2006 Ignition Entertainment announced they licensed The King of Fighters XI for European release. SNK Playmore USA announced the game on November 13, 2007. Ben Herman, president of SNK Playmore USA said "With the release of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XI, 2D-fighter fans have hours of the classic gameplay they love, plus brand-new game-enhancing features, at their fingertips".
The additions of the mid-bosses from Buriki One and Kizuna Encounter were meant to surprise gamers. Since their original moves did not "fit" in The King of Fighters XI, developers had to change some of them. The boss character Magaki was designed to "disgust and disturb fans with his movements", giving more characters to the antagonists, Those from the Past. Additionally, he was meant to be a hated and nonredeemable character due to the difficulty players could have to defeat him.
Reception
Ryan Clements of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game an 8.0, commenting that while it is "a very old-school 2D fighter" since the style from the games has not changed so much since KoF 94, it is well organized due to the large number of playable characters and how variable were their fighting styles. He also added that some fights were very difficult for players unless they learn the special moves from the characters, causing them to spend some time learning them. Andrew Park of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also gave it an 8.0. He mentioned that the game was well-balanced with several characters to play and a good artwork for the illustrations. He mentioned that while the sub-boss Shion, is "terribly powerful", the final boss, Magaki, is "absurdly overpowered" although his voice is not well done and his appearance is not impressive. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
also gave the game an 8, saying that it is an "excellent 2D game", being comparable to other good games such as Street Fighter III
Street Fighter III
is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
. The reviewer complained about the lack of popular characters like Leona and Joe Higashi, although he praised the addition of bonus characters like Mai Shiranui, Mr. Big and Robert Garcia.
External links
- The King of Fighters XI at the official Japanese website of SNK PlaymoreSNK PlaymoreSNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
- The King of Fighters XI Official European website of Ignition Entertainment.
- The King of Fighters XI Press release announcing the official North American release
- SNK NeoGeo USA Consumer Message Board features KOF board