geekabilly
Mickey's Coach
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2002
- Posts
- 597
Link:
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/677/677766p1.html
Videos:
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/744/744213/vids_1.html
The King of Fighters: NeoWave
SNK's arcade brawler smashes into the Xbox with full Live support.
by Charles Onyett
December 20, 2005 - Early 2006 should prove to be a great time for 2D fighting fans on the Xbox. After all, within the month of January alone both King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout and Samurai Shodown V are currently slated to release. That could get even better in February, when this new King of Fighers title, called NeoWave, is set to come out.
So what exactly is NeoWave? Basically, it just means that this is the next evolution of the King of Fighters series, not any kind of compilation or retro re-release. Though it's been in arcades for a while now, when's the last time anyone actually went out to an arcade? Released on Sammy's Atomiswave arcade system, NeoWave promised more detailed background graphics than previous iterations, though the character graphics and animations are similar to what we've seen before. This isn't the flashiest 2D game out there, but it certainly still looks good.
Gamers will immediately be impressed when firing up NeoWave by the bright, clean visuals and the fluidity with which they animate. To see for yourself, take a look at the videos in the media section at the bottom of this article, then head over to the video section of another of SNK's games, Samurai Shodown V, and compare. You'll find NeoWave to be the visually preferable title.
The game offers three different modes of play, the Super Cancel, Guard Break and Max2 modes which basically affect how your super bar works and gives you slightly differing move sets and abilities. For instance, the Super Cancel mode lets you link a Special Move with a Super Attack for extra damage, whereas the Max2 mode lets you perform big damage attacks you wouldn't otherwise be able to do. In combination with your weak and strong punch and kick combos, Special Moves and Super Moves, you'll be able to enable a Heat Mode with the press of a button to add more power to your attacks.
From the main menu you can access Team Play, Single Play, Versus, Practice and Endless modes in addition to an options menu and an unlockable picture gallery. Team Play allows you to select three characters that you can use to play against a computer controlled team or a friend's just like in the original three-on-three system way back in the early days of King of Fighters. Before you start a game you'll also be able to customize the order in which the fighters appear in battle. The Single Play, of course, takes you through the game with only one character, while the Endless mode puts you up against a continuous string of opponents until your health is finally depleted.
In total you'll be able to choose from 36 fighters, both new and old. You'll find each one has their own unique Special Moves and flashy Supers, colorful character art, an evacuation rolling maneuver and a thrust attack. After you lose a match you'll be able to drop the difficulty level when you continue, drop your opponent's health level at the beginning of the match, recharge your special gauge or just take no action. In the options menu you'll find customizable controls, a wide range of graphics, audio, and match settings, as well as the ability to customize the color palettes of your favorite characters.
By far the best part of NeoWave is the fact that it fully supports play over Xbox Live. Logging in will give you access to search for matches, create your own, check out online competitions and view your own statistics. If you're drooling at the opportunity to play this game, it's most likely for this mode, which should extend the replay value far beyond what would be possible with only single and offline versus modes. The game responds and controls well on the Xbox, so before long you'll be pulling off Super Attacks and dodges with a degree of regularity.
With some colorful characters and backgrounds, NeoWave is looking pretty good so far, and is definitely a 2D brawler worth keeping your eyes on. We'll have more as it comes in. While you wait for the game's release, be sure to check out our updated screens and videos below.
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/677/677766p1.html
Videos:
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/744/744213/vids_1.html
The King of Fighters: NeoWave
SNK's arcade brawler smashes into the Xbox with full Live support.
by Charles Onyett
December 20, 2005 - Early 2006 should prove to be a great time for 2D fighting fans on the Xbox. After all, within the month of January alone both King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout and Samurai Shodown V are currently slated to release. That could get even better in February, when this new King of Fighers title, called NeoWave, is set to come out.
So what exactly is NeoWave? Basically, it just means that this is the next evolution of the King of Fighters series, not any kind of compilation or retro re-release. Though it's been in arcades for a while now, when's the last time anyone actually went out to an arcade? Released on Sammy's Atomiswave arcade system, NeoWave promised more detailed background graphics than previous iterations, though the character graphics and animations are similar to what we've seen before. This isn't the flashiest 2D game out there, but it certainly still looks good.
Gamers will immediately be impressed when firing up NeoWave by the bright, clean visuals and the fluidity with which they animate. To see for yourself, take a look at the videos in the media section at the bottom of this article, then head over to the video section of another of SNK's games, Samurai Shodown V, and compare. You'll find NeoWave to be the visually preferable title.
The game offers three different modes of play, the Super Cancel, Guard Break and Max2 modes which basically affect how your super bar works and gives you slightly differing move sets and abilities. For instance, the Super Cancel mode lets you link a Special Move with a Super Attack for extra damage, whereas the Max2 mode lets you perform big damage attacks you wouldn't otherwise be able to do. In combination with your weak and strong punch and kick combos, Special Moves and Super Moves, you'll be able to enable a Heat Mode with the press of a button to add more power to your attacks.
From the main menu you can access Team Play, Single Play, Versus, Practice and Endless modes in addition to an options menu and an unlockable picture gallery. Team Play allows you to select three characters that you can use to play against a computer controlled team or a friend's just like in the original three-on-three system way back in the early days of King of Fighters. Before you start a game you'll also be able to customize the order in which the fighters appear in battle. The Single Play, of course, takes you through the game with only one character, while the Endless mode puts you up against a continuous string of opponents until your health is finally depleted.
In total you'll be able to choose from 36 fighters, both new and old. You'll find each one has their own unique Special Moves and flashy Supers, colorful character art, an evacuation rolling maneuver and a thrust attack. After you lose a match you'll be able to drop the difficulty level when you continue, drop your opponent's health level at the beginning of the match, recharge your special gauge or just take no action. In the options menu you'll find customizable controls, a wide range of graphics, audio, and match settings, as well as the ability to customize the color palettes of your favorite characters.
By far the best part of NeoWave is the fact that it fully supports play over Xbox Live. Logging in will give you access to search for matches, create your own, check out online competitions and view your own statistics. If you're drooling at the opportunity to play this game, it's most likely for this mode, which should extend the replay value far beyond what would be possible with only single and offline versus modes. The game responds and controls well on the Xbox, so before long you'll be pulling off Super Attacks and dodges with a degree of regularity.
With some colorful characters and backgrounds, NeoWave is looking pretty good so far, and is definitely a 2D brawler worth keeping your eyes on. We'll have more as it comes in. While you wait for the game's release, be sure to check out our updated screens and videos below.
Damn SCEA for not letting SNK release their games here in the US!